![cut the rope 8 15 cut the rope 8 15](https://mediamaster.vandal.net/m/15278/cut-the-rope-201421142641_5.jpg)
#CUT THE ROPE 8 15 PDF#
Image thanks to a Beal Rope Guide PDF that we can’t find since Beal updated their website. Unsurprisingly, a fuzzy rope is much more likely to be cut over an edge than a new rope because there are fewer fibers left to cut through. This reduction of lifespan is a result of the sheath fibers being abraded and torn, and could eventually wear entirely through to the core. Lowering and top roping accelerates aging by a factor of five to ten. For reference: rappelling reduces the life span of a rope by a factor of two to three compared with normal climbing. The load from the weight of a body when rappelling, or lowering, damages the rope more than leading and seconding without loading the rope. The greater the load and the sharper the rock – the greater the wear on the rope. The most visible effect of use is the abrasion and friction wear on the sheath, seen as rope “fuzziness.” This is most often caused when a weighted rope runs over an edge, like a sharp rock or even running through carabiners when lowering or rappelling.
![cut the rope 8 15 cut the rope 8 15](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KMKM8imlIKw/maxresdefault.jpg)
Some interesting findings regarding the effect of abrasion on rope safety have come from the British Mountaineering Council’s Technical Committee ( our link broke – we’re looking for a replacement) who found 85% of rope failures they studied (both dynamic and static) over the last 15 years were caused by “serious abrasion over rough or sharp rock edges.” The other failures were the result of contamination via corrosive substances.
![cut the rope 8 15 cut the rope 8 15](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vxTCqrKKpGE/maxresdefault.jpg)
Warning: Because of the ambiguity of these terms, reading below may make it harder for to you to judge the appropriate time to retire your rope. We are fortunate to get many ropes to review, so we are not in a common financial situation when it comes to debating a new rope to buy. This is not a recommendation, just a shared note. Our ropes 9+ years of age, that have been well-used, rarely go out on trips with us despite them presenting no obvious danger during inspection. If you’re curious about a personal scale: we use ropes for 5+ years, several times per month, and have never felt scared to use them. To play by the rules, here’s the official recommendations of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and Mammut (that are very similar to Edelrid, Sterling, Singing Rock, Petzl, and all other manufacturer recommendations):
![cut the rope 8 15 cut the rope 8 15](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6iQBcyKA3wA/maxresdefault.jpg)
“Is it worth it?” is answered only by your acceptable level of incalculable risk. The only clear note is that you’re taking an unknown risk climbing on a rope that is 10+ years old. This is frustrating because it means there is no definitive evidence to say an old rope is safe or not. There are no standards for how ropes age. However, the UIAA only tests and certifies brand new ropes. Some studies report that many old, unused ropes (10-15 years old) are still capable of handling UIAA test drops. The 10 year rule is similar to the “Best By” date on food. This is more from a legal standpoint versus a scientific one, as there are no official tests for textile aging. Not one manufacturer suggests their ropes should last more than 10 years of use. Since the polyamide (Nylon) fibers that ropes are made from break down slowly over time, most brands recommend rope retirement after a decade even if the rope has never been used.
#CUT THE ROPE 8 15 HOW TO#
If you’d like to read about how to Inspect Your Rope, head over to this post. In this article, after talking about the official retirement recommendations from the manufacturers, we’ll muddy the waters by diving into nebulous terms like abrasion, energy absorption and cut resistance. And that lifespan is 10 years from manufacturer date, no matter if the rope is used a lot, or none at all. Despite inspection, 10 years is the max lifespan recommended by any manufacturer. Rope inspection is the most important aspect in determining if your rope is safe to climb on. After hearing loads of contradictory opinions regarding the lifespan of climbing ropes, we wanted to find an answer for how long ropes last.