Surely, if a rope loses elasticity, then it follows that its ability to dissipate kinetic energy is reduced. (decelleration rate would be increased, subjecting it to higher tensile load). Thus it would be weaker.

Good thread. I'm kind of curious as well, because I almost never fall on my ropes and sometimes keep them a little longer perhaps than I should, because they look and feel fine and to all examination are okay. Still, it does seem like you could draw a good line at 5 years or so, even for ropes with little use and wear... hell, it's not too damned expensive and it is your life....

ksolem wrote:Finally we locate the climb and start getting ready. Tucker pulls out the very rope I had retired to the dumpster, looks me in the eye and says “I cannot understand why someone would throw a perfectly good rope in the trash.”

So, did you climb with it?

jibmaster wrote:Took it to Hull Mt. for emergency towing one time.

Had this happen, too. An old rope that I wouldn't use any more, but I used it for towing a couple times. Third time, I was trying to winch a friend out of the Gila river, and it did break. Never seen a climbing rope just snap like that.

A rope that has been properly stored for 6-7 years is likely to be in much better state than one that has been moderately used for one year.

Ropes do not only age because of falls. Rappelling and top roping contribute significantly because the rope makes sharp bends under tension. There was a paper on the subject at a "Nylon and Ropes" conference a few years ago (2002): "Safety loss of mountaineering ropes by lowering cycles in toprope climbing," by Wolfram Vogel.

Also, check this. Search for the "Squeezing" heading under "Belay Device Theory, Testing and Practice." (It's a long page.) See what using two biners with your rappel device may do to your rope.

I suspect the UIAA report CClaude refers to is this.

Andinistaloco wrote:Good thread. I'm kind of curious as well, because I almost never fall on my ropes and sometimes keep them a little longer perhaps than I should, because they look and feel fine and to all examination are okay. Still, it does seem like you could draw a good line at 5 years or so, even for ropes with little use and wear... hell, it's not too damned expensive and it is your life....

ksolem wrote:Finally we locate the climb and start getting ready. Tucker pulls out the very rope I had retired to the dumpster, looks me in the eye and says “I cannot understand why someone would throw a perfectly good rope in the trash.”

So, did you climb with it?

Yeah. No falls though for sure, and it was more like pulling a fire hose up the route than a rope...