Hey this may be an ignorant question/concern but after a winter mountaineering trip we got caught in a snow storm, our ropes and gear (leashes and quickdraws) got soaked and froze up a few times. After the trip I washed the ropes in a front loading washing machine with rope cleaning solution. I did my best to dry out the ropes but they were still damp, and I had to travel. I stored the ropes under wool blanket in my car. The damp ropes most likley froze up after a few nights (almost a week) in my cold car parked in Utah. Are my ropes and gear still safe to use? Its all dried out now and looks clean and safe. Thanks a lot in advance and happy new year.

All the best, Michael

Freezing a rope does not impact it as far as I know. At least I hope so, because I freeze my ropes every time I go ice or winter alpine climbing.

I imagine that using a rope *while* it's frozen is a bit like using it right after dragging it through deep sand - the little bits of water caught between rope fibers are now frozen solid, and those ice crystals are probably causing the rope to wear out a little bit faster than it otherwise would. But as ExcitableBoy points out, that's just normal use for many people. Don't sweat it. As for freezing when not in use, don't even give it a second thought.

Thanks so much guys!

yeppers it'll speed up the normal decay, but its still normal