UKC

Rope recommendations.

My bouldering 17y/o turns 18 soon, he's only just started learning ropes, belaying, knots indoor etc.

He's getting himself a harness and belay plate etc, but I'm looking to get him a rope (and bag) for his birthday. 

Advice needed for a rope that would work for top roping outdoor and maybe leading indoor? 40/50/60m 9/10/11mm etc??

Cheers.

Indoors 30m is plenty, but outdoor top ropes could be anything.

I would just go for 50m. It's probably easier to find a bargain at this length.

I'm weak so I like skinny ropes when leading. For top rope it really doesn't matter.

I wouldn't bother going for dry treated ropes. It adds a lot of cost and I doubt he will benefit from it.

50m, 9.5 -10mms, dry

That's not true for quite a few indoor walls in the UK.

40m is good for indoors and top roping on short crags.

50m is good for most things as a beginner. (Indoor and outdoor leading, top roping etc...)

9-10mm is fine (10mm+ isnt very nice to handle).

Well...that very much depends on the indoor wall. My local wall is over 20m high so even a 40m would see you failing to get to the floor or, even worse, with rope not knotted to a rope bag, you being dropped. So, it's not good advice to a novice to just say 30m is fine. 

To the OP I'd personally go for 60m then, as you later cut worn sections off either end,  you'll still have 50m+ left. Anything 9mm to 10mm. I wouldn't bother with dry treatment - not worth the extra expense.

This is a birthday present from Dad not a budget rope - dry ropes last longer, preform better over over edges and through carabiners. As a bonus it will stay dry when the keen teenager ends up climbing in the wet and maybe snow over lifetime of this rope.

actually get an Edelrid anti cut (aramid sheath), dry 50m /10mm

The OP did not say anything about his budget. How do you know how tight money is for the family? IMO dry treatment is not critical unless you're doing a lot in wet conditions such as winter climbing. I've had lots of non-dry-treated ropes that have handled really well. 

I didn't say anything about his budget 

Ropes come as single, half, triple (there is actually another category called double but I'm ignoring it for this). To climb indoors *and* outdoors on a good for beginners rope you need to get a SINGLE

These people are good value and reliable/reputable only selling good quality rope

https://www.dicksclimbing.com/collections/all-rope?refinementList%5Bnamed_t...

I think the Mammut 9.8 crag classic 50m would be a good all round rope for beginners and intermediate climbers. It's on offer at £84. Bargain for a good rope https://www.dicksclimbing.com/products/mammut-98-crag-classic

You said "this is a birthday present from dad not a budget rope". The implications of that is that dad will be happy to splash out on a more expensive rope cos it's a present. My point is that he may not be able to or wish to spend more. 

You are of course right, Dad may not want or be able to spend above the absolute minimum on this rope and if he had asked that question rather than the 'birthday' question I would have suggested a 50m 10mms non dry treated rope. 

Two questions for you:

- What is the height of the climbing wall / walls your son uses?

- Where, what cliffs or areas would he do most of his outdoor climbing on? 

From the answers we may be able to give appropriate recommendations

At this stage of his climbing I'd go with 50m of between 9 and 10mm....dry. Chances are he'll be at least a few years away from winter climbing if he goes in that direction at which point he may want a winter rope....

https://www.abaris.co.uk/Beal-9.8mm-Diablo-dynamic-rope?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1bqZB...

Personally I love the above rope. 9.8 is a good robust diameter for a wide range of uses, 60m for chopping as it wears out and the Beal Unicore I really rate as a safety feature and also makes the rope super nice to handle!

Just my 10 pence.

Cheers everyone, appreciate the responses.

Just to add to the chorus, a good first rope that will suit many purposes and which you will get for a good price is a 50m single that is between 9.4 and 10mm.

Dry treatment is a preference, but not really essential. You should manage to find something for £1/m to £1.10/m. Beal and Mammut would be my manufacturers of choice; Petzl or Sterling, if you can find a decent price. Regular indoor use will trash it within a few years, so the dry treatment is not essential.

If planning to use to TR outdoors, get a rope protector or two. Personally, I would recommend one rope protector that is dedicated (i.e. shop bought), as well as a couple of offcuts of carpet or cheap door mats. This is especially vital if TR on grit or sandstone. If you manage to get a rope for a good price, 20m or so of static rope (£1/m) to rig your top rope with would also be very useful, rather than dicking around with slings.

Hope that helps.