I am considering purchasing a 70m rope to get an extra 10m of play when looking for a belay, or when trying to tie two pitches together. I am starting to climb near Tahoe and Yosemite/Tuolumne granite. I am looking for opinions as to wether the weight/bulk is worth it or not(I realize this depends on the route/approach/descent), or are there any other drawbacks you know of?

Thank you.

Haven't you heard? 80M is the new 70M, just as 70M is the new 60M and 60m was the old 50M.

Wooh there cowboy, lets not get carried away.

worth it - you can cut it and have a 60....so you get twice as much time out of it...well not twice but you get the picture.

Wooh there cowboy, lets not get carried away.

You know, he's not that far off the mark.

I know of a few around here that have already either started using 80's or have them on order.

The trend seems to be using a super skinny single 80m that you can douple up and use as per a set of half ropes on wandering alpine pitches, whilst not needing a second rope for the decent. Or using said 80m rope for 3 person teams on alpine and glaciated terrain.

You know, he's not that far off the mark.

I know of a few around here that have already either started using 80's or have them on order.

The trend seems to be using a super skinny single 80m that you can douple up and use as per a set of half ropes on wandering alpine pitches, whilst not needing a second rope for the decent. Or using said 80m rope for 3 person teams on alpine and glaciated terrain.

That's what I was going to add, too. I think all my ropes going forward will be 70m... (err... 80m?)

I've actually been considering getting a 70 and cutting it in half before first use. An 80 might be even better. A 35 or 40 meter rope would be perfect for most stuff around here.

Hey I remember when you could still buy 45m ropes.

Me to, but they were about as available as 50's are today. That was bout when 60's started being the flavor of the month.

Once ropes hit 90m I bet they will go back down to 45M and we can go through it all again.

I am considering purchasing a 70m rope to get an extra 10m of play when looking for a belay, or when trying to tie two pitches together. I am starting to climb near Tahoe and Yosemite/Tuolumne granite. I am looking for opinions as to wether the weight/bulk is worth it or not(I realize this depends on the route/approach/descent), or are there any other drawbacks you know of?

Thank you.

I still own a 55m.




As to the OP. some things to consider. You either need to take more gear or run it out if you make your pitches longer. Also be prepared to fall a lot further when you have a lot of rope out. Or even if you don't have much rope out since the skinny lines tend to stretch a lot more. Skinny ropes wear out faster than thicker ropes too. You could likely have a lighter, more durrable rope that costs less money if you go with the shorter rope.

As for 70m rope. That likely what my next single will be, paired up with an 8mm tag line for rapping.

I purchased a 70m and regretted it. It has been rare that the added length has been worth the weight.

I am considering purchasing a 70m rope to get an extra 10m of play when looking for a belay, or when trying to tie two pitches together. I am starting to climb near Tahoe and Yosemite/Tuolumne granite. I am looking for opinions as to wether the weight/bulk is worth it or not(I realize this depends on the route/approach/descent), or are there any other drawbacks you know of?

Thank you.

Hmmm, I remember when 45's readily availible

I also remember the hype and critisism over OMFG! 55m ropes!
All the comments of "what the hell would you need the extra 5m for?! Don't people know what douples and twins are for anymore?!"

Then 60's became standard, and the same peopel couldn't believe it when someone showed up at the crag with a 50m rope. Then it was the same people saying "Don't you know how much you're limiting yourself with a 50m rope?!"

Interesting times.

Hey I remember when you could still buy 45m ropes.

and here i was going to claim relic status recalling the 55m rope era

It has been rare that the added length has been worth the weight.

I'm sure 70m or longer ropes are great in areas where the falls are clean, the routes don't wander and where you're comfortable spacing the gear out (IC perhaps or long sport routes).

But for everywhere else, you could go faster and lighter with a shorter rope.

you evidently need to find a more appreciative gf

Odd, because the conditions I have found the most benificial for 70m+ ropes has been long mult pitch routes (especially wandering Canadian Rockies routes), alpine climbing with a 3 person team (especially when simu-climbing), new routing and Ice climbing.

Most people climb slower when faced with long runouts, ledge falls, and oversized racks to try to try and minimize the dangers..

I'm not the fastest leader either, especially when I'm on a route that one may need everything from Micro nuts to a 4.5 Camalot. I'm guilty of almost always having too much gear on a rack, but I don't carry all of it every pitch. I guess many just get used to climbing above ledges with a heavy rack in the Rockies... there are many many many ledges in the Rockies. That said I was always tought that longer routes are not the place to move excessively slow. Running it out can be a forced neccesity be it by time constraints or by the amount of pro the rock dictates you can get, it's more of a mindset than anything else. Look at how most climb alpine routes. A climb of a given grade on both alpine and multi pitch trad would be a fine example of the differences in mindset being related to the speed at which one climbs the route, as well as the amount of runout one is willing to do. The only real difference there is mindset.

Longer rope have there place (up to a certain point), just like shorter ropes have their place (up to a certain point). Given the choice on a glacier route I would take a 30m or 40m rope. On longer technical route with pitches known to be less than 50m I'd rather have 60m ropes, unless I'm planning on linking pitches together. I think one of the biggest things holding back an everage climber from linking pitches togething on routes is a lack of slingage to reduce rope drag. Would a longer rope help the everage climber, maybe, maybe not. It would depend on the route and the climber. Would I recomend a new climber run out an buy a 70m rope? Not likely, 60m yes, 70m no, so I guess the experiance lever plays a factor there as well, which very much inclued rope management; up to and including knowing when to take a few coils in and tie in short.

Now I'm just rambling on, but I will say this. The only notable times I've found a 70m rope to be a hinderence is on short climbs, short as in less than 30m.

I'm not reading that.^^^^

Any thoughts on doubles?

I just started using them and just love 'em. Seems like if you need to bring any kind of secondary line, they're the way to go. Feels like I can link pitches I wouldn't be able to with a single, regardless of length. ...though, if you don't need the redundancy and full-length raps, a single is lighter.

70m is for lowering or rapping down with one rope...not for leading 240 feet long pitches.

Guys, you are missing the point. 70m is for lowering or rapping down with one rope (same for 80m). It is not for leading 240 feet long pitches.

OMG I've been misusing my rope. I promise not to run out more than 60m of it henceforth. I hope it will still hold a fall.

OMG I've been misusing my rope. I promise not to run out more than 60m of it henceforth. I hope it will still hold a fall.