Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Ropes for Giants

Hello WPSMB Folks,

I recently have taken more of an interest in technical climbing and I am soon to be in the market for a good dynamic rope (for the purpose of putting around on local canyons and crags [canyoneering and trad] with a hopeful future to do class IV and low class 5 Alpine Routes).

I am all for saving a few bucks, but there are a few items I will never opt for price over quality: boots, backpacks, and climbing gear. Any of those fail on you in the backcountry and you are most likely done-for.

Now I am right around 290 lbs (131kg) admittedly I can lose some weight but my lean-healthy weight still hovers between 240-260.

I am looking around at dynamic ropes and being an owner of a static-rope rappelling system (46m rated at 28.6kN on an ) I'm a little surprised at the (what seem to be) low ratings of 8.6-9.0 kN dynamic ropes (which are only UIAA approved for 80kg falls between 5-10 recurrences).

Considering my considerable weight (131kg as opposed to 80kg), I do fear that even a rating of 9.0 kN would be insufficient if someone like me took a whipper, or at the very least would wear the rope out rather fast with assorted rest breaks and rappels...

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on what type of rope would be ideal...

Ultimately I'd love to use a 9 lb bundle of 9.5 or 9.8 mm piece of dry-treated single rope as opposed to a 11-12 lb hunk of 10.8 mm rope, but I will err on the side of safety.

The difference you're seeing in the ratings between static and dynamic is the elongation, which decelerates mass providing a "soft" catch in relation to how much rope is out. The approx 9kN breaking point (after 5+ repeats) is done repeatedly at high fall factor/spine-snapping force.

Granted, you're adding a bit more to the equation at 131kg, but at no point on Class 4/low Class 5 should you be "taking a whipper." Yes, you could easily take a grinding slide, a pop-and-tumble or a hip-smashing penji, but any direct force to the rope will be greatly negated by your body transferring it to the rock, tree, bushes---in addition to how attentive your belayer is (i.e. how much slack they have out, what belay device they're using, how far away you are from your last piece, etc.) If you're primarily going to be on "top rope," meaning following, it's even less critical (provided the rope isn't running over a sharp edge).

Either way, your first rope is going to take a beating, regardless. I highly recommend something in the 10.2 to 10.5mm range (not to mention there are some really great deals around $80 for quality brands right now). Yes, a little extra weight, but until you're confident in your systems, line of travel, gear placing, partners, back country crisis-management, etc. it's worth it.

(Caveat: I've never climbed before, this is just what Doug told me...)

The kN rating on a dynamic rope is not the amount of force needed to break the rope; it is the maximum amount of force that the rope (under UIAA drop test conditions) will transfer to an anchor (or to a climber's harness). So basically, the lower the kN rating on a dynamic rope, the more energy that the rope is able to absorb and the less that is put on your sketchy cam placement and fraying belay loop.


In a UIAA drop test, an 80kg (~175lb) weight is dropped on 2 meters of rope, with 30cm more extended to the "belayer." Not doing the exact math, but that's going to generate at least 15kN. And each rope must withstand at least 5 drops, with only 5 minutes in between each, to be certified. Generally, the rule is that ropes simply don't break under normal climbing conditions.

That being said, at 290lbs you should be very careful while leading, especially on trad placements. If you were to fall from ten feet above your last piece with, say, 50 feet of rope out, the impact force could approach 10kN, which is certainly enough to rip out a mediocre (or even pretty decent) cam placement-or zipper out a line of pro in uni-directional placements.


A few ideas:

-Climb on two identical ropes, with your belayer running both through his/her atc and you clipping both into each piece of protection. That would absorb a lot more force before it gets to your pro, and offer you some peace of mind.

-Make sure you're always belayed on an atc or similar device. They provide much softer catches than auto-locking and camming devices (grigri etc) and will reduce your impact force.

-Make sure your belayer stands directly beneath your first piece. If he/she is standing back away from the wall and you come off, two things will happen: first, the rope will pull outward (instead of straight down) on the first piece and possibly yank out your protection from the bottom up; and second, your belayer will go flying into the wall instead of up into the air and possibly be injured.

-Don't fall

Overall, your biggest concern is the force you're putting on your protection and your belayer, not the force you're putting on the rope. So a thicker rope isn't necessarily the answer, as they tend to have higher impact force ratings. You might consider something like the Metolius Monster, which is fairly beefy at 9.2mm, but has a maximum impact force of only 6.8 kN. Or you could use twin Petzl Dragonfly ropes (8.2mm, 5kN maximum force).

Hi So going from barnyard rope to nylon and my first real rope had a one fall rating 11 mm ,now I see 10.5 in 8-10 falls range .This is in my thoughts lead into long leader falls or falls at all. Same chicken and egg test . When you think about buying a rope should one then assume it will help you climb ? Or if I fall is the rope a tool that may stop the ground moving in my direction of travel?

Some may not be aware of the old standard hip belay or the new hands free belay devices or the new on the market this week see if you can figure this thing out. ......

OK so buy rope. I always like the ones that are color coded for half way on belaying and riding the string down gives you a quick reference . Protect the rope as your life depends on it! Know every inch of the sheating and watch for wear, never let anyone use your rope ,use a rope bag ,no one else will but be a trend setter.
Have fun ,start at low angle slabs and find the type of climbing you like. Sounds like face climbing to start then into the grunt work of cracking .Jeff missed the moon light climb no I recall they were still out climbing in the dark!

Potato or potatoe? I get mixed up from all the kNoggin kNockin'



Hey, I came looking, but I heard later that the Colonel said "No headlamps!" and the troops had to make due blinding each other with camera flashes, but I forgot I was still wearing my sunglasses so y'all sneaked by unnoticed. (Once China Lake got wind of the fire fight and casualties, I was outta there.) Didn't find M & A's bedouin camp neither....

(No Photoshop for a change---just fun with the flashlight.)

Light Painting is fun...
(At least I've heard it is...)

Thanks for all the detailed info everyone. I think I'd feel solid on a 9.n rope.

I'll be more mindful of carefully and solidly placing pro...