Ropes - Everything you need to know to buy a rope

If you are just starting out then chances are a rope will be fairly high on your shopping list. As you do more climbing you will probably want different ropes for different venues and as you do more you will need to replace worn out ropes. All in all they are worth knowing about.

So what are your choices?

Single Ropes - The name says it all. You use one rope and it will normally be from 9.3mm to 11mm in thickness and from 40m to 70m in length. They keep things nice and simple and last well. I tend to use 50m to 60m ropes for single pitch climbing and for mountaineering and roped scrambling. These are ideal for beginners.

Half Ropes - Now you have two ropes usually from 7.5mm to 9mm in thickness and from 50m to 60m in length. A half rope system will allow you to reduce rope drag on wandering pitches, abseil the full rope length by tying the two together (see abseiling article) and allow an extra margin of safety if a rope is cut. The downside is that they are more expensive and can be more awkward to use. A half rope will be indicated by a 1/2 symbol on the tape at the end. I tend to use half ropes for multi pitch climbing and winter climbing - I like to be able to back off!

You may see references to twin ropes which are specifically designed to be used in a pair where the ropes are treated as one strand and both clipped into all the protection on the route. This system does not tend to get used in the UK.  A twin rope is indicated by a circle with two overlapping smaller circles inside it.

Dry Treated - A dry treatment will stop wet ropes from freezing and helps prevent some of the absorption of water if the rope gets wet. It also helps to keep some of the dirt out of the rope fibres. I tend to pay the extra and go for dry treated.

What length - This depends on what you want to use it for. If its just indoor climbing then 40m will be the cheapest and will do fine. For mountaineering 50m is probably OK and keeps the weight down. For my personal summer and winter climbing I tend to use 60m ropes for maximum pitch length. 70m ropes are great for continental sports routes.

Check out these related links from my gear tests page:

Retiring Old Ropes - How strong is an old rope

Is my rope still ok to use of I accidentally peed on it?

Introduction to Climbing
A 2 day course for complete beginners in Snowdonia or Symonds Yat

Costa Blanca Rock Climbing
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Held in Snowdonia to help you progress from beginner to leading your own climbs.

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