Your climbing rope is your lifeline. With the help of your belayer, you rely 100% on your rope to keep you safe and off the ground. When you have the best climbing rope to suit your needs, it puts your mind at ease so you focus on what’s important: your climbing for the day.
Our goal here at the Adventure Junkies is to help you understand the important features of dynamic climbing ropes.
A climbing rope’s ability to perform depends on how appropriate it is for your use. We’ll provide an overview of the best single ropes of the year, breaking down ideal choices for casual cragging days, hangdogging your project, featherweight sending, top-roping, or climbing in the gym.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FIND THE BEST CLIMBING ROPE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
* Price compares 70m, dry-treated models
CLIMBING ROPES 101
7 THINGS TO CONSIDER TO FIND THE BEST CLIMBING ROPE
1. WHY DYNAMIC?
You may have heard of both dynamic and static ropes. Climbers use dynamic ropes because they stretch and elongate to absorb the impact of a fall. Static ropes are useful for hauling gear on big walls, but not for actual climbing.
2. DIAMETER
Diameter is a great way to begin to isolate the best climbing rope to meet your needs. Single climbing ropes can generally be sorted into three size classes.
THICK ROPES (9.9MM AND UP)
Thick are durable and great for beginners or climbers who prefer to top-rope. They are also great as “workhorse” ropes for projecting, which often involves extensive hang-dogging and repeated falling.
MEDIUM ROPES (9.5 – 9.8MM)
Medium ropes are durable enough to handle projecting but light and supple enough for comfortably sending sport and trad routes.
THIN ROPES (9.4MM AND DOWN)
Thin ropes will wear faster but are ideal for redpointing or lightweight, fast alpine sends.
3. WEIGHT
Weight is arguably more important than the diameter and should be considered alongside it.
The linear weight of a climbing rope is measured in grams per meter. Imagine leading a 20 meter (~65 feet) pitch – the rope weight that you’re hauling adds up fast. Climbers who are looking to send hard routes often seek the lightest weight rope they can get away with. For top-ropers and gym climbers, weight is not an issue.
4. LENGTH
Most ropes come in many different lengths. A 60 meter rope is often the standard for a single rope, but benefits come with choosing something longer.
A longer rope enables you to climb further in a single push. Length thus increases the number of routes available to you. The ends of a longer rope can also be cut more times before it becomes too short to climb on, thus potentially adding to its lifespan.
Two trade-offs to longer ropes are cost and weight. They are much more expensive and you’ll notice the extra weight on your approach to and from the crag.
5. DRY-TREATMENT
The ropes we’ve compared in this review are dry-treated. Dry-treatment protects ropes from water absorption, makes them more abrasion-resistant, and can increase their durability and lifespan.
Each company has a different standard for how they treat their ropes. Certain companies, like Mammut and Sterling, allow you to choose whether your rope is dry-treated. Some of the ropes we’ve covered are only offered with a dry-treatment. Although beneficial, dry-treatments increase the cost of a rope significantly.
If you are using your rope in a gym or in fair weather conditions, a dry-treated rope is an unnecessary expense.
6. BICOLOR
Bicolor is a convenience factor, and one that comes with a price tag. It’s perfectly fine to climb with a single color rope as long as you are safe and meticulous: know the length of your rope and always tie knots in the end while rappelling. Many ropes come with a middle marker, but in the end there is no substitute for good rope management.
7. ROPE CARE
Just like your climbing harness, there is no back-up to your climbing rope. It is absolutely critical to check your rope for wear and care for it appropriately. Rope companies advertise the expected lifespan of the ropes they manufacture. When your rope reaches the end of its life, retire it. The alternative is not worth the risk. Besides, think of all the fun crafts you can take on with your old rope bits.
Photo by http://ift.tt/2gbWkex
BEST CLIMBING ROPE REVIEWS
1. BEST OVERALL CLIMBING ROPES
MAMMUT INFINITY
BEST USE: All-arounder
DIAMETER: 9.5mm
WEIGHT: 59g/m
LENGTHS: 40, 60 or 70-meter
TREATMENT: Classic, Protect, Dry
BICOLOR AVAILABLE: Yes (for Dry-treatment only)
PROS: Easy handling, durable, gives good catches, lap coiled for reduced kinks
CONS: Some users reported wear in the sheath that exceeded expectations
BEAL TIGER UNICORE
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
BEST USE: All-arounder, top-roping and projecting
DIAMETER: 10mm
WEIGHT: 61g/m
LENGTHS: 50, 60 or 70-meter
TREATMENT: Dry Cover, Golden Dry
BICOLOR AVAILABLE: No
PROS: Exceptionally light for diameter, supple handling, Unicore technology binds core and sheath
CONS: None that we could find
BLUEWATER LIGHTNING PRO
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
BEST USE: All-arounder
DIAMETER: 9.7mm
WEIGHT: 61g/m
LENGTHS: 60 or 70-meter
TREATMENT: Standard, Double Dry
BICOLOR AVAILABLE: Yes
PROS: Great durability, supple handling
CONS: None that we could find
EDELRID EAGLE LIGHT
BEST USE: All-arounder
DIAMETER: 9.5mm
WEIGHT: 62g/m
LENGTHS: 60 or 70-meter
TREATMENT: Nondry, Pro Dry
BICOLOR AVAILABLE: No
PROS: Smooth and supple handling
CONS: Slightly less durable and heavy for its size
2. BEST WORKHORSE CLIMBING ROPE
STERLING MARATHON PRO
BEST USE: Gym climbing, top-roping and projecting
DIAMETER: 10.1mm
WEIGHT: 63g/m
LENGTHS: 50, 60, 70 or 80-meter
TREATMENT: Dry-Core, Dry
BICOLOR AVAILABLE: Yes
PROS: Superior durability, very light for diameter, great “workhorse” rope
CONS: Less supple handling than thinner ropes
3. BEST THIN CLIMBING ROPES
PETZL VOLTA
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
BEST USE: Lightweight sending and alpine
DIAMETER: 9.2mm
WEIGHT: 55g/m
LENGTHS: 50, 60, 70, 80 or 100-meter
TREATMENT: Duratec Dry treatment
BICOLOR AVAILABLE: No
PROS: Qualifies as standard single, half, and twin rope, UltraSonic Finish binds core and sheath
CONS: Some users report a slight slippery feel
STERLING FUSION ION R
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
BEST USE: Lightweight sending and alpine
DIAMETER: 9.4mm
WEIGHT: 57g/m
LENGTHS: 40, 50, 60 or 70-meter
TREATMENT: Dry-Core, Dry
BICOLOR AVAILABLE: Yes
PROS: Lightweight with supple handling, tightly woven sheath
CONS: Less durable
4. BEST GYM CLIMBING ROPE
MAMMUT ETERNITY
BEST USE: All-arounder, top-roping and gym climbing
DIAMETER: 9.8mm
WEIGHT: 61g/m
LENGTHS: 60 or 70-meter
TREATMENT: Classic, Protect, Dry
BICOLOR AVAILABLE: Yes (for Dry-treatment only)
PROS: Durable with smooth, supple handling, lap coiled for reduced kinks
CONS: Dry-treatment is expensive
5. BEST VALUE CLIMBING ROPES
STERLING EVOLUTION VELOCITY
BEST USE: All-arounder
DIAMETER: 9.8mm
WEIGHT: 62g/m
LENGTHS: 50, 60, 70 or 80-meter
TREATMENT: Dry-Core, Dry
BICOLOR AVAILABLE: Yes
PROS: Light, smooth handling, great durability and lifespan
CONS: Factory coiled, so kinks are likely when the rope is new
BLUEWATER PULSE
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
BEST USE: Top-roping and projecting
DIAMETER: 9.9mm
WEIGHT: 62g/m
LENGTHS: 60 or 70-meter
TREATMENT: Standard, Double Dry
BICOLOR AVAILABLE: Yes
PROS: Light for its diameter, extra durable sheath
CONS: Stiff, not very supple
Now We’d Love To Hear From You! What Do You Think Is The Best Climbing Rope?
Disclosure: The Adventure Junkies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost for you. We also use other programs like REI, LeisurePro and others to keep our site independent. You can read more about how do we review here.
The post Top 10 Best Climbing Ropes of 2016 appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.
from The Adventure Junkies http://ift.tt/2fzdKOT
No comments:
Post a Comment