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Noob rope question
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:35 am
by 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.
Re: Noob rope question
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:47 am
by 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.
redriverclimbing.com • Post a reply
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 2:18 am
by 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.
Re: Noob rope question
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:46 am
by Jeff
Not sure what the post above this one is about but Phils words are spot on.
Re: Noob rope question
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:25 am
by 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 my thoguth was always making them last, not saving a few ounces. 11 is outdated now, but not when I started.
Re: Noob rope question
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:39 am
by climb2core
pigsteak wrote: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.
Re: Noob rope question
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:56 am
by gilb
Thanks everyone for your help I appreciate it
Re: Noob rope question
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 12:00 pm
by LK Day
Keep going down in size until the rope breaks, then move back up one size.
Re: Noob rope question
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:30 pm
by 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.
Re: Noob rope question
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:51 pm
by 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.