UKC

I'm planning on buying a pair of half ropes and was wondering if anyone had any advice on picking between brands, or if there a good review anywhere?

Searching through the forums/ ukc articles/ the web generally, there are lots of articles on what type (single/ half /twin) of rope to pick, and ways of choosing between different ropes based on their individual stats, but really I'm looking for first-hand advice on different ropes.

-Lots of friends have Mammut Genesises (Genesees/Genesi??), they seem to have all the usually good stats, with relatively high UIAA falls listed at 15-16.
-I've heard good things about the handling of Edelrid ropes.
-There are some good deals on Tendon ropes at the moment.
-Another friend swears by Sterling.

So what to do..

Cheers

http://bealplanet.com/sport/anglais/index.php
http://www.mammut.ch/productDetail/201001310_v_4130_60_85_0/8.5+Genesis.htm...
http://www.mytendon.com/rope-tendon-master-7-8
http://www.sterlingrope.com/category/155038/Dynamic_Ropes
http://dmmclimbing.com/products/ropes-&-cord/
http://www.edelrid.de/en/sports/products/ropes/ropes.html

In reply to ned taylor:

I should have probably mentioned I'm most likely after 60m dry-treated ropes for all the classic UK trad, Scottish winter and alpine trips.

In reply to ned taylor:
I got the pheonix and they are nearly 6 years old now and regularly used and still have life left in them! One of the ropes is looking a bit worn but serviceable and the other is still looking pretty damned good.

In reply to ned taylor: Diameter is pretty important - anything thinner than 8.5mm will get trashed very quickly on aggressive rock like the gneiss here, and may not work well/at all with some belay devices.

In reply to Toerag:
I've climbed on all sorts of rock including gneiss, grit and granite with my pheonix 8mm and they are going well and 6 years old.

In reply to ned taylor:

I've got Beal Cobra II's, awesome ropes, don't think you can go wrong with the Mammuts either!

some good pair deals online, urbanrock, joe brown and v12 I think!

In reply to ned taylor: I have always thought that Beal ropes handled well but my mates Cobras have worn out much quicker than my Mammut Genesis one and the two have always been used as a pair. I like Mammut and Edelrid which generally tend to be more expensive, perhaps this is why.

In reply to ned taylor: I have Edelrid 60m dry treated Merlins - 8mm in diameter.

Wearing fine, handle well and the dry treatment seems as good as anything else I've used. Happily used just the one in winter (naughty I know)and they don't stretch anything like the Icelines. All the stats added up for me when I went through them all.

As far as belay plates go, I bought a spare Buggete in case someone wants to use a narrower one but I use a Reverso fine, my mate uses a Bug and no one has noticed any slipping with their usual device. They've been fell on too.

I much prefer them to my mate's Mammut Genesis to be honest but I couldn't tell you why.

In reply to mrchewy: Edelrid seemed to disappear from the scene for a while, at least in the UK. Most of my early ropes were Edelrid, in fact I can't recall any other makes back in the 70's. I think Mammut are possibly the toughest ropes but pay the price by being a little less pleasant to handle.

In reply to ned taylor: Phoenixes

In reply to ned taylor: for 60m I'd go phoenix to save weight. Had a 50 phoenix for 5 yrs ad its still ok

I use the Genesis

http://www.mammut.ch/productDetail/201001310_v_4130_60_85_0/8.5+Genesis.htm...

Lovely handling, very easy to belay both ropes. Very water resistant eg in wet soft snow. Not very heavy, have lasted a long time.

In reply to GridNorth:

The pheonix handle pretty well I think mammut now apply a heat treatment to all their ropes (they used to call duraflex), they always used to do this on the pheonix anyway and this improves handleing.

In reply to ned taylor:

I've got some Mammut Phoenixes, 8.0mm. They're great for winter/ice climbing. But for 80-90% of what I do, which is standard trad climbing, they're not that great. Tangle very easily and a bit 'rapid' when abseiling etc.

I'll be going for a more 'standard' 8.5mm rope or maybe one of these 8.7-9 single/half/twin jobs next time I buy a rope.

In reply to mattrm:
I agree they tangle a bit easily as do all/most 8mm ropes, especially ones that are less stiff / handle well. However you do get used to avoiding it. Personally I can't justify having two sets of half ropes so some compromise is necessary.

I disagree they abseil too rapidly but then I use specialist belay devices (ie buggette and alike)