Rope life time

Hey guys I climb 2 to 3 days a week on top rope, I have a rope a Petzl mambo 11mm for about a year, when I should change it?

It depends.

11mm is a really thick workhorse rope. I would not be surprised if that rope lasted a couple years or more.

Manufacturer generally recommends that ropes be replaced at least every 10 years.

If you find a core shot in your rope, retire immediately or chop to usable length.

Basically, the rope is good until it is damaged to the point it is not safe, or 10 years (by manufacturer's recommendation).

You dont necessarily retire ropes for those reasons. Typically it is damage that you want to look for. Or multiple big falls.

What kind of sheath does your rope have? An 11 mm rope is pretty big and can take loads of top roping. You dont need to retire it after 1 year, assuming its in healthy condition

I had an edelrid 11mm with a blue and white hounds tooth weave. I climbed on it for five years, it was soft and fat and came off a pile or out of a bag like a dream. Handled great! It was used only for trad, never top roped on and was a five-fall rope. After three falls and thousands of feet of climbing in five years it was getting pretty fuzzy. I felt it was time though I loved it so. Let your knowledge of how you've used it be your guide, if you feel it's been abused or it starts looking like hell toss it. It doesn't matter how old it is when your ass is on the line. JB

Thanks guys very cool advise, well the rope still looking good and no abrasions so I think it will be good for a wile, I was just wondering because I climb a lot at least 3 times a week so at the end of the year is a big number...

Yeah a big 11mm will last a while. What brand of rope is it?

If I recall correctly you live in the tropics?

On top-rope, even climbing a LOT, you have lots and lots of life in a rope -- especially an 11mm rope. As always, look for damage -- but if not core-shot, your rope will likely be safe for TR usage for years, maybe 10+ years. It is more likely to become unusable do to handling characteristics (stiffening up, fuzzing up enough to not feed at all well) before it becomes unsafe.

Generally, as they age, ropes lose elasticity. This means that you don't want to be leading on older ropes, especially trad leads, where a harder fall can mean higher impact forces on the gear and more likelihood of failed gear.

TR falls are so low impact just because of how much rope there is always out, and the shortness of the falls, that there is, essentially, no worry of an undamaged rope failing, even if it is years past a manufacturer recommend life time (e.g. 5 years storage, 5 years usage).

Thanks guys for the infos...