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andalusite
Jun 8, 2011, 7:09 AM
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It is my understanding the lifetime of a rope depends on the amount of use, proper care and age.
I have a four year old rope. It has been used lightly, maybe ten times, top ropping. It has been stored on a shelf and not exposed to harmfull substances or abundant UV. There are no frays.
I uncoiled it incorrectly when I first bought it and it hangs a lightly twisty. Any ideas to fix this?
It is a BEAL, 60m, 10.2mm rope.
I just began doing some small sport climbing and would like others' opinions on whether or not the rope is safe to use.
Most articles I have read say to retire a rope used sparingly after four to five years. Being a college student it is quite difficult to lay down the money when mine "seems" good to me. However, there is no dollar amount on my life/health and would like to hear what people have to say.
Thank you for any responses.
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rtwilli4
Jun 8, 2011, 8:47 AM
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If you have stored it properly and there is no damage then it should be fine. I think I've read that nylon is good for more like 10 years if it hasn't been used much, but I could just be some moron on the internet.
To get the twists out, hang it in big loops over a second floor balcony or something similar. You'll see the twists, just "untwist" them. If you can't do that, just pull it through an anchor and untwist it by hand.
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StuMsg
Jun 8, 2011, 10:53 AM
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I think my Tendon Master booklet says it's good for up to 10 years used lightly and kept clean and not misused/damaged etc.
You mention that it has not been not subject to abundant UV light but I would check that the direct sun light coming into any nearby windows is not insodent on any part of the rope at any time of the day. If it is stored 6 months at a time and each day strong sunlight hits a small part of the rope for a hour, that is enough to weeken that part.
To remove tangles and twists from my uncorrectly uncoiled rope I flaked it out a few times before every use, took just a few sessions to sort it out.
Alternitly you could get someone experienced to rapp down it. I do that ocasionaly when friends make it look like Mr Messy!
http://images.wikia.com/...s/d/dd/Mr._Messy.jpg
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Kstenson
Jun 8, 2011, 11:32 AM
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The Beal website advertises 10 years storage time on all their ropes.
Of course this requires perfect storage conditions but if you've stored it in a cool, dry place away from sunlight after minimal use I wouldn't have any serious reservations about using it for 4 years.
(This post was edited by Kstenson on Jun 12, 2011, 2:49 AM)
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j_ung
Jun 8, 2011, 11:41 AM
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andalusite wrote: It is my understanding the lifetime of a rope depends on the amount of use, proper care and age. I have a four year old rope. It has been used lightly, maybe ten times, top ropping. It has been stored on a shelf and not exposed to harmfull substances or abundant UV. There are no frays. I uncoiled it incorrectly when I first bought it and it hangs a lightly twisty. Any ideas to fix this? It is a BEAL, 60m, 10.2mm rope. I just began doing some small sport climbing and would like others' opinions on whether or not the rope is safe to use. Most articles I have read say to retire a rope used sparingly after four to five years. Being a college student it is quite difficult to lay down the money when mine "seems" good to me. However, there is no dollar amount on my life/health and would like to hear what people have to say. Thank you for any responses.
It'll be fine.
To untwist it, fold it around a tree at the middle, put both side into a rappel device and "rappel" by walking away from the tree. Keep the rope under tension as you do that. By the time you hit 30 meters, you'll have forced all the kinks off the ends of the rope.
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chris
Jun 12, 2011, 12:42 AM
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Ditto J-ung's remarks - tying one end to the tree and "rappeling" the full 60-m length works too.
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amyas
Jun 12, 2011, 3:15 AM
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Clever! Now wtf is that can-o-beef picture all about?
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