Hi Spers,

I will climb in Peru this summer and I want to upgrade to a new ultra-light single dry rope.

I will like to have the lightest single 70 meters rope with dry coating for alpine climbing (Cordillera Blanca).

Mammut Serenity (52 grams per meter) 8.9mm is one of my choice.
Beal Joker (53 grams per meter) 9.1mm is my other.

Have you ever owned or tried one of these? What will be the best choice? Do you know any other model that could suit for me?

Both are same price (around 200$).

Thanks a lot guys,

STBOO

heck, for alpine climbing? I use both those ropes for routes day in and day out for cragging upto free climbing wall routes. On one of my favorite routes right now, when I flub it up I'll take long falls. When the fall should be 20ft, due to rope stretch I'll end up going 30ft with these two thin ropes. Thats the only down side. For alpine climbing they are more then sufficient. I've also used 9mm x 100m ropes for technical routes (you can run massive pitches and still do 50m raps).

I love my Mammut Serenity for mixed alpine, multi-pitch rock and ice cragging. Sometimes I take it to the sport crag if I don't anticipate a lot of TR use. It seems plenty durable for my once-a-month usage. My brother has the Sterling Nano and likes it as well. I feel like the Mammut has maintained its supple feel longer and has a more effective dry treatment.

I won't officially "suggest" it, but I've been known to run a half rope on alpine ice routes/glacier travel/easy alpine rock; Mammut Phoenix for example. You can go pretty light that way. I like the 9x100 suggestion too.

Why would you take a single rope to Peru? 60m doubles are the way to go, or even 70m doubles. A single 70m rope is probably the worst choice. On easy glacier routes (e.g. Pisco, Chopicalqui), one 60m 8.0-8.5mm double rope is fine. For more technical routes (e.g. Alpamayo, Artesonraju), you definitely need 2 ropes (60m or 70m).

Snowy wrote:I won't officially "suggest" it, but I've been known to run a half rope on alpine ice routes/glacier travel/easy alpine rock; Mammut Phoenix for example. You can go pretty light that way. I like the 9x100 suggestion too.

+1
I use a single half rope a lot for easier alpine routes.

Thanks guys

I will be using 2 ropes for climbing and rappelling. The idea of a 100m rope is great too. Twin rope system is also a good and very light way to have longer ropes for rappels.

You seriously help my choice.

Using a 100m rope is really only worthwhile if you are doing a difficult (ok, the word difficult is very subjective) like Chacaraju or Taulliraju where you are going to be belaying almost every pitch. Its a lot of rope (it comes in at around 13 or 15lbs of rope) and a PITA to deal with for glacier travel (both people end up coiling a hell of a lot of rope). It does make the technical stuff go faster since you are only constructing 1/2 of the belay stations that you would normally.

squishy wrote:Mammut Serenity and a 8mm tag line...

+1--my set up on Illampu in Bolivia.

Haliku wrote:

squishy wrote:Mammut Serenity and a 8mm tag line...

+1--my set up on Illampu in Bolivia.

Have also used this system. If you really want to shave ounces use a thinner tag line (I've used 6mm, although it is easy to get tangled if the raps aren't clean).

I use a 7mm dry cord for a tagline - works well, can tangle if you aren't careful.

I posted this before - PMI makes a very still cord that I think would be perfect, in 7mm only. Their accy cord is alreay stiff, so this must be really beefy. If I was using 6mm I'd use PMI for sure.

http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=52048

I've used mammut serenity and found the sheath too susceptible to abrasion damage. Won't be buying it again.

Muddeer wrote:I've used mammut serenity and found the sheath too susceptible to abrasion damage. Won't be buying it again.

Agreed. I found the same thing. It's definitely not meant for cragging. I'd only recommend it if weight was a critical issue. Something slightly heavier (e.g. Infinity) will hold up better.

Stboo wrote:I will like to have the lightest single 70 meters rope with dry coating for alpine climbing (Cordillera Blanca).

Mammut Serenity (52 grams per meter) 8.9mm is one of my choice.
Beal Joker (53 grams per meter) 9.1mm is my other.

I've owned the Serenity, and I think it is a very very good rope. I found that the sheath got dinged up just as other super skinny cords I've owned, but it was really good for me.

That said, I would recommend the Sterling Nano which weighs 53g/m.

I tried a Serenity last a few years ago, and comparing it to this year's Nano, I think the dry treatment and the durability on the Nano is better, but I also know well that it is totally unfair to compare old to new.

I must say that I got the ropes I'm talking about for free or in trade (i make backpacks) and I am not thinking of price when i'm opening my big keyboard and typing away.

YMMV, I hope it helps rather than confuses!

squishy wrote:Now the real question is, which is the best 8mm cord/tag line to go along with it?

Shoot. I'm going to sound like I'm in love with Sterling. Which I am, but I cheat on them all the time -- for instance, while I like their dogbones, I prefer Petzl's and CAMP's...anyway

I use a 7mm Sterling Polyester tag line. I buy it on the 100 meter roll, and I imagine (absolutely no real proof or anything like that here...) that the Polyester works better in a wet environment better. And I've never asked Sterling whether that's true or not either...hmm.

I also must recommend that if you use an autoblock, kleimheist or similar that you at least check out the Sterling hollow block which I've linked to a review of over on splitterchoss.com (have you watched the aid climbing rant?) I swear by these things.