Half Rope Questions

Hey All,

I did some searching around and was unable to find much in the way of answers to my questions. I am planning on purchasing half ropes soon and am trying to decide between 50 or 60 meter lines. Which would you chose?

I know that rope length needed to get to the next belay is going to vary depending on where and what you climb, but I'm wondering about other factors too. Anyone ever set up for a double rope rap with two 50's only to come up short? Anyone find it to be a PITA at belays having that extra 10m?

I'm thinking maybe just get the 60's and chop 'em if I consistently find myself needing less?

Thanks for the input,
Shelton

I wouldn't waste your money on 50m ropes in general. The only one I have is a glacier rope and it's like 8mm.

If you find a pair super cheap, you'll still end up wanting the 60ms and IMHO regret buying those 50s.

+1 for getting the 60s. I am also considering some half ropes in the near future and debating between 60s and 70s so if I were you I would definitely go for 60s over 50s.

It isn't 1985 anymore; get the 60s.

Companies are still making 50m ropes?

Alright, thanks for responses guys and the surprisingly limited amount of trolling. Looks like everyone and their mom climbs with at least 60m, even with half ropes. Again, I appreciate the input.

Marc H wrote:Companies are still making 50m ropes?

I think Mammut still make short rope for most of their ropes

mammut.ch/images/rope_lines…

I went with 60 meter doubles that are rated for use as both twins or half ropes. I've been very happy with them and they are only rarely a pain in the ass. I wouldn't bother getting 50s. One advantage of having doubles is that you have two full length ropes for the descent. If you're dealing with treacherous descents you're gonna be happy to have the extra length.

Def go w/ the 60's.

And like Chris said above, a great choice are the newer style ropes that are rated for both twin/half setup, such as the pmi's. The only downfall w/ the skinnier ropes which are usually between 7.8-8.1 are that they are not as durable.

I just bought a set of the 8.5 genesis ropes which are only half ropes, but i'm hoping they'll last a little longer. Good reviews and I got a 20% discount on them. Prior to that, I had the PMI's which I also thought were a awesome set.

The Beal Joker is where it's at. Rated as a half, a twin AND a single. I think they're a 9.1 or something. Supposed to last longer being a bit fatter than your standard half rope floss. Of course they're a little heavier as well.

Also look at the Edelweiss Sharp doubles. Also supposed to wear much better. Love their sharp 10.5. Trying to decide myself on which one to drop the coin.

I'm leaning towards the 70m length though in either because I like to link pitches and I usually use the rope to build my anchor.

Thanks for the input guys, but I have another question.

The main rope I've been using for most of my trad or alpine climbing has been a 70m sterling nano which I like very much and is still in good shape. It just dawned on me that it'd be ideal if I could incorporate this into my half rope setup so as to not be buying two new ropes.

I could buy another nano, in fact I even know a kid who's trying to get rid of a 70 that's a different color than mine, but hauling around two 70m 9.2 ropes is going to be heavier than I'd like. But it would be nice to have two ropes rated as singles in case I'm stuck leading on one.

I've also heard of people pairing the nano with a thinner half rope like the photon (7.8). This would cut down on weight and increase versatility a bit. But again, do I want to get stuck leading on a single 7.8 if shit hits the fan?

What would you do in my situation? Anyone out there belayed on half ropes that were different in diameter?

Thanks again

I believe what you are referring to is called a "tag line". Meaning you climb on one rope and have a thin diameter rope to tie and rap off of.

"When they do select a single rope for their lead climbing they will pack along an equal length of 7-8 mm static cord (also called a "e;tag line"e;) so that they tie the two together and get longer rappells".

From Mammut..

Can ropes with different diameters be used?
In the situation described above (climbing with a single rope then abseiling /
rappelling back down the route), climbers will often bring a much thinner second rope
with them. The idea of the second rope is to allow a longer abseiling / rappelling
distance than would be possible using a doubled single rope (which is often essential
in alpine routes).
However, the Smart Alpine is not suitable for use with different rope diameters,
either in the 7.5 – 9.5 version or in the 8.9 – 10.5 version.
Because the belayer only needs to apply a small amount of force to lock the rope
completely in the belay device, using ropes of different diameters poses a real risk
that the thicker rope will be locked, leaving the thinner rope to pass through the
device. In this situation the climber is likely to fall – that is why our instructions so
clearly state that the Smart Alpine should not be used with different rope diameters.
To find

I'm aware of what a tag line is and why someone would bring one. But I'm referring to using a rope like THIS along with my 9.2 in a half rope setup. Are you implying that you wouldn't lead on one that skinny?

EDIT: Just saw the part from mammut. Thats exactly the type of advice I was looking for, thank you. I wonder if it would apply to an ATC as well.

The question is - if you have a single rope and a skinny line, why are you clipping the skinny strand when leading? Just lead on the single and trail it.

If you give us some idea of your intended uses, we can help a little more. Are you looking to go with doubles to help with rope drag on wandering routes, or just to get longer rappels? Do you want them to bring up two seconds?

Thanks Auto-x, I should have been more specific with my needs. I want to employ a half rope setup for wandering routes, for the longer rappels, as well as having the option of bringing up two seconds. I want a setup where I can be leading on both lines at the same time running through different pro.

Shelton Hatfield wrote:I'm aware of what a tag line is and why someone would bring one. But I'm referring to using a rope like THIS along with my 9.2 in a half rope setup. Are you implying that you wouldn't lead on one that skinny? EDIT: Just saw the part from mammut. Thats exactly the type of advice I was looking for, thank you. I wonder if it would apply to an ATC as well.

I wouldn't lead on that 7.8 as a single line. Would "yer gonna die" with different diamter ropes? Probably not, but it would be a real pain.

But honestly man you should either just get the doubles, or get a really skinny tag line. It sounds like what you want though is doubles, so as costly as that can be just go half rope. You'll be happier long haul.

Does anyone out there have any experience leading on half ropes of different diameters?

Shelton Hatfield wrote:Does anyone out there have any experience leading on half ropes of different diameters?

It is doable, but kind of annoying.

I have 50m doubles and haven't had any issues, although I do have to keep that in mind for routes that require a longer rope. I'm happy with them although I did get an incredible deal on them...

Shelton,

Go w/ regular halves, you won't be dissapointed, keep your 9.2 for the purpose of linking pitches , going light, or only needing a 70m for rapping, which is very common here in RR. I have exactly that, a 70m 9.5 for longer routes/linking pitches. Doubles for two rope raps as well as wondering routes, and a bulky 70m for short approaches/cragging. I'd highly consider the half/twin ropes as it is nice to just clip the pair as twins when your doing a route that doesn't wonder, but requires to ropes for rappels. Hope this all helps.

If you had to, by all mean you could lead w/ a single half rope. Might be a little spooky, but would be no problem at all. The main thing you'd have to look out for is sharp edges, as that is usually how a rope will fail you.

Rob Fielding wrote:Shelton, Go w/ regular halves, you won't be dissapointed, keep your 9.2 for the purpose of linking pitches , going light, or only needing a 70m for rapping, which is very common here in RR. I have exactly that, a 70m 9.5 for longer routes/linking pitches. Doubles for two rope raps as well as wondering routes, and a bulky 70m for short approaches/cragging. I'd highly consider the half/twin ropes as it is nice to just clip the pair as twins when your doing a route that doesn't wonder, but requires to ropes for rappels. Hope this all helps. If you had to, by all mean you could lead w/ a single half rope. Might be a little spooky, but would be no problem at all. The main thing you'd have to look out for is sharp edges, as that is usually how a rope will fail you.

What he said.