* Determine the purpose for your climbing rope, as this will decide all other features that you will have to look out for. Whether rock climbing, ice climbing, or just indoor rock climbing at a facility, the activity and environment determine the type of rope to be used.
* Rope for rock climbing requires more abrasion resistance. As opposed to traditional braided rope, modern climbing rope consists of a core made out of synthetic strands with a woven outer covering. The core is the one suspending your weight and takes all the pressure. The outer covering protects the core from being cut from sharp rocks. If you will be scaling rock faces that have jagged edges, it is best to look for climbing rope that could withstand the abuse from being dragged across sharp rock.
* Dynamic climbing ropes are generally better than static ropes. As their names imply, a static rope is slightly elastic, while a static rope is not. This is more forgiving should you ever lose your footing and fall. A static rope transfers all the shock from the fall to your harness and the experience will not be pleasant at all. A dynamic rope absorbs some of the load so that the shock would not be as great. Both are rated to handle roughly the same weight, so there is really no reason not to go dynamic.
* There are guides to almost every summit or rock face that climbers frequent. Use this information to determine the length of climbing rope that you will need. A little extra would be useful, but lugging close to a hundred excess feet would be pointless. Also, since rope also has weight, too much can hamper your mobility. If you have to hike for a few miles before you reach the foot, this excess weight on top of your climbing and hiking gear can rob you of the energy needed to scale it.
Posts Tagged ‘mountain climbing’
14
Nov