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clymber
Mar 14, 2003, 1:14 PM
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Registered: Feb 8, 2002
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When a rope is rated to X# of falls what does the company consider a fall. For it to be rated a fall is it the same distance for sport and trad. I was out this week and took a few big fall and plus some from last year. One huge one about 40'
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john1987
Mar 14, 2003, 1:23 PM
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Registered: Jul 27, 2002
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I would half to look up the length of the fall. It's in the rope section of climbing's gear guide. They test it for the most extreme falls possible so your rope will last much longer than the the x amount of falls that they say.
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waggas
Mar 14, 2003, 1:43 PM
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Registered: Dec 2, 2002
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There's been a few threads about this recently....
Basically, you're rope is rated for the number of "factor 2" falls it can take.
This is a fall of x-meters on 2/3 meters of rope
eg, 10m fall on 5m of rope.
Only possible when you're falling back past your belayer, without having placed any gear on a multipitch
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solo
Mar 14, 2003, 2:10 PM
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Registered: Feb 12, 2003
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the number of falls indicated on the rope means "falls according to UIAA norm"
The following text is cut&paste from spelean.com.au, just because i am lazy typing it.
In reply to: The UIAA test drops an 80 kg weight 5 meters on 2.8 meters of rope repeatedly at approximately five minute intervals until the rope breaks. To meet the UIAA standard a rope must survive a minimum of five falls. This test is a factor 1.78 fall, simulating a short, severe climbing fall. It represents a theoretical "worst case" fall combining impact forces and the effect of a standard carabiner edge. Since all ropes carrying the UIAA mark are tested in the same manner, this number (UIAA test falls held) indicates a performance comparison that can be made between two different climbing ropes. |
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bentsid
Mar 14, 2003, 6:10 PM
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Registered: Jan 11, 2003
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So is checking your rope for damage a better indicator of when to retire a rope? Like sheath damage, flat spots, etc, regardless of the number of intermediate falls?
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waggas
Mar 14, 2003, 6:20 PM
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Registered: Dec 2, 2002
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forgot to mention...
I've read in a few places recently that since the introduction of 'modern' rope technology (whatever that is... ) there hasn't bean a single case of a rope snapping due to fall....
All accidents involving a broken rope have basically involved old, worn out ropes, or ones that severed over an exceedingly sharp edge.
Or so I read....
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alpinist
Mar 14, 2003, 6:55 PM
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Registered: Mar 6, 2003
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To answer your question, bentsid, you should always check your rope every time you use it. All you have to do is look at and feel the rope as you flake it out before a climb. In case your rope gets damaged during a long descent, it is helpful to rappel past a knot (assuming you isolate the damaged section with a knot).
Also use common sense, if you no longer feel comfortable climbing on your rope, don't do it.
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