Suggestions for first rope

So I'm a little lonely, and a little jealous of all the lovin' seeming to be had by rope-owners ( mountainproject.com/v/lee_s… - how's she hangin' btw Lee?), soooo ... I am in the market for buying my first rope! Wahoo!

But, as this would be my first rope - and I am making the transition from bouldering to rope (trad over sport) - I'm not quite sure all the features I should be keeping an eye out for.

As I intend to head to Colorado in June or so, that's when I'll be getting it, as well as that is where I intend to use it. Would rather do trad than sport, and starting on one pitch routes than multi.

What's a good width / length for a first-timer? (And yes, I totally realize what I just opened this post to be with that question)

I like the New England Equinox. 60m not sure the width. They have it at REI for like 130 or something really cheap. Thats what drew me to it. Hasn't failed me yet!

Check this offer out--fast!!!!!

Beal ropes are GREAT!!!!!

alpenglowgear.com/gear/inde…

No charge for shipping and it gets there fast!!!!!

I got a brand new 9.7 drycover booster for $154 there. I like thinner ropes, I might just buy a pair of smaller ones for ice & other climbing too.

I'm a big fan of dual-patterned ropes so you can easily find the rope's midpoint. You don't ever have to worry about the mark wearing off.

petzls Nomad. it is expensive nut its the best rope i have ever used.

Bentgate is having a sale right now with some pretty sick deals on ropes.

Well first off being new to trad I would think you would like a durable rope that will hold up to trad -sport and top roping and last awhile so here are my pics in no paticular order....All dry ropes BTW.

Sterling marathon 10.4X 60m good size and they hold up very well you
might want to go w/ a 70m ....

Edelweiss sharp bi pattern 10.5X 70m I use this rope for Aid(big wall climbing),Ice and trad. This is one hella stout rope& it handles like a dream ..

Yates Speed wall not sure of the dia it;s the same rope as the Blue water slimline elite w/ a burlier sheath ...

Mammut supersafe 10.2X70M this rope as well as the Edelweiss has the
sharp edge rating ....good for peace of mind ...

I would steer clear of PMI and Maxim ropes they twist up like cork screws and turn stiff as cable not to mention sheath slippage..

People will tell you to go w/a skinny rope but remember a skinny rope
means a skinny sheath = less durability....For your first rope I
would stick with a burlier rope....

Also be aware that many rope company's make a price point rope (including the ones above) that is quite a bit cheaper than the ones above, however you will be glad you spent the extra money for a rope that lasts ....this in MHO is cheaper in the long run....

my .02.
Cheers
ICE....

Currently using a Maxim bi-pattern 70m 9.4, everyone that climbs with it loves it. Handles like a dream, I climb quite alot and it's held up very well. Twisting has not been an issue for me. IMHO.

They are pricey though, $290ish.

Tyson Anderson wrote:I'm a big fan of dual-patterned ropes so you can easily find the rope's midpoint. You don't ever have to worry about the mark wearing off.

you will never be sorry owning a bi-color rope

Richard Fernandez wrote:Currently using a Maxim bi-pattern 70m 9.4, everyone that climbs with it loves it. Handles like a dream, I climb quite alot and it's held up very well. Twisting has not been an issue for me. IMHO. They are pricey though, $290ish.

They all just say that cause they dropped $300 for a rope :)

I had the pleasure of climbing on a Beal Joker for a while...9.1...sooooooo skinny. You barely notice it there, and even clipping it is easier. Unfortunately, my friend had to retire it in about 2.5 months. A trip to the RRG and climbing at rumney beat the crap out of it...the sheath looked like hell.

Hey Leah,

For Colorado, I say Dont get a 70, you never need one, esp if you are just starting. They are a pain to carry around, and they suck to pull through chains at places like Shelf. plus they cost a lot more.
If you get out a ton, you are going to go through a rope a year, so you will have time to find what you love. I have probably had 15 ropes over the year, and never tried to stay loyal to a brand, they all are bomb, and all have pluses and minuses.
get a 60 that's around 10.2 Bi patern is real nice if you can afford it, so is dry treated, but you dont NEED either one (depends on budget)
Since you are new to roped climbing, dont get some specialized rope like the Joker. Your gonna wear it out, so get something you can afford.
Honestly, color is the second thing I look at after size, its way ahead of the hang tag.

Edit to add
Next time you go to Tel Aviv, please take me with you, your pics is, well, ummmm, I mean, not to sound perverted, but, WOW!

Longer ropes are great for long sport climbs and running pitches together on multi-pitch trad routes, and it's nice to be able to rappel off climbs without tying two ropes together. but the extra weight and bulk are a nuisance to haul around. A 60 meter rope will get you up and down the vast majority of sport climbs, let you run some pitches together on older trad routes, and let you rappel off a lot of trad climbs without a second rope. My partner has a 70 meter rope, 90% of the time it stays at home and we take one of our 60 meter ropes to save weight and bulk. 50 meter ropes seem to be a thing of the past (anyone remember 45 meter ropes?).

Skinny ropes are nice and light and don't take up as much space in the pack on approaches, but the sheath wears out faster from abrasion, especially on lower angle climbs. Fat ropes resist abrasion but they're stiff, bulky and heavy. 10.2 - 10.5 mm diameter seems to offer a nice balance between durability and light weight/low bulk.

Bi-color ropes are great, they really help with rope management.

My first was a 60m Edelweiss 10.2....lasted quite awhile. Good place to look for deals is gearexpress(dot) com.

John McBike wrote: They all just say that cause they dropped $300 for a rope :)

Read guideline #1 John,

I was referring to people who climb with MY rope.

They haven't spent $300.

Cota offered some good advice - for a first rope you're definitely best off buying something you can afford and then treating yourself to a nicer rope later on when you know what you like.

I haven't owned a rope with a middle mark or a bi-color, and i've never had trouble with management. having it's nice, but i don't notice not having it when i go back to my rope, especially when bicolors are often much more expensive.

i think an ideal first rope would be a 60m or 70m (i have a 70m 9.2 and use it to link pitches very often, though that probably won't be a concern for you just starting out) around 9.8 to 10.1 mm. the way some approaches can be it's worth having something at or below the 10mm mark. check out the Sterling Marathon Pro (my partner has one and we like it) or the Edelweiss Onsight. both are decent prices on gearexpress.com.

as for the petzl nomad, i hear a lot of different stuff about that rope. for every person that likes it i hear someone say it's garbage. i've climbed on a few and the quality differs from rope to rope, some are stiff, some are floppy and lame, but i've never climbed on one that i've really liked. as far as brands go I like Sterling and Edelweiss.

I really like "iceman's" rope suggestions. These are all great choices. I happen to favor the 10MM Mammut Galaxy- such a great rope with the perfect durability to weight ratio. Definitley go with a dry treatment. The Bi-Color rope is a fantastic idea as well. Go get em!

I had been debating b/w a 60m & 70m and think I'll go with the 60 for less weight (plus the fact I won't be starting on anything uberlong for awhile).
As for width, I'm thinking of a nice 9.8-10.2 - once again for less weight, but still durable.

So I guess the other question that comes up for me, is the whole treatment thing - I've heard of dry-coating or others and am a bit curious. Are there other treatments I should be keeping an eye out for?
I might have the opportunity to whip it out once or twice for ice climbing this winter, but other than that, it will be used on CO, UT & WY's varying rock.

(& once again, thanks for the help! much appreciated)

Leah Miller wrote:So I guess the other question that comes up for me, is the whole treatment thing - I've heard of dry-coating or others and am a bit curious. What is it for, what does it do, etc?

The dry treatment keeps it mostly...well, dry. If you get rained on before you can bail, or if you climb ice, you'll want the dual (core & sheath) dry treatment, or your rope will end up either weighing a metric ton, or freezing solid. I think most ropes nowadays come dry treated.

I use a Bluewater 10.2 x 60 dual dry for single pitch sport/ice, and I recently got an Edelweiss 9.2 x 60 dual dry for multi and alpine rock/ice. Both are great ropes and I got them each for less than $150 at REI outlet and Bent Gate.

Since we're all throwing in our two cents here...

For a first rope, go with something general. A 60 meter, non-dry, moderate thickness (10.0-10.3mm) rope will take you a long ways for not a lot of $$$. These are by far the most common ropes out there and will thus be a lot easier to acquire. Look for sales at the usual places. As for brand, I like Mammut, but YMMV. The only Bluewater rope I ever owned (my first) fuzzed up like crazy but I gather that was anomalous.

Leah Miller wrote:That being said, thx for the guidance - I had been debating b/w a 60m & 70m and think I'll go with the 60 for less weight. As for width, I'm thinking of a nice 9.8-10.2 - once again for less weight, but still durable. I definitely like the idea of a bi-color or whatnot, but I'm already so absent-minded I wonder if I'd really notice it. So I guess the other question that comes up for me, is the whole treatment thing - I've heard of dry-coating or others and am a bit curious.

The packweight of a 70m is more, but on lead, only the amount between you and the ground means anything, and that's the same no matter what length lays on the ground by your belayers feet. The value to you is probably more for rapping than for leading, unless you intend to lead more than 60M at a time- which I would NOT reccomend for a new leader- it makes for sparse pro, hug racks, or potentially long falls. Not for beginner leaders. SO unless you will climb a lot of routes that require a 70M for rapping, do the 60M thing and save the extra $$ for the bicolor option or a better model of rope. If you were an advanced trad leader into adventure climbing, I'd suggest just the opposite, but you'd already know what you wanted anyway.
10.2 to 10.5 Get a 48 bobbin sheath, not 32. It will matter- count the threads or read the specs. Beginners are harder on ropes, all things being equal- get one that is not a cable, but will last. The only good mid-9's rope I ever though lasted like a 10+mm was a Millet 9.8. Joseffa and I had them last "forever". Should have bought 4 more of them when they were cheap.
Bilcolor- you will notice every time you thro the rope for a rap- all you do its look for the pattern change and you know you are at the center. $15 or 20 extra- pay it for sure, especially as a beginner.
As for dry treatment- it can make a rope last longer. Think of it as teflon, more or less. It will wear better for being smoother and slicker.