joecav

Thanks everyone who replied to this thread. It took me way to long to get back on here but this information is super helpful. Thanks again!

I am new to mountaineering/glacier travel. I took a guided climb on Mt Baker last summer and will be taking a mountaineering course this coming winter. I am looking to get a rope for glacier travel and plan to start with Mt Baker again next summer. I was looking to see if there was a dedicated thread for this topic but didn't find one. If anyone knows of one could you point me in that direction? Wondering what type of ropes would be ideal for starting out with this level of climbing. I have read in various places that 3 people can be on anywhere from 30-50 m safely. I this accurate? Would 50 m be significantly extra for a 2-person rope team? The second question relates to diameter - would a half rope between 8-9mm be sufficient for this type of travel? I see that a bigger diameter rope (>9mm) is obviously going to weigh more and is often used in other types of climbing at longer lengths (60m). Is there a standard or ideal rope length and diameter that is standard or more versatile. Wondering what the thoughts are on trade-off between diameter, weight, length, durability and versatility. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thank you, Joe