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Looking for info on first ropes

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 finn rc 02 Jun 2022

I’m looking for advice on a rope to get, it’s going to be my first rope and I’ll be using it mainly outdoors (hopefully) top rope and lead probably, I’ve seen online that ill likely be paying £80-£200 for rope and as I don’t really have too much money (starting a new profession) I want to make sure I get the right bit of kit and don’t end up wasting my money 

thanks for any help guys 

 morpcat 03 Jun 2022
In reply to finn rc:

It really depends on the type of climbing you want to do, and which venues you're most likely to go to. That will determine the best type and length of rope to use.

You can read more in https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/skills/everything_you_wanted_to_know_ab...

If you have time on your side, consider subscribing to a few online store's newsletters and watching out for a deal on ropes. It's rare but you can get as much as 50% in sales, which is a lot of money when it comes to ropes! 

 morpcat 03 Jun 2022
In reply to finn rc:

Also factor in costs for other kit. For leading sport, you'll need a set of quickdraws. For top-roping, you'll almost certainly need some additional bits and pieces to set up the anchor - usually along the lines of 3 screwgates, a length of static rope, and a rope protector (like a carpet off-cut). It's essential that your anchor point is extended out and your main rope doesn't run over the top edge of the crag. 

 Fraser 03 Jun 2022
In reply to finn rc:

This is undoubtedly your best bet right now:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/climbing-rope-10-mm-x-70-m-rock/_/R-p-168071?...

Just ask to be email notified when they come back into stock, you won't get anything better. Adjust the length ordered to suit your requirements but as a starter I'd go for a 60m personally as you'll probably be going on a trip abroad or elsewhere in the UK where a 60m is almost always handy - (70m noted in the link text but the 60m is shown)

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 Dave Todd 03 Jun 2022
In reply to finn rc:

Go Outdoors is also worth checking out;

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/climbing/climbing-ropes/

 carr0t 04 Jun 2022
In reply to finn rc:

I normally get mine from decathlon because they are cheap, but any suitably rated and well priced rope should do the trick. I treat them as consummable items and tend to go for the cheaper ones and chop them down more frequently. If I spend more money on them, I'd probably want to use them longer and I prefer not to. I usually take off 10-15m off the ends which get the most abuse and use the leftovers as shorties for seacliff climbing, which I am a huge fan of.

If it's UIAA stamped, it's manufactured to a standard and that's the important thing. Everything else is a bit more bells and whistles which you may or may not want to consider. Buy the type and length most suitable for your activities, i.e. 60m halfropes for winter / trad. Single for sport / indoors with length to suit what you are doing.

 Kemics 04 Jun 2022
In reply to finn rc:

60 meter for a single rope is pretty standard and for good reason (the convention is sport pitches are very very rarely longer than 30 meters so 60 gets you up and down safely) I wouldn't bother with a 70 or 80 meter as you just pay more and 99.9% of the time you will just have to coil more spare rope. Really the only benefit of long ropes is running pitches together but you tend only to do that more with experience climbing outdoors which you wont have yet (and also heavier for long walk ins!). And shorter ropes would be good for grit stone cragging and outcrops but you dont really save that much money if you buy a 50 meter and will always have to be careful about not lowering off the end of your rope. (Happened to dave mcleod so happens to the best of us!) 

Diameter is roughly 10mm. Most ropes are 9.8mm. The trade off you are making is between handling vs durability. Slightly skinner ropes say like 9.1 pay out quickly through a belay plate and feel 'supple' and easier to handle and are lighter for max effort pitches. The down side is they dont age as well and probably will show signs of wear quicker. So a nice beafy 10.5mm rope is much more resistant to getting rubbed over rough rock... the downside is they pretty quickly turn into fat and stiff ole pigs. So they have to be forced into belay plates and just generally handle poorly and weigh more. So 9.8mm is the compromise most people settle on. You can choose whatever diameter you want, go fatter if you're going to be doing lots of top roping on abrasive mountain rock and you are lazy with rope protectors, and go skinner for limestone trad. 

Various 'dry treatments' add quite a bit about 20-30% of a cost of the rope. They stop water getting into the core of rope and then freezing stiff in winter climbing (unlikely to be doing on your first rope) but they also stop grime getting in too. Allegedly make ropes last longer. Ive always had dry treated ropes and had good service from them and I like the mental reassurance. Always good practice to use a rope bag and keep your rope out of the crap and sea. 

tldr: 60 meter 9.8mm rope from any major brand (edelweiss, petzl, dmm, beal, tendon) and dry treatment if you have any money left. 

https://www.bananafingers.co.uk/single-ropes/edelrid/heron-eco-dry-98mm - this sort of ting. £140 so bang in the middle of budget, dry treated and will do you well) 


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