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Fixed rope lifespan
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I just finished erecting a 20' home wall. It is outside with no roof, so full sun/ weather exposure. Located in south east Ohio. It has a semi-static fixed rope for TRS that I plan on leaving up all the time I don't anticipate any abnormal wear and tear, but it will be fully exposed to the elements. I don't have experience with ropes that have been fixed for days/weeks/months outside. I would appreciate recommendations on replacement frequency. |
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I would recommend that you find a way to not leave the rope outside. Find a way to easily set up and remove the rope as needed. |
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Realistically, ropes are so strong and the loads from TRS are so small that you will likely never need to replace it. Even with it exposed to the elements. Ropes don't really ever break. They get cut. There is close to zero risk of a rope getting cut in this situation. You'll get scared of how ugly the rope looks and replace it just to make yourself feel better long before there is any real risk of both the rope sheath and core breaking simultaneously/catastrophically and dropping you to the ground. If you give up climbing and come back a few years later the sheath may break when you pinch it in a device and you'll need to self rescue, but the core will still hold you. |
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Realistically, the nylon material will weaken and deteriorate over time due to constant UV exposure. The sheath may eventually separate when weighted, leaving only the core holding the climber in such an instance (which may have also weakened by that point). - probably what Demetri was describing when saying it may just break when pinched in a device. |
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40 year old cave rope breaks at 25 kN |
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30 year old semi static ropes pass UIAA test. |
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Wind is the big concern— fix and tension it from the bottom when not in use or it can blow in a pendulum motion and abrade where it rubs. Otherwise, the sheathe will get fuzzy enough that it doesn’t feed smoothly long before there are any safety concerns. |
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Gentlemen, Thank you for the advice. As far as taking the rope down after each use, I agree completely that this is the best practice. There is no arguing that this is the safest possible course of action. However, climbing is a constant series of compromises between safety and convenience. Locking carabiners are safer than wire gate carabiners yet we (mostly) do not use lockers on quick-draws. Big burly 10.2mm climbing ropes are safer than the super skinny sub-9mm ropes, yet the 10+mm ropes are quite rare these days at the crag. I am choosing to leave the rope on my wall. I know that this will shorten its life span and I will have to replace it at a certain frequency. Though I appreciate the advice, I'm not asking if I should leave the rope up, but rather for advice on the frequency at which I should replace a rope that stays outside all the time. So, if anyone out there has experience with prolonged exposure fixed ropes: how often would you replace a fixed climbing rope that lives permanently outdoors? This rope will only be used for TRS, by me alone, on my home wall. Its actually cut to length for the wall ( 20 feet) and too short to be used for any other climbing. Thanks in advance for any recommendations, |
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1. If you just want a heuristic, replace it every spring (or sooner with obvious damage). (This is what I would do if I was letting kids use it) 2. Barring really obvious damage (ie exposed core that is being abraded), a 20’ TRS will not fail in a way that is likely to lead to death or serious injury. If you use it until failure, it will desheathe, and you will either slip a few feet and land on your ass a little faster than is comfortable or get stuck 10’ in the air and need to reconfigure your rappel setup. The core will not fail without warning with TRS loads. (This is what I would do for myself) |
