Noob rope question

[gilb]

I am begining to learn to lead climb. I am in the market for buying a rope for predominately sport climbing purposes. I was wondering what size, brands, etc. you would suggest for a noob. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[pawilkes]

brand: there are a bunch of good brands out there, bluewater, petzl, sterling, beal, new england, maxim just to name a few
size: for a first rope I'd get a 10.2 mm. they'll hold up a bit better to the abuses of top roping.

most ropes out there are pretty decent and being a beginner, its likely that your limited experience would prevent you from noticing the slight differences between ropes. you don't need a dry coating. a middle marker is nice but not a necessity. bipattern ropes aren't worth the extra costs in the red where you're not doing much multipitch. 60m will get you up pretty much everything you'll want to do. get a rope bag or at least a tarp to keep your rope out of the sand.

[Heinia]

brand: there are a bunch of good brands out there, bluewater, petzl, sterling, beal, new england, maxim just to name a fewsize: for a first rope I'd get a 10.2 mm. they'll hold up a bit better to the abuses of top roping. most ropes out there are pretty decent and being a beginner, its likely that your limited experience would prevent you from noticing the slight differences between ropes. you don't need a dry coating. a middle marker is nice but not a necessity. bipattern ropes aren't worth the extra costs in the red where you're not doing much multipitch. 60m will get you up pretty much everything you'll want to do. get a rope bag or at least a tarp to keep your rope out of the sand.

[Jeff]

Not sure what the post above this one is about but Phils words are spot on.

[pigsteak]

been climbing 20 years, and just bought my first 9.8..I have been using 10.5 or 11 my entire life, much to the chagrine of my belayers. my thoguth was always making them last, not saving a few ounces. 11 is outdated now, but not when I started.

[climb2core]

been climbing 20 years, and just bought my first 9.8..I have been using 10.5 or 11 my entire life, much to the chagrine of my belayers. my thoguth was always making them last, not saving a few ounces. 11 is outdated now, but not when I started.

10.5... really! I felt outdated with my 10.2 and was thinking about buying a 9.8 this week to replace my older rope now that the gf is leading.

Thanks Piggie, you always find a way to make me feel better about myself.

[gilb]

Thanks everyone for your help I appreciate it

[LK Day]

Keep going down in size until the rope breaks, then move back up one size.

[pigsteak]

you are welcome core..I just dont climb hard enough to justify the smaller ropes if weight is the issue. id do better by losing 10 pounds off my frame.

[climb2core]

Yeah, I have dropped 10 lbs since last year and want to drop 5 more. For me, I notice rope drag way more than rope weight, so finding a rope that slides well is important.