Edelweiss Ropes

Anyone climb on Edelweiss ropes? I've been climbing with Mammut's for a few years now but a screaming deal on these guys has come up.
Comments and/or complaints much appreciated, especially about wear and tear.
Thanks, Nick

I've been climbing on Edelweiss ropes exclusively over the last 5 years. That's after almost a decade of climbing on Mammuts. I think there are several brands that wear well with a nice hand, but Mammuts for many years seemed to me to wear and handle the best. That said, after climbing on a couple of Edelweiss cords a handful of years ago I believe them to be of the same or better quality. They seem to wear a little better these days with a little less sheath slippage. They're slightly firmer in hand, but that comes with smother travel over rock and less fuzz. Any of the major rope brands seem to be great at this point. Try them out.

Also - try the search function. there are many threads regardign ropes that could answer your question.

My first kernmantle rope back in early 70's... Edelweiss has a great history and I still have some of their ropes..latest was the 9.8 60M rope mentioned here at MP that was on ebay for like 80 bucks a couple months ago. Nothing wrong with their ropes.

Thanks Patrick,
Yea I'm not sure why I didn't just search haha, but your quick answer is much appreciated. I'm going with the Energy and maybe a set a halfs as well..

sounds like you already made your decision, but i have had an edelweiss onsight 9.8 for a couple years. it has held up great, and has been up at least 100 pitches. some dirty trad, and has taken some good sport falls. still has a nice feel. enjoy.

Nick Votto wrote:Thanks Patrick, Yea I'm not sure why I didn't just search haha, but your quick answer is much appreciated. I'm going with the Energy and maybe a set a halfs as well..

I just recently got the Energy, Can't wait to use it on the rock.
I climbed 5 years only using an Edelweiss Element and Axis rope and they really took a beating and showed very little wear. Just last year, I learned that Edelweiss likes to make their ropes with a thicker sheath than other brands. That fact alone made me buy another.

I have used the Energy 9.5 and Performance 9.2 for the last couple of years and have been pretty impressed. Both have a nice hand and the dry treatment works really well. Out of the package they are super slick due to the way the sheath is woven and fly through the Gri-Gri (which I dont like) so actually a little wear does good things for these ropes. I can't comment too much on the durability because I have 3 ropes that I rotate through, so none have been subjected to really intense use. So far so good, they've broken in nicely

If there a is great deal on them I say go for it. If they happen to wear out a couple weeks earlier than another rope, its not such a big deal given the cost savings.

So where is this deal?

Nick, I have been exclusive Edelweiss for the past five years, the Energy is the only single I use (strictly a trad climber though), Oxygen are my doubles for rock, and Helium are my twins for rock and ice use. Can't say enough good things about them, they are all great performers. I climb full time, sandstone half the year, Canadian Rockies (glacier-rock) the other half. Durability has proven exceptional. Good Luck.

Edelweiss PErformance 9.2 was one of my most durable ropes to date and certainly my favorite. I'm climbing on a Mammut Eternity now and would consider them to have many of the same characteristics. The Edelweiss had a slighty better hand, the Mammut seems to have a tighter sheath....It may be more durable in the long run, but I beat that Edelweiss like it owed me money and ultimately retired it because of age, not wear. Also just retired a set of Edelwiess doubles after many years of use. Similarly durable with a nice hand.

week long trip last week climbing on one edelweiss 60m 9.8 and one mammut 70m 9.8. The edelweiss handled very very well, but after just a few days of climbing (probably 20 pitches or so) and a number of red point falls, the edelweiss is showing some weird and the mammut is showing none.

By David Appelhans

So where is this deal?

theclymb.com

like some others have mentioned, i have used mammuts forever and they are great but now just so pricey-DAMN
For $80/Edelweiss you could use one a year !

The Clymb Deals are mainly for Edelweiss's entry level ropes while the Axis is an "older" generation model. They are a pretty good deal though. Ebay has a reseller dealing those ropes at similar prices so don't sweat it if The Clymb sells out.

This is probably TMI but I'm bored and the kids are quiet...

I personally really like the Edelweiss ropes. One of the best ropes I ever owned was a 70m ARC "On Sigh" 9.9mm. That sucker took a ton of abuse - IC, Eldo, WA Granite, Kalymnos - you name it. It held up amazingly well. I ended up retiring it because it just got old. Nothing alarming on the sheath etc. Just old

Keep in mind that EVERYONES opinion on ropes, including my own, is extremely subjective and anecdotal. There's almost no way people can accurately evaluate rope durability beyond guessing. It only takes a rope running over one sharp edge/crystal while lowering to fuzz up a sheath. There are so many variables on that front that without lab style testing we're all kind of making it up.

Things like how a rope handles, feels, knots etc etc are a little bit easier to comment on but still can range all over the map. "My X Brand rope was supper kinky" (Did they do a sucky job of uncoiling it? Did they lower through some single Fixe rings and twist it all to sh*t?) You just don't know. Hell, most of the time you don't even know what model/year the rope a person is talking about. That can make a huge difference as companies do change up how they make their ropes - Beal (in my experience as well as others ;) ) used to have sheath wear issues - They introduced their "Dry Cover" tech and, in my opinion, vastly improved their line. The rope names didn't change mind you, just the sheath treatment.

The best way to gauge people's opinions on ropes is to see if their other observations match you own. Someone who, for example, says Beal's are really stiff ropes doesn't have a lot of weight with me...

Even then, it's kind of a crap shoot...

Thank you everyone for all the feedback! I didn't know my thread would generate so many edelweiss fans, I'm psyched to try them out. Unfortunately David the deal is o
a super prodeal from Liberty mountain, though the climb has some good deals as well.
Thanks again

Thanks for asking this Nick!

About to hit up the same deal.

I had an Edlweiss rope and I'll never buy another one. It was fiercely kinky (I flaked it dozens of ones before the first use, and flaked it subsequent to each use, yet it still kinked like a steel cable on every climb). It also developed snags in the sheath from just a few gentle uses. With my Mammut and Sterling ropes I have not had either of these problems.

I have used both Edelweiss and Mammut and have had good luck with both honestly. My fav has been Mammut with a price tag of around $140 for a 60m x 10.1 rope. And my Mammut is great.

I have a BN $190 Sterling Sharma 60m x 9.8 and every Sterling that my buds and I have tried kinks and twists on us like crazy - no matter what we try! From flaking it out in a pile, to hanging it off the crag to stretch out, and rapping using ATC's - doesn't seem to make any difference. My Mammut NEVER kinks or twists and me and wears like iron!

The edelweis axis is, for me, a one season rope. The one I had got fuzzy and fat faster than my other ropes. That said if you are hard up for a rope and don't have much cash it will do for a few months. If you have $200 or so get something better, including the higher end Edelweis ropes which I have been consistently impressed with.

Another option are some of the Edelrid ropes which I would rank up there with Mammut or sterling. but be careful they also make an axis level rope, which I think I actually like more than the axis.

Sorry I can't remember any of the names, which all sound very similar.