A1 and I were talking about how long he should use his rope. Google that bad boy topic and you'll find lots of info.
Here's an edited summary - by me - of the UIAA's testing:
- Ropes cannot break in the tie in knot, or at the running belay.
- There have been no known rope failures in sport climbing.
- UV radiation does not damage ropes. Nylon is UV stabilized and only the color will be lost.
- Standing on a rope in the snow with crampons did no damage. Neither did standing on it on rock with a 75kg body weight. In a further test crampon points were forced right through the rope with no strength reduction/damage occurring!
- The suggested life span of 10 years which has been given for ropes is to help the user determine life span . ...aging itself would not cause a rope to break, unless it was loaded over a sharp edge.
Official report from UIAA here. More detailed summary of the above is here with added discussion. I think, if you're worried about your rope, get a new one. (Or borrow one of mine. I've got two new ones in reserve.) Of course, the usual blah, blah, blah applies: climbing is unsafe, don't do it, don't listen to anyone else's advice - including mine. And most importantly, if you do it and you get hurt, call my brother 'cuz he's an attorney.
3 comments:
Very interesting and informative article Richard! From what I gather, unless you soak your rope in acid or are taking falls over knife-edges, the rope is safe. Good news, as I just used mine to trim a tree, tow my car into the shop, and tie-up the dog.
Aaron, it's good to see you found some use for your rope. I knew it'd be good for something.
Also, if you soak your rope overnight in urine, it loses about 30% of the strength. So don't take it to parties where a lot of drinking is going on. Unless you're there to tie people up. Then be sure to post the photos.
oh I missed you guys, wish I had a rope in France. I did see some climbers!
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