What’s in Your Rope Quiver?

Back when I started climbing, choosing a rope was pretty simple. You usually went with an 11mm, maybe a 10.5 if you were feeling feisty. 60m ropes were really cutting edge, and 70’s weren’t even a twinkle in someone’s eye. These days, there’s a huge range of options out there, with all manner of diameters and lengths, each catering to a specific aspect of the sport. Here’s what’s in our quiver:

Sterling Ion2, 9.4mm, 60m

This is the Lamborghini of our rope quiver, it’s sleek, fast and get’s the job done. With a low impact force and good dynamic elongation, it gives a wonderfully soft catch when you peel off your latest project. Since most climbs around us are doable with a 60m, we rarely run into issues with length when out cragging. (It doesn’t come with us to the Creek, but we have other options for that.) Given that it’s a skinnier cord, we definitely baby it a bit. It didn’t come on the last trip to City of Rocks, where one session of top roping can grate the rope badly and leave you with instant fuzzies. For steep rock however, it’s our favorite, and the new GriGri2 handles the smaller diameter like a champ.

Mammut Climax, 9.6mm, 70m

This one is currently holding the title of all-around all-star. Mammut launched the Climax this year, looking to offer a quality cord that didn’t break the bank. At $189.95 for a 70m (and $169.95 for a 60m!), you’ll be hard pressed to find a better value out there. We’ve been using ours since March, and despite being a “cheaper” rope, it’s held up really well on everything from desert cragging to multipitch outings. This is our rope of choice at the Creek, where a 70m is often essential, and anything thicker starts to feel like a cable every time you pull up slack to clip when you are 100 feet off the deck. We’re guessing it’s not quite as durable as it’s more pricey brethren, but so far we have no complaints on this one and would recommend it to anyone looking to score a good rope at a great price.

Petzl Xion, 10.1mm, 70m

Once upon a time 10.1 was the skinny end of the scale, but after you spend some time climbing on 9.2 to 9.4’s, 10.1 starts to feel downright HUGE! Thus I was hesitant when I pulled this one out of the box, it felt as thick as a steel cable! Still, it was fairly supple in hand, and once at the crag any misconceptions about it faded away. The extra weight is negligible on pitches without drag, and it clips quite easily. On our recent trip to City of Rocks, it was nice having a beefy cord that could stand up to the abuse of top roping over the abrasive granite. I’m still going to take the skinnier cords out most of the time, but when I want something stout that still feels nimble, the Xion is the ticket. Stay tuned for more on this one in the coming weeks.

What’s in your rope quiver?

Disclaimer: The FTC wants you to know that some of these products were provided to SplitterChoss.com for the purpose of reviewing. Like that makes a difference on how much we beat the crap out of it …