by Autoxfil » Sat Dec 24, 2011 2:34 pm
Controlling speed won't be an issue, even at your size. My partner is over 200lb and he raps on a 9.2 single strand all the time.
The 9.8 is not much more weight than the 9.2, but will offer a lot more durability. That's the tradeoff - falling on or rapping on a really skinny rope wears them out fast.
This is my personal approach. Others may disagree, but it works for me:
11mm - beater top-rope rope, aid soling. Takes huge abuse without complaint.
10mm - general use. Lots of cragging, single/multi-pitch, my go-to rope when I think I'm gonna whip.
9mm single - long alpine climbs with big approach and hard climbing. Light, easy to pull through a device at the belays, but tough enough for real climbing.
8 or 8.5mm double as single - 4th class, steep snow/easy ice. This is what I bring when we might rope up, but we might not. I certainly never plan on falling on it, and probably not even rapping.