EDELWEISS Energy Arc 9.5 mm Sheath Failure

Back in march of this year(2013) I purchased a new 60meter 9,5 energy ARC from an authorized retailer. On the first day out with this rope, and on the first fall, the sheath exploded, exposing the core. The fall was minimal, maybe 2-3meters total, about 7 bolts up, overhanging, on new, but tested gear, without any significant rope contact with the the rock. We also thoroughly inspected the quickdraws, belay device and carabinier for burs and sharp edges, but found none. Convinced this was a freak accident I returned and replaced the rope with another 60meter 9,5 energy ARC. It has now been about 4 months since the purchase of the new rope, and I'm finding the sheath to be breaking down very quickly. I have been using a new, but different belay device, and have been climbing almost exclusively in gyms. There has been no trauma to the rope that could cause this break down in the sheath fibers with normal use. I take very good care of my ropes, and am concerned when they don't perform as promised by the manufacturer. Both ropes have now been returned, but I would really like some type of explanation or further testing to restore some type of confidence to me, my climbing friends, and the climbing community as a whole. There seems to be a major flaw in the sheath design, and it needs to be addressed before someone gets hurt.
I have made further efforts to contact the manufacturer. Please reply if you would like to read the email response from the distributor. I was not impressed.

Core Shot on first fall.

Notice how shiny new the rope is.

Excessive wear on the replacement rope in only a few months. Much of the rope looks like this.

Shit - that's the same rope I have, but in a 70m.
Only used a few times for multi, no falls, no abnormal wear. Was mostly concerned with how slick it was the first couple times out.

Bad batch? A few people had the same experience as you when reading through gear site reviews. Hoping for the best with mine...

Is this the rope thy was on eBay for $110 a few years ago? It looks just like the one I bought (from eBay). I immediately cut it in half and used for gym ropes. I fall a lot in the gym. No problems yet, been using one side for a year or so.

OMG. I purchased the same rope the end of May, used it on moderate trad routes mainly in BoCan for a couple months and the sheath got totally frayed and fuzzed out, just like your replacement rope picture. I've never seen this sort of wear before and thought it was very disturbing. I have ropes that are 5-10 years old that didn't look that bad. No falls were taken, well, maybe a toprope hang or two. I returned it to REI and they took it back, no problem.
I'm really interested in what the manufacturer said. Please email me their response.

I have the exact same rope in a 70m. I have abused the hell out of it, left it stashed in the alpine, taken to many falls to count (trad and sport), and it is still going strong. That is bizarre that it exploded like that, I have seen the same on Sterling and Petzle ropes with no explanation. Hopefully, they will replace it. My guess is it was some weird circumstance in the fall that is not apparent rather than a "bad batch".

Oh, and I have the same little sheath fuzzies on mine, has'nt developed into anything further. Perhaps they are due to the different sheath weave used for that line of ropes?

I have the Curve Arc 9.8. No problem so far, but it's only seen about 10-15 pitches (plus some jugging).

And that is why I still have 10.2 ropes. One new 9.9 I am saving for some sporty routes this fall,,but lived for years where the only ropes available were 165 ft. 11mm size. 10.5 is 'fat' today, 9.2 becomming the norm' for many climbers. Think about it.

Woodchuck ATC wrote:And that is why I still have 10.2 ropes. One new 9.9 I am saving for some sporty routes this fall,,but lived for years where the only ropes available were 165 ft. 11mm size. 10.5 is 'fat' today, 9.2 becomming the norm' for many climbers. Think about it.

Diameter has little to do with how robust the sheath is.

I've had an Edelweiss Onsight 9.9 ARC (no longer made) since 2005 and it's held up great.

Like others, I'm guessing you got ropes from a "bad batch". Best to take it up with Edelweiss

frankstoneline wrote: Diameter has little to do with how robust the sheath is.

Probably,,but it is possible the sheath is a bit thicker or sturdier in an overall thicker rope too. Design and weave is probably the culprit though..

I had similar experience with the same rope. No more Edelweiss ropes for me, back to bluewater.

Ryan Williams wrote:Is this the rope thy was on eBay for $110 a few years ago? It looks just like the one I bought (from eBay). I immediately cut it in half and used for gym ropes. I fall a lot in the gym. No problems yet, been using one side for a year or so.

Edelweiss Rocklite. I use mine all the time, great rope. I only paid $75 though.

frankstoneline wrote: Diameter has little to do with how robust the sheath is.

theres a reason why every manufacturer recommends "thicker" ropes for TR gangbangs and other high abrasion applications

now to be fair, its more a function of sheath weight (and rope weight) than thickness ... and IMO the weave makes a difference as well ...

but at the end of the day, every manufacturer will tell you that if you want a "durable" rope for gangbanging get a "thicker" one in general

;)

my energy arc 9.5 70m has the same fuzzies as in the OP's pic, isolated to two areas. i noticed it after the second time out with the rope, two weeks after getting it, with no falls at all. only thing i can think of that could cause this is that the one over one stitched sheath may not be hardy enough for use on the granite up boulder canyon.

obviously if all you want is durability then get a larger diameter rope. my opinion, a $250 rope should last more than a few pitches even if it's a 9.5. i do have a thicker rope for TRing. i don't use this one for that.

Woodchuck ATC wrote:And that is why I still have 10.2 ropes ... Think about it.

I've busted open exactly two ropes in my lifetime (among the dozens I've climbed on) and both were 10+.

gravitational pull mustve been the culprit. glad ur alive, be safe. time for a new rope!!

Why are you using a 60m 9.5 for climbing in the gym? But seriously, I had the same rope in 70 and it was a piece of junk. I returned it under warranty after one weekend of use because there were many 'fuzzies' like are pictured above. (15-20. From 2 days of use!) Doesn't seem like a great bet to buy this rope.

I have the same rope ARC 9.5 and have had the same issues. I bought it last December and I've coreshot it more than I can keep track of. 58 meters and counting! Must have been a bad batch I guess.

I've had one for several months and been hard on it (I weigh 220) no issues. It's an amazing rope. I am a fan of edelweiss now.

Looking at possibly buying the edelweiss energy arc 70m. Any further troubles with this model these days?

bearbreeder wrote: theres a reason why every manufacturer recommends "thicker" ropes for TR gangbangs and other high abrasion applications now to be fair, its more a function of sheath weight (and rope weight) than thickness ... and IMO the weave makes a difference as well ... but at the end of the day, every manufacturer will tell you that if you want a "durable" rope for gangbanging get a "thicker" one in general ;)

It's funny, most of my current climbing partners are newer to the sport, at least newer than when sub 10mm ropes were thin specialty ropes and 10.5s were normal and people even bought 11mm for top roping. But they all insist that super thin ropes are good for all applications. unless rope weight is a major issue on say an approach or on the climb itself, thinner isn't always better. If I'm taking falls on bolts, I'd rather be on a fatter rope.

Regardless of the sheath mass, thinner ropes tend to be stretchier to begin with but lose that softness much sooner and when they need to be retired (from lead use) you can't really use them for anything since they aren't great for TR either.