single 70m rope for ice

About to get myself a new rope for the coming (I hope!) season. Want one that is Dry, 70m length, and about 9.5mm diameter. Who recommends what?

That sounds heavy.  Why not a smaller diameter?  Ice is usually really friendly to rope sheath. 

Jon, yes I could go down to about 9.2 but skinnier than that I am wary of.

I have the bd green 9.4 and it's been great

hector galbraithwrote:

Jon, yes I could go down to about 9.2 but skinnier than that I am wary of.

Wary of what? Out of curiosity 

Wary of cuts from rockfall or toolsl, abrasion, controlling rap with iced up rope.

I like Beal Opera 8.5mm . Alpine guide Atc works great with it. Usually retire ice ropes from age or loss of water resistance. Never wear. Damn sure not falls!

yup, opera

Sterling makes an excellent rope if you like supporting a US company. I have their 7.8mm Photons and have a 9.2 single though I haven't used the latter yet. They also make a great 9.5mm if you prefer that diameter, I've climbed on my partner's a few times. 

If you want an even skinnier single, I had an 8.9mm Edelrid Swift that I used for ice with no complaints. 

hector galbraithwrote:

Wary of cuts from rockfall or toolsl, abrasion, controlling rap with iced up rope.

YMMV, but IMO, The Slope of the risk curve is way flatter than the benefit curve as ropes go smaller.   Hard to beat triple rated 8.5-8.7 ropes for ice, and like Abandon says, double up for sketchier mixed or wandering terrain if warranted. 

If I was going to actually buy a long single for ice it would be the lightest grams per meter available.  I typically climb multi pitch ice with 7.8 doubbles but i like useing a single for cragging. i won a 9.2 70m at ice bash which is awesome but seems heavy to me. I still use a single strand of 8.1mm half rope for easy alpine.   Old knees. 

A 9.5mm X 70M would be fine for cragging e.g. Vail. For long multipitch ice, like Cody Wyo, I like to use a sub 9.0mm X 60M lead line and 6mm tag line for rappelling. In a place like Cody dealing with the logistics of handling one rope is so much nicer than halves. The follower can keep the tag line in their pack for the entire climb. For anything more alpiney I like half ropes.

I've got plenty of mileage on Beal Ice Lines and they're a great option.  I have less time on the 9.1 Joker, but I like that, too from the few climbs I've tied into it.

Mammut's new line of alpine ropes looks pretty good.  I own the 9.5 Infinity and that's been a great line, though I much prefer the thinner ropes these days.

Jackie Swrote:

I have the bd green 9.4 and it's been great

That's what I have and it's been good as well. Runs bout 8lbs for the 70m

I wouldn't even bother with a single unless you are tr soloing. 

Look at the Mammut Infinity 9.5mm.  I used it for a few seasons on ice. It treated me well.

Thanks all for the advice on single ropes. Am currently thinking of either the BD green 9.4, or the Mammut 9.5 Crag (the rope previously known as the Infinity). Need to save some $$ first!

hector, check out the grams per meter of whichever rope and for ice  get the lightest because durability is really a non issue with ice. 

I use my new ropes on ice only until my rock rope is toast. Then my old ice rope becomes my new rock rope and I buy a new ice rope.

The waterproofness never lasts forever but it does last longer if only used on ice. 

Maybe the new UIAA dry ropes will last a bit longer.

I'm a fan of a thin triple on climbs that don't involve rappelling. (Walk off/short rap etc.)

I pair a 8mm half with my opera when I'm doing long rappels.   

Many thanks for all the valuable input. Have just bought a 70m dry "Quest" 9.2mm from Mountain Steals. Once the ice season gets under way I will post a users review.