Does anyone use 10.0+ ropes anymore??

I use 10mm+ ropes for cragging including sport up to 12-

And i use a 9.5 for long multi or my 8mm halves

Ive found that my 10.2 mm tendon actually handles and feeds BETTER than my 9.5 infinity ... Not to mention it gives softer catches

Ive never found a 10mm+ rope a drawback up to my limit which is 12- on a VERY good day on sport n trad

For muti the extra weight on 70m pitches does make a bit of difference i find

I think that too many people go to the thin rope where they dont need to ... Then they find that their rope doesnt last as long and start threads on MP about it

I like my every day ropes to last as i work projects, use em as fixed lines, have partners handogging on em, etc ... And then they get retired to TR status

Also note that is better to look at the rope WEIGHT as a more reliable indicator of durability than the diameter IMO ...

If yr climbing moderates or anything single pitch up to 11s, you dont need a thin rope ... U need to get stronger and better

;)

bearbreeder wrote:If yr climbing moderates or anything single pitch up to 11s, you dont need a thin rope ... U need to get stronger and better ;)

Great...another "everything below 5.12 is moderate" thread.

He did say, "moderates, OR anything up to...." so depends on "semantical" interpretation

;)

I've been using 9.8 Velocity's for a while now, and they've lasted as long as I would want them to. For my purposes, there's just no reason for me to go any bigger. I may drop down to a 1-over-1 9.5 next.

One thing no one's mentioned- a 9.x seems to pack disproportionately smaller than a 10.x. I carry my rope in my pack, not on top, so size matters to me.

I agree that you're not going to really see a _performance_ benefit due to low weight until you're getting to super skinny ropes on 5.12+ territory. However, pack size, hand, and smoothness of feed while clipping and lead belaying are enough reason for me to prefer <10mm ropes.

The cost argument is BS. First, if you can't find a good deal on the diameter you want (whatever it is), you're not looking hard enough. Second, if you can afford it, get what best serves your needs. If you need an 11mm line to grind through crack after crack, perfect. It'll probably last forever. However, if your rope is pretty much only touching draws on overhanging sport, why in the world would you want 1.5 mm of extra sheath?

VaGenius wrote:Some of us aren't't sponsored by mom and dad and appreciate a long lasting rope. Some skinny ropes you get lucky with, some you get only a handful of pitches out of. I don't chance those kinds of odds. But since it's not my money, spend away on a tiny cord. When the 10.5s go on sale, I'll ask someone else's mom and dad about a gratis livable income and an incredibly fast Internet connection, both necessary for being a complete human being.

Wow...someone is kind of an ass. Maybe some of us just have real jobs and can afford the gear we want. Whahh, wha, whah...everyone else must have just had everything given to them right, since you didn't?

Anyway...I bought a new 70M Mammut 9.6 for $95 the other day. So the point you're trying to make is pretty mute.

I have a dry treated 9.2 for multi pitch trad and sport routes. I would rather be dragging 200 feet of 9.2 behind me than 10+. What hasn't really been brought up is that a thinner rope has less friction as well. Doesn't seem like a big deal, but to me it just takes less energy to climb all day with a small rope. Honestly, if you're not Aid climbing I just don't see a point in having anything over 10 anymore. My main climbing partner has a Sterling 9.7 that we have used a ton as well, and its still in great shape.

But that is all just my opinion.

sycamore wrote: The cost argument is BS. First, if you can't find a good deal on the diameter you want (whatever it is), you're not looking hard enough. Second, if you can afford it, get what best serves your needs. If you need an 11mm line to grind through crack after crack, perfect. It'll probably last forever. However, if your rope is pretty much only touching draws on overhanging sport, why in the world would you want 1.5 mm of extra sheath?

I havent paid more than around 110$ or so for a 10mm+ rope in years since my mammut galaxy

The last 5 ropes i paid between 70-100$ for a 60m ... And all of em handle better than some "thinner" 9.8s (im looking at you mammut tusk)

Also the diameter is a meaningless number ... Take the mammut transfoer 9.8mm it weights 66g/m vs my 10.2 mm tendon ambiton at the same weight but handles much smoother ...

Generally you van find 9.8-10.2mm for around 100$ for 60mm ... Any thinner and yr paying quite a bit more

Of course ive had 2 9.5 infinities and a set of doubles as well

Theres no guarantee that thinner ropes "handle" better ... Just last week my partners 10.2mm tendon (which i bought for 100$ for her wedding) would slide through a gri gri "hands free" ... My 9.5mm mammut locks up instantly and doesnt feed as smooth, and this is a grigri 1

James Hicks wrote: Wow...someone is kind of an ass. Maybe some of us just have real jobs and can afford the gear we want. Whahh, wha, whah...everyone else must have just had everything given to them right, since you didn't? Anyway...I bought a new 70M Mammut 9.6 for $95 the other day. So the point you're trying to make is pretty mute. I have a dry treated 9.2 for multi pitch trad and sport routes. I would rather be dragging 200 feet of 9.2 behind me than 10+. What hasn't really been brought up is that a thinner rope has less friction as well. Doesn't seem like a big deal, but to me it just takes less energy to climb all day with a small rope. Honestly, if you're not Aid climbing I just don't see a point in having anything over 10 anymore. My main climbing partner has a Sterling 9.7 that we have used a ton as well, and its still in great shape. But that is all just my opinion.

Let me guess a mammut climax 9.6

That actually weights MORE than a beal tiger 10mm per meter

Just goes to show you how screwed up going by diameter is in many cases

;)

This is really funny. I love how these threads all tend to eventually turn into a debate about which two slightly different things is better. Like the thread that devolved into which way to lower or TR is better. In this case, fat vs. skinny ropes.

The bottom line is that they all serve their purpose. It just comes down to utility, preference, and cost.

I've never even handled a <10mm single rope that I know of. When it's time for a new rope, I search for deals, which can be pretty tremendous. Paying upwards of $200 for a rope when a rope that serves the same purpose can be had for $100 or less just doesn't compute, and those "deals" are invariably on 10mm-range ropes. Better hand, lighter weight, packs smaller...maybe. I'll suffer a little hardship for a hundred bucks.

I remember when all my ropes were standard 150 ft, and 11mm. 9mm was for double rope use, and when the 10.5's came out, I was freakin' on how thin they looked at the time. Now 10.2 is called 'fat'. Sort of like how society treats women who don't have a supermodel like figure these days......

Woodchuck ATC wrote:I remember when all my ropes were standard 150 ft, and 11mm. 9mm was for double rope use, and when the 10.5's came out, I was freakin' on how thin they looked at the time. Now 10.2 is called 'fat'. Sort of like how society treats women who don't have a supermodel like figure these days......

Ha Ha I was going to make a snide comment on rope girth and models. . .
I remember buying my first 10.5 in about 1994/1995, and thinking how skinny it was.

Any whooo, I buy whats on sale, the skinnys are nice for lead and "in general" feed smoother in an ACT. But for walls, hauling and heavy top roping a 10.2-10.5 is a good work horse.
So it really comes down to the application and what size rope and may choose to use.

Lots of comments about weight, but let's not forget that a thicker rope offers more surface area to absorb dirt, adding even more weight! Really though, the placebo effect of a skinnier rope weighing less is worth a lot more than 0.8 pounds to me.

Don't underestimate the placebo effect in climbing

My last 9.8 bluewater lasted one summer of whips, whoever gets years out of a skinny rope must not fall often.

I use:
10.5 and 10.2 60m for bigwalling (with a 10.2 200' static haul line)
9.6 70m for trad
0.0 0m for sport

Bought a slightly* used petzl 9.4 (fuse?) 70m one season ago. I have climbed on this rope a lot, and its the only good rope i have. Super nice handling, and lighter weight. super durable. TR / trad / sport this thing excels at everything. Most of the use came on granite and gneiss. say ~120 solid days on it? no sheath slippage. I will be buying another one for sure....would highly recommend.

TR purist wrote:My last 9.8 bluewater lasted one summer of whips, whoever gets years out of a skinny rope must not fall often.

Not all ropes are created equal. If I'd had your experience, I'd think twice about another Bluewater, as any modern climbing rope of any diameter should last more than one summer. I've always been happy with Sterling and Mammut, and don't feel the need to switch any time soon. A number of my NC traddie friends have been using 9.4 Ions for years now, and they're as bomber as anything else I've used.

I own a couple 10.2 ropes. Mainly because cheap and durable means more to me than light and dry for what I'm climbing in my area.

10.2mm 60m is my "standard" cragging rope both sport and trad. You can find them pretty cheap all the time.

My 70m is a 9.8mm and that size is what I consider my "all round" size for multi-pitch etc.

I did buy a 9.5mm x 80m rope as one of my local areas is ideal for such a thing. It mainly gets used as a long rap line so I don't have to bring a 2nd rope OR TRing lines for fun.

I'm a bigger guy (180-190) and the sub 9.8mm lines give me pause, esp while trad climbing where edges and sharp flakes are more prevalent. Limestone can have its razor edges too mind you but I don't encounter them that much. The super skinny lines often cost more, are less durable and IMO, give less protection against cutting which should be more of a concern for people. This is especially true in areas with the infamous fixed mank draws with sharp edges.

The other thing is, not all rope are created the same. one 9.8mm is not the same as another brand 9.8mm. Beal tends to run "Thin". PMI, in the past, was thick etc etc.

Weight per meter is a better measure than thickness....