Buying your own Gear: Ropes
There are basically three “types” of ropes that we use as a club; we have the dynamic ropes, which are the Single and the Half (or Double) and the Static ropes. These are all used in a number of different applications. The following should give you an idea of what we use each rope for and why we use them.
Types of Rope
Dynamic types:
Dynamic ropes are designed to stretch in the even of a fall, taking out some of the force before it is transmitted to climber or his protection (if you don’t know what protection is don’t worry, it will be discussed in a later article) These ropes are always used in when lead climbing, but can also be used for abseiling and top-roping and hauling freshers up climbs.
As stated before the Dynamic ropes we use as a club come in two flavours:
Single:
The majority of Single ropes are between 9.5mm and 11mm in diameter, although they can go as low as 8.9mm. The general rule is the thinner the rope the harder it is to hold a fall climbing, however they are also lighter and tend to be used by the top athletes pushing the limits of climbing. The standard rope is considered to be a 10.5mm, which should see you through pretty much everything you’d want to do until you really start pushing yourself. Ropes for leading indoors tend to be 30m long; although there are a few walls around which need 40m ones; while outdoor ropes tend to be either 50 or 60m.
Singles are normally used for sport climbing (leading on bolts) and the majority of easy to hard Trad climbs, once you start getting to the extremely difficult Trad climbs (E3+) you start to see climbers use Half ropes more and more.
Half or Double:
Half or Double ropes are two completely separate ropes of the same diameter and length that are clipped independently into pieces of gear. These ropes are usually about 8.8mm, so that they can hold a fall should the other fail. Shaky pro, long, scary traverses, and razor sharp rock require the confidence and the security of half (double) ropes. Because they’re used in pairs, half ropes offer climbers many advantages over single ropes such as allowing the leader to clip into protection independently which places far less force on questionable gear; providing more safety for the second in the event of a fall on long traverses; and, they provide the security of an extra rope in case the rope becomes cut from rockfall, sharp edges, or ice tools.
Static – Semi static:
Static or more often semi-Static ropes are the opposite of dynamic ropes and only undergo a small amount of stretch under load. We primarily use these for setting up anchors for top roping climbing outside and setting up zip lines in the sports hall. They are also used outside the club for rappelling, top-roping in high wear situations and hauling gear. However they should NEVER be used for lead climbing as the forces from a fall will not be dissipated by the rope and could on a long fall break you in half.