Looking for a new rope.
(possibly two exact same ropes for a nice long repel/multi-pitch)

Please post suggestions/The best rope you've had

Must be:
Single rope(as a primary lead rope)
11mm < OD > 9.4mm
Dynamic
Length >= 60m(70m preferred)

A green and orange one. It was long, but not too long, had a diameter, and it was pretty.

Lanex Viper. 9.7 x 60. But that was years ago.

What does best mean here? Greatest longevity? Easiest to handle and least likely to kink or tangle? Best price? Nicest color?

I own 3 ropes, and my fav of the 3 is the Sterling Biathalon 10.1. It handles nice, the dry coating is holding up well, and it hasn't gotten stiff and fuzzy like the two Mammuts.

Kathy

The best as in which one you liked the best overall. Just your plain and simple favorite.

Mike I found you some info about Lanex that might be interesting. First off they changed their name to Tendon and started a new marketing strategy.The good news is they still sell what seem to be the same ropes jut under a different name.
The ropes they now sell in their "master" line look to be of amazing quality.

Tendon Master 9.7
rope diameter (mm): 9.7
weight (g/m): 61
number of UIAA falls: 9-10
max. impact force (kN) : 7.6
sheath slippage (mm) : 0
static elongation (%): 7.6
dynamic elongation (%) : 35

9-10 UIAA falls for a 9.7. That's the number you usually see from good 10.5's.

The Ambition 10.2 looks to be a good option as well.

looks like no one even sells them in the USA but i found a price of 127.99 euro's from a UK shop(about 150 euros for 70m).

This equates to about $170 for 60m and 198 for 70m +shipping(not too bad).

My two favorites are outside of your range. Both are Mammut but one is the 8.9mm Serenity and the other is a 9.2mm Revelation (both arew singles). Handled nice,and I had a pair of pants that matched really nicely with the colors, (Dude, thats important).

Of course it is....since threads like this are undeniably pointless.

the long one I had. It was pretty colors and kept my ass off the ground a lot of times. Seriously...how the hell do you people remember the minutae of details about gear you USED to own???

I made the thread to help me choose a rope. If that is pointless to you then there is no reason to post.

My favorite rope was MSR brand. But that's moot since that company doesn't market them any more.

Another candidate - the rope I just bought. Rock & Snow has an Edelrid Mamba 60m dry 9.8 (61 g/meter). Can't beat the price: $129

I have a rope, it's red, I like it

That does sound like a good deal. But i think i might spend the extra 50$ and get the Tendon master 9.7. i really can't find anything better specs wise and I've been looking pretty hard.
10 UIAA falls and 7.6 max kN is hard to match with such a thin diameter and low weight.

I'm still looking but it looks to be the right one for me.

I no longer want a dry treated rope for craging, as it isn't needed, costs more and seems to pick up more dirt and aluminum oxide. I also always buy bicolor or bipattern ropes now, as it great reduces mistakes at the end of a long day when dark is moving in. Other than that, they all work but I seem to enjoy the Sterling rope handling more than others.

Granted no-one related any horror stories involving a Tendon rope, but then no one has used one produced even remotely recently or even by the same manufacturer for sure. The outcome is that after asking others here, you've chosen a rope on a comparison of its printed spec and feel that spec justifies a far higher price and over seas shipping?

And what's even funnier is that the OP probably thinks this thread constitutes "research".

If you don't compare ropes by there respective specs then what do you compare them by, horror stories? I would trust UIAA ratings way before i trust any crag story or any single person. You wouldn't pay 50$ more for 4 more UIAA falls?
You are right that there is probably no one here that can inform me about the current quality of Tendon ropes, but if i hadn't made the thread I still wouldn't know about them. You can read reviews anywhere.

Look at the anual Climbing Magazine Buyers Guide for a more complete listing!

I have heard some stories and seen a couple of inferior ropes based on sheath slippage (or departure entirely)and would personally avoid PMI, but overall I think the rest all work fine. That is the message many posters were trying to make, that the rope is not such a purchase as to lose sleep over your choise, but rather that different ropes lend themselves more to different uses based on diameter. How a rope handles is important to me and a "soft hand" is important in terms of ease of handling. I also like a rope to be visually stricking enough that I can find and handle it in fading light. Bicolor can help avoid mistakes.
Keep in mind that a skinny rope is great for sport climbing steep walls but in the gunks a thicker rope will keep you from smacking that ledge under you while the solid rock in the gunks is also less likely to compromise your gear placement. I like a 10 or 10.2 in the gunks. That's all I got.

You wouldn't pay 50$ more for 4 more UIAA falls?

I don't know, but if you are taking more than one factor 2 fall in your climbing career, you don't need a different rope; you need a different sport.

Seriously though , is the fall rating really a good indicator of durability and strength during use?

Not.
In.
The.
Slightest.
Operator abuse plays a far more significant role.

This is a excerpt from a Mammut rope manual that explains how UIAA falls are tested and what the results mean.


Falls Held

The drop test is the point of most interest. It
measures how many >standard falls a rope
will withstand. The standard fall with a >fall
factor of 1.75 is an extremely hard one, which
very rarely occurs in practical use. A weight of
80 kg (with single and twin ropes) or 55 kg
(with half ropes) falls on a single cord (single
and half ropes) or doubled cord (twin ropes).
Single and half ropes must withstand at least
5 standard falls, a doubled twin rope at least
12. Single ropes, which hold 5-9 standard
falls, are designated as standard fall ropes,
those with more than 9 falls are designated
multi-fall ropes.
The number of falls is a direct measurement
of a rope's >safety reserve. No new rope can
break from an impact load, assuming good
conditions and good rope management. But
the efficiency of a rope decreases: >aging
and >wear reduce its strength. Moisture and
particularly frost can reduce it by about one
or two standard falls.[i][/i]

I've used Edelweiss 11, 10.5, 10.2 for trad and always loved their hand and longevity. Think it was the "Eldorado", then "Axis" and someother derivation.

Mammut Gemini doubles are among the best for trad and alpine with wandering routes. Feel and movement are great... weight is wonderful.

Well, remember that a FF1 at the Gunks means you're probably hitting the ground or the GT ledge.

FWIW:
I loved my BlueWater Accelerator 10.5, well priced, handled great for many years, TR workhorse.
Now using a Beal Stinger III 9.4 70m as my single. Another great rope.
Primary ropes are Mammut Genesis 8.5 60m doubles, second set of these. You see a lot of people at the gunks with these, they handle really well.

Again, I am flabbergasted that you guys remember all these model names years after you have made the purchase. Seriously....are you all that obssessed with your gear? As soon as the packaging gets thrown away i forget what I have. I have a yellow rope, red shoes, a blue chalk bag, and a silver helmet. Oh and pink underwear

Gear is EXPENSIVE so it's good to remember what the dollars are spent on... this way you can make sure not to buy the same crap in the future or to buy the good stuff over again.

Sounds like your gear is so old you might need to start replacing it!

Maybe he's just spent to much time being oxygen deprived or taken a few too many rocks to the head.

I don't know about others, but for me, it's just the way my brain works. Probably why I'm an IT guy, I remember specs and details.

Unlike clothing, which we associate with self-image, gear is something we associate with performance. "Since the (enter brand name)(enter gear category) is better, if I use it, I'll be better." And, yes, lots of climbers obsess about exactly that.

Number one for me is horror stories. Believe it or not, there are some BAD ropes out there. And the specs won't help you filter them out.

Longevity, handling, and price are numbers two three and four on my priority list. And only experience using the rope will help - there are no specs worth a damn, except maybe sheath %, to shed light on those.

Number five for me is the only spec I look at - impact force. And though Beal has been head and shoulders above the competition on that note for as long as I've been climbing, I have yet to buy a Beal rope. Though I may some day.



That's fine, so long as the UIAA ratings are telling you something useful.



Absolutely not!

GO