"Ropes don't break."

this is an interesting topic... i have never seen a thing like this in my 16 years of climbing, although i have had an end blow apart.
rapin' on the diamond and pulling 8mil doubles, the rope whipped by, and when it hit the wall down below us and exploded the sheath off the end of the rope, for about 3-5 feet. oh well atleast it wasn't the middle! one other time i have seen a friend crossload a biner in a fall, the top edge of the gate ripped the sheath down the line for 3-4 feet, although no core damage that we could see.

Mark...

From what I have read of Edleweiss' tests on their ropes they seem to be among the strongest ropes in the industry. I think they test their ropes over a smaller diameter than other companies. Simulating a fall over a very sharp edge. ("Edelweiss was the first rope manufacturer to design, test, and produce a rope that minimizes the risk of being cut by sharp edges.")

Also check out...

edelweiss-ropes.com/

mytendon.com/en/sortiment/h…

I've been quite pleased with the 8.5mm Sharp from Edelweiss. The only thing I would've liked more would be the bi-weave, but I can't complain about the rope strand, they make climbing with a 3-group very enjoyable.

Dave Holliday wrote: A couple of years ago I had a bi-color Bluewater rope (I don't remember the model but it was 10.2 diameter) with one end about three feet longer than the other. We noticed this after the first time using it to rappel (on the first day out with it). I measured both sides at home and the rope was actually 61 meters with an extra three feet on one end. Edit: it wasn't a big deal because I knew which side was longer and I always communicated that to my partner. I like my current rope better because the ends are even.

I'm all for ropes being a tad longer than spec, but rope manufacturers should should put the middle mark in the actual center of the rope as it's cut, not 30m from one end. Creating an off-center middle mark is just sloppy quality control. I hope Blue Water has gotten its act together since then.

When it comes to ropes you get what you pay for. Edelweiss ropes are cheap and do not last, I have had several that had to be retired after one summer. Compare that to a Sterling Marathon that 1 climbed on HARD for 12 weekends one summer in Rifle, then took on 2 trips to Yosemite and 3 trips up El Cap. After the summer of sportin I almost stopped using the rope because it was soo dirty, but after a trip us Salathe the thing was almost like new. In between I used the rope for 15-20 days of hard trad climbing with multiple whippers...literally I was trying to kill this rope and it would not die. Only reason I am not using it today is I used it to refix the lines to Hart after a not to be named "Pro" whacked all the lines so he could send his project. Anyways the moral of the story is that "cheap" ropes are cheap for a reason. If you want them to last buy a good one.

Dang Kev. I'd have to say that's pretty hardcore man. I guess I'm happy with what I've got just because of what I use them for and the fact that I'm not lead falling on my doubles. The single 9.7 PMI's that I use I think are good for trad'ing & a little lighter for the approach hikes, but I'm not risking a great deal other than some short sporty falls. I guess if I move up in grade & proficiency I would take a harder look at what is needed for serious big wall & harder alpine climbs.

Love the handling of the PMI ropes I have had, especially their double ropes, but they always seemed to get sheath snags in the worst places. Nothing worse than putting down $250 + on a set of doubles only to have one get messed up after a month of use. I have stopped buying doubles for that reason, but I don't mind doing some alpine climbing on my partners PMI double ropes...;)

Here is the latest...

Regarding the incident of rope breakage on May 20th, 2006 at a rock climbing gym in Sacramento

Black Diamond received the rope shortly after the incident in order to perform an investigation and analysis. It appears most people are unaware that investigations like this are complex and take significant time. We have been analyzing the rope (at the point at which it broke) as well as performing multiple tests (tensile pull tests, high impact drop tests, low impact drop tests, drops over a carabiner, drops over a sharp edge, etc,
etc) on other portions of the rope and on comparative samples (brand new ropes, old used ropes, etc). Based on testing thus far, albeit incomplete, there does not appear to be any defect to the rope. This of course brings many other factors into the equation which increases the complexity of the investigation. Analysis is continuing - samples are being sent to outside
independent labs for chemical analysis, and we have been working with several outside sources to assist in the investigations: other industry experts, nylon experts, textile experts, rope manufacturers, the climber, the belayer, and the rock gym. All parties assisting in looking in to this have been incredibly accommodating and their assistance and efforts are greatly appreciated.

It must be remembered that coordinating an investigation like this takes time and money. Black Diamond alone has invested upwards of 70 man-hours to this point (after receiving the rope on May 25th) and we're probably about half way through the analysis. (Outside experts time and independent lab costs withstanding). We are looking at all possible scenarios and are doing our best to ascertain what happened in this instance. I don't want to go off half-cocked about findings thus far and would rather wait until the investigation is complete before distributing any sort of summary. At this time, best case scenario, I anticipate wrapping up the investigation by the
end of the month.

It must be noted that I, personally, always have been, and still remain of the camp that ropes simply don't break. Climbing rope construction, manufacturing process, materials used, and quality control are so unbelievably refined going on several decades now that it suggests that ropes simply don't break without some extra-ordinary circumstance or trauma involved. I therefore am confident in saying that there is no reason to
stop climbing on any rope from a reputable manufacturer and people should continue with confidence. As has always been the case being smart about checking your rope periodically for signs of trauma, and retiring from lead climbing within manufacturer guidelines and timeframe IS always prudent and necessary.

Thanks,

Kolin Powick
Quality Assurance Manager,
Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.

KP is the man, and knows his shizzle. He'll get to the bottom of this fo sho!

Does anyone know what was the final conclusion?

I believe this ended up being sulfuric acid contamination of the nylon. It was discussed indirectly in a few topics back when this was more of a closer community site. The most probable place that it happened was laying the rope in a parking lot.

Since it was five or so years ago, I don't know if BD still has that stuff on their site. I can't find it, anyway.

Bi color ropes are not the best way to mark your middle. I dont think ive owned a rope i havnt had to chop at least a little of 1 end off of.
Now you have a permanent innaccurate middle mark.

usually, at least in my experience, if you need to cut the end off of a rope, the other end isn't too far from needing it too. once i cut the end of a rope off, the rope kind of goes into my 'second tier' of gear and i only use it in certain circumstances (ie for areas with really short walls, a rope for fixing for tr solo or whatever, etc). i keep it in a special area so my wife (or others) don't take it out.

I know it's been a decade, but I didn't want anyone to stumble upon this post without a clear answer.

The cause of the rope failure was indeed from sulfuric acid.

Kolin Powick wraps up the intensive review with the exact heading of this post: ‘ropes just don’t break’.

Climb on.

James KearsIeywrote:

I know it's been a decade, but I didn't want anyone to stumble upon this post without a clear answer.

The cause of the rope failure was indeed from sulfuric acid.

Kolin Powick wraps up the intensive review with the exact heading of this post: ‘ropes just don’t break’.

Climb on.

I heard it was actually micro fractures.

Just resurrecting the dead links for anyone reading this in the present:

http://brvoyles.smugmug.com/photos/71067899-L.jpg

https://caves.org/section/vertical/nh/52/RopeBreakagefinal.pdf