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Canyoneering with dynamic rope

Original Post
Kara Greve · · Vail, CO · Joined Mar 2018 · Points: 0

I read that if you use a dynamic rope for canyoneering you cannot use it for lead climbing anymore. Does this still apply to dry-ropes?

Greg R · · Durango CO · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 10

I am not a big canyoneer but am really curious why rappelling on a rope would make it unusable for leading. Dry or standard finish even if it got wet. What was the context of this statement. Obviously if you did something that damaged the rope or a canyon trip that was particularly hard on a dynamic rope because of abrasion due to stretching it would be of concern. I’m sure someone else will weigh in here. 

Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,100

The issue is that when canyoneering roes get dumped into the sand and they get wet. That sand gets in between the fibers and as the rope stretches and relaxes the sand acts as a saw on the fibers. For canyoneering you really want a static rope but short of that my dynamic ropes become canyoneering ropes. After that, I sell them to horse packers.

Stu Hopkins · · Logan, UT · Joined Dec 2017 · Points: 76

If you do it once you'll probably be fine, but your gear will suffer. Do it more than once and you're asking for bad things to happen.

Not only will it cost you a lot of money by destroying your rope (comments above) but the amount of sawing it over edges can snap your rope with you on it (I have heard more than one story of this happening).

Static ropes are a lot cheaper anyways so if you're looking at more than 1 dry canyon go buy one. If a wet canyon, don't even think about bringing your climbing rope. The canyon will eat your rope (and possibly you) alive. I would go look at canyoneering USA. They'll ha e more info about all this stuff. Tom tries to document this stuff well.

https://www.canyoneeringusa.com/

Kara Greve · · Vail, CO · Joined Mar 2018 · Points: 0

Thank you guys! I ended up buying canyoneering ropes

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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