Beal Opera (8.5mm) vs Mammut Serenity (8.7mm) ?

Liyuan Hao wrote:

Unfortunately my local REI don't currently carry any of these ropes in stock. I'd have to actually order them to see them. I didn't realize Serenity was rebranded, is the Alpine Sender Dry 8.7mm the rebranded one?

At least in the past, if you ordered climbing gear for local pickup at REI, you are allowed to inspect the gear in-person at their customer service pickup and return gear without the gear going into the trash.

Liyuan Hao wrote:

Yeah that's kinda what I thought too, although it does give me peace of mind knowing that the rope I'm using is actually rated as a Single rope (passing all minimum Single rope requirements). Do you have any recommendation for a half rope that's as light as these but thicker? 

If you climb with a heavier partner, a single-rated rope would be important. Yesterday, I was climbing next to a climber who was leading a 5.12 trad route. She was using the 8.9mm Edelrid Swift Protect Pro. It’s rated as a single. She said that it had held up well to a lot of cragging with takes, hangs, falls, lowering, and rappelling. It has aramid (Kevlar) in the sheath, which is alleged to resist cutting. Sheath is 40%. Weighs 53g/m. 

 I’ve read that the Mammut Genesis is a good “workhorse” half rope. Specs: 8.5mm, about 40% sheath, 47g/m. The Mammut Alpine Sender 9.0 single weighs 54g/m and is 40% sheath.  I bought a Mammut Phoenix 8.0 half rope for use as a single in less steep and serious situations, even though I weigh 10kg more than 55kg. It weighs 42g/m. It’s 42% sheath. I save it for saving weight on long approaches. It was on sale! 

I think that people are obsessed with rope diameter. Grams per meter is really what weight watchers should care about.

I only fuck with Mammut

They last! They are hella durable. They seem to not get as dirty so quick. And are a fine Swiss product! If your worried about weight get a smaller diameter one. But I will say the Classic line from Mammut has an extremely soft outer sheath. Doesn’t really like running over sharp edges. More of a gym rope. But the semi dry project line are tough as nails. I’ve ran them over sharp limestone, and used for developing also. My go to for sure. And all my ropes are 9.8’s lol

Pino Pepino wrote:

Given the responses, I want to stress that my use may not be representative, so feel free to disregard it. My climbing involves regular falls and I rarely get more than two years of use out of a rope.

Helga, your post was clear and appreciated. The OP asked for opinions and you offered your highly qualified one up. Don't let some random poster (Robert L or S) denigrate your skills or experience. He has no right to put you down for offering your thoughts up. You have a viewpoint/option and it's both valid and appreciated. It's nice to have extra data points.

Thank you

Pino Pepino wrote:

I bought an 80m serenity on sale for 50% off. I've mostly been using it for single pitch cragging, which is probably not the primary intended use. Still, the durability is pretty bad. The sheath is pretty thin, and about every third or fourth time out I am either switching ends or cutting them off. If projecting something on worn draws or with a heavier partner, the end may be shredded after a single session. And I am really not the type who cuts prematurely, my friends often insist I cut the rope when they tie in. While the rope handles nicely, durability is exceptionally bad. 

I can't imagine the Beal opera is much better though, especially since Beal ropes are typically thinner for the same diameter since Mammut measure diameter under tension afaik. I'm not buying a sub 9mm rope again."