Rope For Rainier

[Dchromey]

Hey ive been trying to find a good lightweight not too long rope that we can use for Rainier this summer. It will likely be a 2 man team but perhaps a 3rd man will come in, im not sure. I have 30m rope but i tried that out and it is a bit too small. Im thinking of getting 45-50m rope but im not sure which brand to get it from. Any information would be great!

Darren

[CascadeClimber]

Blue Water used to make a 37 meter 7.8mm. I have two: One that is still 37 that I use for three people, and one that got nicked and I cut 10 meters off- I use it (now 27 meters) for two-person trips.

 

Edit: They still make it: http://www.backcountry.com/blue-water-ice-floss-7.7mm-double-dry-twin-rope

Edited April 3, 2013 by CascadeClimber

[CaleHoopes]

Also, while they are sometimes hard to find locally, many manufacturers actually sell shorter ropes.

 

One solution? Buy a sixty and cut it 40/20 - If you go to a shorter climbing gym (like VW Redmond/Everett), then the 20 is perfect for rock leads in the gym and then you could use the 40. And then you could buy a 8.8-9.4.

 

On Rainier I've often used a 60m 9.4 and just created coils. If we ever had a drop in, then the coils would be great to create a quick drop-c. Yep, more rope to carry, but ultimately worth it IMHO. That being said, If I'd owned a 40 I'd be happy climbing on that too.

 

Good place for ropes?

http://justropes.com

 

And they have an awesome coupon code: 20% off

RBG2011

[PandaExpress]

I have one of these guys.

 

http://www.backcountry.com/beal-rando-30m-dry-cover-rope?CMP_SKU=BEA0010&MER=0406&CMP_ID=GAN_GPLA&003=8219600&010=BEA0010-PETBL-ONESIZ&mr:trackingCode=B19421DA-F061-DF11-9DA0-002219319097&mr:referralID=NA&mr:adType=pla&mr:ad=32930638185&mr:keyword=&mr:match=&mr:filter=55454426145&origin=pla&gclid=CIPnmrbhr7YCFREwzQodvkgATA

 

 

[mountainsandsound]

I have an 8.5 mm 50 meter half rope for glacier travel. A lot of people use 30 meter ropes for glacier travel and I won't knock that, but I would imagine the short length might be a hindrance when setting up a dropped loop haul system.

[joshr]

A 30m rope is sufficient for a three person team on Rainier. I've used one all over the Cascades and Olympics for both two and three person glacier rope teams with no problems.

 

Granted, if you simply plan on charging up the slope without regard to your surroundings or terrain, a longer rope might be nice because you're increasing your chances of falling in; but in the end, it is all personal preference.

[mountainsandsound]

If the plan is using a Z pulley system to extract someone, a 30m would be long enough. But after some practice sessions, I really prefer the dropped loop haul system. It addresses the problem of the rope becoming entrenched in the lip, which will likely be a huge pain in the ass unless the snow is very firm. And drawing it out on paper, I don't see how a 30m rope could make a dropped loop system with mechanical advantage.

 

A 40 or 50 meter rope would be heavier sure, but it wouldn't make or break your trip and you would have more options.

 

As far as your brand question, mine is an Edelrid Kestrel that I bought for a ridiculous sale price from gearx.com a couple years ago. It's been working well for me.