Types of Rock Climbing Rope

For a rock climber, his life depends upon his climbing gear, but especially his rock climbing rope. Today's manufacturers of rock climbing rope produce ropes that are a long way from the ropes of yesterday.

It used to be that 150-feet of rock climbing rope were sufficient, and then it was 50 meters. Now some sport-climbing routes need 60 meter ropes. Longer ropes are more costly and are heavier to carry. Handling becomes difficult or cumbersome if the rock climbing rope is too long. You should be fine with a 50-meter rope. You want to have enough, but you don't want to get too carried away. Before you head up climbing, be sure your rope will be long enough.

Most new climber's biggest worry is the rope breaking and taking a fall. You will be glad to know that this is low on the list of worries of most experienced climbers. The rock climbing rope is designed to stretch with heavy weight or even a fall. The rock climbing rope is protected by a sheath that surrounds the inner core and will also protect you against cuts and scrapes. The rope going over a sharp edge is the leading cause of a break or cut in your line. Keep your eyes peeled for these types of edges.

If you are using rock climbing rope to tow your gear or for ascending, you don't want it to stretch and a "static line" is a rock climbing rope designed to stretch little, or not at all. You don't use a static line for the actual rock climbing, just for your equipment.

A wet rope is a rope that sits in a pool of water or is soaked by rain. This will cause the rope to weigh more and be harder to handle. Wet ropes will lose some of their strength as well. If the temperature falls below freezing, it will become almost impossible to handle. A dry rope is a rock climbing rope that has been treated to be more water repellent than the usual rope. These dry ropes will cost you about 20% more, and for a typical climb in typical weather, it is an unnecessary expenditure.