Rope Advice!

Hello!

I'm looking to buy a good static rope for building top rope anchors, I'm looking at buying the BlueWater II plus 10.5 mm. I'm also thinking around 80ft, hoping it would cover most setups. But I'd love to hear if people have bought this rope before and how they liked it, but also open to other suggestions!

Last question...for someone buying their first top rope climbing rope are there any brands and models that you suggest to take a look at? I'm thinking between 10 mm- 11 mm.

Thanks so much!

Don't know your situations where you will be building anchors but you don't need that thick a rope and/ or that much to build some decent anchors. 8 mm is good. I would go with some thinner static rope and a load of 1" tubular webbing as well as a number of runners. Add a bunch of lockers and you should be able to build some good anchors anywhere.

As for ropes, I use my sterling 9.8 evolution velocity for top roping and sport and really like it.

Good luck.

Agreed on the static rope. Carrying 80' of 8mm is way better than carrying 80' of 10.5mm. Some people will go smaller than that, too. Regardless, take a look at the forces involved for the types of anchors you want to set up (you are studying that, right?) and go from there.

PaigeB wrote:Hello! I'm looking to buy a good static rope for building top rope anchors, I'm looking at buying the BlueWater II plus 10.5 mm. I'm also thinking around 80ft, hoping it would cover most setups. But I'd love to hear if people have bought this rope before and how they liked it, but also open to other suggestions! Last question...for someone buying their first top rope climbing rope are there any brands and models that you suggest to take a look at? I'm thinking between 10 mm- 11 mm. Thanks so much!

For your first rope, get the cheapest 10.2 or 10.5 (dynamic) you can find. Don't worry about all the specs that will make your head swim such as number of falls, elongation, dry or standard, etc. Get a 60 meter, 10.5 cheapo. Any brand.

There are many websites out there where you can compare prices.

Edit: The rope I discussed above is for climbing, not to build anchors with.

How long the rope is depends on where you are typically setting up your top-ropes. How far back are the anchors (trees, etc.? I would get 11mm. It may be rubbing against the rock as you top-rope and will last a lot longer, and is safer, than thin cord. You can buy it by the foot at a lot of places, REI for example. Some are really stiff. PMI sells one that is fairly limber.

rei.com/product/472013/pmi-…

Figure out what you need where you will be climbing. 80ft of static rope for setting top ropes is probably complete overkill. I have never used anywhere near that much for anything and I have climbed from CA to NC.

I have about 10ft section of small rope I use for anchors sometime and have alot of 8ft webbing slings I also use depending on the area. The vast majority of top roping around our area rarely needs more than maybe 2 slings around a tree or 2 quick draws on some bolts / chains.

I also have another 20ft section of rope that I got from a friend and have never used it for a single anchor. I don't even take it with me anymore.

Unless you are setting up on a area people don't normally top rope it is rare to not be right at the edge of the cliff for setting up a top rope.

I climb a bunch at Devils Lake where you definitely need some good lengths of material to be able to set up TR on certain climbs. 50' static line gets me through most anything (lots of folks use several 20 to 30' pieces of webbing). But I have the Canyonero 9.2 static line - imlaycanyongear.com/ropes.php and I swear you could run it through the garbage disposal and it will come out like new. (thus it is a pretty stiff rope and remains so- not the absolute easiest to adjust clove hitches on). So if you're looking for longevity first- it's a good buy. And you can get it by the foot. They have some other thinner static lines that may be good too. Found the link to that company from a guide up here who's got a blog post that has some good info for beginner TR gear : devilslakeclimbingguides.co…

The choice of rope diameter will influence you and your partners belay device choice, so the two should be considered in tandem.

If ATC style devices are what you'll be using and the people you're climbing at are generally new to belaying, go thick (as in 10-11mm).

If you're using grigris, if you go to thick you'll find yourself thwarting the the locking all the time (eg: 10.5mm). If you go thin you'll find the grigri won't lock up accidently as often or at all - which in my eyes makes it safer than using a fat rope, but it'll make it noticeably harder to catch falls if people are using ATC style devices.

I really liked my 10.5mm mammut superflash. Felt nice to use.

Just go with something cheap in the 10 - 10.5mm range. I would not go below 9.9mm as those ropes require more attentive belaying techniques, and more caution to sharp edges, both of which are things that take experience to learn properly. Price should be your main consideration.

r m wrote:If you're using grigris, if you go to thick you'll find yourself thwarting the the locking all the time (eg: 10.5mm). If you go thin you'll find the grigri won't lock up accidently as often or at all - which in my eyes makes it safer than using a fat rope, but it'll make it noticeably harder to catch falls if people are using ATC style devices.

The OP said it's for top roping. You can lower someone on 10.5mm with a GriGri just fine. I have even lowered someone on 13mm with a GriGri.

For the static rope I recommend buying a PMI by the foot as I linked above. For a dynamic I recommend a fairly fat (10.5) inexpensive non-dry rope as it will better stand the abuse of top-roping and won't cost much.

SHE actually asked about both static for anchors and a dynamic top rope. She is also getting a lot of good info as I assume she is new to the sport based on her initial questions.

All the best to the OP and make sure you have some good books and some folks who can give you real life field advice.

keithconn wrote:SHE actually asked about both static for anchors and a dynamic top rope. She is also getting a lot of good info as I assume she is new to the sport based on her initial questions. All the best to the OP and make sure you have some good books and some folks who can give you real life field advice.

Right you are. I'll edit my post accordingly.

Thank you all so much for your replies!! Such a big help! There is just so much to think about when you start buying all your own gear so I appreciate hearing what you guys use or think is worth considering and checking out!

Getting input from an experienced local is the best way to go. As you see above, different areas require different techniques. Plus, if you have questions about this, you probably have questions about other issues that an experienced climbing partner can also help with... Good luck!

Absolutely! I've taken semester rock climbing courses in college but I've been out for a year and looking to start back up with my own gear. I just moved down to PA from NH and have been reading a lot about The Gunks! hopefully I can find a mentor out there this fall.

I'll throw in my 2 cents and suggest 120ft of 9mm static. This gives you plenty of scope if you are using trees away from the edge. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted just a bit of extra rope for running a tether or even reaching a tree. 9mm works great since it is super durable and not super heavy. It is also not too small for a grigri 2, if you want to use it as a safety tether.

I would also highly recommend the book Toproping: How to Rock Climb by Bob Gaines. He gives you all the answers you asked and shows you why. Really well written book with tons of good information.

PaigeB wrote:hopefully I can find a mentor out there this fall.

you may consider contacting rgold, as he climbs there and is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced climbers still alive.

Its really worth looking into or even climbing at the crags you plan on top roping at to figure out what you need before investing in gear. What you need will vary so much from area to area. Just to give you an example, in Connecticut you need 50 - 60 m of static rope/webbing to extend two natural anchors over the edge of the cliff at some of the most popular cliff's but at other places it is possible to reach over the edge and simply clip two bolts with quick-draws.

PaigeB wrote:Absolutely! I've taken semester rock climbing courses in college but I've been out for a year and looking to start back up with my own gear. I just moved down to PA from NH and have been reading a lot about The Gunks! hopefully I can find a mentor out there this fall.

You might want to fill in your profile so people can get a sense of where you are in terms of experience, goals, etc...

20 kN wrote:The OP said it's for top roping. You can lower someone on 10.5mm with a GriGri just fine.

Ahh, my mistake. I saw the words but read something else. My reply doesn't really fit into this thread - I was thinking back to my first rope and what we were aspiring to do with it.

keithconn wrote:Don't know your situations where you will be building anchors but you don't need that thick a rope and/ or that much to build some decent anchors. 8 mm is good. I would go with some thinner static rope and a load of 1" tubular webbing as well as a number of runners. Add a bunch of lockers and you should be able to build some good anchors anywhere.

This is what I roll with.