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Preferred Slings for Alpine Draws

Original Post
Jonny d · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 40

Currently helping to build a trad rack for my son. I've always been pretty happy with Mammut Contact slings for alpine draws on my own rack, but I'm curious as to what the MP folks might prefer and why. Your input welcome.

Pavel Burov · · Russia · Joined May 2013 · Points: 50

The cheapest available Dyneema/Dynex 10-11mm slings.

Andrew Williams · · Concord, NH · Joined Mar 2014 · Points: 625

Trango ultratape slings. Not the skinniest but more durable. OGL gave them great reviews.

Ted Pinson · · Chicago, IL · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 252

What Pavel said. I think mine are mainly BD and Metolius.

kevin graves · · Mammoth Lakes, CA · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 5

9/16" water knot (3"tail) tubular webbing===$1.30.
Dyneema Runner===$8.95.

Let's call them RUNNERS; there really is no such thing as an Alpine Draw...only Quick Draws or Draws or RUNNERS :)

John Ryan · · Poncha Springs, CO · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 170

I have found the BD synthetic slings to fray easily at the sew points. I've had better luck with Mammut.

Ed Schaefer · · Centennial, CO · Joined May 2014 · Points: 35

I use the BD 10mm dynex runners, but mostly just because they are easy to find and I got them on sale.

I like the look of the Mammut ones you mentioned, I'd need to feel them in hand to know if I'd prefer over the BD though.

A number of people I go out with have the Metolius 11mm dyneema open slings and they work fine, but I personally find them to be a but more bulky and harder to handle compared to the BD.

Ryan Hamilton · · Orem · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 5

I like both Mammut and BD runners.

Parker Wrozek · · Denver, CO · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 86

Trango Ultra Tape with the Phase Wire biners. Really like them.

Ian Machen · · Fredericksburg, VA · Joined Sep 2016 · Points: 35

Depends on what I'm climbing. 75% of the time I'm using BD 18mm nylon runners for their better performance, and stretch. If it's a long approach, or long climbs where I need to save some weight, then 10mm BD Dynex. 6-10 60cm, 2-4 120cm.

Climb Germany · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 2,505

Mammut contact is where it's at. Everything else has the sewn area uncovered meaning draws catch on it.

I've just went through the same process and found the best and lightest combination that's still easily useable is

Edelrid NineteenG (19g) on the bolt/gear end + Mammut Contact Sling + DMM Alpha Light (32g)

Ted Pinson · · Chicago, IL · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 252
kevin graves wrote:9/16" water knot (3"tail) tubular webbing===$1.30. Dyneema Runner===$8.95. Let's call them RUNNERS; there really is no such thing as an Alpine Draw...only Quick Draws or Draws or RUNNERS :)
Tubular webbing is also much thicker and bulkier. Arguing semantics is pointless; there's no such thing as runners either by that logic.
cyclestupor · · Woodland Park, Colorado · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 91
Parker Wrozek wrote:Trango Ultra Tape with the Phase Wire biners. Really like them.
It seems like it is becoming harder to find Ultratape. Trango doesn't even list it on their website anymore. Anyone know if they discontinued it?
Eric Engberg · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 0
Ted Pinson wrote: Tubular webbing is also much thicker and bulkier. Arguing semantics is pointless; there's no such thing as runners either by that logic.
Runners (using for a running belay) have been around for ~100 years. The silly terminologies of "trad draws" and "alpine draws" have been around for much less. Everything clipped into a piece of gear doesn't have to be a "draw". It can be a shortened sling or runner.
Xam · · Boulder, Co · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 76
cyclestupor wrote: It seems like it is becoming harder to find Ultratape. Trango doesn't even list it on their website anymore. Anyone know if they discontinued it?
This should be close enough, I think: Low Bulk 11 Sling
Noah Yetter · · Lakewood, CO · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 105

Sterling 10mm dyneema slings have a nice heat-shrink wrapping around the sewn area, which I like better than the Mammut Contact style. Also Edelrid 8mm dyneema and 12mm Tech Web slings have the tag off to the side, instead of in-line with the sling, which is almost as good.

cyclestupor · · Woodland Park, Colorado · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 91
Xam wrote: This should be close enough, I think: Low Bulk 11 Sling
Yea, I have some of the 11mm stuff too, and have no complaints. Unfortunately it is not the same as the old Ultratape, which was more burly. Ultratape had a high percentage of nylon strands in it which made it more abrasion resistant (I think) than the Low Bulk stuff. I like to use Ultratape in anchors because it takes a lot of abuse and is easy to un-knot (though the low bulk 11mm is pretty good @ un-knotting too).
Brian L. · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2016 · Points: 90
Eric Engberg wrote: Runners (using for a running belay) have been around for ~100 years. The silly terminologies of "trad draws" and "alpine draws" have been around for much less. Everything clipped into a piece of gear doesn't have to be a "draw". It can be a shortened sling or runner.
I'm going to agree with Ted on this one. Alpine Draw is a well established way of referring to how to rack a sling (or runner if you prefer), and 2 biner's. By engaging that terminology you know exactly what the person is saying, succinctly. It's effective language.

But regardless of that, technically the "Alpine Draw" is the original "Draw" (called the UrQuickDraw coined by Jim Erickson). My guess is the term Alpine begin being used when sewn, short quick draws became a thing.

As far as the OP. I find 11mm dyneema nylon to be preferred. I have a few of the skinny 8mm BD slings set up this way, but tend to grab for the other's first. Not sure i can say definitely why, though.
Gavin W · · NW WA · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 181

I use the 8mm Mammut Contact slings, and love that they don't get hung up on the stitching.

The only potential problem is that if you tie a knot and weight it, it's impossible to untie with gloves on (although not as difficult to untie without gloves as people claim, I've used one to extend my rappel and didn't have any difficulties untying it).

Max Rieg · · Portland, OR · Joined May 2016 · Points: 5

I have 8 of the Trango Phase Alpine Draws. They have been amazing so far! No complaints.

Jake Stern · · Alta, UT · Joined Dec 2014 · Points: 41

Plus another for Ultratape slings. I undid most of my dogbones on my petzl spirits and use those for my alpine draws. They handle super nicely and the gates of the spirit biners are silky smooth (albeit heavier than the trango phases). I usually carry a few of the red ultratape double lengths on my shoulders with phase biners for extending longer.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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