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Gafoto, where did ya'll go in ref to this photo?

I know the OP took a tougher route than reqired... but I'm reading a guidebook that suggests just 60' (not 60m) for N Palisade from the west, and that for top belays and handlines. I've decided never to do belays with a significant horizontal component.

For the question about significant falls onto a single 8mm, ask Dow. If I remember right he took a 120ft winger onto one in the Canadian Rockies.

What I take into alpine situations depends on the route.If its a glacier slog like Rainer with 1 other partner I take a 40mx9mm rope since a longer rope will just be coiled anyways. If its mostly technical ice like


I bring either 70m 8mm x 2 ropes or a 100m x 9mm single rope (makes for long pitches but if it gets tangled, man is it a cluster#$%^).

For technical rock routes like this (or tthose that are longer)

I am using a 9.5mm x 80m rope nowadays. For rapping lately I have been coupling it with a 6mm powerline (a specialty rope). The first time I've used that setup to rap was rapping off Golden Spike in Sedona with Jason Nelson, but I figure he's done it on big stuff in Alaska and he has maybe 30-40lbs on me. The first rap on the rig 600ft off the ground was still a bit scarey.

A5RP wrote:Gafoto, where did ya'll go in ref to this photo?
snip

Pretty sure we went to the right, up to the top of the chimney. The first pitch was the very off-route issue.

Interesting post. Being almost exclusively an alpine climber, my issue has always been weight. I have a 10mm, 60m rope for cragging, but everytime I coil it, I feel the extra weight, it weights a ton, it seems. I would not bring that into the mountains. So for me on technical alpine terrain, 50 meters x 2 of the thinnest half ropes is the ticket. The shorter length is less of a problem than the extra weight in the longer versions. This set up allows me to ice climb in the mountains, alpine technical terrain is fine with this and if I need a rope on easy terrain, I just bring one of the thin ropes. Works for me.
Also,it allows me to carry one rope and my partner to carry the second one, a certain small element of safety as well as weight sharing...

I bring two 7,9mm x 50m half/double ropes, or just the 1 as asmrz stated.
I own a 8,0mm x 30m line that I orginally bought for glaciers, and have used occassionally, but in general like the 50m line for the extra length, when if its coiled and carried.
Then when going steeper, having a half rope setup is a little easier for avoiding rope drag and splitting up the weight. Although it does make the commands and rope handling more challenging, especially if it is windy (and windy).

Mammut 8.9 Serenity 60 Dry. The lightest/thinest Single Rated Rope on the market. I use one for fast alpine gigs.

http://www.mammut.ch/en/productDetail/2 ... enity.html

On new obscure alpine territory ice gigs, my partner and I will use one of these on lead and carry along a 60 7.5 Twilight Twin stashed in the pack just in case. As Alois mentioned, pays to have redunancy when shit hits the fan and a fast retreat is called for in order to keep your ass alive.

A5RP wrote:Mammut 8.9 Serenity 60 Dry. The lightest/thinest Single Rated Rope on the market. I use one for fast alpine gigs.

http://www.mammut.ch/en/productDetail/2 ... enity.html

On new obscure alpine territory ice gigs, my partner and I will use one of these on lead and carry along a 60 7.5 Twilight Twin stashed in the pack just in case. As Alois mentioned, pays to have redunancy when shit hits the fan and a fast retreat is called for in order to keep your ass alive.

Wow! 52 g/meter? That IS light!

love my mammut serenity 70m. or i'll take one 8.5 sterling 60m double.

Gafoto wrote:

A5RP wrote:

He led way off route and we ended up zig-zagging all over fifth class terrain.

I recommend that one stay on route or well within ones capabilities and that of the rope that one brings ("Single" Half rope). I do not say this only for the sake of the rope. Rather for the sake of the team. Fking up in the BC can be very costly especially if this is their venture on a particular route.

Certainly didn't mean to get off route, my partner just ended up taking a slight deviation for the first pitch. Nothing we couldn't handle in terms of climbing but the whole situation with the rope didn't make me feel great.

My partner led fairly short pitches and even with that minimal distance between us communication was tricky. Seeing how windy the routes are in the sierra it seems like a 50m would be a better choice.

Windy in the Sierra? Lol.....ever climbed in Wyoming?

Sterling 9.8mm. I don't like making things more complicated than necessary. I'll haul the extra weight for the piece of mind. OLD school. People have climbed higher with heavier!

long and more serious routes, Mammut Genesis 8.5mm doubles at 60m. Sierra and cascades, Mammut Infinity 9.5mm superdry 60m. and now i'm going to go f*ck. Happy St.Valentine's Day

Mammut Serenity...well, it will be very soon!

It's the lightest 70m single rope you can buy

Good stuff, guys. Interesting to see all the different methods. I'm torn on the 60M half ropes at 8.0mm, or the 9.4ish 70M for the alpine. Management is tough with the half ropes, but rope drag/raps are so much nicer.

If you're using a thin line matched with a single for rappelling, what's your method of choice for the anchor? Are you just tying them together and rapping per normal? Using the thin line to disengage a knot in the larger rope, and then pulling? I wonder what he safest way is?