- Hey guys, I'm Miranda with REI
and we're gonna talk about how to choose climbing ropes.
So, just to be clear, we're gonna talk about
dynamic ropes, which are used for climbing,
and not static ropes, which are used for hauling gear.
So, let's talk about how to choose.
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So the most common types of ropes that you'll come across
are single ropes like these guys here.
These are the most widely used
and probably the type of rope that
you'll be looking for if you're cragging,
sport climbing, even multi-pitch or top roping.
These are designed to just be used
by clipping a single strand of rope
into the gear as you go or, again, setting up a top rope.
And you can note single ropes by looking for
a circled one on the end cap of the rope.
If you're not looking for a single rope
and your needs are a little bit more specific,
you might be looking for a half rope or a twin rope.
So, half ropes are designed to be used
simultaneously tied into your harness,
but then as you're climbing you'll alternate
clipping the ropes into gear.
So that might mean that, as you're going up
you'll clip everything on your left side with the blue rope
and then everything on your right side
with the red rope in this instance.
And this will severely decrease
the amount of rope drag that you might get
on meandering routes if you were to use a single rope.
You can note a half rope by looking for
a half symbol on the end.
Some of the benefits of half ropes
are that you, again, decrease the rope drag
but you also have extended rappelling length
if you were to tie the two ropes together,
and if one of them gets damaged
then you can use the other rope for climbing or rappelling.
The last type of rope that you'll find are twin ropes.
Twin ropes have all the benefits of half ropes,
but you'll actually clip them in at the same time
as you're climbing up, so they're better
for routes that are straighter
and don't meander as much when you'd wanna use a half rope.
Again, those are all the different types of ropes
but single ropes are the most common
ropes that you'll find when you're climbing.
So once you've decided on the type of rope,
the next thing to consider is the diameter of the rope.
Twin and half ropes will come in
diameters ranging from seven to nine millimeters,
whereas single ropes are gonna come in a wide range
from around eight up to 11.5
in terms of millimeters of the diameter of the rope.
The most common being between like
9.5 and 10.2 for a single rope.
So, keep in mind that with a thicker diameter rope
you're gonna get something that's
more durable and doesn't stretch as much,
but is also a little bit heavier.
So, the thicker the diameter on the rope
the better it's gonna be for things like
top roping or projecting a route.
The thinner diameter ropes are going to
stretch more but also weigh a lot less,
so these are really good for onsighting,
or if you're doing multi-pitch climbing
where you really wanna prioritize
low weight over durability.
Thicker ropes, again, are gonna be more durable.
So if what you're looking for is something
that you can set up top ropes on,
we'd recommend going with a thicker diameter of rope.
Ropes come in a range of lengths,
anywhere from 30 meters up to 80 meters
with the most common being 60 or 70 meter ropes.
When you're picking a rope, you wanna make sure
the rope is long enough to go from the ground
up to the top of the pitch and then back down again.
And this is just so that you can
lower or rappel on a full length of rope.
60 meters generally cuts it for most pitches or most routes,
but 70 meters gives you a little bit of extra cushion space.
If you're looking for a rope for your gym
you can get, generally, a 30 meter or a 40 meter rope.
Just check with your gym to see how tall their walls are
and make sure you're getting a rope that will work for that.
So once you've decided on the type,
the diameter, and the length of your rope
there are a couple other features that you can consider.
Almost all ropes are gonna have a middle marker
like this rope here, which just marks the
mid mark on the rope so that you know
you'll have enough to lower or rappel,
but then some ropes will have a bi-pattern
or a bicolor sheath like this one.
So this is a bi-pattern rope, meaning you have
one patter on the sheath on one half
and a different pattern on the other half.
This makes it a lot easier to see the midpoint on the rope
but it is gonna add a little bit of cost.
Another common feature you'll come across
is dry treatment on the ropes.
So, dry treated ropes will help repel moisture and dirt.
And if you're gonna be climbing in damp conditions
such as mountaineering or alpine climbing,
you might wanna consider a dry treatment.
One thing to consider is that ropes are
not as strong when they get wet,
so dry treatment helps with that as well.
These are just two common features,
there are a whole variety to choose from
but they're always gonna add a little bit of cost.
One more thing I wanna mention are UIAA falls.
So when you're purchasing a rope you'll see
a rating on there for how many UIAA falls the rope can take
before it needs to be retired.
Single ropes need to be rated to accept
at least five UIAA falls, but this doesn't mean
that you can only fall on this rope five times.
These falls are massive falls that they're rating.
The type of fall that, if you were to take it,
you'd probably be done climbing for the day.
So, keep that in mind when you're choosing a rope.
We're not gonna get too deep into the UIAA rating system,
but just know that that number
does not mean that the rope needs to be done
after you take that number of falls.
That's it for how to choose ropes.
If you have any other questions
check out our other climbing videos and, as always,
come in and talk to the experts at your local REI.
If you haven't already, go ahead and subscribe,
and we'll see you at the crag.
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