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Petzl Zephyr Rope Warning:
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jeff_m
Jan 16, 2008, 12:53 AM
Views: 55726
Registered: Apr 17, 2006
Posts: 155
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There are a number of threads on individual protection pieces failing recently (Aliens, Link Cams), but I'm a bit shocked that no one's really raised a red flag about the Petzl Zephyr 10.3 60M problems.
I was out with a group recently and one of the ropes was a three month-old Zephyr that disintegrated within five top rope climbs. Again, the problem was in the area of the 6-meter mark. At the start of the climbing, the rope had some fuzzy spots, but when the sixth climber was being lowered everyone noticed a large section of core visible and bits of sheath dusting the rock.
Because the sheath didn't "fray" but "powdered" it seems there's a severe problem with the structural integrity of the actual sheath fibers. Upon analyzing the rope, it appeared to be only in the are of the 6-meter marked sections, which were noticeably softer than the rest of the rope. Rubbing the sheath in these areas with a fingernail caused additional "powdering." (The owner of the rope is a doctor of physics, so yes, there was quite a bit of testing and analyzing.)
The rope was returned to the retailer who has sent it to Petzl, but the owner of the rope has not been contacted. I was hoping for some quick attention from the manufacturer before posting this, but considering the ropes are still being sold and recommended by retailers, it's important that people be aware of this problem (which seems to be on a statistically "large" scale given the reports on this site---and even j_ung's follow up notes to his review address the issue).
Again, in a nutshell:
A) This was a top rope setup on a cordelette with two oval carabiners. The route is on soft sandstone and heavily used (meaning that there were no sharp edges, only flat smooth rock where the rope came in contact). A lot of the powdering was coming from the carabiner contact. Other ropes have been used here for years with no similar problems.
B) At the start of the climbing, the rope was inspected and good (obviously no core showing). After six climbs the mantle/sheath had started disintegrating and the core was coming through in two parts.
C) The sheath fibers were almost like powder all over the rock---not strands.
D) The problem area of the rope seems isolated to that one section of the rope; the rest of the rope appears fine.
E) And no, the rope was never exposed to any chemicals, nor left in the trunk of a car under the gas can. Neither was it under a litter box or wrapped around a leaky battery.
If I had to choose between having one piece of pro blow or my rope, I think the choice is obvious. If you or anyone you know uses a Zephyr, keep an eye on it. I'm sure most of them are fine, but this is something that needs to be kept watch over, since the manufacturer and retailers aren't.
Climb safe.
[Edited to emphasize the links]
(This post was edited by jeff_m on Jan 17, 2008, 7:18 PM)
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Post edited by jeff_m
() on Jan 17, 2008, 7:18 PM
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