The Chief wrote:mrchad9 wrote:Bob Burd wrote:My point is that mountaineering involves a great many tradeoffs and it's simply impossible to say that having a 60m rope is always better than having a 30m rope.
You seem to have a really hard time understanding that point. Just because someone doesn't do something your way doesn't mean that they are unsafe. It doesn't even mean that your way is better. Don't be so butthurt everyone doesn't do things the exact same way you do.
The Manufactures of those 30m cords specifically state NOT TO BE USED FOR MOUNTAINEERING OR ROCKCLIMBING!
Thus Bob Burds post goes counter what the manufactures instructions dictate. Just cus Bob Burd says it so, does not make it safe either.
I have learned to use all my gear according to how an what the manufacture intends/instructs it to be used for. I DO NOT IMPLEMENT unsafe mannerism of using it to make things lighter nor faster. That practice kills as evidenced by the many of the latest operational fatalities throughout the mountaineering and climbing community in the past 5 or so years.
I think the problem is that the manufacturers are thinking of "climbing" differently-- several pitches on 5.scary, lots of vertical rock with a potential for fall factors >0.5. They would rather people do that with two 8.2mm ropes, or one 10.5 mm rope.
I think what the OP meant was: a section or two of 4+ that gets in the way of the summit and the return, and the rope is most likely to be used on the return. Canyoneers do some pretty long rappels off 8.2mm ropes with pull lines; but they rarely load the rope with much more force than static body weight. But then again, the rope is typically static.
The most useful emergency gear is that which you will actually carry. If weight is a major factor in your decisions, and you have just one heavy rope, then you may choose not to take a rope at all (and later regret it). Or you may take the heavy rope and leave out emergency bivy stuff, which could be the gear that saves your life.