Climbing Ropes
By John Walter

(Editor's Note: For an introduction to climbing ropes see ropeintro.asp. This introduction includes climbing rope terminology, types of ropes, and tips for care and feeding of your rope.)

Reviewing ropes in Utah's Rock Canyon

I'm hard on climbing ropes. I mean, I don't try to be, it just turns out that way. I clean my ropes, I use a rope bag to keep them out of the dirt and rocks, and I keep them dry (mostly). But I still end up with pretty worn out ropes. One look at their blackened palms and my belayers are telling me "You really need to wash your rope." I can't figure out what I do that is so hard on them, but it put me in a great position to review ropes this year for GearReview.com

I've never met a dynamic rope that I didn't like, mostly because I knew that I would be falling on it later. However, there are a lot of ropes on the market these days and knowing what kind of climbing you are going to be doing is the key to choosing the correct rope. So we have four ropes in this review, and we let you know what kind of climbing they are best suited for.

New England Ropes G-50 10.5mm 50 meter
Blue Water Lightning Pro 60 meters Double Dry
Sterling 10.2 mm 60 meter Dry Rope
Sterling V-Dry 10.2 mm 60 meter

New England Ropes G-50 10.5mm 50 meter

Ever heard of Maxim climbing ropes? They are made by New England Ropes. I've climbed on Maxim ropes for years and love them, and the G-50 is no exception. The G-50 is New England's price point rope. At 10.5 mm and 50 meter length, the G-50 retails for $100. This is the same rope that REI sells as the REI Escalade, only the sheath color is different. New England keeps the price down by offering the rope with limited options. One of the better handling ropes in the review. the G-50 has a very supple feel to it and feeds through the belay device very well. There are no frills to this rope. We had this rope out the day we received it. We used it to top-rope, rappel, and to lead sport and trad pitches.

This rope is ideally suited for beginning climbers. Beginners are going to be mostly top-roping, rappelling or working a route, and this rope would suit all of those needs. Plus, at $100, this rope is a steal.

Seeing as how 60 meter ropes are now in vogue, New England Ropes will offer the G-50 in a 60 meter configuration for 2000. It will be called the G-60.

For more information see: www.neropes.com

Blue Water Lightning Pro 60 meters Double Dry

When it comes to ropes thin is in, and the Blue Water Lightning Pro is the thinnest rope in this review. The Lightning Pro lives up to its name as well being the lightest single rope on the market at 9.6 mm and weighing in at 57.7 grams per meter.

The Lightning Pro is a great rope. Initially meant for alpine climbing at the extremes, it is also being used by top sport climbers for hard redpoints (I even got my hardest onsight this year with this rope). Clipping the quickdraws on a sport route was very smooth. The Double Dry treatment and low profile lets it feed through the biners with little resistance, not to mention keeping the rope from getting soaked. I really liked the way this rope handled while climbing and while belaying.

One of the other testers didn't like the thinness of this rope. He would climb on it reluctantly, commenting that it felt like an accessory cord. Although this rope is thin, it does pass all the UIAA tests

The Lightning Pro is offered in 2 colors, as well as a bi-color (the rope changes weave patterns at the midpoint) and in 50, 60, 70 meter configurations. It retails for $175 in the 60 meter Double Dry configuration.

For more information see: www.bluewater-climbing.com

Sterling 10.2 mm 60 meter Dry Rope

A nice compromise of strength and weight, the Sterling 10.2 mm rope is a good all-around climbing rope. This rope is at home on sport routes, trad routes, ice climbing, top-roping, basically whatever you can throw at it. This rope was nice to climb with and handled well in the protection and the belay devices.

Sterling's Better Braid Technology gives a tight weave to the sheath which makes the rope feel very secure and makes it resistance to wear. The DryCore treatment is applied to every fiber to control the absorption of water. However, this rope has a little bit of a tendency to twist. We had to take a little extra time uncoiling this rope and a bit of extra care during climbing to keep it from getting twisty.

The Sterling 10.2 mm rope comes in 50, 55, 60, 70 meter lengths as well as custom lengths.

For more information see: www.sterlingrope.com

Sterling V-Dry 10.2 mm 60 meter

Sterling is offering a new price point rope called the V-Dry in the 10.2 mm range until February of 2000. The difference between this and the other 10.2 mm rope is the dry treatment. Instead of a treatment being applied to the fibers, The V-Dry fibers are inherently dry in the manufacture. This makes the V-Dry 90% dry—the driest rope on the market, making it a virtually dry rope, hence the name. Ironically, this is the reason that the price is lower too. The V-Dry is about 30% cheaper than most dry ropes.

This is the slickest rope that I have ever tied into—literally! One tester called this "The Teflon Rope." When I am sport climbing I will usually tie in with a bowline on a clove hitch that is doubled back. However, with this rope I will only tie in with a figure 8 because it is so slick.

If the other Sterling is a good all-around rope, then this rope is a great one. You can add big-wall climbing to the list above. This is probably the most abrasion resistant rope out there. It should be able to stand up to the heinously sloping ends of the routes at Red Rocks and the sharp edged limestone of Wasatch Front. The V-Dry flowed smoothly through about everything. Going through the biners at the protection was effortless.

This rope uses the same Better Braid Technology as the other Sterling ropes so it felt a little twisty too. Having said all of this, I like the rope. It is just a work-horse. The V-Dry is offered in 3 colors in 60 meter configurations.

For more information see: www.sterlingrope.com

Conclusion

The author, trying to look bugged about having to review another rope.

If you are beginner climber looking to save a few bucks, then the New England G-50 is a great buy. If you are looking for a good all-around rope that will take a beating, consider the Sterling 10.2 mm and the V-Dry. If you are looking to push the envelope on hard alpine and sport stuff, then buy the Blue Water Lightning Pro. Like I said before, I've never met a dynamic rope that I didn't like, so all of these ropes are recommended.

John Walter is Climbing Editor at GearReview.com.