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Your hands are sweaty, your forearms are pumped, and your legs are starting to shake. The last piece of gear is at least 15 feet below you, but you only have one long reach until salvation. You stretch toward the distant sloping hold and feel your fingers caress its edges. When your left foot pops you bear down with every ounce of energy you have left, which is just enough to hold your fall off for another half second. Your hand peels from the hold, and the rock in front of you becomes a blur of gray as you gain speed toward the distant ground. Now is not the time to wonder whether you’re climbing on the right rope or if it’s been cared for properly. There is a rope for every climb and every fall. Knowing the difference provides a lot of comfort when you’re logging frequent flyer miles.

Single Ropes

Single ropes range in diameter from 8.9-11.5mm, and they’re by far the most common type of climbing ropes. It’s very rare to see anything except single ropes at most crags. Almost all sport climbers, trad climbers, and big wall climbers use single ropes, so this is definitely what you want if you’re just getting into climbing. Single ropes between 8.9 and 10mm thick are excellent for saving weight, but they wear out faster and are less resistant to cutting on sharp edges—these ropes are ideal for those every-ounce-counts redpoint burns. Most climbers who have only one rope use something in the 10-10.5mm range—still light and supple, these ropes are much more durable and long lived than hyper-thin single ropes. Ropes above 11mm are almost solely used by big wall climbers who need the most durable line they can get. Belaying and general rope work is simplified with single ropes because there is only one line to deal with. The biggest drawback is that you only have one line for rappelling, so it takes two rappels to get down every one rope length you climb up. Pair a single rope with a 7-8mm static line of the same length to allow full-length rappels on multi-pitch climbs.

Kaiulani Riser trusting her single rope on Skinny Hippy

Half Ropes

Half ropes are between 8mm and 8.9mm in diameter. These ropes are sold individually but used in conjunction with another half rope when climbing. Half ropes excel on routes with wandering pitches and/or really bad gear. If this conjures images of ice and alpine climbing, you’re right on track. Though some people use half ropes for complicated multi-pitch trad climbs, their standard domain is the winter world where frozen fingers and down parkas replace sweaty palms and T-shirts. Half ropes are used in what’s called double-rope technique. You tie into both ropes and clip each one to alternating pieces of protection as you climb. Keeping one on the right side and one on the left greatly reduces rope drag on a pitch that zigzags all over the place. Plus, it provides redundancy should one rope get cut. When you’re making a clip, the belayer plays out slack in only one rope. If you blow it and take a ride, the slack you pulled up will not increase the length of your fall because you’re caught on the other rope. Mountaineers use single half-ropes for glacier travel because the force in crevasse falls is relatively low. Half ropes also allow for full-length rappels, which is critical when you need to descend a 3000ft alpine face fast.

Andy Chapman with half ropes, sketchy pro, and bad weather on Get Whacked

Twin Ropes

Twin ropes are the skinniest lines out there, ranging from a tiny 7.5mm to a still-tiny 8.5mm. They are bought separately but always used together, usually on straightforward ice climbs or alpine climbs made almost entirely of ice. Both twin ropes are clipped through each piece of protection as you climb. This may seem strange. After all, why not just use a single rope? Well, two ropes allow full-length rappels, you can divide the load for approach and descent, and they provide redundancy should one be cut. Single ropes have been cut over very sharp edges, but there has never been a reported failure of both ropes with a twin-rope system.

Rope Construction

The days of climbing on braided army surplus rope are over. Modern ropes use Kernmantle construction where a protective sheath is woven around an inner core. The core is the part of the rope that actually holds a fall. The sheath’s job is to protect the core. All climbing ropes use either single- or double-pick construction in their sheaths. Single-pick construction makes a rope a little stiffer but more durable, while double-pick ropes have better handling with less durability. Almost all single ropes use double-pick construction, while half and twin ropes are made both ways.

Dry-treated ropes are essential for ice climbing, alpine climbing, and mountaineering. A wet rope is not only heavier when it soaks up water, but it’s significantly weaker than a dry rope. Dry-coated ropes also last longer, because the coating has to wear off the sheath before the rope will start to fuzz. Cheap dry coatings cover only the rope’s sheath, which keeps the rope dry on ice climbs, but the coating is pretty worthless after just a few pitches on rock. Higher-quality coatings cover each strand of the rope (sheath and core) before the rope is woven together. These resist moisture better but are more expensive. Most manufacturers’ websites have in-depth descriptions of how their dry coatings are applied. You can also buy a special rope-dip to turn your non-dry ropes into dry ropes, but it wears off quickly.

Bi-color ropes make rope management at cramped hanging belays easier because the two rope halves are easily distinguished. They’re also safer to rappel with because it’s easy to find the center and even up the ends. Center marks can serve this same purpose, but they are harder to find in a single-colored rope and tend to wear off. A few companies make special rope pens for marking the center point of your rope. The jury is still out on whether or not it’s okay to just use a Sharpie, so avoid it until something definitive is published.

This is what happens when you go ice climbing with a non-treated rope

Rope Testing

The fall-rating for a rope is determined with a standardized test where the rope is repeatedly subjected to a factor-1.75 fall (extremely harsh) until it breaks. A single rope must survive five of these falls with an 80kg (176lb) weight to receive UIAA certification. Half ropes must hold five falls with a 55kg (121lb) weight. Twin ropes are tested with two strands (as they would be used for climbing), and must hold 12 falls with an 80kg weight. Keep in mind that these are extremely hard falls that you would rarely, if ever, encounter in real-world climbing. Do not take a rope’s fall-rating literally. A 9-fall rope is super burly, but most sport climbers fall on their ropes at least nine times in a weekend. They’re not about to get a new rope on Monday. Fall-ratings simply tell you that a 9-fall rope is stronger than an 8-fall rope. If you’re working a route, and expect to be pitching off a lot, get something with a high fall-rating. If you’re redpointing a route you have wired or are alpine climbing where falls are relatively rare, this rating is less important than other considerations such as weight.

A rope’s impact force is the measure of how much stress it puts on gear during a standardized fall. The higher the number, the more force your top piece of gear receives, so it’s smart to look for a low impact force if you’re using your rope for ice climbing or sketchy trad routes. This, again, cannot be taken literally. There are many variables that effect impact force: slack, rope drag, the type of belay device used, and so on. These numbers are most useful for comparing one rope to another.

Static elongation is how far the rope stretches when it is loaded statically with an 80kg weight. The only real relevance of this test is for big wall climbing and rescue situations. Jugging a rope or hauling gear is easier if the rope stretches less. So, if you’re heading to the Valley to tick off the Nose, look for a big, fat rope with low stretch.

Kevin Nibir with a single rope and 7mm tag line on Liberty Crack

Other Considerations

Most ropes come in 50m, 60m, and 70m lengths. Unless you have two ropes, you can only rappel or lower from a climb that’s half as long as your rope. This means that if you have a 50m (164ft) rope, you can only climb a sport route that’s about 80ft long before you need a second rope or belay station to get down. The area where you climb dictates your rope’s length. If you live in a place where all the cliffs are under 80ft, than a 50m rope is perfect. A 60m rope is ideal at crags such as Smith Rocks or American Fork, and it is the length used by the majority of climbers today. In places with really long pitches, like Indian Creek, it’s nice to have a 70m line. Many consider 60m to be the minimum length for ice climbing, even with two ropes. The extra length of a long rope makes for fewer rappels when descending a big alpine face after a horrendous ascent. A 3000ft face requires at least 19 rappels with a 50m rope, but may be done in only 13 rappels with a 70m rope. That’s six less anchors to leave behind or six less V-threads to build.

The diameter of a rope, measured in millimeters, is an important consideration. Though different construction techniques increase variability, thicker ropes usually last longer than thin ones and are more resistant to cutting on sharp rock edges. When you’re looking for a thin rope, what you’re really looking for is light weight. Think of your rope’s thickness in terms of durability, and check the weight if you’re trying to lighten your pack.

Rope Care

A clean rope is a happy rope. Never lay your rope in a place where it would be exposed to unknown chemicals. Dropping your life line on the garage floor where your beat-up truck has been leaking oil for three years is a terrible idea. If you’re smart enough to avoid chemicals, dirt becomes the number-one enemy. Using a rope bag is the easiest way to increase your rope’s life. These bags not only make your rope easy to carry, they provide a dry, clean place to stack your line while belaying your partner. No matter how careful you are, ropes eventually need a wash. Drop that grimy cord in your bathtub full of warm water and scrub the sheath with a rope brush until the water is dirty. Repeat the process until the water runs clean, then lay your rope in a dark, cool place until it’s dry. Don’t hang it up.

Keeping a rope from kinking demands attention. When you first get your rope, uncoil it carefully instead of dropping the whole heap on the floor and pulling from one end. This alone will make life considerably easier when you get to the cliff, because doing it the lazy was is sure to lead to a nicely pre-kinked rope that will make belaying and rope work a real pain. Using a rope bag cuts down on the times you need to coil your rope, but you should use a butterfly coil (described in just about every “how to climb” book ever published) instead of the old-school mountaineer’s coil. The mountaineer’s coil may look cool, but it kinks your rope far too much.

All rope, no matter how thick or burly, eventually needs to be retired. Your rope’s life depends on how much you climb, what type of rock you climb on, and how well you take care of your rope. A person who only climbs a few days a season won’t have to retire their rope for five years or more. A weekend climber will likely replace their line every two to three years. If you’re climbing four or five days a week—good for you, but you’ll need to replace your line every season. Check your rope slowly for soft spots, damage, or excessive fuzziness at the end of every climbing day. Deformation and soft spots are signs that the core might be damaged. If you can see the core, it’s definitely bad. When damage is isolated to one place, you can cut the rope there, toss the short piece, and re-melt the end. Keep in mind that this makes your rope shorter, so you may be coming up short when lowering off a route that you’ve done a million times. If your rope is too fuzzy, grimy, soft, or generally doesn’t inspire confidence, it’s probably time to retire it. If you’re not sure, show it to someone who has been climbing for a long time (and has gear that doesn’t scare you) for advice. If you get the thumbs down, braid that sucker into a welcome mat, and buy a new one.

Remember, your rope saves your life every time you fall. Treat it accordingly.