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rxb609
Aug 13, 2014, 7:20 PM
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Trying to make decisions on rope lengths. I currently have a one year old, bi-pattern 70m rope. Though most of the routes that are in range of my nearest outdoors access are 15m or less. So I can comfortably set up top ropes with 35m. I found a pretty good deal on an 80m, which I bought. It has no bi-pattern. So now I'm trying to decide to cut either one into shorter lengths. My approaches aren't miles long, but I'd like to keep weight down, as well as make rope management easier for quick weekend trips. And then keep one rope longer for situational use. I guess keeping the 70m intact and splitting the 80m into two 40m lengths seems easy, though there is some appeal to having a single 80m rope, too. So maybe 80m and two 35m lengths by cutting the 70m in half. Though then the temptation is to cut the 70m into uneven 30m and 40m lengths for more options. Any thoughts in hindsight from those that many have already done something similar? Thanks! -rxb
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dr_feelgood
Aug 13, 2014, 7:41 PM
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rxb609 wrote: Trying to make decisions on rope lengths. I currently have a one year old, bi-pattern 70m rope. Though most of the routes that are in range of my nearest outdoors access are 15m or less. So I can comfortably set up top ropes with 35m. I found a pretty good deal on an 80m, which I bought. It has no bi-pattern. So now I'm trying to decide to cut either one into shorter lengths. My approaches aren't miles long, but I'd like to keep weight down, as well as make rope management easier for quick weekend trips. And then keep one rope longer for situational use. I guess keeping the 70m intact and splitting the 80m into two 40m lengths seems easy, though there is some appeal to having a single 80m rope, too. So maybe 80m and two 35m lengths by cutting the 70m in half. Though then the temptation is to cut the 70m into uneven 30m and 40m lengths for more options. Any thoughts in hindsight from those that many have already done something similar? Thanks! -rxb Why not cut the 80, and have a 30, a 50, and a 70?
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rxb609
Aug 13, 2014, 7:52 PM
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dr_feelgood wrote: rxb609 wrote: Trying to make decisions on rope lengths. I currently have a one year old, bi-pattern 70m rope. Though most of the routes that are in range of my nearest outdoors access are 15m or less. So I can comfortably set up top ropes with 35m. I found a pretty good deal on an 80m, which I bought. It has no bi-pattern. So now I'm trying to decide to cut either one into shorter lengths. My approaches aren't miles long, but I'd like to keep weight down, as well as make rope management easier for quick weekend trips. And then keep one rope longer for situational use. I guess keeping the 70m intact and splitting the 80m into two 40m lengths seems easy, though there is some appeal to having a single 80m rope, too. So maybe 80m and two 35m lengths by cutting the 70m in half. Though then the temptation is to cut the 70m into uneven 30m and 40m lengths for more options. Any thoughts in hindsight from those that many have already done something similar? Thanks! -rxb Why not cut the 80, and have a 30, a 50, and a 70? Yes, this does have a great distribution of lengths. And, if cutting the 80m, I like this version. Just wasn't sure if there was some compelling reason to hold on to the 80m as is; once it's cut….
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lena_chita
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Aug 13, 2014, 8:06 PM
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rxb609 wrote: Trying to make decisions on rope lengths. I currently have a one year old, bi-pattern 70m rope. Though most of the routes that are in range of my nearest outdoors access are 15m or less. So I can comfortably set up top ropes with 35m. I found a pretty good deal on an 80m, which I bought. It has no bi-pattern. So now I'm trying to decide to cut either one into shorter lengths. My approaches aren't miles long, but I'd like to keep weight down, as well as make rope management easier for quick weekend trips. And then keep one rope longer for situational use. I guess keeping the 70m intact and splitting the 80m into two 40m lengths seems easy, though there is some appeal to having a single 80m rope, too. So maybe 80m and two 35m lengths by cutting the 70m in half. Though then the temptation is to cut the 70m into uneven 30m and 40m lengths for more options. Any thoughts in hindsight from those that many have already done something similar? Thanks! -rxb I don't like the idea of cutting the ropes into different length, because if you cut your 80m rope into 30 and 50, you will have to keep track of which of the identical-looking ropes is the shorter one. I See potential for mistakes with bad consequences in you accidentally grab the 30m rope thinking that it was 50m. Personally, I would not have bought the 80m rope if I had a perfectly good 1yo 70m rope. Good deal or no. Sales and good deals happen with predictable regularity. If you were thinking of retiring your old rope within couple months, and came across a good deal on a new rope, that is one thing. But if you are planning to have another year or two out of your 70m... I wouldn't have bothered. So, my 2 cents would be to put the 80m into a clean dry closet bin, and let it sit there, uncut, for couple more years, if you can't sell it to a buddy of yours who can use it right now. Who knows, by then you might move, or you might be traveling to other destinations and climbing routes that require longer rope length.
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cracklover
Aug 13, 2014, 8:38 PM
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lena_chita wrote: rxb609 wrote: Trying to make decisions on rope lengths. I currently have a one year old, bi-pattern 70m rope. Though most of the routes that are in range of my nearest outdoors access are 15m or less. So I can comfortably set up top ropes with 35m. I found a pretty good deal on an 80m, which I bought. It has no bi-pattern. So now I'm trying to decide to cut either one into shorter lengths. My approaches aren't miles long, but I'd like to keep weight down, as well as make rope management easier for quick weekend trips. And then keep one rope longer for situational use. I guess keeping the 70m intact and splitting the 80m into two 40m lengths seems easy, though there is some appeal to having a single 80m rope, too. So maybe 80m and two 35m lengths by cutting the 70m in half. Though then the temptation is to cut the 70m into uneven 30m and 40m lengths for more options. Any thoughts in hindsight from those that many have already done something similar? Thanks! -rxb I don't like the idea of cutting the ropes into different length, because if you cut your 80m rope into 30 and 50, you will have to keep track of which of the identical-looking ropes is the shorter one. I See potential for mistakes with bad consequences in you accidentally grab the 30m rope thinking that it was 50m. Personally, I would not have bought the 80m rope if I had a perfectly good 1yo 70m rope. Good deal or no. Sales and good deals happen with predictable regularity. If you were thinking of retiring your old rope within couple months, and came across a good deal on a new rope, that is one thing. But if you are planning to have another year or two out of your 70m... I wouldn't have bothered. So, my 2 cents would be to put the 80m into a clean dry closet bin, and let it sit there, uncut, for couple more years, if you can't sell it to a buddy of yours who can use it right now. Who knows, by then you might move, or you might be traveling to other destinations and climbing routes that require longer rope length. He could mark both ends of each rope with a Sharpy. Something like: 1 bar = 30 m, 2 bars = 50 m, 3 bars = 70 m. GO
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rxb609
Aug 13, 2014, 9:06 PM
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lena_chita wrote: rxb609 wrote: Trying to make decisions on rope lengths. I currently have a one year old, bi-pattern 70m rope. Though most of the routes that are in range of my nearest outdoors access are 15m or less. So I can comfortably set up top ropes with 35m. I found a pretty good deal on an 80m, which I bought. It has no bi-pattern. So now I'm trying to decide to cut either one into shorter lengths. My approaches aren't miles long, but I'd like to keep weight down, as well as make rope management easier for quick weekend trips. And then keep one rope longer for situational use. I guess keeping the 70m intact and splitting the 80m into two 40m lengths seems easy, though there is some appeal to having a single 80m rope, too. So maybe 80m and two 35m lengths by cutting the 70m in half. Though then the temptation is to cut the 70m into uneven 30m and 40m lengths for more options. Any thoughts in hindsight from those that many have already done something similar? Thanks! -rxb I don't like the idea of cutting the ropes into different length, because if you cut your 80m rope into 30 and 50, you will have to keep track of which of the identical-looking ropes is the shorter one. I See potential for mistakes with bad consequences in you accidentally grab the 30m rope thinking that it was 50m. Personally, I would not have bought the 80m rope if I had a perfectly good 1yo 70m rope. Good deal or no. Sales and good deals happen with predictable regularity. If you were thinking of retiring your old rope within couple months, and came across a good deal on a new rope, that is one thing. But if you are planning to have another year or two out of your 70m... I wouldn't have bothered. So, my 2 cents would be to put the 80m into a clean dry closet bin, and let it sit there, uncut, for couple more years, if you can't sell it to a buddy of yours who can use it right now. Who knows, by then you might move, or you might be traveling to other destinations and climbing routes that require longer rope length. Yeah, admittedly, the uneven split thing was a potential concern for the exact reasons you mentioned. In a perfect world, I would re-label them perfectly and obviously. But in the real world.. But the whole point of buying the new rope in the first place was to cut smaller lengths and make my "local" crag more manageable - less weight for the approach, less hassle for moving between multiple, short routes. And the logic was something like; a single 40m rope is $100…a single 80m rope was $170, so I'll buy that, cut it in two, and sell the other half to a buddy. Though now that the rope is in hand, before I pull the trigger, I'm wondering if someone has experience or rationale to make the rope cutting choice in a certain way.
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lena_chita
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Aug 14, 2014, 1:12 AM
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rxb609 wrote: Yeah, admittedly, the uneven split thing was a potential concern for the exact reasons you mentioned. In a perfect world, I would re-label them perfectly and obviously. But in the real world.. But the whole point of buying the new rope in the first place was to cut smaller lengths and make my "local" crag more manageable - less weight for the approach, less hassle for moving between multiple, short routes. And the logic was something like; a single 40m rope is $100…a single 80m rope was $170, so I'll buy that, cut it in two, and sell the other half to a buddy. In that case, IMO, just cut it into 2x40. You know it works for your local crag, your buddy presumably knows, too. You definitely could label the different-lengths ropes with a marker. Maybe put them into different-colored bags, so they don't look identical. And if you are always careful, and if all your climbing partners also know to check for those marks, then it would be fine. But after hearing one-too-many stories of accidents caused by inattention to precisely this sort of detail (e.g. mistaking end mark for middle mark on ropes, or using a rope that is too-short for the route, and then getting lowered off the end), it is clear that people are not always perfect, so why start out by introducing this potential into the mix, if you don't have to.
rxb609 wrote: Though now that the rope is in hand, before I pull the trigger, I'm wondering if someone has experience or rationale to make the rope cutting choice in a certain way. Personal choice and specific situations, such as local crag, etc. I would look at the shiny clean brand-new 80m rope, and the rope cutter would tremble in my hand... I don't think I can bring myself to cut a brand new 80m into two shorts for the purpose of toproping. Maybe an older rope. I've cut an old 60m that I was retiring as a lead rope into two 30m ropes for the local crag.
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majid_sabet
Aug 15, 2014, 5:43 PM
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buy a new 30 and save both
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unabonger
Aug 18, 2014, 7:02 PM
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Don't cut your ropes. Just makes a mistake likely. And if they are too heavy, go do some fucking squats.
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marc801
Aug 18, 2014, 7:10 PM
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+1 Cutting down an old rope for top roping is one thing. Buying a new rope with the intention of chopping it up is just senseless.
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lena_chita
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Aug 19, 2014, 1:05 PM
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marc801 wrote: +1 Cutting down an old rope for top roping is one thing. Buying a new rope with the intention of chopping it up is just senseless. But if toproping is all he is doing at the moment? And he doesn't have an old rope, because he just started climbing? I do think it is pretty silly to cut a brand new 80m bc you want to "save some weight" on a short approach to a local crag. But at a local crag here, for example, the routes are short, and TR setup is a bit of a pain-- you have to walk to the top and anchor off trees, there are no bolts. So people usually set up as many TRs as they can all at once, while they are at the top of the cliff, and then swap ropes with whoever else is there. In such situation, having two shorts instead of 1 long rope is nice.
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marc801
Aug 19, 2014, 1:36 PM
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lena_chita wrote: But if toproping is all he is doing at the moment? And he doesn't have an old rope, because he just started climbing? I do think it is pretty silly to cut a brand new 80m bc you want to "save some weight" on a short approach to a local crag. But at a local crag here, for example, the routes are short, and TR setup is a bit of a pain-- you have to walk to the top and anchor off trees, there are no bolts. So people usually set up as many TRs as they can all at once, while they are at the top of the cliff, and then swap ropes with whoever else is there. In such situation, having two shorts instead of 1 long rope is nice. I think we're in agreement. I agree about the usefulness of several shorter ropes in the scenario you describe. Doing that with a brand new rope is what seems short sighted.
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rxb609
Aug 19, 2014, 1:53 PM
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unabonger wrote: Don't cut your ropes. Just makes a mistake likely. And if they are too heavy, go do some fucking squats. And to think, I was worried that this post would go without someone stroking themselves. That worry was in vain! As it turns out, I recently had surgery on my knee. And in it's recovery, curiously enough, I can manage up hill (and climbing) with little to no issue. Downhill impacts, are, however, another story. Particularly with added pack weight. So cutting the extra 5 pounds from my pack is quite noticeable. My approaches are only between a quarter and half mile, but there is a bit of scrambling and up/down to them. But thanks for the tips on how to "man up"!
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lena_chita
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Aug 19, 2014, 1:58 PM
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marc801 wrote: lena_chita wrote: But if toproping is all he is doing at the moment? And he doesn't have an old rope, because he just started climbing? I do think it is pretty silly to cut a brand new 80m bc you want to "save some weight" on a short approach to a local crag. But at a local crag here, for example, the routes are short, and TR setup is a bit of a pain-- you have to walk to the top and anchor off trees, there are no bolts. So people usually set up as many TRs as they can all at once, while they are at the top of the cliff, and then swap ropes with whoever else is there. In such situation, having two shorts instead of 1 long rope is nice. I think we're in agreement. I agree about the usefulness of several shorter ropes in the scenario you describe. Doing that with a brand new rope is what seems short sighted. If he had an old rope at his disposal to cut, it would be different...
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rxb609
Aug 19, 2014, 2:19 PM
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marc801 wrote: lena_chita wrote: But if toproping is all he is doing at the moment? And he doesn't have an old rope, because he just started climbing? I do think it is pretty silly to cut a brand new 80m bc you want to "save some weight" on a short approach to a local crag. But at a local crag here, for example, the routes are short, and TR setup is a bit of a pain-- you have to walk to the top and anchor off trees, there are no bolts. So people usually set up as many TRs as they can all at once, while they are at the top of the cliff, and then swap ropes with whoever else is there. In such situation, having two shorts instead of 1 long rope is nice. I think we're in agreement. I agree about the usefulness of several shorter ropes in the scenario you describe. Doing that with a brand new rope is what seems short sighted. My typical procedure is to lead the route, set up the anchor and top rope..and then leave it for my friends to TR whilst my partner and I set up the next route with his rope. (we don't have walk offs). The routes are just far enough away to not be able to do two routes with one rope. And that requires re-coiling, etc each move down the road. So now we have extra weight *and* extra hassle. The idea of cutting a new rope *is* irksome - hence this post's existence in the first place - though the economy of it is this: at the time of purchase, 1 single, 40m rope was ~$110. This 80m was $170, so two 40m sections that are a fair deal cheaper than a single 40m. Sell the other half to my partner; and we're good. Of course the ultimate irony is that now, as i look at it today, I see a 30m rope for $65. So moral of the story is if you have a specific rope itch that needs to be scratched, just wait a bit and the appropriate sale will allow it! Problem solved! ;-)
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