UKC

Today I noticed that my rope has become very twisted, to the point where when on lead my belayer had to stop me in order to untwist it. This is a new rope only done about 5 days on it, I have a couple of questions if anyone has answers;

1). What causes it?

2). How do I fix it?

In reply to Jackspratt:

Most new ropes need to be uncoiled by rotating the coil as if it's coming off a drum and not just pulling one end of the rope. Might also be caused by a lower off consisting of Mailons and if you use an Italian hitch.

One way is to drag the full length of it over something like a football pitch and the twist should disappear. 

In reply to Jackspratt:

• Drag it around a grassy field, taking care to avoid any dog shit.
• Pull it through a lower-off at the wall a few times from the same end.
• Pull it through a quickdraw on your stairs at home a few times, like above.

You're essentially looking to use the wonders of friction to push the twisty bits towards, and out of, the end of the rope.

In reply to Jackspratt:

Thanks guys, I'll give it a shot!

In reply to Jackspratt:

It's as Factor xxx says - it's similar to what can happen to a garden hosepipe, which is why it's best to keep it on a drum (a hosepipe that is). It's also why few people coil their ropes these days as each turn of the coil puts a kink in the rope. 

Well done on Jean Jeanie. You could have pulled your rope up and down Main Wall while you were there.

In reply to Jackspratt:

If you want to see what went wrong just get a loo roll. If you unroll it the usual way it's  comes off fine but trying standing it on on the floor and pulling the end - instant twists. I'm afraid that's what happened to your rope

In reply to Jackspratt:

It happened to me once.  It was due to how a top rope was set up essentially making the rope go through two 90 deg bends

As a routine pull the rope through the long way from the top of the wall (helps you alternate ends and allows the twists to come out) and learn to lap-coil the rope from the centre (any twists you put in will be in both strands in opposite directions) try to alternate left and right hands when you finish the coil off.

But, as mentioned above drag the rope through some (preferably dog-shit free) grass to remove the initial twists.

In reply to Jackspratt:

When it's that new, usually incorrect uncoiling. Find a nice 25m free hang to shake it out or some dog poo free grass, drag it in straight lines from the mid point for a few hundred meters. 

Jk

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Loop coiling a rope puts a twist in at each turn, but if you drop the loops off when you uncoil then they all come out again. Just don't put it in a heap and pull the end out any old way. Works fine for me, anyway.

I've seen some ropes that just seem prone to twisting. I don't know why this is, maybe sheath to core movement. The only solution being to buy a new one from a different manufacturere and put the original on your 'never again' list.