Half Rope Questions

jktinst wrote:Using double rope technique with two strands of a single rope is also not recommended because it results in much greater impact forces.

By double rope technique you mean used like half ropes, right? Why would this increase the impact force? Isn't only one rope being caught on at a time in a fall and wouldn't it have the same force as one single? The second rope might take a little tension but it should be negligible compared to the rope in the top piece, right? Or am I missing something?

Yes, Béal ropes have always had really low impact forces. Plus the lines are getting pretty blurry between the different rope categories these days. Still you shouldn’t just tie-in in the middle of a single without giving it some thought. The example given above was to use the double rope technique to clip pros spaced widely apart but at a similar height. That is where you would get the greatest effect from the rope’s higher impact force.

jktinst wrote:Using double rope technique with two strands of a single rope is also not recommended because it results in much greater impact forces.

The difference in force belaying with a single strand, two strands with only one loaded (typical half-rope use) and twin strands with both equally loaded is so enormous that the rope impact numbers themselves play no role whatsoever. Even if one believes that a dogged-out 5 year old line has any resemblance to the manufacturers figures which I don´t anyway.

Lots of good info here, and I won't repeat what has already been said by people smarter than me.

I use doubles/twins a fair bit, for many of the reasons listed above. However the main advantage to me is that if one needs 2 ropes to rappel on a climb with a long approach, they might as well be 2 superlight skinny ones rather than fatter, heavier ones.