Opinions on thin climbing lines.

[darkstar]

well thin ropes work wonders IMO [[light weight ]] but yes they dont hold up to abuse allthough i can tell you many of us rock climbers put in a many an hour even though no pay ...... rope work is awesome and we all share our on opinions thanx ............. still i wonder about ansi ... is it a rule or not .... no way a line man can stay up 40 and still work safely

 

[Tom Dunlap]

There are some vague sections in the Z that address work conditions and practices. Nothing that says specific times though.

I would hate to have to defend an injury/death case if the worker had been awake for extended periods.

 

[Tree Machine]

My favorite thin lines, in the following order of absoolutely freakin great, the bomb, fairly awesome, good and good with limitations:

Sampson 7/16" Stable Braid
Petzl Vector 11 lifeline
Sampson Velocity 11 mm
Blaze
Fly

I know you're first question is gonna be "What is the limitation with the Fly?" Bouncy, slightly bigger than 11 mm, ovalizes and milks. If I were using it for rock climbing I'd give it a much higher rating, but this is not rock climbing. Don't get me wrong, I really like the fly. I do. The limitations are just characteristics that some will find appealing, and others will not (except for the milking). It's all just personal preference. We should all make our own decisions after trying them on our own. I would never judge another climber because he likes a rope that doesn't appeal to me. Different climbers climb differently, different climber weights, different friction hitches and/or devices, different styles and techniques. Different ropes for different dogs.

 

[sharpstikman]

hellow yall, hope everyone is well! tm, how does the fly handle with mechanical devices ,

 

[Tree Machine]

Excellent, but I found that the Fly is a little bigger (slightly) than 11 mm and milks (which is why it hit the bottom of the list) I like a firmer rope with devices, where with hitches it doesn't matter as much. The fly does quite well through devices, though.

All the ones I list above handle mechanical devices well. That's because they fit all the popular mechanical devices, unlike the 13 mm (1/2") lines that are, for the most part, excluded. Actually, I shouldn't say that because there are many devices that will handle 13 mm. It's just that 11 mm lines will accomodate them all, opening up to us new worlds and new schools of technique.

If you use devices, you can still revert back to using hitches, or develop hybrid technique, moving from SRT to DbRT to DdRT, interchangably during the same climb. You will gain a new, limitless appreciation for climbing and you'll be able to do things you couldn't before. It is all up to you the direction you choose.

 

[Redbull]

Will a 1/2" split tail work on a 11mm line like Blaze, or will I need to cut a section of the Blaze to use as my split tail?

 

[Tree Machine]

I understand that the diameter of your split-tail needs to be less than the diameter of the rope for you to get proper gription. It's all about radiuses.

I understand the physics of it, but I don't really deserve to answer because I can't say I use a split tails, or DdRT. Tress cords sometimes, but rarely. PETZL recommends friction methods of 8 mm cord on 11 mm rope. I think 9 or even 10 mm would work, depending on the hitch you use.

Tenex is a good cord for split-tails or tress. There's a very good review of a high-temperature eye-eye tress cord on TreeBuzz, I would check that out.

 

[Stumper]

Redbull, Now is the time to switch to a tress cord. ALL of the advantages of a split tail pluss the option to use better hitches and have more security.... and they cost less if yu make tour own.

 

[Redbull]

Well, I use a Blake right now. SafetyBlueHivee line with SafetyBlueHivee split tail. I would like to use a tress cord, but my rope is coming tommorrow, and need to use it Tuesday. Not sure where, locally, to pick up some cordage.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I ordered 150' of Blaze from Okie today. Can't wait to give it a try. I've got enough NE Hi Vee to last me for several years but all of the positive comments about the blaze convinced me to give it a try.

Dan

Did you give 'er a try yet?

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Blaze is the Sheetz!!!

Nice rope, just a little bit of a learning curve since it is thinner.

 

[NickfromWI]

But back to the point....

... Do you climbers who use 11mm lines wear grip enhancing gloves? I'll wear sticky gloves in the winter and can tell that its MUCH easier on the hands.

I use an 11mm line (Yale's Blaze). I've been using it for like a year and a half now. I always climb with a super thin pair of liner gloves and Atlas smurf gloves over that. Every now and then I can't find my gloves or something like that....oh man does that stink. I just about can't even climb- my hands are just not conditioned for it.

But, with the 11mm, it weighs less and you can fit so much more rope in the same bag when it's only 11mm. I love working with it, carrying it around- and like Tom mentioned, the splice on the Blaze is the thing of beauty when compared to the Fly splice.

Redbull- if you HAVE to use it, just go old school and do a traditional, non-split tailed blakes until you get some proper hitch cord. Maybe now is the time to try the distel?

love
nick the rope splicer

 

[Tree Machine]

Redbull- if you HAVE to use it, just go old school and do a traditional, non-split tailed blakes until you get some proper hitch cord.
love
nick the rope splicer

...."go" old school? You make it sound like split tails and tress cords are 'new school'.

Split tails or tress cords use rope on rope friction. This is the same application of friction control using different style cordage. Same school, though, different classes; OS traditional, OS split-tail system, OS advanced hitches. Old school has traditional and advanced areas, which makes it a good school.

 

[Redbull]

Just got my Blaze, (and Big Shot) from the UPS man. I think for now I'm going to cut a short length to use as a split tail with a Blake Hitch. I'll let ya'll know how I like it. I am looking forward to using one of the more advanced hitches though.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I had a client ask me why I don't just use a fisherman's on the rope end, vs a splice. I gave him the ususal about how I dislike the bulk of a knot...

I started to think about it and have never liked not being able to flip ends of my line , or getting a little knick and toasting an entire rope.

So I started using a fishermans on my old NE red&black (cannot recall the the name right now) I had to cut the splce off of. I turns out i really like it, and if I whip a loop on both ends I could still attatch the retriver ball for the Art Rope Guide.

 

[NickfromWI]

John, here's an idea that might work (I haven't tried it yet though). Whip the end of the rope, then get a nail or something red hot and pierce a hole through it for the ART retrieval ball.

I made a loop once for another rope that I pulled the strands to the side to make a little hole, then whipped the sides of the hole together. That worked quite nicely.

love
nick

 

[Redbull]

I'm on a lunch break right now. Spent the morning climbing on my new Blaze. I like it a lot, very light, and the weight loss is noticable. The smaller diameter is affecting my hands though. My ugly gloves are almost shot so the grip isn't what it could be. I'm using a split tail with a Blake. Oh yeah, the Big Shot is the stuff for those of you who don't know.

 

[KentuckySawyer]

Tom, just to tick you off, I just ordered 150' of Velocity.

I really did.

 

[KentuckySawyer]

Well... not to tick you off.

 

[Ax-man]

John, here's an idea that might work (I haven't tried it yet though). Whip the end of the rope, then get a nail or something red hot and pierce a hole through it for the ART retrieval ball.

love
nick

Thanks Nick, that is a good idea. Our lowering lines aren't spliced and I have been trying to figure a way to retrieve rigging false crotches from the ground without tying knots in the end of the ropes. I think your idea will work so we can use the same keys that I use for climbing.

Larry