Ideal length of cordellete
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Anyone have any opinions on what a good length is for cordelletes? Or should a guy carry a couple at different lengths? |
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Mine is the ideal length: 19.625 feet. An eighth of an inch more or less is not ideal. ;-) |
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18-20 feet of cord for all-around use. |
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70 meters |
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I've found that the sweet spot is somewhere between 16 and 20 feet, depending on where you're climbing. |
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Leaving aside the question of personal likes and rock type, the width of cord makes a massive difference to the distance one can reach with a cordelette. 20ft of 5.5. spectra will have much less in the knot than 7mm cord. As does whether you have tied the thing in a loop, or kept it as a single strand with figure eights in the ends. |
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The only time I take a cordelette with me is when I expect to be doing most of the leading. But then I commit something of a heresy: I dislike bundling it up and carrying it on my harness. One reason is that I think the process of undoing and redoing it wastes time. So my cordelette length is determined to be the loop size which, when folded in half twice, comes out to about the length of an ordinary shoulder-length sling, and that's how I carry it. I guess that makes it about an eight-foot loop when it has been tied, which probably comes out to a bit under twenty feet before knotting. |
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ideal length= 0ft |
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I made mine with 20 feet of 7mm cord. Remember you can always shorten it while climbing by clove hitching a section to a piece, tying off a knot or whatever the scenario entails. I've used this same cord to extend top rope anchors over edges too. |
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mpech wrote:ideal length= 0ft+1 |
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Thanks for all advice guys. For mpech and Bryan Gilmoe: do you just always use the rope--no matter what? I'm terribly new to the trad game and am honestly seeking good advice here. And I really like the idea of being able to use just the rope, its just the cordelette seems to make more sense. But if rope is the way to go, I want to know. |
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Ross Moslander wrote:Thanks for all advice guys. For mpech and Bryan Gilmoe: do you just always use the rope--no matter what? I'm terribly new to the trad game and am honestly seeking good advice here. And I really like the idea of being able to use just the rope, its just the cordelette seems to make more sense. But if rope is the way to go, I want to know.Using a cordellete is not "wrong," inefficient or a sign of a rookie (even though some people will tell you it is). If you want to use the rope to anchor in, that's fine, too. If you are on a multipitch and are not swapping leads, you might find the cordellete easier. |
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I use 20ft of 6mm nylon. Works well for me for 3 piece anchors, don't believe I've needed to extend a leg with a sling yet (relatively new to trad). I've had to partially deconstruct a rope anchor to give the leader enough rope to finish the pitch, so unless you know the pitches are short enough consider cordelette instead. |
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Ross, the answer really isn't clear-cut and involves healthy doses of situational relevance and personal preference. There are certainly cases in which having a cordelette simplifies matters, but in many situations it is really just extra baggage. David Coley, who just posted above, has a book and website multipitchclimbing.com with Andy Kirkpatrick which, among other things, thoroughly considers all the possibilities, and does so from an international perspective that circumvents various American biases and blind spots. Amazon has the kindle version of the book and there is also an iBook version---see the website above for links. |
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My Cordellette finds most of its use a sacrificial source of rope to renew rap anchors and the such. |
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Good suggetions by a lot of people use the rope as an anchor. I haven't perfected or timed myself making an anchor with a rope vs a cordalette, but I assume using both is just as quick if you are proficient in both ways. Keep in mind that a lot of multipitch trad routes can be easily linked using longer ropes like a 70m and barely reach anchor to anchor. I know a few routes I've recently have done were the case, and if I used the rope as an anchor my partner or myself wouldn't have been able to link so called pitches on those routes. |
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mpech wrote:ideal length= 0ftThat's what she said |
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Knowing how to use the rope as an anchor is a key tool, especially if you're a numb nut like me and forget stuff in the car. But if you aren't swinging leads or if something goes wrong, having to reconstruct the anchor before proceeding can be a hassle. Having separate rope and anchor systems can also go a long way to declutter belays. |
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Having posted my best attempt at objectivity above, my personal take is that cordelettes are rarely better than just using the rope. Some (but not all) big-wall climbers swear by them for reducing clutter. Some people think they make leading in blocks more efficient, although there is in reality only a very small time differential if the second carries their own anchoring carabiners. Cordelettes are certainly convenient although hardly necessary for guiding, and they can be very helpful in self-rescue situations as well as providing a useful source of rappel material in case an unanticipated descent is called for. |
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I answered 0ft of cordalette being the right length, but I guess it's more complicated than that. |
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cordelette works fine and are useful if you are doing most/all of the leading if you untie it, a cord can be quite flexible in terms of extended anchor configurations with multiple pieces the thing to remember is that there are MANY ways to skin a cat ... except on MP where we think they only taste good BBQued !!! ;) |