Half Rope Advice

Looking to buy some half ropes. We often climb wandering multipitch trad in the Tetons and Winds and need to rap full rope lengths. We have been getting by lugging an extra single in the pack or borrowing friends half ropes. It is certainly time to purchase our own. Any recommendations on which half ropes to buy? Were essentially looking for a compromise between quality and price. We don't need the most super lightweight, but are looking for a more durable pair of ropes that could also be used by themselves for long distance/lightweight (single rope) ascents such as cathedral traverse stuff etc where we'd only need to do 30m raps. It looks like backcountry has the edelweiss oxygen super ever dry 8.2mm on sale....Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have a pair of Bluewater Excellence 8.4mm double dry half ropes and I'm super stoked on them. They have about 1 year, maybe 75 normal pitches, as well as a decent amount of "alpine touring" (??, basically just using one half, often simuling, on easier alpine terrain), and they are still in great shape.

I don't have experience with any other half ropes, but I can definitely recommend those.

In terms of size, I would caution against going too small. Even the 8.4s feel tiny compared to a normal single (my main rope is 9.5). There is a lot less friction when belaying and rappelling, too. If you can, try some others before deciding.

I second avoiding super thin halfs. Very important if your partner is smaller than you. the friction on belay and rappel is an issue. Also, I would guess the thinner the rope the less durable. Though some thick ropes don't last long, so some of that is quality of rope vs. diameter.

My current set is 8mm, but I'd probably opt for something in the 8.5mm range when I replace them this year. I've always had good luck with Bluewater ropes.

Very happy with my Sterling Marathon half ropes (8.8s). They're not as small as many of the newer offerings but are very durable and the dry treatment is still like new after several years of year-round use several days a week. I've used one alone for "alpine scrambling" as well. Sterling occasionally puts them on sale on their website, so if you can wait around you can score a really good deal. Also really like the feel of a friend's Mammut half ropes but they're usually pretty pricey.

My Edelweiss Oxygen 8.5 have been really nice so far. The single pick sheaths handle great, aren't super prone to tangling(for doubles at least), and they still repel water like crazy after a good amount of use. I haven't taken a whip onto them but they've caught a few follower falls running across rough granite and they didn't fuzz one bit. I haven't had them long enough to know how they'll hold up over time but so far they haven't given me any reason to think they won't last a long time.

EDIT:they're 8.2, not 8.5 my bad.

Mammut 9.2mm as doubles. Rated as singles, they can go either way. And not so thin as to suck when repelling. They handle quite well also.

Trevor. wrote:My Edelweiss Oxygen 8.5 have been really nice so far.

Another vote for Edelweiss Oxygen. Except I think they're 8.2mm, not 8.5mm.

I'd also highly recommend a belay device like the DMM Bugette that's specifically designed for skinny ropes. You'll be much happier on rappels.

I did a lot of research before buying mine. I've just got one right now (use as tag/rap line), but really like it and plan on getting another of the exact same rope. It's the Mammut 8.0mm. It is rated both half and twin so you can clip pieces together if you're worried about a ledge, also it's only 42g/m. The other rope I was looking at was 39g/g but a 7.8. I think it's a good combination of weight savings but also durability.

Lastly, consider belaying with gloves as these ropes take more skill to belay and rope burn hurts! If that rap is too fast, add a 2nd locking biner to the rappel set up and you'll have extra friction.

I have a pair of Mammut 8.5 Genesis and they have been good so far. They are realatively new so I can not speak to longevity but they handle well and have a good feel to them. Kinks are non exisistent as long as you coil them as suggested, which is in a Mountanier's coil. Rappeling is easy with a BD ATC.

I have the 70m Beal Joker 9.1 which is not the lightest, but have proven to be very durable. They are rated for single (nice to switch to when pitches are fairly straight or wanting to move faster), double or twin.

Another perk is that if one of your ropes gets cut you have another single rated rope ready to go.

beensandbagged wrote:I have a pair of Mammut 8.5 Genesis and they have been good so far. They are realatively new so I can not speak to longevity but they handle well and have a good feel to them. Kinks are non exisistent as long as you coil them as suggested, which is in a Mountanier's coil. Rappeling is easy with a BD ATC.

I have those also. Set your mind at ease - they have a nice thick sheath and hold up well over time. Great rope.

Mammut Genesis 8.5mm.

Hans wrote:Mammut Genesis 8.5mm.

^ love mine.

Mammut genesis are a real workhorse, great handling, long life. Sterling duettos 8.4mm are also long lasting with a great hand.
I'm using the Phoenix 8mm now, light, but not as durable and have had rope pinching issues in guide mode with the reverso 4.

+1 for the Bluewater Excellence, I've gotten long life out of mine with regular use on rock.

There are lots of good ropes out there. I've had excellent luck with Mammut Genesis 8.5's. They are super hard-wearing. I find the lastest model handles a touch worse than earlier models, but that may be because I'm using an Alpine Up for rappelling and it may twist the ropes more.

It's really more a question of diameter than anything else, and I think around 8.5mm is the current sweet spot for the best combination of weight, handling, and durabilty. Below that and I seem to have noticeably more tangling problems, durability goes down, braking in belaying and rappelling becomes more problematic. Of course, there is the weight savings, which in some cases could be decisive.

Bigger than that and, in my opinion, you aren't really serious about half ropes and are probably looking for a single rope you can use in pairs for the occasional half-rope applications with relatively short pitches. The main drawback to the thicker ropes is weight. Two Beal Jokers, for example, are going to weigh about a pound more than the Mammut Genesis pair on rope stretcher pitches (although really both are pretty damn heavy; Genesis at about 12.7 pounds and Joker at about 14 pounds for 60 meters).

...hard to rappel...

Have you folks tried the ol' double locker rap? I was skeptical, then tried it on the many raps of the Freeblast with a friend. Really helped increase friction with his thin (8.2?) ropes.

Like this:



Edit:
...are going to weigh about a pound more than the Mammut Genesis pair on rope stretcher pitches...

A whole pound?!! No, do that you are NOT serious about half-roping, my friend. Hrrk hrrk.

Potential compromise: loose a lb of body weight and buy the halvies that will last you longer, even if... they're a pound heavier. :0

(Note: this is a cajoling response but not intended in disrespect. I get it that a pound means different things to different folks. No insult intended!)

Sirius wrote:A whole pound?!! No, do that you are NOT serious about half-roping, my friend...Potential compromise: loose a lb of body weight and buy the halvies that will last you longer, even if... they're a pound heavier.

Perhaps it was wrong of me to use the word "serious" with regard to selecting half ropes bigger than 8.5mm. I'll stick with the "sweet spot" characterization instead and apologize for implicitly casting aspersions on anyone's probity based on the diameter of the rope they choose.

My money would be on the Mammut Genesis lasting longer. The Mammut sheath percentage is 49% compared to 35% for the Joker. Of course, the diameters are not the same, but if you do the math you'll find there is, in absolute terms, more material in the Mammut sheath than the Joker sheath. This is really just a guess, but in support of it the reviews at mountainproject.com/v/gear-… seem to suggest the Joker may not last very long. On the other hand, just about everyone who uses the Genesis comments on its longevity.

The smaller sheath percentage of the Joker would in principle make it a better red-pointing rope, but for lots of red-pointing falls you don't want a 9.1 mm rope either, it is tricky to belay with (wear gloves for sure with an ATC XP and/or get a DMM Bugette or one of the assisted locking devices), you can't use a gri-gri with it, and it will stiffen up and/or flatten out faster than a thicker rope if subjected to lots and lots of short and moderate falls.

What you do get with the Joker is a rope that passes the UIAA single-rope test (and the half, and the twin as well), but is very specialized as a single rope and heavy (8% heavier than the Genesis 8.5's to put it another way) as a half rope and even heavier as a twin. Half ropes in general do not pass the UIAA single rope test but will hold at least one UIAA single-rope fall. To my way of thinking, the Joker is versatile but not especially good at any one thing save its real strength, which is as a light single rope. If you really want to climb with half ropes using half rope technique, then I don't think the Joker is the way to go.

rgold wrote: The smaller sheath percentage of the Joker would in principle make it a better red-pointing rope, but for lots of red-pointing falls you don't want a 9.1 mm rope either, it is tricky to belay with, you can't use a gri-gri with it, and it will stiffen up faster than a thicker rope if subjected to lots and lots of short and moderate falls.

I assume you are talking about Grigri 1? I'm not sure why that's still relevant. The existing ones are probably all worn enough that they wouldn't lock well w/ a 9.5.

mammut 8.5mm genesis set of halves 48g+48g = 96 g/m

sterling fusion 9.2mm + sterling photon 53g + 42g = 95 g/m

mammut 8mm phoenix 42g + 42g = 84 g/m

mammut infinity 9.5mm + 8mm phoenix = 58g + 42g = 100 g/m

as you can see with the above numbers ... thicker half ropes have little weight savings over a thinner main line and a half rope tag line, with which you can still use half rope technique if called for

and theres not too much weight savings over the quite durable 9.5 mm infinity + half rope tag

to really save weight you need to go with the thinner ~8mm halves

the question is are you looking to save weight ... or to use half rope techniques throughout the climb

i own and use the 8mm mammut phoenix

;)

reboot wrote: I assume you are talking about Grigri 1? I'm not sure why that's still relevant. The existing ones are probably all worn enough that they wouldn't lock well w/ a 9.5.

You're right; my bad. Grigi II is rated down to 8.9mm.