UKC

Hi all,

I'm looking to get my first rope, mostly for trad but at low enough grades that I don't need half ropes. I'm currently based in Northumberland but will probably be going on a trip to Cornwall for some multipitching in the summer, and may be moving to the Peak in the next couple of years.

I think around 60 or 70 metres is about right so I've narrowed it down to these options:

Mammut Zopa 9.7mm: https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/mammut-zopa-97-bergfreunde-edition/

Beal Zonsi 10.1mm: https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/beal-zonsi-101-bergfreunde-edition-single-rope...

Edelweiss Rocklight II 9.8mm: https://rockrun.com/collections/climbing-ropes/products/edelweiss-rocklight...

Obviously the Beal rope is a bit thicker, was sort of thinking it being thicker it would last longer but I don't know how true that is.

Is it worth paying a bit more for a Mammut/Edelweiss rope over the Beal?

Thanks

Bought a Beal Zonsi very recently (got 80m and chopped it into 45m and 35m specifically for short sport crags). Very pleased with it so far. Although 10.1mm it doesn't feel at all "clunky", and works fine both with ATC-type device and GriGri 2. Looks like it will take a beating, and should stand up to Cornish granite pretty well. The other 2 ropes you mention aren't necessarily better: they're good makes, but at the end of the day all three are budget "entry level" ropes. 

Thinner ropes handle better, but they don't last as long - you pay your money and take your choice. Personally I wouldn't get anthing over 10mm.

I've got a 70m Beal Karma, if I want to do any trad routes which could do with a pair of ropes I can double it up, or just take my 50m mammut half rope, can't remember which type it is.

My decision to get a 70m was to allow me to get down from fairly high places should I need to with just the one rope.

Realistically, for trad, in this country, you really don't need more than 50m. Also, if you're serious about trad, you'd be much better off with double ropes.

For trad get 1/2 ropes if possible, much more versatile. Also thickness is fairly meaningless, look at grams per metre instead, also as this is a more unfamiliar metric it may take a while to work out what the different values mean. 

I'm not sure that grade has much impact on whether or not half ropes are beneficial. You can find routes where they have advantages at any grade.

That's not to say that you shouldn't get a single, half ropes have disadvantages too, but if the grade has been your main reason for ruling them out then I think you should reconsider.

Certainly if thinking of multi pitch routes then half ropes permit longer abseils to get off the crag in an emergency.

I had the Zonsi and still use the Zopa, which is older. But they had a tad different uses.

Zopa and Mammuts in general tend to have quite tight woven shealts, so they feel more slick and stiffer.

The Beal was much softer and felt nicer to beging with... but it also was almost worn through after hald a season of nordic granite. Generally I got a season or two from single ropes here, so the Zonsi did not fair well.

The Zopa has been mainly used for euro limestone, were it fairs well.

So I would pick the Zopa over the Zonsi... Edelweiss might be better, but can't say as I don't recall owning one (or infact I think I do, might be my newest single rope... but haven't really put it for it's paces so can't comment on it yet).



As for single ropes and multipitch...  sure, you're limited to shorter abseils, but I seem to recall most pitches in UK are newer much longer than 30m anyway... so you should be good... And to be fair, if you don't need to climb every single line, then most of the time a single rope is good enough (even on grit). And for shorter crags, double it up and you have doubles.

At that price I'd go for the Beal one! I bought the Edelweiss Rocklight at 50m and its OK, but doesn't handle all that well, might get better after more use! You really don't need anything more than 50m for UK single pitch, you'll soon get sick of coiling/back coiling/flaking out/ carrying that extra 10m you'll never use! BTW I'm also based in Northumberland, is it ever going to stop raining???? Mail me if you want to check out that Edelweiss one, if your not to far away!

I bloody well hope so, my resolution of climbing an E3 before the end of the year is slipping away!

Other option which I have sometines done is single rope and ine half rope - you can then climb single or 2-rope style. Since you're not doing this on your norman, maybe your partner might buy the other rope? Or do they have the car?

Dont worry about what might happen in two years time (by which ti e hopefully you've had a decent amount of use out of the rope).