Static Rope

Deleted this post as apparently I am an idiot and any questions I ask may be used against me in future posts.

I'll start:
'yur gonna die' !

New England 6mm static rope is what I use. Something like $20 for 30' on Amazon. Def do not go with Home Depot stuff. Stick with the climbing rope.

Where are you going?

Joined today what a surprise!

@keithconn - is 6mm strong enough?

We will be travelling throughout BC. I used to climb a lot but haven't done much for the last many years. I have just gotten my husband and kids (5 and 7) into it as well so we will be sticking with some nice easy routes. I would love to be able to set up some top ropes instead of leading until I get some strength back! The places that I am thinking about in particular are Wasootch Slabs in Kananaskis, AB, Ellison Provincial Park in Vernon, BC and a few spots in Jasper, AB. We will also be hitting up Canmore, Lake Louise and hopefully some places near Victoria, BC. I am familiar with Canmore and Lake Louise and know there are a few good ones there that I can lead with bolted anchors.

@Max Forbes - Yup, joined today so that I could ask this question. I've been lurking for a while though...

Squamish! You don't need a static and there's lots to TR.

This could turn into a massive debate in a matter of minutes. I have two 30' 6mm static ropes that I use along with slings to make tree anchors here in the north east. The 6mm rope is rated at 7.3kN. Some will correctly argue that you 'should' use 7mm nylon for your anchors to get to 10-12kN. My thought is if my anchors are textbook and everything is redundant and equalized I should be more than safe.

Still - get some rated climbing static rope.

For long anchors make sure to bring a piece of carpet or something to prevent any drag over edges.

Sounds like fun! I take my kids 7 and 9 top roping all the time.

Keith,

Love the carpet idea!

The Smoke Bluffs and a couple other crags I've been to in Squamish have bolts at the top or the 5000 year old tree is like a foot from the cliff. I use a static for TRs in the Northeast too.

Keith - I sure hope not. I certainly don't mean to cause any debate, just asking an honest question. Also did not mean to imply that using 6 mm for anchors would be unsafe, I was just surprised that rope of that diameter would be used for that purpose.

It looks like MEC has some 7 mm for $2.25/m. I think that might be a good compromise for me. We probably won't be using it all that much and at this point, I don't plan to climb anything that there is a good chance I might fall on!

I've seen where people have slipped some tubular webbing over the anchor ropes where they hang over the edge for added protection (in place of a carpet). What do you think about that?

Bill - Maybe some day! In my previous climbing years, I always dreamed of climbing there. We will be travelling which is why the above locations have been picked and camping booked for this summer! Should be exciting!

A 10m length of 7mm static should do for the places you're mentioning. 6mm is strong enough for toproping but only just, and will become less with wear. If you're setting toprope in Jasper area you're probably aiming at Morro Slabs, and there you can set a cordelette or a couple of draws straight off the anchors in the rock.

It sounds like you have plans already made, but if you're still flexible consider adding Skaha to that list. The Daycare area there is made for the kind of toproping you're describing, and again you can set from bolts placed for the purpose. My wife and I live in Edmonton, and were at Skaha last week. Mostly we climbed at Red Tail, but we checked out Daycare the last morning for something quick. The one drawback to Skaha is that it gets pretty hot in summer. Have fun!

One of the best purchases I made for top rope anchoring was 95 ft of Sterling 3/8" (11mm) static rope I got new off eBay for $50. I never even pull out my webbing anymore

Yeah, static rope makes for much faster setups, but definitely get climbing grade. Wouldn't go any lower than 6mm, TBH that would make me a little nervous, although I use 7mm and it's fine. 11 is beefier, more durable, but will be heavy and might be harder to tie knots. You'd want at least 50-60 ft/20m, maybe even 100'/30m depending on where you're going. With static line rigging, you can always go over and just coil up the extra. Anyone know off hand the difference between static line and accessory cord? Accessory cord is sold by the foot at most REI type stores and super cheap, but static is tough to find.

30m x 9mm Mammut static is what I carry around and it is climbing specific. I usually have more than needed, but I'm never short, even with the reachy slab climbs I top rope.

It packs fairly tight and light. I feel very secure with 9mm. It is very versatile.

You can use it for rappels. Cut it up for and improvised whatever. It has a long reach. You can even use it for your BDSM camp adventures. The sky is the limit, but your mileage may vary.

keithconn wrote:For long anchors make sure to bring a piece of carpet or something to prevent any drag over edges.

May I offer an alternative to a carpet. A section of used garden hose. A carpet has a tendency to cover only a little area at a time, is bulky to carry and may slip over the edge. The hose will roll with the edge as you move from side to side. I have tried both and the hose works much better.

Be safe and have fun!

Skaha is definitely on our list of some day!

Thanks for all of the input everyone. I bought 15 m of the 7mm static rope from MEC and I have a crapload of webbing. If I find we are doing a lot of climbing where I need to set up anchors on trees/boulders, I will definitely get a full sized rope to use for the purpose instead.

Or, at that point, could I retire my climbing rope to use for anchors or does it need to be a static rope?

I would advise against that. You want minimal stretch in an anchor system, and if you're retiring a rope, why would you want to continue trusting your life to it?

using good old dynamic rope is fine providing

- you pad the edges

- its a redundant setup

just be aware that on edges the extra bit of stretch back and forth can abrade the rope ... which is why you do the above

plenty of folks use old ropes just fine

as to squamish ... you dont need static rope up here, almost every TR friendly climb has bolted anchors

for skaha ... there arent too many places where one can safely setup TRs ... there may be a super easy crag or two, but most of the climbs there are meant to be lead ... even where you can walk to the top often the anchors are under the lip and a bit sketchy to access

;)

Ted Pinson wrote:I would advise against that. You want minimal stretch in an anchor system, and if you're retiring a rope, why would you want to continue trusting your life to it?

Depends on why you are retiring it.

As rope gets older, one of the main things it loses is stretchiness -- it doesn't absorb falls as well. So, it is becoming more static... great for a top-rope anchor like this.

Also, ropes often become stiffer with age, so are retired for poor rope-handling. Again, not an issue for this application.

Or they're retired because they've become too short as the ends get chopped down due to wear and/or core shots. Or, as in one of my ropes, it got chopped in half by a rock falling on it. Again, the rope would be fine for this application.

Of course, as noted, if going over a sharp edge, protect the rope from the edge.

Just use one inch webbing. Strong and much lighter. I've never had a problem with it. Plus it packs away MUCH better then rope.