Locally...1/2" static line available....To much to tie??

Want to buy some static rope for extended top rope anchors. Locally there's some available .85/ft. Hoping to use it this weekend...is 1/2" going to be way to difficult to work with? Thanks guys and Gals!

Kirk, Are you sure you don't mean 1 in tubular webbing? 1/2 in webbing is only like 4.5 kN and I don't think many people use it for anchoring puposes especially as a substitute for static where you are generally doing long extended TR anchors off of trees. I would only use 1/2 in for rap or bail anchors and then I generally use 9/16 in.

There are many philosophies on this, I am speaking my 2cents because I'm passionate about it.

After much time wasted setting up top rope anchors at one location and the next, I bought 1/2" static in the pre-packaged length, think its 120'??? I am ecstatic about it.

Yes it's like carrying a whole 'nother rope.
Yes it's heavier than webbing.
Yes there are times/ locations where it's easier to bring cordelette/ webbing.

but, once you buy this rope, you will be able to setup a TR anywhere, in ~10-15mins. It is never too short for anywhere, you will always be able to extend anchor over lip, you don't have to inspect as thoroughly as you would webbing, and if you know the basic system it's unbelievably fast to setup/ durable/ strong.

Before buying, it seemed every new location we went to was a half hour plus game of, "oh, how the @#$% we gonna set this up here".

Now take everything I said and invert it, that's why to buy webbing. If you're Mr. Ultralight man, or don't care about your tr line running/ rubbing like 15' on the top of the cliff (cause you only bought 30-50' webbing) and back to the webbing on tree anchor- go for that. Everyone does it.

PERFECT...that's what I was thinking as well! My only worries were that 1/2" would be a little to burly...apparently you don't have that problem!

just looked online, to be exact, i bought 11mmx46m or .43"x150'

Yes some knots are bulky, but certainly not to big to handle you learn to account for your rope thickness in knots like double bunny-ears per say. I would just say if yours is a true 1/2" it may make rapping difficult. My static I will sometimes do a single line rap, to get to cliff edge, setup anchor and then scramble, reverse rap sort of back to trees. My 11mm raps fine, but is extremely difficult to reverse feed the rap. I would say it would be impossible in any sort of climbing/ vertical situation.

My thought are that I would never be rapping off that(static anchor rope) but rapping off of my dynamic climbing rope 10.1mm??

In rare instance, where you have a rolling cliff edge, and then a steep drop. I would want my climbing anchor to be just over the steep drop, climb is below this. I may however (and in my case more often than not) not feel comfortable moving to that cliff edge because of the rolling/ steep terrain.

In this instance a TR anchor can be extended over the edge by establishing one leg of the anchor, usually via a tree, hopefully in this scenario. You can then do a single line rap to that cliff edge, use your prussik of course. You can build your double-bunny-ear climbing anchor just past where your atc is. Now carry the excess rope back to the treeline (reverse rap/ feeding rope back through atc as I mentioned). Now once you are safe at treeline you can take yourself off that single line rap, and the excess rope you brought back you use to establish your second anchor line for redundancy.

The anchor can be broken down at the treeline by pulling the whole mess up.

This is a very rare instance, but can be a consideration in buying a rope.

@Tom,
I am looking to pickup a rope like you mention for this purpose. Ive heard Tree work companies are a good source, but I'm not sure about that. I'm new so I'm using only natural anchors until I get comfortable with my skills setting up hardware anchors. Using only natural anchors in joshua tree has been challenging, and I usually end up hiking a long time to find something and then climbing less than stellar stuff that I find.

My thoughts for this rope would be to keep a figure-eight-on-the-bight on one end for girth hitching a boulder. Then walk the rope to the edge and tie my bunny ears and clip the rope in. Then walk the other end of the rope up to a tree and do a friction hitch around the trunk.

This allows me to use two bomber natural anchors and rig two independent anchors off them for complete redundancy.

120' sounds perfect, where did you source yours? I'm also thinking of stitching two 4' canvas sleeves to slide over the rope in a couple places to protect from abrasion/cutting.

Does all this sound about right?

REI,
This is The Rope I bought.

I got it for just under $120 after taxes, I forget how. So it's definitely a more expensive option, but in my eyes, is more secure and won't have to be replaced as often as webbing. And as a bonus you can rap to a cliff edge as I mentioned earlier.

What you described sounds textboox, with one exception. Your a climber, so tying a figure eight should be no big deal. Here's the process repeated.

1. Tye your figure eight, (like for your harness, but leaving 3-5' of slack for a tree, more for a boulder) Wrap the anchor, and then retrace your 'eight.

2. At the cliff edge tie your DOUBLE bunny ears, estimating where your anchor will fall.

3. You can now put your lockers (locked) on and drop your rope, even ask your climber below to pull test and make sure it is where you want and hanging nicely.

4. When you return from the cliff edge to another anchor (second leg) tie either a friction hitch (i've not learned that one) or wrap the anchor and tie an overhand knot, clip it to that leg of your anchor with a locking biner.

5. Done

So what you said, is exactly textbook, less maybe the girth hitch at the beginning. Girth hitching the first leg may be faster, as estimating where to tie the first eight/ how much tail may take some getting used to. Disclaimer, I didn't read the textbook, but had it tought to me =)

120' is probably good enough, you'll note I bought 150'. That's because I bought it prepackaged, etc. It's up to you what you buy. Buying a shorter length, or at a discount you could probably get this item as low as $85-100.

For edge abrasion we use the Spirol things, I believe also sold at REI.

Problem with canvas sleeves is that you would have to pre-slide them to the exact location on the rope, guessing this distance is a pain.

AGAIN, I am 100% positive, this is not the cheapest and lightest route to go about setting up TR's. But as a beginner, going to new locations you've never been to and trying to figure out how to setup. This system will work 100% of the time and is bomber. Then as you get better at it, you'll say, "Oh I am going to 'X' crag, I'm only gonna bring my 21' Cordellete".

What Tom said is what I use to extend top rope anchors.

I've found 11mm static which is very stiff and a pain to tie knots in and 11mm static which is somewhat softer. I prefer the slightly softer line. Runs about $0.80 per foot in my area. That is sold at REI or maybe the local climbing/caving shop.

Do a search on the MP forums and you will find more information about set ups

1. Girth hitching the first leg is the "textbook" version that I've been finding on the ninnernets. Super fast and provides noose-effect to allow better control over where rope stays on the boulder/tree. (any one see an issue with this?)

2. Double bunny ears? would that be 4 ears? I've only seen bunnys with 2 ears. :)

3. Good tip to pull test, thank you!

4. The friction hitch I have seen is simply to wrap rope around the object 3 times and then clip rope back to the itself. The friction provides bomber strength and clipping prevents the rope coming off. (comments?)

My reasons for doing it this way will be very similar to yours. I often have my kids and I need a fast way to sling large objects, build a boumber achor, get back down to them quickly. Weight is never an issue in these scenarios since climbing with kids always means super short approaches.

Adan Lopez wrote:1. Girth hitching the first leg is the "textbook" version that I've been finding on the ninnernets. Super fast and provides noose-effect to allow better control over where rope stays on the boulder/tree. (any one see an issue with this?) 2. Double bunny ears? would that be 4 ears? I've only seen bunnys with 2 ears. :) 3. Good tip to pull test, thank you! 4. The friction hitch I have seen is simply to wrap rope around the object 3 times and then clip rope back to the itself. The friction provides bomber strength and clipping prevents the rope coming off. (comments?) My reasons for doing it this way will be very similar to yours. I often have my kids and I need a fast way to sling large objects, build a boumber achor, get back down to them quickly. Weight is never an issue in these scenarios since climbing with kids always means super short approaches.

1. I was thinking but didn't respond initially. If you're talking pre-tied that sounds great for boulders, but shit for trees (you'd have to feed 116' of rope through 'eight)

2. When I said double bunny ears I meant 'eight on a bight, with 4-6" of tail before another 'eight on a bight. This is probably different than that "double bunny ears" knot that shows up in the MP 'School of Rock' sideline-highlight-reel-thingy.

3. Yeah pull test just makes sure the line, even when loaded is gonna be just where you want. Or sometimes you think it's just where you want but then it stretches 2" down and your double-lockers are tapping a protrusion under load.

4. Yeah friction hitch sounds easier???? Looks like you only pass the tree once, instead of what I do, twice, which is a pain if you're still showing 80' of rope. EDIT: let me draw this, i forgot, i don't pass the tree.

Let me just start by saying... this is really good stuff! Lol artwork!
AND, DO NOT TRY TO LEARN HOW TO DO THIS, USING THIS PICTURE. THIS IS TO CLARIFY PERFECTING A TECHNIQUE FOR THOSE WHO ALREADY UNDERSTAND HOW TO DO.

So you'll notice the right side (second leg), is essentially a bight of rope ~6' long (so probably 12') that I've wrapped around the tree twice. Then once I've wrapped it I tye an overhand or 'eight on a bight and clip the bight and the two extra strands and your done. Bonus is that you don't have to dance any of your extra slack around the tree.

Embarrassed to say wrote:Sorry to interrupt...in areas where the neutral pro is more granite boulders vs trees, is it acceptable to use my static rope around these? I've been using webbibg with either a wrap 3 pull 2 on smaller boulders or on large boulders using one wrap. Making sure two have at least 2 solid anchors for my static line. When I have more than enough static is it accepted to use this to wrap around the boulders eliminating the webbing?

That's what I am implying, but I don't wrap boulders enough to know??? I would say so, but I don't know if people choose webbing in this example because where it lies on the rock is more dependable than a cord??