Page 14 - Rappelling

and absorb the forces created in a fall, making it
superior to any other yarns currently available for
this application.
Polyester, patented in 1941, has less stretch than
nylon and is today widely used in the manufacture
of low-stretch ropes used in rescue, fixed lines, rope
systems, and rappelling, where dynamic properties
are not required.
My first climbing and rappelling rope, which I
bought in the 1970s, was a three-strand nylon rope
with the brand name Goldline. The three-strand
twisted construction (called laid construction)
consisted of three strands of twisted filaments spi-
raled into one singular rope. These ropes stretched
considerably under body weight, and if you were
rappelling or prusiking without contact to the rock,
the spiral construction would result in a dizzying
spin on your way down.

Kernmantle Ropes
The big step up in rope technology came in the
1953 with the advent of the first kernmantle rope,
made in Europe. The kernmantle design consists of
an outer, tightly woven sheath (mantle) over a core
of twisted, parallel fibers (kern). The core of the
The Yates Basic Rigging Harness is a full body rope provides most of the rope’s strength, and the
harness with two separate D ring attachment sheath protects the core from abrasion and dam-
points on the front of the harness. age and reduces friction as the rope runs through
carabiners and rappel devices. The kernmantle rope
ropes were ill suited to the rigors of climbing and handles better and is more durable than a rope with
rappelling, and subject to mildew and rot. laid construction.
Nylon, also known by the generic name poly- During the 1950s and into the golden age of
amide, was developed by the Dupont company in big wall climbing in Yosemite during the 1960s,
1935. Modern nylon climbing and rappelling ropes Goldline ropes were still the standard, as they were
that could actually hold up to the forces gener- about a third of the price of kernmantle ropes.
ated from leader falls were first manufactured in Once they became more widely manufactured and
the 1940s, coinciding with the availability of high- distributed, with a correspondingly better price,
quality “nylon 6,” allowing the construction of kernmantle ropes became the standard climbing
lighter weight ropes that could stretch to absorb rope worldwide by the late 1960s and early 1970s.
great forces and hold more than two tons. Nylon is Today the kernmantle rope is the standard
still by far the best material for rock climbing and design used in climbing, rappelling, caving, can-
mountaineering ropes due to its ability to stretch yoneering, vertical rope access, fixed lines, rescue,

Equipment 3

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