This summer we’ve overhauled our range of climbing ropes and have now got an excellent selection of the best ropes available. We’ve got everything you could need whether you’re cragging at Stanage, heading to Kalymnos, scrambling in Wales, tackling big routes in the Lakes or going to summit some Alpine objectives!
A note on rope treatments
There are 3 treatment options available with our ropes:
- Untreated means that there’s no chemical treatment to the rope to protect it from dirt and water.
- Sheath treatment means that the treatment has been added to the Sheath of the rope but not the core. This helps protect the rope from dirt and soaking up water but it’s not ideal if your rope is going to get seriously wet. It also rubs off over time. This is what Beal’s Dry treatment is and what Mammut’s Protect treatment is.
- Fully treated ropes have had every strand right through the core and sheath treated. This stops the rope soaking up 99% of water and offers excellent protection from dirt right through the rope. Definitely recommended for winter climbing and alpine climbing. This is what Beal’s Golden Dry treatment is and what Mammut’s Dry treatment is (confusing!).
Triple Rated Ropes
Since the introduction of the Beal Joker a few years ago these have got incredibly popular as they are so versatile. They are essentially single ropes which are skinny enough to be considered suitable for use as a half rope. This makes them great as a do it all rope – suitable for sport, trad and mountain routes, as well as being ideal as a confidence rope when scrambling or for roping up when moving together on big mountain routes. Be careful though if you’re using them as a single rope – they are pretty slick and you need an experienced belayer to hold a fall. It’s also worth checking the minimum diameter on your belay device, as some don’t go this skinny for single ropes!
We’re still doing the ever popular Beal Joker in 3 lengths and with Beal’s Golden Dry treatment. Since the Joker’s introduction Triple rated ropes have got even skinnier and we’re now doing the Mammut Serenity which is 8.7mm to the Joker’s 9.1mm for an even lighter option. It’s also fully treated as it has Mammut’s Dry Cover treatment.
Single Ropes
We’re still stocking the Beal Top Gun as it’s such a great work horse rope, but at 10.5mm it’s being left behind by the new skinny singles now available. We’ve also got the Mammut Galaxy Classic which is a great workhorse rope. It’s available in 70m so this is a great option for Sport climbing on the continent. At the top end we’re doing the Mammut Revelation and the slightly thicker Infinity, both with Dry treatment. They’re both great single pitch cragging, sport and wall ropes. At a much cheaper price point we’re now stocking the Beal Antidote and Beal Zenith. They’re untreated so better suited to indoor wall use, but if you’re careful with them and use a rope bag they’ll be great for European sport and dry weather cragging in the UK too.
Half Ropes
The popular Beal Cobra II with Golden Dry treatment is our go to rope for all things trad in the UK. At 8.6mm it’s light but not so much to really worry about trashing it of you end up taking a few big falls. If you’re after a cheaper option then the Beal Legend is the one to look at. It’s untreated, but at 8.3mm it is a light, supple and nice handling rope. For those into their super skinny ropes we’re now doing the Mammut Phoenix, which at 8mm is pretty slick but definitely saves some weight. It’s available with both full treatment and no treatment so you’ve got plenty of options depending on your likely uses and price limitations.
Our comparison chart is a useful place to weight up the different options on offer – Rope Comparison Chart. For some background reading on ropes then we have a useful information page on Rope Types and one on Rope Care.
As always, if you’re stuck on choosing a rope or want some more information on anything on our site give us a call or drop us an email.