UKC

In the market for new single rope and really like the idea of dry 9.1mm 60 m. But not sure how long it will last..? How much life do people on get out of skinny rope?

In reply to nutme:

In my experience the durability of skinny ropes comes down almost entirely to how they are used. If it's for onsighting and the occasional redpoint it'll last a good long while, if it's used for dogging + working routes it won't last all that long. Smooth limestone is also guaranteed to give it a bit more life, whereas harsh granite will undoubtedly wear it a lot, lot faster. I wrote off a single 8.9mm whilst doing the American Direct on the West Face of the Petit Dru, but it did get a battering from a great many pitches, a lot of harsh granite, a load of abseils, getting stuck in a couple of the aforementioned abseils, and so on and so forth. Still, it made for a quite expensive outing!

Hope that's of help.

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:


Yes, it's great!
Congratulations on American Direct!

In reply to nutme:
Thanks, doing that route was worth whatever money I paid for the rope

In reply to nutme:

Also the make of rope is important. Some ropes wear/degrade faster than others. I have my own preferences and my ropes have to earn their keep. I look after my ropes, avoid getting them covered in grit and dirt and if I do, cleaning it off before it gets ground in. My preference is Beal. Have a friend who swears by Edelrid.
Each to their own, make your choice, take care of the rope, be sensible in its use and you will be happy. Abuse it and it will cost.

In reply to johncook:
Skinny singles just need saving for best and even then don't let anyone touch it, much like a favourite knife

Had to chop a 9.1mm before the end of a 2 week trip once, it was new on day 1, was gutted. I'd imagine alot of the thickness saving is the sheath as they need to maintain the strength of the core so it's never going to be the same as a 10mm longevity wise.

Mates got a beal 9.2 which has seen 5 trips so been quite impressed with that.

In reply to snoop6060:



Are you sure it's a Beal? I don't see any that diam. listed on their site.

http://www.beal-planet.com/2014/anglais/cordes.html

In reply to Fraser:

It's a joker, says 9.1 there. I may have been wrong or it might have changed as don't think it's unicore. Solid rope tho.

In reply to snoop6060:

Think Jokers have always been 9.1, but nomatter. I have one myself and I must say it's not worn very well so last time I was looking to replace went with the Simond 8.9mm which is holding up much better.

In reply to snoop6060:

I think the older jokers, before unicore (about 5 years ago) were 9.2. It seems that the unicore has allowed them to thin the sheath a bit but still maintain durability. My 9.4 stinger has had a lot of hammer and is still going strong. Some time ago I was 'sold' one of the original unicore beal boosts (pre-production models) which was 9.8 which had so much hammer working routes, being fallen on, etc and is still decent, if a little furry. Unfortunately it is somewhat heavy for long walk ins now I am getting older and idler (and partners with small hands and tired arms had a problem coiling it!).

Thank you guys for advice. I think will give it a go.
My eyes are on Salewa Speed Queen rope. Have one day to decide

In reply to nutme:

I have two Jokers. From the looks of your logbook it should be ideal for winter routes and sport climbing. Obviously if it's going to be hammered day in-day out there are better ropes.

Best to think of a triple rope as an all rounder, at the cost of longevity.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

I've got a Joker I use it as a single for sport, half it for gritstone climbing where pitches are short but doubles are still needed. I've used it on 6 alpine routes up to AD on difficulty and a number of Scottish winter climbs. It's been dragged across glaciers and sharp ridges for miles and is still in really good nick. Admittedly I don't use it every day but it gets used for trad at least 1 day a week, often two, and it's lasted the best part of 2 years. I'll be getting another when it goes as they are tough ropes compared to other skinny ropes. Also the stretch gives a good dynamic catch.

In reply to nutme:

I've got an Edelweiss 9.2mm single which has been abused for a couple of years on everything from Peak grit and Cornish granite, to Chamonix granite and on glaciers. Absolutely zero problems with longevity, no furriness, and it's still very soft and handles well. The only problem is that - unsurprisingly - the dry treatment is no longer anywhere near as effective after a lot of gritstone abuse.

On which note, I should probably try to reproof it.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:


My UKC logbook is barely updated. I prefer old school. But it should give impression - I climb mostly sport and winter mixed. Love remote miltipitches in beautiful places. So I'm willing to pay extra for lightness. Just hope 9.1 rope will live for a year at least.

In reply to nutme:
You might want to consider the Decathlon Edge ropes. Single, 8.9mm diam and so far very robust. The 100m cost me only £119 a few months ago but they do a 50m version too for £75:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/edge-dry-rope-89mm-x-50m-id_8388735.html