UKC

Have just done my first sea cliff routes at the weekend and I'm wondering do I need to wash my ropes and kit?

In reply to bonebag:

It depends...

If you keep pack your rope up separately from your gear then cross contamination isn't going to be too much of an issue, even if it ended up in the sea or got splashed most people don't wash their ropes more than a couple of times a year unless they look particularly dirty or have grit or sand on them.
If you're going to put the rest of your gear in a bag or cupboard for a month, then a quick wash and dry of your metal gear wouldn't hurt, then lube the pivots on your cams and gates on your krabs. If you're going to be climbing on them several times a week then washing them every time you go out is total overkill, you'll spot if they aren't working smoothly and can clean and lube them before they seize up. Master Cams have a bit of a reputation for seizing when exposed to salty environments, so maybe worth being a bit more regular with cleaning and lubricating those if you have any.

I have heard it mentioned that soft aluminium alloys as used in some cam lobes can be susceptible to developing stress corrosion cracking with prolonged exposure to salt, however that's beyond my technical competence to pass comment on so I'll leave it to others with a better understanding than myself to expand upon if they so choose.

In reply to bonebag:

Its best to wash metal stuff and certainly not leave wet salty kit together in a warm condition when you get home. I try to remember to at least wash my cams every day on seacliff trips. Just a good swill in warm water.

The BMC advice is much stricter:

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/care-and-maintenance-of-metallic-equipment

In reply to bonebag:

You haven't put it all in the washing machine yet? Quick!!! Before it falls apart!

In reply to bonebag:
I've seen biners go to flakey rot from not rinsing them.

Its total overkill to wash metal kit every day you climb on sea cliffs on multi day trips unless they have been actually dunked in the sea or sprayed badly with sea water in the air.

Personally I'd wash all metal kit within a few days of use in a saline environment irrelevant if they got wet or not (however if they definitely got sea water on them I'd do it sooner). Ropes you only need to wash periodically. Mammut told me not to bother washing ropes unless they actually got wet and then only every few times or so this happens.

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Thanks for the advice CurlyStevo and all you other folks including you cheeky Cheese Monkey!