Talked to a 30 year climber who changed how I look at rope care

I was at a chain sharpening shop last Tuesday in Portland and this old timer named Dave saw me loading my climbing rope into a bin. He stopped me and said 'you treat that rope like it's a shoelace, you're gonna find out the hard way.' He pointed out how I was just coiling it up wet and dirty from the morning rain. He told me he's had the same Yale rope last 8 years because he hangs it to dry after every climb and keeps it off the ground. I never really thought about how much grit and moisture break down the sheath over time. Has anyone else had a rope fail earlier than expected from bad storage habits?

2 comments

2 Comments

quinn_king1618d ago

Never really thought about the chemical side of it either. That moisture sitting in the fibers can actually grow mold and mildew inside the core, not just wear down the sheath. I had a buddy who kept his rope in a damp basement gym bag for a month and when he finally took it out it smelled like a wet dog and the core felt crunchy. He retired it early because he just couldn't trust it anymore. The UV damage from drying in direct sun is a whole other issue nobody talks about either... shade drying is the way to go but most people just fling it over a fence and call it done.

lucasking17d ago

Buddy did the same with his rope. Drove two hours to the crag and it snapped on the first fall.