Page 66 - Duane Raleigh - Knots Ropes for Climbers

lower. The exact test loads 3 feet of rope with 176 pounds. If a single rope stretches less than 8
percent and a double rope less than 10 percent, they get the seal of approval. Nice, but meaningless.

All this mumbo jumbo means is that you must evaluate every aspect to get a rope that's a proper fit for
you. Consider diameter, length, dry treatment, falls held, and maximum impact force against cost, how
you will use the rope, and how often. Get all the pieces to dovetail, and you're off to a solid start.

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6

Rope Care

In 1986, I stepped off a 500-foot-high tower in Arches National Monument, Utah. I

thought I was clipped to the rappel rope, but I wasn't. I free-fell 160 feet before a spare 9-millimeter
haul line clipped to my gear sling wadded itself into a knot and snagged in a fortuitous crack, like a
cork in a bottle. The impact bent a carabiner and exploded the sheath off the rope. In some places, the
core strands were nearly snapped in two.

Obviously, that rope was ready for retirement. What about yours?

Climbing ropes demand attention. New ropes are especially fussy, prone to twisting and kinking. To

remove kinks, uncoil the rope and pull its entire length through your hands several times. Letting the
rope hang its full length down a wall will also remove twists.