Static Rope for Top Rope Anchor

Hello. I am just starting to make the transition from gym to outdoors and recently learned to set up top rope anchors. I will be climbing in Peterskill in the gunks. I am looking for a good static rope to set up a top rope. Could you guys tell me what diameter rope I should be looking for? Does anyone have a brand they like? Thanks

Chris Borg wrote:Hello. I am just starting to make the transition from gym to outdoors and recently learned to set up top rope anchors. I will be climbing in Peterskill in the gunks. I am looking for a good static rope to set up a top rope. Could you guys tell me what diameter rope I should be looking for? Does anyone have a brand they like? Thanks

11mm is a submarine anchor look for name brand climbing rope makers.
edelweiss
bluewater
mammut
pmi
petzl
sterling

there are lots of rope companys out there. My best advice is to go to a climbing shop and see what they have on hand in the climbing dept

Usually EMS will sell a universal static line $1/ft.

I either use 1" tubular webbing or 10.5mm SafetyPro by Sterling. SafetyPro is a semi-static line that you can use to rig anchors with or even use as a TR climbing rope (keep a tight belay). 10.5mm has worked great for me, but 11mm would probably have been a better call. You can purchase SafetyPro in "short" lengths from Gear Express.

Chris Borg wrote:I am looking for a good static rope to set up a top rope. Could you guys tell me what diameter rope I should be looking for? Does anyone have a brand they like? Thanks

You should clarify.

Are you wanting to set up the anchor using a static line? Answer- as suggested by others, use 1 inch webbing instead and a few lockers for that.

Are you looking to top rope climb on a static line? Answer- look for a 60 meter 10mm rope (11mm is overkill)

Glad to hear you are making the transition. Read up as much as possible, i.e., go buy Freedom of the Hills

100ft of static line will be just fine. You can go to EMS, REI, or Rock n SNow and ask them to cut it for you.

Chris Borg wrote:Hello. I am just starting to make the transition from gym to outdoors and recently learned to set up top rope anchors. I will be climbing in Peterskill in the gunks. I am looking for a good static rope to set up a top rope. Could you guys tell me what diameter rope I should be looking for? Does anyone have a brand they like? Thanks

Assuming you intend it to be used to build anchors, any static rope from a climbing-specific manufacturer, from 9mm up in diameter, will do. The larger diameters will be more durable but heavier and generally stiffer. The smaller diameters are less durable, but often have a better hand.

With due respect to my fellow posters, forget tubular webbing. Static ropes are infinitely more versatile for TR anchor construction.

Thanks for all the advice. Yea I took a class with a guide so know to always use two anchor points and how to identify pitch pines. With the guide we critiqued anchors people had already set up and definently saw some sketchy stuff.

To clarify I would use the static rope to set up an anchor and then a dynamic rope to climb on. The guide we were with showed us to tie the rope directly around the tree using a figure 8 follow through or bowline.

Using a static line to set up an anchor is fine, but webbing is lighter (half the weight of a static line) and plenty strong (end to end it's rated to 4000lbs). Not sure your specific situation, though. I could see using a static line to extend an anchor if the tree (or whatever you are using) is set far back from the cliff.

In many (most?) cases the diameter is in fractions versus metric. Get 7/16" which is around 11 mm. The go to Home Depot and buy a couple of short (1-2 ft) lengths of clear plastic tubing in the plumbing department with a diameter large enough to slip over the static rope. (5/8" I believe.) Use those as an edge protector. It is WAY less expensive than buying one of the edge protectors sold for this purpose at REI/EMS/etc.

You want 10-11mm, although 11mm can feel like a wire cable.
When you don't have two bolts in your face, a static line is great for rigging top ropes. A semi static also works great. Get 100-120 feet for the most manageable length, but beware that certain rigging setups (especially the "Fox system") can require the full 120 feet.

Brian wrote:In many (most?) cases the diameter is in fractions versus metric. Get 7/16" which is around 11 mm. The go to Home Depot and buy a couple of short (1-2 ft) lengths of clear plastic tubing in the plumbing department with a diameter large enough to slip over the static rope. (5/8" I believe.) Use those as an edge protector. It is WAY less expensive than buying one of the edge protectors sold for this purpose at REI/EMS/etc.

+1!!! Really like that idea. Can even slit it open down the length to facilitate putting them on an already-anchored rope

There are actually several reasons why webbing is less versatile. A primary one is the amount of stretch you will get with webbing when dealing with long lengths. With 120" of static line I can reach out and use a tree 80 feet away and that leg will stretch no more than one foot. That much webbing would stretch dramatically, potentially rendering that leg less effective.
Also, webbing sucks for tying knots with. There's nothing unsafe about it though, except that it can be hard to double check knots at a glance.

When I started climbing, I bought 90 or 100 feet of static rope from R&S. It's 9mm, I think, but if you ask, they'll sell you the right thing. You should be able to TR anything at Peterskill with that. Reach the deciduous trees, lasso a giant boulder, whatever you need. Any chunk of heavy duty fabric can protect an edge - no need to buy anything fancy.

I have a 11mm static line for setting up TR anchors and half of the time I wish I got webbing instead due to the weight. The other half of the time I like that I can use it to sling 2 trees that are 20-40 feet from the edge of the cliff and make a bomber master point without any worry.

The great webbing vs static cord debate was discussed endlessly here:

rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/fo…
and here:
rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/fo…

It's a lot to wade through. I have some static line but most often I just use webbing. Cheap, lighter than static cord, does not seem to damage trees as much, packs smaller. Maybe doesn't last as long as static cord but being cheap, it gets replaced often.

I always use 10 mm static line, its tough and doesn't stretch that much and it makes me feel good about my anchor, its a personal thing I guess. Not trying to be patronizing but learn from someone experienced to set up good anchors, I have seen some scary stuff in the past.

10 mill is overkill

AMGA uses 7 mill with a bowline

martinharris wrote:10 mill is overkill AMGA uses 7 mill with a bowline

You are obviously getting this confused with a cordellete. A 7mm static rubbing over the edge of a cliff will shear in no time. The AMGA does not use 7mm for static lines for top-rope set-up.

Brian wrote:A 7mm static rubbing over the edge of a cliff will shear in no time.

Flat webbing won't?

Hubert Cumberdale wrote: Flat webbing won't?

I'm not advocating using flat webbing. ??