My new climbing line got a nasty core shot on a pine removal yesterday and the debate is whether to retire it or do a short splice.

The sheath tore about 15 feet from the end when it pinched against a stub I missed, so I'm torn between the cost of a new rope and trusting a repair on a primary life support line.

3 comments

3 Comments

oliver_fisher2mo ago

Heard a guy on a podcast say he'd only trust a splice on a secondary line. What's the rope's age and use like otherwise?

robert_roberts2mo ago

Honestly, that's a pretty expensive place to find out you missed a stub. Tbh I'd retire it and just eat the cost, because a splice on your main line is just asking for trouble later. Not the kind of surprise you want when you're 60 feet up.

-1

ivanjones6d ago

We had a 150 foot line fail at the splice point about ten years ago on a removal job. Fourteen years old, stored in a dry garage, looked fine. Splice let go at the midpoint of a limb walk. Guy was fine, landed on a pine below, but it scared the heck out of us. Since then I don't trust any splice past ten years, main or secondary. If the rope is under five years and stored well, I'd say a proper eye splice from a reputable shop is fine for a main line. But anything older, I'm with you on retiring it. That sixty foot fall potential is not worth saving a couple hundred bucks on new rope.