UKC

Wonder if i can pick your collective brains.
Have been climbing since September at indoor walls in Newcastle/Sunderland, really enjoying bouldering and top roping. Can do 6a/bs reasonably comfortably.
Have been taught to lead but dont have a rope to practice with, thinking about buying my own.
No idea what i'm looking for, any advice?

In reply to Sonjita:

My mammut superflash has served me well.

I'd suggest >=10mm

In reply to Sonjita: Get a 60m single rope around ⌀10mm. I have the rope in the link below, but there are many more companies to choose from (e.g. Beal, Mammut etc.). You don't really need a dry treated rope unless you are planning to head winter climbing/to mountain crags.

If you would like any more advice, you're welcome to PM me

BR

http://www.edelrid.de/sports/products/ropes/cobra.html

In reply to Sonjita:
There are pro's and con's to whichever rope you buy.
I would suggest that you get a single rope (as has already been suggested) and also a dry treated rope. If you get caught out and it rains, you don't want your rope to get heavier.
In addition if you end up getting into winter climbing, a dry rope won't freeze as easiliy as a normal rope.
(basically you pay for what you get)
50 meter or 60 meter it really is upto you. traditionally ropes started as 45 meters (my first half rope was one of these), but routes get longer and on muti-pitch routes it means that you haver to belay less frequently.

A 60 meter rope means you can abseil further

to summarise the length of rope is upto you but 60 meters are becoming the norm.

I would buy a rope from a know source. I have seen the full rope that I am about to retire on Ebay. (ropes stored in a dark room still degrade) so what is being sold as a new rope is in reality old but just unsed.

I hope this make sense

Richard

In reply to Sonjita: for a first rope buy the cheapest 50+m rope you can. Look for special offers and aim for as close to a £1/m as you can. You will knackered the sheath way before you need to worry about the core. Gain experience and then as you get more daring you'll work out what to invest in 2 or 3 years time... happy climbing.

In reply to Sonjita: I use DMM ropes for work and play. I think they're great value for money and are wearing really well.

Personally I'd buy a 50m to start unless you're planning on going abroad.

In reply to Sonjita:

Hi,

I think the first question you need to ask yourself is how you would like to progress your climbing. Do you think you will stay climbing indoor walls, or would you like to go outside? If going outside would you be sticking to sports routes or starting to move onto trad routes? As has already been said there are lots of options, nothing will be ideal for every situation but there are definitely ways of ensuring you don't spend too much money. PM me if you want more advice

In reply to Sonjita: As you have said you wand to practice at the wall then I'd go for the cheapest 10mm rope that you can find.

1) Find out what the highest lead climb is at Sunderland Wall. Buy a rope double this length plus a bit for knots.

2) Find the place with the cheapest 10mm rope of the right length on offer and buy.

Job done

In reply to Sonjita:

Make sure you 'uncoil' it properly when you get it (Should be an article somewhere around here) otherwise it'll twist on itself.

In reply to Martin1978:

+1. A 60m rope is 2x as heavy and more of a nuisance to flake out than a 30m as well as more expensive. In the end you'll probably want both.

Mammut ropes don't have the twisting up problem when they come out the package which saves a bit of hassle.

In reply to Martin1978:
23m apparently, though it's now no longer the tallest wall in the uk as Lakeland Climbing Center in Kendal now has a 24.5m wall...

In reply to Sonjita:

You might find this article useful:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=376

What are you planning to use a rope for? Climbing indoors at a particular wall?

It is spring, so do you plan to start climbing outside at all? You might like to get in touch with your local climbing club?

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/map#clubs,huts

My first rope was a 50M half rope. However, this was because I planned to climb with other people, who also had their own half rope, so we could pair them up to climb. I planned to climb outside, all over the country (I lived in Reading, so I didn't have 'local' climbing and so I wanted the versatility of double ropes.

There is no one right answer - it depends on what you plan to do.

In reply to kyaizawa:

Tower wall at Ratho is 28m and Main wall is 25m. The independence referendum isn't till next year, at which point Kendal may have a shot at highest wall in the UK.

In reply to Sonjita:
Thanks everyone! Time to go shopping

In reply to kyaizawa:

Ratho, Edinburgh has been the tallest since 2003.

In reply to SeanB: in answer to OP.

this looks like a good deal http://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Rock-Climbing-Equipment/Ropes/Single-...

In reply to tom_in_edinburgh:

I got a 60m first, and its a pain for indoor leading when the walls are 15m max and you have to pull it through if someone is seconding.

So I now have a 35m and a 60m (both cheap 10.2mm Beal ropes), which are fine for indoor as relatively new climber. The 60m rope will get use when I can do the +20m indoor routes.