UKC

Hi
I need a half rope, would i be better off buying a 60m or 50m half rope?

I'll only be climbing uk, (maybe once a year go out of uk, would buy another rope then if longer lengths recommended in europe etc)
Mostly South West + Swanage, but South Wales + North Wales occasionally too etc.

Any preferences in manufacturers, treatments that work well, durability experience etc, other tips would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

Buy the same length as your climbing partner!

50m is ideal for most places, but most of my friends and myself use 60's because it means you can take one rope for the grit and use it doubled.

Everyone has a preference on brand/model but I choose based on weight/meter rather than diameter. Around 45g/m is ideal for general rock climbing. Mammut Genesis is popular and very hard wearing, but I hate the stiff handling. Beal Cobra handles well and has very low impact force, but can wear quickly. I'm currently trying out a Petzl Rumba which seems closer to the stiff/hard wearing end of the spectrum.

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

Beal Verdon

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

50's are enough for your intended use. For Swanage I wouldn't go thinner than 8.5 mm on a regular basis as the chert can be very sharp and I know of atleast one bad accident where a half rope was cut through.

I like the genesis, not the most supple ropes but extremely hard wearing.

In reply to danm:

Climbing with various partners!

In reply to Skip:
Cheers skip... I done Inkerman's last weekend , had horrendous drag after out of top crack, with 2 x 10mm, but created by not using long enough extenders, just 25 cm long quickdraws!
Great route though.

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

I really like my Beal Cobras, and other climbing partners seem to enjoy them too. But, I got them because I got a good deal - that's probably a decisive factor.

My ropes are 50s, which has never been an issue for me. But, everyone "good" that I've climbed with seems to be disdainful of the UK affection for 50s and prefer 60s. It's true most pitches are less than 50m in the UK, but if you've 60s you've more opportunity for linking pitches together and abseiling. If you do go to the Dolomites, or similar, you'll appreciate 60s, too (I'm told). Also, if the rope gets knackered, it often seems to be within the first 5m of one end or the other, which you can then cut off without being left with an annoyingly short rope.

Bah! Anyway, I guess it's up to your budget and what deals you find!

In reply to C Witter:
Thanks for the replies, i bought the 60m Beal Cobra 2, Unicore, with the lowest fall force, highest falls rating, and sharp edge resistance, it's a good deal.
The Verdon is almost equal, but not Unicore.
I noticed other manufacturers have unicore types too, with some ropes, its not just Beal, but Beal seemed the winner for me.
Perhaps next one i will go with more hard wearing mammut types.