The Zephyr: 10.3mm of Wholesome Petzl Rope

• Lengths: 50, 60 & 70 m
• Diameter: 10.3 mm
• Type: single rope
• Weight: 67 g/m
• UIAA falls: 10
• Impact force: 7.28 kN
• Elongation: dynamic: 33.7 % static: 6 %
• % sheath by weight: 34 %

The brand-spanking-new Petzl Zephyr. Note the sheath.

Dan Brayack

The brand-spanking-new Petzl Zephyr. Note
the sheath. Photo: Dan Brayack

If you’d told me five years ago that Petzl was making ropes, I’d have said it was about time.

It’s not like the concept is new. Petzl isn’t the first gear maker to realize the advantage of becoming a one-stop shop for retailers. Hell, Metolius did it with their successful Monster ropes. One of the reasons why Monster made it is the Metolius name… and who here purposely avoids Petzl gear? (You’re a moron.) Not to belabor the point, but a friend of mine almost wept for joy the other day when a large order of Spirit draws arrived in the mail.

Of course, when I tell you that Petzl is “making” ropes, I really mean that they’ve outsourced production to venerable French rope maker Cousin (pronounced koo-ZAN) who also weaves for other respected outfits like Millet (pronounced mee-YAY). It’s a veritable orgy of Euro players, but if you’re an American whose climbing predates the nineties, you may remember seeing a Cousin rope or two on the actual shelves of your actual gear shop.

Anywho, Petzl’s gens (gens is French for “people”) and Cousin’s gens sat down over espressos with lemon twists and talked about what each wanted from the partnership. Petzl brought to the table its understanding of how rope interacts with other gear, Cousin brought the pure rope skills, and voila, Petzl ropes were born. Cousin, in turn, outsources nothing, so, when you buy a Petzl rope you are, in effect, purchasing the proficiency of two undeniably expert companies. These are not ropes of unspecific origins. Say what you want about the French – they talk funny, they’re snooty, whatever – they do know ropes.

Matt Wurst at the Meadow River with nothing between him and the last bolt but the Zephyr.

Dan Brayack

Matt Wurst at the Meadow River with nothing
between him and the last bolt but the Zephyr. Photo: Dan Brayack

I took into my possession a 10.3mm Zephyr. The first thing you’ll notice when you see a Petzl rope is how it’s coiled. Lo and behold, Petzl jumped at the opportunity to do something considerate, namely uncoiling their ropes for us. No more two-person disco unraveling maneuver! My Zephyr was ready to rock right out of the box.

The next thing you’ll notice is that the sheath is a nice, tight weave. This will be followed immediately by your realization that, hey, this rope seems a little stiff, and indeed, it is. This is by design. Petzl’s went into this aiming for a tight sheath and a slightly stiffer feel on the logic that both qualities help make a rope more durable and longer lasting. And Petzl’s durable sheath is all in the weave, not in the volume. With 34% of its weight coming from sheath, it doesn’t even approach Sterling’s Marathon series, nor Mammut’s Supersafe. I certainly have no complaints in the durability department and I, along with a few of my more air-prone friends, have been putting it through the ringer for sure. The first day I had it out, my partner and I took it for rides (I’m guessing) in excess of fifteen times, many of them hard falls on low gear, and many of those back-to-back. The Zephyr performed admirably and my crotch is happy to report that it seemed to lose dynamic resistance only as much and as quickly as any other cord I’ve used. We also jugged it with ascenders for good measure and, while it certainly showed some wear after that first brutal day, I was pleased with the limited amount relative to what we did to it. (You should note, however, that the jury is still partially out on this. It is winter, after all, and I haven’t logged summer-level mileage as of this review.)

Porter Jarrard making the clip at the Meadow River.

Dan Brayack

Porter Jarrard making the clip at the Meadow
River. Photo: Dan Brayack

Who doesn’t like durability? I’m pretty sure we all do, however, if you value a soft hand, be forewarned. You won’t find it here. Those who prefer a stiffer cord often also cite their belief that such a quality actually makes handling easier. I disagree, but I wanted to toss it out there; do what you will with it. Thankfully, you’ll notice the rope’s firm hand most when tying in, not when clipping. It isn’t so rigid as to be like climbing with a live python tied to your harness, but if you build your multi-pitch anchors with rope, you’ll notice it then, too. Petzl labored hard to bring a rope to market that had what they believe to be the right combination of stiffness and suppleness and they believe they’ve achieved it. Let’s leave it at that.

Other rope specs are in the Gear Guide, so I won’t bore you with those, except to say that the Zephyr’s impact force is 7.28kN, which compares to other ropes thusly:

• Blue Water 10.3 – 8.6kN
• Sterling 10.4 – 8.6kN
• Mammut 10.2 – 8.8kN
• Monster 10.2 – 8.3kN

Not too shabby.

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