Top rope soloing rope?

 I'm just wondering what diameter of rope people are using to top rope solo big lines? I static line I'm assuming?  And, at one length does the rope become too heavy to pull up and methods for bringing the rope up as you climb through pitches? 

Thanks!

Yes

Jay 1975 wrote:

 I'm just wondering what diameter of rope people are using to top rope solo big lines? I static line I'm assuming?  And, at one length does the rope become too heavy to pull up and methods for bringing the rope up as you climb through pitches? 

Thanks!

It depends on the device. You should be using the petal micro traction as long as you understand the physics behind it. I use around a 10mm dynamic line to add extra bulk to the sheath and core just in case. In the end you will never even remotely produce the 5kn it take to start to damage the rope. 

id be using a mini. just seems like 10 mil would be heavy when its 600+ ft long...

the weight is a good thing as it will cause the mini-trax to pull out any slack on its own so you don't have to tend to it. Get some bungee cord and tie in a loop and girth hitch it through clip in point on the trax and loop it over your neck. If you're going to be doing stuff more than 1 pitch use static line, otherwise use dynamic.

Jay 1975 wrote:

id be using a mini. just seems like 10 mil would be heavy when its 600+ ft long...

200m of 60g/m rope weighs 12kg. Certainly not so heavy you can't pull it back up when you top out. Especially considering you'll have at least 2 progress capture pulleys available to you. 

There's certainly no need for anything over the neck. Don't know why some would do that...

Petzl Torse is intended for this. 

Jay 1975 wrote:

There's certainly no need for anything over the neck. Don't know why some would do that...

It keeps tension pulling the device up. Therefore it helps it feed and keeps it oriented correctly. Another option would be a chest harness but I personally find the bungee cord more comfortable

If you're using static rope you should definitely consider elevating the device - always a good idea to look for ways to reduce impact force on gear not meant for taking much. 

Tying the traxion in seemed to orient and feed it properly. Just wondered about the rope diameter anyway....

I use 11mm. Makes me feel better when on a single strand and there may be some sharpish edges 

I used to use a 10mmx100m static, I wouldn't go much longer than that...Never use a dynamic rope for anything of the sort. I really prefer to use two devices, there are some devices that are good to go by themselves, but the micro trax and mini aren't really that confidence inspiring to me when used by themselves. Rock exotica makes some awesome devices to use in combination with others or by themselves (uniscender$$$). I also like the 'around the neck' orientation assist. You'll figure out your system, but I would strongly recommend using two devices no matter what. 

I've always used my Wren soloist with a 9.5 dynamic rope and it's great (with chest harness).  Though I finally wore my soloist out last week after 10+ years of use

eli poss wrote:

the weight is a good thing as it will cause the mini-trax to pull out any slack on its own so you don't have to tend to it. Get some bungee cord and tie in a loop and girth hitch it through clip in point on the trax and loop it over your neck. If you're going to be doing stuff more than 1 pitch use static line, otherwise use dynamic.

Actually you should always being using dynamic rope when using these types of devices. Thats the single most important safety aspect of the whole system. The Petzl Micro traction and Mini Traxion begin to damage the sheath at around 5kN + or -. Using a static line can significantly increase the forces resulting in approaching that 5kn rope damage range. Techniacally though if the device is doing its job, and if you decide to weight the rope, then all you are doing is slightly more then doubling the static load which is < 2 kN if you weigh less then 100kgs. Where problems occur is when the device is not doing its job and running up the rope with you thus creating a lot of slack, then if you fall you will cause a significant loading of the system. This is why you should be using dynamic rope in case this scenario plays out. You should not have to use a chest harness ever with the micro or mini traxions. I have climbed several hundreds of thousands of feet with the micro alone and have had no issues.

I use static. Much nicer to not drop 50 ft when you take on a hard move. 

OAW King wrote:

Actually you should always being using dynamic rope when using these types of devices. Thats the single most important safety aspect of the whole system. The Petzl Micro traction and Mini Traxion begin to damage the sheath at around 5kN + or -. Using a static line can significantly increase the forces resulting in approaching that 5kn rope damage range. Techniacally though if the device is doing its job, and if you decide to weight the rope, then all you are doing is slightly more then doubling the static load which is < 2 kN if you weigh less then 100kgs. Where problems occur is when the device is not doing its job and running up the rope with you thus creating a lot of slack, then if you fall you will cause a significant loading of the system. This is why you should be using dynamic rope in case this scenario plays out. You should not have to use a chest harness ever with the micro or mini traxions. I have climbed several hundreds of thousands of feet with the micro alone and have had no issues.

Go ahead and try that on a 300 ft climb with a dynamic rope. You'll probably end up falling further and being more likely to damage your rope because you're falling 10 or 15 feet. Normally dynamic is the way to go but if you're TR soloing 3 or 4 pitches at once, things change.

The BlueWater Canyonator works pretty well for me. Only thing do not like is how narrow it is, 9mm, but it is fairly light and feeds well bc it is like a WIRE!

edit: Feeds well through a handled ascender and a RollNLock

Don't know about long pitches (full rope length or more) but I have always used a 9.8-10.1 dynamic

Dirt Squirrel wrote:

I use static. Much nicer to not drop 50 ft when you take on a hard move. 

Interesting... Ive never dropped more that 5-6 feet after several hundred falls. Plus its a soft drop