Page 61 - Duane Raleigh - Knots Ropes for Climbers
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typically a solid color, usually white or black, with maybe one band of contrasting piping.
More telling, all climbing ropes will be certified by the Union Internationale des
Association d'Alpinisme. The UIAA is an international body that sets guidelines for
climbing ropes and equipment. Ropes approved by the UIAA will not break in normal
situations. Reputable climbing shops will sell only UIAA-stamped ropes, but some frauds do make it
to market. Check before you buy. A UIAA-approved rope will state so on its hangtag, and there will
be a UIAA logo taped to both ends of the rope.
SINGLE ROPE
1
Rope Diameters
Single ropes are those designated by the UIAA as safe for single-strand use. This is the sort of rope
that rock and big-wall climbers find the most suitable, largely because it is the simplest rope to
manage and is the lightest in weight. Single ropes come in diameters from 9.8 to 11 millimeters. Sport
climbers, to whom every ounce is the enemy, typically use 9.8- to 10-millimeter ropes, since these
are the lightest. That these skinny ropes also wear out quicker than fatter ropes is of minor concern to
people to whom performance is everything. Traditional and big-wall climbers often opt for the
