Buying a new rope. Suggestions?

MeganLM wrote:Thank you all for your input. I actually have a deal where I can get 50% off MSRP but only on Bluewater, Edelweiss and Mammut ropes. So knowing I'm getting a damn good deal, among these options which would you recommend?

In my experience, Mammut are more durable and stiffer, and less likely to tangle. Sterling are (a little) more susceptible to abrasion, but much softer handling.

For this reason, I like Mammut for skinny lines like twins/doubles, which tend to be tangle-fests and where abrasion is a big deal.

My Mammut Supersafe 10.2 is a nice bomber all-purpose rope, but really stiff. Pulling that thing through an autoblock (even B-52 or Gi-Gi) feels like it's 11mm+.

My Sterling 9.2mm Nano is awesome for anything but TR'ing or repeated falls. It's not proven to be durable, and I quickly set it aside for snow/ice and alpine routes with long approaches.

If you're mostly doing single-pitch, lowering off anchors, and not top-belaying through an auto-block, any of the 10mm-ish Mammut ropes will provide bomber performance.

Mammut. Whatever you do look into something dry treated if you are going to climb a lot of multipitch you will get rained on at some point. A partner had a non treated 10.5 edelrid and we got poured on one day as i topped out. the rope got soaked as i belayed him up. It swelled up to about 11mm and stayed like that forever.

austin luper wrote:Mammut. Whatever you do look into something dry treated if you are going to climb a lot of multipitch you will get rained on at some point. A partner had a non treated 10.5 edelrid and we got poured on one day as i topped out. the rope got soaked as i belayed him up. It swelled up to about 11mm and stayed like that forever.

if you climb a lot of multi your mammut dry treatement will wear off in about 50-100 pitches

ive got 5 mammut rope to prove it ;)

get a thinner rope for multi, and if it swells up ... learn the munter

Let me clarify...make sure it's core treated. I've never had one swell up. Anyone that climbs should be able to munter......fat or skinny rope

frankstoneline wrote:bluewater lightning pro. the only rope you'll ever need.

This is not bad advice, per se, but I disagree. For that size category my favorite is the Sterling 9.8. I've owned and used both, and while the Bluewater was a good rope I find the Sterling to be more significantly more durable and handle better. As a buddy of mine once told me, "I never met a Sterling I didn't like." YMMV, but I consider the Velocity to be one of the best all-around ropes you can get.

Anyone out there climbing on Tendon Ropes? They're all over justropes.com for very attractive prices but the reviews are few and far between...

You've probably got what you were looking for but no ones mentioned: beals joker 9.1. Its rated single, double and twin. Its dry treated, durable, works well with others. Its not bipatterned and the mid marker is half-assed but for your cost (70m = $188 on ebay) its an all around work horse. To be able to go single, switch to doubles, then back to single again (the option is useful on multipitch terrain) is awesome especially when you have 2!

Boissal wrote:Anyone out there climbing on Tendon Ropes? They're all over justropes.com for very attractive prices but the reviews are few and far between...

ive owned and used the 10mm smart and the 10.2mm ambition extensively ...

i recommend either one if you find em at a good price ... durable, cheap and soft catches

Anything but the Edelweiss Flash 9.5. I coreshot it in 4 weekends of sport climbing. Ridiculous.