twin ropes for toprope?

I am going on a climbing trip with a couple friends and I have a 9mm static rope I want to use to toprope them. Since it being thin could sketch out a newer climber I was wondering if it would be acceptable to use it twin rope style. Would this be dangerous in any way shape or form? I know some people don't think toproping with static ropes is a good idea but that isn't the question. any insight would be greatly appreciated.

One last April fools joke...

Friends don't let friends belay people on static cord. Even a short (3-4) foot fall can generate 12 kn's of force...which the climber is going to take straight to the kidneys (nevermind if it is a trad anchor which could blow at these loads if not properly constructed). I know you are toproping with the cord but if your friends are inexperienced enough to be freaked out by a thin cord they are also inexperienced enough to give a shitty belay. I'd advise against it on that basis alone. Also twin rope generally implies that you can lead on it...which you obviously cannot on a static cord. Why not use a normal rope?

Figured I'd respond seriously first in case it isn't a joke. It's a bad idea.

Like I said I don't care if you think static cord is good or not. And 3-4 feet is a shitload of slack which wouldn't happen in the first place. I'd be the one belaying anyways. I was simply asking if this was possible. and I have a normal rope but I want another one. this is what I have.

markie mark wrote:Like I said I don't care if you think static cord is good or not. And 3-4 feet is a shitload of slack which wouldn't happen in the first place. I'd be the one belaying anyways. I was simply asking if this was possible. and I have a normal rope but I want another one. this is what I have.

Hell, I have some 1/4" cotton clothesline, I was thinking about using that to jumar on. Is this a good idea?

yes, yes it is.

. . . even if they're hungry.

The fact that you don't want to hear the argument against using static rope as a top rope means you know it is a bad idea. How are you proposing using it as a "twin rope" system anyways? Doubling it up so it can double the force on the anchor and climber? Sounds like a great idea.

Man I hope your friends know that they are going out with someone who doesn't give a damn about their safety. Enjoy.

Ty Morrison-Heath wrote:The fact that you don't want to hear the argument against using static rope as a top rope means you know it is a bad idea. How are you proposing using it as a "twin rope" system anyways? Doubling it up so it can double the force on the anchor and climber? Sounds like a great idea. Man I hope your friends know that they are going out with someone who doesn't give a damn about their safety. Enjoy.

thanks man.

Trolling for a big one. . .

static vs. dynamic aside for TR only purpose, if you're taking them out and you're acting as the experienced climber overseeing them, why add unnecessary complexity? belaying twins is more workload than a single chord, when you already need to be on your toes. plus to use a twin setup, you'll need an atc style device which is going to twist things up every time you lower them creating a mess, adding even more workload on yourself.

I really don't like the idea of static TR but I know people do it. That being said Ty is right, if you double over a static and your climber falls with slack in the line, you've doubled the possible impact the anchor and climber are going to feel.

Thanks for the legitimate answer. It was just an idea I had so I wanted to see if it had been done or anything.

scott cooney wrote:That being said Ty is right, if you double over a static and your climber falls with slack in the line, you've doubled the possible impact the anchor and climber are going to feel.

Please provide some math or logic for you interesting claim. I like that your claim includes slack as something that doubles the possible impact. And that it doubles the impact on the anchor and the climber? I'm gonna get some popcorn.

Greg D is right and I was wrong. Assuming static ropes are actually static doubling up the rope wouldn't double the impact force. On a dynamic rope you would be dramatically increasing the force on the climber but with statics there is already no give.

Ty Morrison-Heath wrote:Greg D is right and I was wrong. Assuming static ropes are actually static doubling up the rope wouldn't double the impact force. On a dynamic rope you would be dramatically increasing the force on the climber but with statics there is already no give.

Nice! But, let Scott Cookey have a shot at the title since he is the man in the know.

static rope still has give, to be static just means less than 10% elongation under a certain load. that give while still being static is why there are so many people that argue for nylon over dyneema even though both are static, nylon has more give. Will it double no, but it will increase, once again though only relative if the belayer screws up putting slack in the system, which has happened many many times before in climbing. Am I going to do the math to figure out just how much things will increase based off his exact 9mm? No

Using that same logic: if you fall on twin dynamic ropes (same dynamic properties/length/force exerted/etc.) they would stretch twice as far??? and put twice the force on the anchor??? or half the force on the anchor????

Is this a joke???

scott cooney wrote:static rope still has give, to be static just means less than 10% elongation under a certain load. that give while still being static is why there are so many people that argue for nylon over dyneema even though both are static, nylon has more give. Will it double no, but it will increase, once again though only relative if the belayer screws up putting slack in the system, which has happened many many times before in climbing. Am I going to do the math to figure out just how much things will increase based off his exact 9mm? No

And the survey says... annnnnn. Not much of an answer. You claimed something about forces doubling on the climber and anchor. Based on what????? Slack????? Magic???? Same on anchor and climber??????

Try again.

So your saying that if I use one static rope lets say that the forces work out (with the fall/acceleration/etc.) to be 1000 pounds on that rope and anchor... Now if I use twin static ropes the forces would double? The climber would feel twice the force since there are two ropes???

How would this happen? How does this work? I am anxious to hear...

(Please note: I used 1000 pounds as a simple figure and left out almost all of the math because I am curious about the principle of twin static ropes doubling forces. This way it will be easy for the authors to explain. )

markie mark wrote:I am going on a climbing trip with a couple friends and I have a 9mm static rope I want to use to toprope them. Since it being thin could sketch out a newer climber I was wondering if it would be acceptable to use it twin rope style. Would this be dangerous in any way shape or form? I know some people don't think toproping with static ropes is a good idea but that isn't the question. any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Well, I'm no expert. Sure, I've top-roped some gnarly shit that had we done State-side would have handed down 5-10 in minimum security. We were young, crazy, in love with the stone, and would have done anything to send until lowered. Anything.

Looking back, the single rope seemed like enough. Hell, what did we know? We were belaying hands-free with gri-gris in those days. All hydrated out of our minds on co-co-nut water. Shit, I still piss clear, to this day. I can't do enough sun salutations to ever re-rotate my chakras into the crazy space they were back in the heady daze of 2012.

Yer gonna die, but then reincarnate as a Boulder yogi/real-estate shaman, which is pretty sweet, as long as you steer clear of environmental estrogens/being valuable to society.

Just under the wire