Cut Resistance of Climbing Ropes Analysed
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- Sharp Carabiners and or Rock formations poses a bigger danger to Climbers than many might think.
Although complete Rope snaps are very very rare, but unfortunately it happens and it's important to take care of our equipment - so it could take care of us.
And also be aware of surrounding nature to avoid falling, swinging or lowering over Sharp Rock Formations.
This is part two of me nerding with Rope experts from @MAMMUT
Part 1 here: • Lab Test - How Soft is...
Also Huge thanks to Hanna for coming over and helping me to film this:
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Because that makes a big difference and is the main reason that allows me do this project!
Deep Thanks!
Ben
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It would be nice to get an interview with a company that does offer Unicore ropes, I feel like they would give a more open opinion about the benefits of unicore rope and not skirt the question like the Mammut rep did.
I'm new to climbing and every single comment is an essential piece of this world. Thanks
What if the rope identifies as a lion as well as dental floss? Wouldn't that be mind boggling?
@@lookwithin-god3syou580 what do you mean? Every measureable improvement, even the more slight is an improvement. If you are talking about life I'm an happy costumer that spend 50 bucks more for a little bit riable rope
It was a metaphor to humanities lack of self value/understanding. No worries and may peace be upon all for self appreciation by being a gift of God.
@@lucailvec SMILE YOU'RE LOVED AND BEAUTIFUL.
HUGE props to the Mammut guy for mentioning Edelrid @6:35 without hesitation. One of the (totally anecdotal) things I've always loved about the climbing industry is that general respect and camaraderie between manufacturers.
Edelrid makes a great product! Mammut does as well I think they all have safety in mind and these companies dont cheaps out on products so all you can do is coexist
I like to think that most of the manufacturers just have different flavours of similar products - tweak in functionality and ease-of use appears to be the innovations - but many equipment operating principles are the same. I have my preferences - but I don't think there's an outdoor climber out there who doesn't have a mix-n-match kit of DMM/Edelrid/BD/Petzl/Metolius/Mammut in their kit bag - because no one brand has the be-all and end-all product range.
Also - they are in the market of keeping people alive - don't really think anyone wants to see fatal accidents as marketing leverage - its good that they play the game to make equipment better.
Ah, I was scratchig my head who the hell "Hillary" is 🤣🤣🤣.
I should have switched the subtitles off...
I'm a sailor, not a climber, and it's absolutely wild to me how differently we think about ropes. We even use a different word!
I know fellow sailor here i was looking at that carabeaner and thinking: halve the lines on the ship go over a corner like that on every tack! I think it has to do with the tension when stuff runs over corners for climbers they only think about falls where theres a lot of tension when its only the slack side that runs over stuff onboard and if it fails people curse the bosun out but normally no one dies on board but someone probably dies on the wall
Climbing ropes are pretty much like bungee jumping ropes. Made to stretch a lot. I'm pretty certain the lines on a boat are not supposed to give way in the same fashion and are quite a bit stiffer.
@@bernhardlangers778 Actually, most sailing boats are the same dyneema ropes as are used for climbing. This is because if a strong wind gust swoops over the mast and sail, then the mast will want to move, without elastic ropes the mast would break.
@@jackpotitdyneema is not so elastic and climbing ropes uses different materials 😉
@@drGremi dyneema is the same rope, u can try using google next time. There are even videos of people climbing the mast using these ropes, u know...
It's worth adding that although the climber in the BMC video survived he landed on the belayer and they were quite badly hurt. I personally thought it a bit reckless climbing on a single as the fall was obvious and the FA (Steve Mcclure) knew this and actually tied on with THREE ropes for the FA.
A video of the FA if anyone is interested czcams.com/video/QDTAKVUE_g4/video.html
Thanks for extra info!
If Steve does that you know it is a very serious situation!
The climber had unfortunately only seen the video of Pearson, who was going with 2 half ropes running through all the gear (basically, same risk). Steve was smarter...
@@calenell So when you run multiple ropes do you not go for every quickdraw?
One thing I think is fairly common that you've overlooked in the testing and that is a ding/burr in a carabiner from say smashing into a rock a few times or wear and tear over time.
It wouldn't have to be big but it could be potentially razor sharp under stress.
Something to consider
I agree. That's why it's important to carefully inspect safety equipment before use and also after to check for damage.
I feel like if a climber doesn't say least look for burs/dings, they should never be a climber. Or, otherwise will not be a climber for long... Which may be making your point.
In volcanic soil, extremely fine grit can embed itself in a rope and act as abrasive when the rope is pulled through a carabiner or belay ring. I have seen the cold shuts at the top of route in Owens Gorge that have been half worn through for that very reason.
Unicore has the massive advantage that even when you get a cut on the sheath that you will not be exposing a large amount of the core, hence the odds of cutting the core are much lower.
This would mean, that the shown fall with the cut rope, would probably not have happened with a Unicore rope. Do you agree?
It would be interesting to see similar videos done with a rope company that has unicore ropes. Mamut's employee's response to it was just, well the only benefit to unicore doesn't matter because we don't have sheath slippage. Of course mamut won't praise a technology that they don't utilize.
@@drqazlop i agree. I am a mammut stan but her response was entirely inadequate
@@pr3historic647 that response was marketing bullshit, there are literally videos and tests showing how superior unicore really is
@@Simon-kx6yr I believe so as the part where the core is showing would be tiny and then the rope would be back to rubbing the sheath along the sharp edge. You would still need to retire the rope but the climber would not be hitting the deck.
Thanks. This is a very important topic!
The example of the snapped rope is from Michele Caminati in 2017 who was climbing on the "Elder Statesman" for the camera after he has successfully done the first repetition of the route the previous day. It was well known that Steve McClure used 3! single ropes on the routes very first ascent in 2004. It was quite ignorant of Michele to do it with only one rope as this particular danger was well known and obvious. Especially as this is a 5.14 route where normally no beginner gets lost!
Would be cool to see video examples of live rocks that you think are sharp edges, versus ones that aren't?
This was so informative. I'm a novice climber. I've been to gyms a bunch but only started climbing outside last week. I didn't realize how easy it can be for terrain to break a rope. That climber falling scared the shit out of me because I climbed a route with a lot of edges a couple days ago. I only top rope climb right now but good reminder to always check the equipment before clipping in when I try out lead climbing
My father says we should always put jute sacks bags on edge of the snow else rope gets cut.
It actually is really difficult for terrain to break the rope.
I'm not a climber, and I have no idea why CZcams recommended this video for me to watch. I did find it interesting and I wonder how the modern nylon ropes you show compare with the old style hemp ropes. Also, considering what I saw of the wear on the carabiner made from aluminium alloy made me wonder if the same thing would happen with an older and heavier steel carabiner.
Its always a trade off, the newer gear tends to be lighter but less durable.
The older gear is heavier but more durable.
IMO in good conditions the new style gear is the obvious choice, but the durability of older style gear helps in non ideal conditions.
If it's a fixed permanent carabiner, then you really want nonreactive metals, not steel that would rust over time and possibly suffer a catastrophic failure. If it's part of your personal gear, you should be checking them over and taking note of any potentially dangerous edges that are forming with use.
@@Keenath good point
Same
So glad the safety benefits of thicker rope were pointed out - i need to buy some for my lead training next month so I'll definitely be avoiding the ultra-thin ones! Helpful as always Ben, thanks!
Yea I personally don't go under 9.5 if I want my rope to last or would climb in some sketchy places :)
I’m a total beginner and I got 9.8 mm one.
Better to err on the safe side.
@@HardIsEasy the bigger mm the rope is stronger? Buy it wont hold in ascenders lol
I haven't climbed since 1981, and a lot has changed. We climbed on 11 or 12mm or 2 x 9 or 10mm ropes, the technology has moved on considerably, thanks.
I’m with you Andrew. I stopped climbing in about 1980 as I left the Search & Rescue Unit. We used 9/16” Goldline for strength and would never use Kermantle rope but if we did it was at least 12mm. Even a strong as our gear was, we still protected it from sharp edges and inspected every rope inch by inch for wear. We used to have a saying for sportclimbers that used anything less than 10mm and our old aluminum carabiners were larger in diameter and round providing less bend & friction for the rope than modern carabiners. I think the Sport Climber crowd have pushed this ultra-lite gear a little too far when one static fall can break your rope..
Thank you for your videos, as a beginner I appreciate people like you that go deep into real life issues, instead if just "scratching the surface"
A note about "colour" on aluminium alloys.
A lot of aluminium is coloured by a process called anodizing. Anodizing in itself is transparent and actually a form of aluminium oxide. But this oxide is also very hard, has rather low friction and is abrasive resistant (it is also used as an abrasive for metals and is the actual material called sapphire).
So conclusion: Colour on aluminium is not only for decoration and if the colour is worn off the metal might start to wear a lot faster as well as wear the rope faster.
(Anodizing is a science in itself with varying thickness, when/if dye is added and probably a ton more which I don't know of).
Uuu thanks for sharing! Interesting!
true, but the anodized layer wears off SOOO quickly on carabiners. Lower a couple people, and its pretty much gone in the spot that matters. Especially if your rope is dirty, the dirt/sand in your rope drags over the carabiner, cutting into it like sand paper
@@natebracalente2754 Not all are anodized, some just use a (transparent) paint to look anodized and anodizing can be done to different thicknesses and quality levels.
But one thing is sure - bare aluminium wears faster then anodized (and simple paint a lot faster still).
The anodization used on consumer products like carabiners is a dyed Type II anodization. The thickness of the anodic layer is typically around half a thousandth of an inch (around 13 microns) which is ~1/6 the diameter of a human hair. For this application, the anodization can be considered entirely aesthetic, and I wouldn't attribute much if any performance benefit to the coating. A more functional coating is Type III anodization, which is done under a different process and produces an anodic coating with a thickness up to 10x thicker than that of Type II anodization. Type III anodization is used in industrial applications, is not typically dyed, and is used to increase hardness, increase wear resistance, and decrease friction coefficient of treated parts.
@@denniszhang9278 yes, flashlights for example have a type iii anodizatiom
Great vid, thank you!
I think it's important to point out that the sharp-edged carabiner wear is *only* an issue on *fixed* draws.
For your "normal" draws, you will be constantly swapping them onto different routes and placing them in different positions - so every draw will experience wear from a rope wrapping around it in different angles, including 360° when falling or lowering off a vertical section. This will lead to a nice, round wear pattern - you should obviously still check the rope-side biners and replace them when enough of the aluminum has worn away, but you should never find sharp edges if properly used.
The issue shows up in fixed draws since they are sometimes only worn down with the rope wrapping at one specific, low angle - say 220° - like in the case described.
So - if climbing on fixed draws, it's healthy be paranoid. Check the carabiners, and even more important, check any *textiles*, especially if the sling is sometimes in the sunlight. (there are some scary tests by the german alpine club as well as ryan over at hownot2). Ideally, put in you own gear anyway, although this can be a pain as routes with fixed draws are usually massively overhanging.
If you are equipping a route with fixed draws, consider investing into steel biners with chains, where there is no sling degradation and much less wear on the biners.
EDIT spelling, clarity.
I had Petzl Spirit draws that got sharp grooves after a few years of sport climbing on them. So you should look out for sharp edges even on your standard draws.
I took a old piece of rope and made the edges smooth again by hanging straight down on the piece of rope with my hands and moving the rope back and forth very fast.
Are indoor fixed draws dangerous?
@@danidani7463 In theory, yes, they have the same problem.
In practice, indoor fixed draws should be made of steel and regularly maintained - ask your local gym if you are feeling unsure.
There have been exceptions: I know of one case in a gym in prague in 2008 (I can't post a link, but you can google it). A rope was completely severed falling on the first draw. The gym was using aluminum biners and apparently wasn't regularly checking them.
@@johannessporer I had the same problem with the Spirits I have, they started wearing out way too fast so I stopped using them as first draw, anchors or below roofs quite quickly. I got a DMM revolver wiregate to use for the first draw on most routes, it helps a lot
@@danidani7463 Only if the gym doesn't take care of the equipment. Always inspect your equipment, even/especially if it's fixed in place or provided to you.
I am new to climbing (2 years but among lockdowns), I climb indoor boulder only, I climbed outdoor just once (super fun experience). And the reason why is I have not enough knowledge about safety. I met a lot of people that leart from one guy how to lead climb and/or how to set up top rope anchors and than they started to climb by themselves. I think this Is the best way to get hurt.
I have not fear of falling, I feel safe using ropes and all the gear, but from this video I understeand more about the danger of bad attention and bad management of ropes and to pay more attention using them (when I will have to).
A few years ago i had my rope sheet get cut in multiple spots after a few second falls followed by using a rope ascending device to get past the crux. Just rubbing against crystals was enough to cut the sheet.
So it is important to watch your rope at all times! Even when top roping
Not a climber. I try to keep my potential energy to a minimum. Y'all are nuts.
Love your accents.
Great video! Thanks for the knowledge! That carabiner edge cutting rope like butter will make me inspect my carabiners more that's for sure
I love free information. Especially when it can save lives. Thank you
You just made me run through all my carabiners and check them. I'd also be interested to see if there is a life span for tube style devices (reverso, ATC) and when should we retire them. The middle part underneath can also get sharp at one point.
My reverso and corresponding carabiner got really sharp after about 10 years of use (but I guess mostly due to rappelling down multipitch routes)
Man you're f***in' awesome! I'm not even a rock climber, just a mountaineer, yet I feel already an "expert" in terms of carabiners, ropes, gri-gris, falls, and it all begun from a random video of yours I ran into at CZcams one lazy day! Keep up the GREAT work Ben, you ROCK my world! (see what I did there with the word "rock", huh? 😛)
Lovely comment, Thanks!
The body of the carabiner should always be round where the rope runs against it. That greatly extends the amount of wear it takes to form an edge. Flat or eye shaped sides will firm an edge quite quickly.
Great video
You’ve likely saved lives with this one.
Perfect content like always.
I'll never understand why people try to save 50 or 100 bugs, instead of decreasing a rope cut which could cost your life.
I don't think anyone is consciously risking their lives over a few $. However, I (and I assume many others) like to retire gear when it makes sense, not at the slightest sign of wear - we live in a world of finite resources, so unnecessarily throwing stuff away doesn't seem sensible or moral.
Which is why I appreciate content like this. It gives me information to make informed choices about what to keep and what to retire. Thanks!
The woman at the end of the video was obviously trying to downplay the benefits of the Unicore. She was only referring to sheath slippage on an intact rope. The benefit of the Unicore really comes into play when the sheath is cut, the benefit of a Unicore is obvious over a non Unicore.
The realization in her eyes in the beginning... be mindful of your carabiner. I also like the interviews you had with the pros.
Got told a terrifying story by an instructor about a death because someone was organizing ropes in the parking lot of the gym. Someone had run over a battery, so they unknowingly placed the rope in battery acid that was still on the pavement.
Rope snapped on the fall. Terrifying shit man
The algorithm has blessed you my friend. I'm pretty happy with it myself, super interesting stuff! It's always fascinating to get a deeper look at something I'd normally not think about
I took a high-level rescue rope class (circa 1978) which included rappeling' traversing with a self made(from scrap pieces of rope) harness and shoulders sling and traversing in a Stokes basket. We made several hundred rappels and the other moves. We had to complete 3 trips for each fireman/EMT to qualify. We used a single 3/4 inch ( 19mm) Goldline rope from a 100 ft. tower. We were told not to worry because the concrete pad would break our fall if the rope broke or we tied a substandard boliine. That rope was brittle and slick from friction, stress, and heat. I realize how foolish it was later, but it got me interested in rock climbing and bouldering. On the plus side, you only had to mess up one time, therefore we paid close attention to the instructors.
You can rappel past a damaged sheathe on a unicore rope. Thats why i use them for ice climbing. A sport with blades everywhere, it is way safer
Another of many reasons I no longer climb on water in any form!
You can do it on any rope really. Just isolate the damaged part into an alpine butterfly knot and pass it using prusiks.
Im a safety professional, not a climber, but this is a very helpful bit of information for me in my profession. Thank you!
Hi,
Nice video!
Would definitely be interested to see you do an in depth investigation into the effects of your testing on unicore rope…and also study specifically the recorded accidents on unicore ropes and whether they were used as single or doubles…
I am not sure why CZcams recommended this to me but it was fascinating to watch. I have the utmost respect for this hobby but it is a passion I cannot even begin to fathom.
Amazing content all these videos! I love the fact he's pronouncing sheath correctly and then straight away the lady says "sheth" lol
I use a 11mm 24 strand arborist climbing rope for the climbing I do but I have been following your channel for a short time now and have learned so much
Thank you CZcams algorithm. My fascination with carabiners ignited again. And this is really educational. Thank you for this video.
lol I never plan on climbing but i guess I do spend a lot of time outdoors and it wouldn't hurt to know this stuff. Mostly I just think this is interesting, thanks for making this.
It might be worth mentioning the Bulletproof line of carabiners and quickdraws from Edelrid. They have a steel insert on the rope side which should prevent deep grooves from forming, while not being ridiculously heavy. I've never tried them, but they looked interesting.
For fixed gear that stays in place surely the benefits of weight are negligible and therefore why not use steel (also i own a bulletproof, i do rather like it)
I use the Bulletproof carbines to set up top rope anchors and even after 2 years of use for top rope outside they still look almost new, about a 1-2 mm flat spot in the middle.
I have 2 bullet proves quickdraws,
One for the first bolt and one for the last (or the crux)
I have the Edelrid HMS BULLETPROOF SCREW FG carabiner for belaying with my Mammut Smart Alpine belay device. With normal aluminium carabiners the wear is way too high.
I've also started using the bulletproof draws for 1st and the anchors and it has slowed down the wear on the set of DMM draws considerably. Using a bulletproof HMS carabiner and Jul for belaying has also given the benefit of not getting that black streak on the rope from aluminum wear into the rope.
Adding in a few of the bulletproof carabiners is likely going to pay for itself in a few years by not needing to replace other gear more often. Plus, they are just nice carabiners when compared to the other 'high end' options.
Very cool video!! I think it is great that companies like beal (unicore) and edelrid (protect) are doing things to improve the safety of ropes, especially skinny ropes! Watching the unicore and protect test videos was enough for me to switch over and never go back.
It's worth mentioning that the sharp edge resistance of a rope quickly decresses with increasing loads/weight. In case of the accident with the swiss mountaineering guides in training, the fact that they were both on one rope was probably responsible for the accident. Lowering only one person over that edge would maybe have not lead to the rope failure.
well if you see a pronounced edge just rappel. and definitely not 2 people on the same strand
Also very possibly thin light rope
Tbh, this just really wants me to use twin/dual rope.
Not teaching people to inspect the gear is the biggest problem and most common factor in accidents. Knowing most accidents have multiple factors in the scenario, a failure to inspect and discard damaged gear somehow is very common among accident investigations.
Very interesting. Still have an old rope from the 1970s (used only for tie-downs). Thinking now of all the sharp edges it encountered during my serious climbing days.
Been watching the channel all day.
I wish you could do this content for ice and mountaineering.
I wrote in another comment: you should be a translator for technical specs in gear.
Congrats.
Great video, as always. Appreciate your work.
I honestly thank you for offering your hand. Really. Thank you.
I can't possibly have any more fear of falling. This changes nothing because I would never trust a little metal thing wedged into a brittle and somewhat unpredictable rock. So this doesn't make me any more or less concerned. I am however very concerned about your safety and I admire your courage. I don't think it stupid. It's inspiring. But I'm still too afraid.
Unicore ropes literally have an added layer of protection between the sheath and the core while completely preventing core slippage without trusting the... marketing (15:00).
Also, because they basically have a bonded core and sheath, the rope is essentially a whole which is, arguably ofc, much more resistant to violent snapping when a cut actually occurs during a fall.
I'm not a climber but I honestly can't see any reason not to use unicores.
Brilliant video as always. Thank you!
I like to use uni-core because I only solo and feel that when I fall, if the sheath tears at my rope catch on my harness, I might not slide down as much...hopefully. Also, thanks for your practice- falling videos and others. I was really struggling lead soloing and they drastically helped me start getting higher above my rope and the fall fear not hindering my upward progress. Thanks yall,
Zack from Tennessee
Jesus man, I don't sport ofter (trad mostly), but those videos are VERY usefull. Thanks a ton for the content. I have a lot of friends (some of them guides) that really get exciter over 8.9mm ropes et thin stuff, and I can't wait for them to see that.
I have exactly zero interest in rock climbing, but this channel is Interesting enough for me to watch more videos.
I love stumbling on niche subjects outside my expertise. Neat.
Carabiner-$12
Your life- priceless
Thanks for very informative content...and nice to see you with a fresh new pair of Testarossa on the wall!!😍
Haha :D Maybe I need to reach out to La Sportiva :DDDD
@@HardIsEasy you definitely should!given the quality of your contents they should be supporting you!
Btw, style check from Italy passed✅😂
Just jocking....but love your content and love Testarossa! Thanks
@@11airon11 Haha getting style approve from Italy is dope :))
Don't classify worn out gear as "sharp". Consider the radius the rope has to go over.
Any rope has a minimum radius it can handle and this radius is increased as the difference in direction increases (that's why large blocks are preferred in sailing for lines that need to move fast and a lot with large changes of direction).
As this radius gets smaller the difference between the tension on the outside and inside corners of the rope increases a lot, in extreme situation you will get compression on the inside which further will increase the (already high) tension on the outside and.... pop goes the sheath.
Yeah, the Mammut engineers should have mentioned this. Sure, the edge is a factor, but the rope will try to flatten/expand under load and gets pinched by the groove which further increases tension/stress.
The Mammut engineer did show a difference between a rounded over quick draw which has seen wear from being lowered off of a lot vs. the one that only saw use from the rope traveling across it and developing sharp edges on both sides.
Some worn out gear is blunted and some worn out gear is sharp.
@@alexnone5720 That wasn't my point. Both have grooves which cause additional stress by pinching, *especially* for thicker ropes.
@@juliandurchholz So you'd rather climb on thinner ropes on draws that are worn out like this?
@@alexnone5720 Edelrid's research suggests that load is a vastly bigger factor in rope cuts than diameter, so considering the pinching effect, maybe I would. More research is to be done, but since Mammut engineers only focused on the edge here, I'm not sure they're even aware.
No idea why google recommended this, but I’d be using all new equipment, every time
Wow. Looking at it, i probably would've clipped that carabiener if it was a perma-draw. Good to know.
16:10 yes, there are. With less than great ropes, after some time, because of all the core slipping, the rope looks in sections like a snake that's swallowed a big rat and that section gets harder to belay and really annoying. I bring my own rope to the climbing gym and had one that got like that, I couldn't wait to get rid of it. It was harder to belay, annoying to bring the climber down, etc.
I love the fact that you offer to imagine holding your hand... and the white hair
I have not been rock climbing in almost 40 years ever since the guide pushed me over the edge because I was taking too long going over, yes he got fired but he’s also the reason I have never gone again. His boss had to climb over the edge to help me down the rest of the way, I can not remember the actual hight in meters other than it was around 40 floors of a high rise building. We were meant to abseil down and then climb back up, it was a training exercise, I could not do that so we took the long slow hike back following the trail back,it took 4 hour to walk. The team members up top sent down food and water for the walk back. After watching this I never realised how close to death I was on that day, I do know that my fear of heights has gotten worse with age, I can not even climb up a step ladder any more past the 2nd step. I’m 59 now and only just learning what that day all those years ago has cost me ever since, if my arm had not been broken maybe I might have climbed backup and beaten my fear of heights but I was not able to climb up and by the time we walked back my fear had set in concrete.
That clip at 9:30 is chilling, it's a miracle the guy survived that fall. The damage he took from the fall must have been severe.
There was a large vertical crack maybe he jammed his hands in there and stopped himself. You can see he is looking toward the crack as he arcs around.
@@dannygjk it's pretty hard to see how high he was in this vid without being familiar with the route. If he escaped with minor injuries that would be incredible!
Hi there from the rope access industry the most dangerous thing we can ever do is run our ropes over sharp edges I have seen core shots from one rappel over a brick ledge stay safe !
I dont even climb but I watched the whole video. Nice job.
gonna put this out there but any thing that can break, when under tension will do so dramatically easier
Wow, that is shocking to find the standard is left to the manufacturer. I would have hoped that a standard was set that manufacturers would have to abide by, particularly as a person's life is dangling from that rope. There should be a standard set to abide by. There should be a minimum thickness of rope and set standard for carabinas too.
About 18 years ago a Check company called Roca used to sell the Tasmania or Tasman series in 10.5mm, 9.8mm and also 8.5mm. It was marketed as being able to with stand a factor 2 on an un protected 90 degree edge.
So far as I know that Mammut is not making ropes anymore, they sold all their rope braiding machines to Tuefelberger many years ago. I have used many ropes from different Europe brands, like Mammut, Beal, Edelrid, Millet, Singing rock, Tendon etc. The best rope for me is made by Beal, especially the rope with the unicore techniques. Joker 9.1mm unicore, Cobra 8.6mm feels perfect.
Makes ya want to use DMM Revolvers everywhere!
:)
8:40 WOW! good idea!
I cited this video in my research paper about climbing accidents 😁
The Jumar wud never slip like that under load, as u proved in your first demo. Interesting video. Thanks.
Interesting... I almost want to test this ...
I’ve done it quite a lot in rope access training. Certainly on a correct sized, semi-static rope, I’ve never seen them slip much. (Although they often damage the sheath). Would be interesting to see what happens on a thinner, dynamic rope?
@@lambchop83 Well this goes out of my current focus scope of sport climbing applications... I would never jumar on my Sport Climbing Ropes :))) Too much work and too much love for those ropes.
I'm not a climber, but I do Shibari. We typically use ~6mm jute rope with climbing carabiners for suspending people. I try to steer new riggers away from the lightweight carabiners because they are sometimes sharp enough to damage or break the rope. I personally use Black Diamond Rocklocks. We don't use our equipment to catch falls like climbers do, but I'll definitely still be on the lookout for wear on my gear like you showed.
You shouldn't use jute for suspension. A 6mm jute rope can only withstand about 200-300 lbs of force compared to 400 lbs for 6mm hemp and well over 1000 lbs for synthetics like Nylon and POSH while 6mm Amsteel handles an incredible 7,700 pounds. Poor knot choices and a large dynamic load can easily break a jute rope. Rule of thumb is that a knot reduces the strength of a rope by 50%, so 4 jute strands tied together can only withstand 400-600 lbs. With a 150 lb human dropping a foot there could easily be an impulse large enough to break that. Essentially all rope breaks during shibari are the result of using jute.
Thanks dude ... seriously considering taking up climbing and doing the research. 😎🇦🇺
I want to send you a piece of our local slate to test with! It's so sharp you dont even notice when it cuts you! I imagine some types of rock faces you'd never attempt!
I dont climb at all... yet i watched many of your vids. 👍 great science
4:40
Well....
That inspires confidence
I love your videos! This is an amazing video and love the interview.
Thank You sooo much! Can't wait to share more ;)
Amazing information thank you 😊
Thanks for the video! Definitely a great series. You should 100% try to talk to Don Lester from Sierra Rescue about all things rope related.
As a crane operator I would suggest that there is a lot to be learned from the Hoisting Industry. We use steel wire rope which is engineered and actually considered to be a 'machine'. A couple of rules we use are the diameter of the rope determines the radius of the pulley grooves (think carabiner), one inch rope needs a one inch pulley. Absolutely Zero sharp edges and never allow anything to touch the hoist line while under load. We also use Aramid and Nylon slings, very much like your ropes. Cuts or abrasion on a sling will cause it to be condemned by the safety officer. All hoisting wire rope, slings and metal shackles must by law be Safe Working Load certified. Good luck.
Yes I haven't watched the video yet but would like to know the distance of the fall, the breaking strength, and the condition of the rope. Problem with fall distance is the velocity isn't linear because the climber is subjected to acceleration. Naturally the rope has a limit on it's breaking strength so the safe fall distance also has a limit. Those carabiner clips also have a small radius so there is a lot of force focused on a small area/length so the rope can't stretch much which means extremely high deceleration if it's a long fall.
Maybe I will use a longer sling now on top-rope climbing so that the rope is further away from the edge
This is the video I wanted to see.
This is a really great video, thank you
Great video Ben!
Cheers Buddy!
@@HardIsEasy 🤙🏻 Double ropes use to be the norm and single ropes were trendy. Now we are going smaller and smaller it’s kinda crazy. Thicc ropes or twins are definitely the go to. And proper inspection of gear is essential. Yeah really enjoyed this on great info for new climbers and even old ones that are getting complacent. 🤣
its confusing that a climber can take so many falls on a rope but fall arrest ropes we use at work are thrown out after just one fall
or if there is any fraying you decommission the equipment.
A new Scary Video :D thx For your work! :)
Replace equipment regularly
Hi dude! Very good videos :) I miss just one thing and that’s the end of lifetime the rope. I mean especially half/ twin ropes cause I am using it 2 times a year or so.
In the slings video you did a test what load could old slings take … how much load. Please, could you do such a test on half / twin ropes too ? I have barely used half ropes but have it 10 years and they looks like a new and I don’t want to just get rid of them :(
I'm sure the gear manufacturers would say to get rid of them to be on the safe side. However, as long as it's not worn and hasn't been exposed to harsh sunlight or chemicals, should be fine. This video is worth watching.
czcams.com/video/nEGmFiUD8jY/video.html
thank you for sharing this important information.I've just spent a few hours checking all my crabs.thankfully they are all good,mainly as I'm working trees now so not recall using multiple linkages.thank you for the info anyway and I will share the word.stay lucky.be safe.maddog.West cork
Non-professional here, but I could see unicore ropes actually being a negative in cases where a rope is put under enough stress to snap - it looks like in those instances where some of the cords snap, the first thing to go is the outer sheath, which would cause the force to lessen as it happens over a longer period of time and spread out some of the energy being applied to the rope. With a unicore, all of that force would be applied at once to all of the parts of the rope and not have that energy spread at all. That being said, it's difficult to imagine there is enough of a difference between the amount of impact that would break a standard rope vs a unicore rope for it to matter in most instances.
There are three climbers in the world that care and all are on this video.
Im not a climber just interested in climbing safety. I work in the oil industry so we lift alot of things with cranes, happens a lot of that people try to lift things that is not sharp but the edge is very close to 90 degrees, With enough weight and motion it is very easy to snap a rope or lifting strap sadly. Be carefull Awesome video!
Very informative, well-researched, and all around great video. This is important stuff to know for anyone who has chosen to dedicate their life to climbing (I'm just kidding, I know it's not really a choice as much as it's an addiction). Pro tip: you should really try to avoid situations that might involve either sharp or dull knives of any kind rubbing back and forth across your kernmantle climbing rope especially when your climbing on it even if the rope isn't fully weighted when this is happening and this video clearly demonstrates why this is a bad idea (several times, in fact). Luckily this almost never happens during any climbing scenario that I am aware of; it is, never-the-less, an important thing to be aware of since, as we saw demonastrated several times in the video it is exactly the type of freakishly uncommon, once-in-a-million years sort of accident that most climbers would never expect to happen, which is why no one is ever ready for it when it happens, but if it does it happen it could almost cut your rope nearly in half and force you to find a new rope before finishing the route. Also, everyone of the maniacs on this planet who think that it's really, really fun to climb outdoors (where God intended for people to climb) should take it upon themselves to learn a much as they can about the proper use of safety equipment BEFORE they find themselves out on the sharp end of a used rope they found at a yard sale, attempting their first lead on an exposed arete in high winds trying to keep a foot smeared on a dime-thin edge even though their leg is starting to jitter up and down like a sewing machine needle, knowing full-well that the only piece of pro that might prevent them from grounding out for a nice long dirt nap if they peel off is a questionably placed hex in a flaring finger crack about 30' feet down and even with rivulets of salty, hot sweat streaming out from underneath a foul-smelling mop of wet hair and rippling over a furrowed brow to puddle up in their eye sockets causing painful and blurry vision whenever they glance upward they can still find and follow what they believe to be the route all the way up to the end of the pitch that they're currently on. Sadly the remainder of that pitch includes about 12 feet of steeply overhanging crux moves followed by a short stretch of vertical face climbing that seems to be pretty bald all the way from the lip of the roof to the pair of rusted old Metolius bolt hangers where they will hopefully set up a hanging belay station and wait for the second to follow the pitch cleaning and racking the gear during their ascent. At moments like these the only way your going to stay alive long enough to see another sunrise is by believing with 100% certainty that you and the other members of your team all have the strength, stamina, and climbing experience to top out soon, rap down to the base with a powerful thirst that will guide you to the neerest pub where you and your friends can spend the rest of the night gulping down frosty cold pints of IPA as you take turns "astonishing" a completely bored bartender with your incongruent versions of the harrowing ascent . But if you really do believe with 100% confidence that you're going to get off that rock alive it's not because you have self-confidence it's because you're a fool...and that's when you hear your partner scream out, "hey bro try not to fall. There's a 9" french chef's knife tried to a tree branch down here but I cant quite reach it and the wind has been blowing the branch back and forth causing the knife blade to move across the rope in a sawing motion for the past 15 minutes and now there's a big slice in the rope and I don't think it will hold your weight if you fall from way up there. I guess I should of said something sooner, huh?" Did you even think to bring a spare rope? Did you at least get a good deal on those sharp-edged-for --no-apparent-reason carabiners that melt like warm butter when confronted with heat from the friction of rope drag? Maybe you should start free-soloing; not a single free-soloist has ever died from equipment failure.
CLIMB ON
this gave me an idea, what if the carabiner had a rotatable feature that would mean there's less friction on the carabiner therefore less rope cutting
I climb Mammut Crag Classic 9,5 mm rope indoors and Beal Booster Unicore Safe Control 9,7 mm on rocks. There is definitely huge difference in rope behavior, Mamut tends to curl cos of separated sheath/core also it causes inconsistent thickness after longer time, similar as if you would roll up your sleeve. Both ropes are 1y old now. So saying that unicore makes no difference is just lie. Rather say, we don't use this technology so I can't recommend or disprove since I don't have enough experience with it.
11mm rope for Trad and Alpine. I've never used Double Ropes but they make sense for Alpine and Wandering routes.
I have seen another worse scenario, so we were on a zipline canyoning, the slings we use to hold to the zipline main rope is a static 9 mm rope most of the times. The sling of one our team some how was touching the main zipline rope which was 60m. At the end of the zipline the sling got seriously damaged
Thanks for all this works!!! Btw Unicore ropes are much safer in case of cut. So the slippage does not occur in case the rope got cut. It is much more safe during alpinism for sure....for crag climbing maybe it is not needed but it depends on situations. When you have sharp edges, for sure it's better to have Unicore than others...🙂