Thoughts on Dirty Ropes

Ian Stewart wrote:I don't see why dirty multi-pitch ledges are getting so much blame here. If the ledge is that dirty, why not just coil the rope over your anchor or leg? It's not that hard to keep a rope off the ground/dirt when it's right in front of you. That being said, a rope can easily get filthy from any climb. As useful as a rope tarp is, those 5x5ft squares don't catch every bit of rope when you're pulling it after cleaning on a windy day. Sometimes you're lucky just to get a few feet to land on the tarp, and some areas seem to be really fucking dirty. Ten Sleep, for example, seems to have this silty sand that makes ropes pretty filthy.

the standard start to the popular apron classics calculus, st vitus, and vector ... theres tons more pitches on these moderates where theres no way youre keeping the dirt out of the belay ledges

classic such as the buttress/butt face, angels crest, many apron routes, or most moderate ledgy multies youre rope is getting dirty ... period

pics from 2 weeks ago

caculus jungle pitch

calculus above the jungle pitch

and this is in dry conditions ... imagine the off season with mud ...

;)

clay meier wrote:Damn squeamish sounds bad ass. I wonder if I will ever be as cool as bearbreeder. He is so TRAD!

last word bro, I got the lowdown on everything, wanna see a pic of Squamish? I read petzls website daily, let me show you. You dont even climb.

I cleaned a rope once. It took two weeks before it didn't feel damp. I didn't think I was going to climb again that season, but I did end up squeezing one more weekend in. Damn rope got dirty again and I thought to myself, "This is stupid." I haven't washed one since.

I did however die twice from a dirty rope. Believe me, that wasn't fun, but washing was definitely more painful.

if your rope is clean and your not sponsored, you don't climb enough and should keep your big shiny orange helmet away from me.

I've found ice climbing to be a pretty good way to clean ropes.

Well, especially in sandstone areas......

Dirt (sand) will shorten the rope's life, wear out any biners it runs through (or chain anchors for that matter) MUCH more quickly, and that all leads to all that aluminum slime (black stuff on ropes and hands) which picks up even more dirt.

Maybe I am old school (read "not a lazy a**hole"), but taking care of gear (read cleaning and inspecting) isn't THAT hard.

Nikwax Tech Wash (or brand whatever 'rope wash') works fine either in a tub or front load washer (make sure that it is clear of bleach).

coldfinger wrote:Well, especially in sandstone areas...... Dirt (sand) will shorten the rope's life, wear out any biners it runs through (or chain anchors for that matter) MUCH more quickly, and that all leads to all that aluminum slime (black stuff on ropes and hands) which picks up even more dirt. Maybe I am old school (read "not a lazy a**hole"), but taking care of gear (read cleaning and inspecting) isn't THAT hard. Nikwax Tech Wash (or brand whatever 'rope wash') works fine either in a tub or front load washer (make sure that it is clear of bleach).

I would have to wash my rope once a week here in southern new mexico to keep it clean....

Phil Esra wrote:Test has begun! The remaining piece of "control" webbing will continue to be stored as usual. Both will be tested to failure using a hydraulic floor jack. Any predictions? mountainproject.com/images/…

Update 2: I revised the test protocol--I more than doubled the amount of weight. This ripped a couple inches of screamer (I drop-tested it separately to get a sense of the forces generated, then swapped it out of the system and replaced it with the battery-exposed webbing), but didn't break the webbing.

Conclusion? Direct contact with a car battery for about a month is not guaranteed to severely damage nylon. YMMV.

New protocol--added ~40 lb concrete fence post anchor; total weight ~70 lb

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hahaha, nice