Multiple core shots on Edelrid Raptor after one sport climbing pitch

This rope was uncoiled and used for the first time at the base of a short sport pitch in Red Rock (top rope) and when the leader (who did not fall) was lowered to the ground, they noticed these three or four core shots on the rope.

This is an Edelrid Raptor. Has anyone else had any issues with this rope. It is supposed to be a durable rope, but what the hell.

According to my friends (who are all experienced climbers and know how to not destroy a rope) they didn't fall, didn't have it running over a sharp edge, and didn't have anything funky going on with biners or anything.

Luckily they took it back to REI where they had just purchased it and were able to get a different rope from Mammut.

Thoughts?

None of us have ever seen anything like it. I've put dozens of ropes through the ringer. I have ropes I've used for years from everything from top rope to trad to ice and huge alpine routes. I've never seen anything like this.

Hoping it's a weird sheath thing. Couldn't pull up any info of similar cases with this rope online.

I don't have anything to say about edelrid ropes... mammut has some amazing ropes and is the only company that I trust when purchasing an expensive rope. I fully trust there durability and have never had to send back a rope. I have bought three ropes from them that have all lasted two to three seasons. The first one was a tusk, that I used for TR soloing and lead. It healed up quite well. If I were to splurge on a new rope rope, I would save up for a new revelation... Only if you are interested in redpointing and not projecting routes with it. I have taken it on MANY climbs and it shows minimal wear. Another rope from them to look out for is the Infinity classic. You can usually find it on sale so it doesn't feel so bad if you wreck it on a climb...Great for projecting...

Mammut's are the best!

I love mammut ropes, I've had two revelations which held up very well. If anyone has any thoughts on the Edelrid ropes, that would be great. would be interested to see if this has happened before?

despite report to the contrary, it looks like it was over a sharp edge...

I've used an edelrid rope (livewire, 9.8mm) for many years Probably 150+ climbing days, many many falls- I eventually retired it close to the 8 year mark. Hopefully that rope was just a lemon. For all the people in love with mammut ropes - there are plenty of good rope companies out there. Mammut is one of many.

We as a group really can't say anything about what happened to your rope. We didn't see how the toprope was set up, whether the rope ran over an edge at some point, and you yourself may not even remember the details that would solve this mystery. I would definitely return to where you climbed and try to figure it out by setting up this rope in the same way and examine the situation.

I have the exact same rope as the one in the picture, with whatever fancy dry treatment Edelrid has. I've been using it at least once a week - usually more - since around May. I usually stick to steeper routes where the rope rarely touches rock, but I must have taken hundreds of good whips on this rope. You must have some horrible luck, because mine honestly isn't even frayed. It's actually still kinda stiff and even kinks quite often. It's like it's the perpetually brand new rope.

I honestly wish it would wear out, because I don't really like the feel of the rope and I want a skinnier one. Also, the bi-pattern is basically invisible. I can't justify buying another rope until I wear this one out, though.

Maybe just count yourself lucky that you were able to give it up and exchange for another rope. As durable as mine seems to be, I really don't like it that much anyways.

Seems like a fluke occurrence but unsettling nonetheless. It may be worth noting in this thread that Edelrid started manufacturing all the Petzl ropes this year. I have been climbing on a new 9.5 Petzl (Edelrid) rope with no problem.

Hey Clint,
thanks for posting those pictures. This looks like nothing that I have ever seen with any Edelrid rope. Do you remember at which REI you bought this cord? It would be great to actually get a hold of it. John is right, REI never contacted us. On the pictures I can´t quite tell if the sheath is frayed and if the core itself is damaged or not. Is there any chance the rope got stored close to a leaking battery in a trunk for example?
How far apart from each other were the core shots? So far we have had zero Raptor returns - makes it one with yours. I´m glad you got it exchanged quickly and hassle free.

Clint: I would recommend returning the rope to the manufacturer for inspection instead of returning it to rei for another cord. It seems like maybe more gear failures are slipping through than we think because people are not reporting issues, they are just getting their gear replaced and moving on. Part of the process of keeping climbing gear at a high standard is that we demand it be; if we're all just satisfied getting our personal stuff replaced then quality is going to (continue to) go down.

Bummer, I was just about to try an edelrid rope.

Where in the rope was this? If you coiled the rope back up they way it came packaged did the damaged areas line up. Then I would wonder about unboxing process ( razor knife hitting it just enough). Or the unpacking at home or the base of the route. Did you use a Garda hitch by chance? And what belay device was used. I've seen some old devices with some groves woren into them. I'm glad everyone is safe and no injuries came from this. Please remember to check your gear ( and partners) before climbing.

Allow me to clarify.

This incident happened to my special lady friend. I was not present. I merely relayed the message to the community and was asking if they had seen similar things.

I've used Edelrid ropes before and have had good luck. I figure it is a freak thing, but she was with several other experienced climbers who definitely know their way around gumby rope disasters. They were all vexed.

It's a mystery. No one is trying to run Edelrid through the dirt here, just seeing waht the community thinks. I've coreshot new Sterling ropes too, so things happen out there.

This is one reason why I tend to go for ropes with a slightly thicker sheath percentage. Ropes like this and the Sterling Nano are light, but they attain that weight by having a very thin sheath and therefore sacrificing durability.

Just a thought and a lesson learned. My Special Lady Friend would normally have spoken to Edelrid but she was on a quick climbing trip and didn't have the time to wait for a new rope to arrive, so she merely returned it to REI. Literally, she used it on one 60' pitch, so it was brand new and she had bought it at the store several days earlier.

Cheers!

Hey Clint,

thanks for responding to the thread again. Without properly inspecting the entire rigging set-up and the hardware it is not entirely fair to blame the rope itself. It is often hard to backtrack everything that happened in an incident with so many variables (hardware, edges etc.) especially if it is all second hand knowledge. Anyways, I´m glad your friend has a new rope she is happy with now.

I've climbed on edelrid ropes exclusively for the past 7 years and had absolutely no problems. Probably something about the use was abnormal.

Looks like someone was hang dogging and swinging back and forth on it while it was over a sharp edge. Maybe trying to get back on route. A little sandstone burn...Highly unlikely that it has anything to do with the rope quality or manufacturer. Should be a learning opportunity for anyone that was hanging off that rope that day.

I'm suspecting operator error.

Unboxing error or pilot error.

Two comments:

One: Thinking it is best if the people involved do the posting and respond to replies, NOT SECOND HAND INFO!! So for instance: what was the anchor? Very worn rings? (That have a tendency to cut rope)?

Two: Thinking posting with more detail would be nice. There really isn't anything in the OP that is the basis for figuring out what exactly happened. Do the cuts in the sheath exhibit fraying or a nice clean cut?

Bottom line is that without more detail than provided, I kinda think the OP was a bit irresponsible in posting this. Although the climbers involved are supposedly 'too experienced to cut the rope' the one fact that appears out of this is that the rope was in fact cut.

On a side note I have often times noticed that most people tend to reflexively place the blame for something squarely on others (i.e. Edelrid) and/or assume others are acting out of stupidity without taking a good look at oneself.