Another favorite rope thread...

Me:  53 years old, 6'2 about 200 lbs, climb into the 10's, maybe less on trad 5.9+, maybe more at RR.

Going to RRG for the first time, and my current 70m is showing a lot wear.

Want a rope that has low impact numbers, handles well and isn't a Edelweiss.

My current rope arsenal is :  BD 9.4 70m, Mammut 9.4 60m, Sterling 9.2 60m, Beal Karma 9.8 40m gym rope, Sterling 10.1 60m TR.

The 60m ropes are my trad ropes and I don't want to beat them up, so I am getting another 70m. Durability is important, but not paramount.

Looking at the Maxim Glider 9.9mm, or just getting another Sterling.

Any thoughts?

Beal Joker, it's thick for a 9.1, similar to most 9.4-9.6 ropes, but burly and unicore. Pretty soft catches, excellent handling.

Beal stinger 9.4
Beal tiger 10 which feels thin
Unicore and handle well

I feel you can't beat the Beal Stinger Golden Dry Unicore 9.4mm. Supple, durable, long lasting, low impact force. I've owned a lot of ropes and have tried others but always end up going back to the Beal Stinger. 

Why don't you want an Edelweiss?
It sounds like people are recommending Beal ropes.  
I think Edelweiss and Beal are owned by the same company.  I believe their ropes made in Africa these days.  That may or may not be relavent to you.  

I just picked up a stinger as a my workhorse rope (mostly climb steep sport now and wear ropes from repeated falls dogging more than sheath abrasion). It handles great, has a good in between catch that's soft enough without stretching ridiculously (like the zenith did). I find it handles a lot better than my joker that I use for trad.

For sheath abrasion the edelrid boa is a fricking tank. I've been using one instructing students for years now, top roping abrasive granite, and it looks perfect still. It also falls in the happy middle ground for soft catches.

Most maxims have high impact force and a pretty hard catch FWIW. 

Jay J wrote: Why don't you want an Edelweiss?
It sounds like people are recommending Beal ropes.  
I think Edelweiss and Beal are owned by the same company.  I believe their ropes made in Africa these days.  That may or may not be relavent to you.  

Had a friends Edelweiss literally come apart. The sheath vanished and you could see the core...no falls were taken.

EDIT: Not the entire sheath, but a 1 inch patch just wore away, and we didn't even fall. 

Buck Rio wrote:

Had a friends Edelweiss literally come apart. The sheath vanished and you could see the core...no falls were taken.

Was that one of the cheaper Edelweiss ropes? 

Back to topic, I found the Mammut 9.5 protect to work really well, or the BD 9.4. However, in a quest for lower impact forces, the mammut 9.5 sits at 8.6 kN, the BD 9.4 at 8.0 kN. Ive also used the Bluewater 9.7 with an impact force of 7.8 kN. The Beal Opera, I have not used, but sits at 7.4 kN. 

Chris K wrote:

Was that one of the cheaper Edelweiss ropes? 

Back to topic, I found the Mammut 9.5 protect to work really well, or the BD 9.4. However, in a quest for lower impact forces, the mammut 9.5 sits at 8.6 kN, the BD 9.4 at 8.0 kN. Ive also used the Bluewater 9.7 with an impact force of 7.8 kN. The Beal Opera, I have not used, but sits at 7.4 kN. 

Yes, I believe it was a Flashlight???

I think I'll stick with a Mammut/Sterling/Bluewater.  I have experience with all of them. I have a Beal currently and like it well enough, but am not "in love" with it.

The BW 9.7 looks very tempting, if I can find one on sale.

The flashlight is the worst rope ever made

I think you will like the maxim 9.5mm

Rob warden The space lizard wrote: The flashlight is the worst rope ever made

I think you will like the maxim 9.5mm

I looked at the Maxim Pinnacle, and I really like everything about it except the very high impact force of 10.3 kN.

I'm not sure if that even makes a difference, but my body is old, and I have had many other injuries that make me wary of taking a bunch of falls on a stiff line...know what I mean?

That said, they are 25% off at Backcountry right now...

Beal prioritizes low impact force, often at the expense of long stretch. i recommend beal.

https://www.beal-planet.com/en/concepts-2/low-impact-force/

Mammut Infinity ProTec 9.5 @ 8.7kN.
Beal Stinger 9.4 @ 8.2kN
Tendon Master 9.4 (Tendon makes BDs ropes) @ 7kN
Tendon Master Pro 9.2 @ 9.1kN

If you are prioritizing low impact and want a deal I'd recommend the Beal Zenith 9.5. Yes it's stretchy, but gives very soft catches @7.5kn. Also it's pretty inexpensive, handles well, and has been decently durable in my experience.

Blue water and sterling handle well.  They are smooth and soft.

I had a beal 9.4 that was the softest supplest  rope I've ever used.  So much so that people though it was dead and too squishy but it caught soooooo soft.  

Have a sterling helix now that I love.  Catches great handles great not as soft as the Beal.  Seems more durable

My bluewater was good too

Used edelrid edelweiss mamuut all been meh.

mattm wrote: Mammut Infinity ProTec 9.5 @ 8.7kN.
Beal Stinger 9.4 @ 8.2kN
Tendon Master 9.4 (Tendon makes BDs ropes) @ 7kN
Tendon Master Pro 9.2 @ 9.1kN

There is an 80m Tendon 9.7 on sale for $155 at OpticsPlanet

I'm a big fan of my Beal Zenith (9.5). Smooth as a baby's bottom and comes in funky pink