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Big Wall ropes: Unicore vs fat diam.?
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I have used my 9.4 mm Sterling Ion-R to do a few dozen aid routes and the sheath has now bunched up near the ends of the rope, making it hardly useable anymore. Lesson learned: I need to dedicate a rope to aid routes. My present problem is sheath slippage so I would think that a Unicore rope would be exactly what I am looking for, but then my only options there are from Beal and Edelweiss, neither of which are known for making durable ropes. New England has a fused core rope, but I can't seem to be able to find an online store that carries it. On top of that, Unicore ropes with dual pattern seem to be very rare. Is it worth bothering with Unicore or should I simply get a very fat line? |
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The Maximum fused rope is called the Platinum. It's a pretty sick rope and has a progressive color system whereas the color of the sheath becomes gradually more red as you get closer to the ends of the rope. Like bi-pattern on steroids. Here is the rope: http://www.libertymountain.com/products/5469/NTN18025 Anyway, I seem to recall there are a few other companies out there that make bonded ropes. They don’t all use Unicore tech, but they exist. I'd say Unicore is a very useful feature for bigwall and makes the rope quite a bit safer to jug on. I'd be nice if Unicore trickles down into all ropes by all brands as it's one of the few new techs out there that can actually save lives in some circumstances. Most other new tech that has come out in the last few years are just different versions of the same thing. |
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Unicore is just some chemical bond between sheath and core. No big wall experience, but I core shot a joker and it didn’t slip on the rappels. The weave through on that platinum seems to be a step up. |
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Who told you Beal makes a non durable ropes? Certain Beal ropes explode. Others do not. The joker 9.1mm for it's size is very durable. I used one on a backcountry wall. We jugged on it. It was fine after 8 9 pitches. Most if which we worked red point after bolting them. The stinger 9.4mm is the most durable rope I have ever used. I have trashed 10mm and 9.8mm rope faster. Any Beal with unicore in a thicker diameter will handle the trashing that jugging, cleaning and whipping on big walls dishes out. You need both size and tech. That platinum construction is indeed a cool new braiding technique. Calling unicore a chemical process as a way of writing off how effective or innovative it is makes little sense. The industrialized world is held together with adhesive. This process makes ropes better. |
Rob Warden...Space Lizard wrote: I am not sure about the modern Jokers, but the first Joker model that came out was extremely non-durable. The sheath percentage spec was very low and my Joker wore out in two weeks in Red Rocks. Further, Beal ropes tend to stretch to insane levels which can be unsafe if you're climbing over a ledge or on slab. |
20 kN wrote: Beals streach more. I see this as a pro not a con. Lower impact force in the system better on more marginal gear. Its dangerous on any rope to be in no fall territory. To make a blanket statement on the danger of using one brand of rope in terrain that has extra levels of inherent danger is strange to me. My only experiance with beals blowing out has been the non unicore ropes and the opera. It was strange when their 9.7 exploded, it was not when the 8.5mm blew out |
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I have had great experience with a Beal Stinger personally. I can't speak to their other kind of ropes. |
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Thank you for all the info, everyone. Maxim Platinum looks like a really nice rope, but I'm not sure I'm ready to shell $325 to get one. Looks like I will be sticking with more basic fat ropes and change them more frequently for a little while. |
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Anyone who uses a rope as skinny as 9.4mm on big walls shouldn't be surprised by an early blowout. The same is true for situations in which there are lots of takes, falls and lowers, especially when the rope is in contact with the rock. Thick, with high sheath percentage, is important for these applications. I find the concern about shelf life to be silly in comparison to the abuse ropes get on the rock. |
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Our guide company uses the 9.5 and 9.8/9 versions of the beal ropes and they have proven to be extremely durable for our purposes. |
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Yall gonna die |
 3+ year old 9.4 Beal Stinger did a great job today. Time to put this old girl in the ground now though. |
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Wow, Eli! That is a the most clean core shut I have see. Was this just from jugging or is there a ledge abrasion that did most of that damage? |
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Definitely from jugging over sharp stuff while trundling and cleaning routes. I noticed the sheath was looking quite bad today before this happened. |
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http://www.beal-planet.com/en/cordes-a-simple/5-cordes-tiger.html You could go with the tiger. It's a 10.0mm unicore with 40% sheath. Haven't used it myself but on paper it sounds awesome. |
Caleb Schwarz wrote: I’ve got one of these. Thing looks brand new after several shorter walls |
Caleb Schwarz wrote: Thing looks like a total honker, I just found my next wall and work rope. |
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make sure u find your mentor for this rope.... ;) |
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Tendon has a new bonded rope out this year, the Master TeFix 9.7. CampSaver and Backcountry will likely be carrying them. The sheath is really durable, and you have the new bonded sheath to core in case you still damage the sheath. http://www.mytendon.com/introducing-new-technology-tefix-and-much-more |
