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wizard
Jan 25, 2009, 7:53 PM
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I saw all the great reviews on the new Marathon Pro 10.1. But looking at the specs, I found it weird that's it's only rated to 6 UIAA falls. Normally I would expect a rope of this diameter to be more in the 8 range. The Mammut Supersafe at 10.2 is even 10-12.
I realize that the UIAA falls does not equate to real world durability, but I am still curious as to why this number is relatively low, especially for a line that is supposed to be for durability. It seems to be the same across the entire new Marathon line. The 11.2mm version is only rated to 9 falls where I would expect 12-15.
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angry
Jan 25, 2009, 8:00 PM
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There is a dichotomy with ropes that's a little hard to just reason through.
Here goes. A stretchier low impact force rope will take more UIAA falls and is usually a much softer and more supple rope but is more susceptible to sheath wear. A stiffer rope will have a slightly higher impact force and take fewer falls but it should last much longer due to the beefier sheath.
Since we're not out there taking repeated factor 1.8 falls the UIAA falls aren't that important. Rather impact force vs. durability should be your shopping points.
Sterling does a pretty good job balancing these traits.
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suilenroc
Jan 25, 2009, 8:02 PM
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I agree. I own a 10.4 Marathon and absolutely love it. Two years old and is in great shape. Why these ropes have a low fall number has always been elusive to me. I'm not about to call sterling with that type of question though...
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suilenroc
Jan 25, 2009, 8:04 PM
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angry wrote: There is a dichotomy with ropes that's a little hard to just reason through. Here goes. A stretchier low impact force rope will take more UIAA falls and is usually a much softer and more supple rope but is more susceptible to sheath wear. A stiffer rope will have a slightly higher impact force and take fewer falls but it should last much longer due to the beefier sheath. Since we're not out there taking repeated factor 1.8 falls the UIAA falls aren't that important. Rather impact force vs. durability should be your shopping points. Sterling does a pretty good job balancing these traits.
Ahhh.  That makes sense.
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j_ung
Jan 25, 2009, 9:16 PM
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Rope companies make a point of telling us to retire a cord after it sustains it's first such fall. I doubt I would go that far with my own rope, but it's kind moot for most of us, anyway. If you hit 6 UIAA-caliber falls while climbing, you're far bolder than I am. Six times more bold to be exact. 
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ptlong
Jan 25, 2009, 11:56 PM
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Send Sterling an email and ask them.
It says right on their website that the Marathon ropes are made with a heavier yarn in the sheath in order to improve durability. Does a rope with fewer falls wear out sooner than a rope with a thinner sheath? Why do you usually retire a rope, because maxed out on hard falls or the sheath is looking sketchy?
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shockabuku
Jan 26, 2009, 12:07 AM
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ptlong wrote: Send Sterling an email and ask them. It says right on their website that the Marathon ropes are made with a heavier yarn in the sheath in order to improve durability. Does a rope with fewer falls wear out sooner than a rope with a thinner sheath? Why do you usually retire a rope, because maxed out on hard falls or the sheath is looking sketchy?
Maxed out on hard falls.
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shockabuku
Jan 26, 2009, 12:08 AM
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shockabuku wrote: ptlong wrote: Send Sterling an email and ask them. It says right on their website that the Marathon ropes are made with a heavier yarn in the sheath in order to improve durability. Does a rope with fewer falls wear out sooner than a rope with a thinner sheath? Why do you usually retire a rope, because maxed out on hard falls or the sheath is looking sketchy? Maxed out on hard falls.
Damnit, that wasn't the right answer was it!
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rocknice2
Jan 26, 2009, 12:16 AM
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ptlong wrote: Why do you usually retire a rope, because maxed out on hard falls or the sheath is looking sketchy?
Time to retire when:
Girth is getting fat
Just can't stay dry anymore
Serious case of the fuzzies
Feels like a limp wet noodle when you gab it
It's time to retire
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tigerlilly
Jan 26, 2009, 12:26 AM
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"rocknice2 wrote: Time to retire when: Girth is getting fat Just can't stay dry anymore Serious case of the fuzzies Feels like a limp wet noodle when you gab it It's time to retire
The rope or the climber?
Kathy 
(This post was edited by tigerlilly on Jan 26, 2009, 12:27 AM)
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currupt4130
Jan 26, 2009, 1:21 AM
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rocknice2 wrote: ptlong wrote: Why do you usually retire a rope, because maxed out on hard falls or the sheath is looking sketchy? Time to retire when: Girth is getting fat Just can't stay dry anymore Serious case of the fuzzies Feels like a limp wet noodle when you gab it It's time to retire
Better hope your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend doesn't actually feel this way about you... You shouldn't set standards you can't live up to.
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AlexCV
Jan 26, 2009, 1:22 AM
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tigerlilly wrote: "rocknice2 wrote: Time to retire when: Girth is getting fat Just can't stay dry anymore Serious case of the fuzzies Feels like a limp wet noodle when you gab it It's time to retire The rope or the climber? Kathy
The rope, a couple blue pills and the climber should have a bit of life left.
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clausti
Jan 26, 2009, 2:32 AM
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AlexCV wrote: tigerlilly wrote: "rocknice2 wrote: Time to retire when: Girth is getting fat Just can't stay dry anymore Serious case of the fuzzies Feels like a limp wet noodle when you gab it It's time to retire The rope or the climber? Kathy The rope, a couple blue pills and the climber should have a bit of life left.
a little blue pill... a little blue pill...
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lena_chita
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Jan 26, 2009, 2:51 AM
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clausti wrote: AlexCV wrote: tigerlilly wrote: "rocknice2 wrote: Time to retire when: Girth is getting fat Just can't stay dry anymore Serious case of the fuzzies Feels like a limp wet noodle when you gab it It's time to retire The rope or the climber? Kathy The rope, a couple blue pills and the climber should have a bit of life left. a little blue pill... a little blue pill...
You can't be having THAT problem already!
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clausti
Jan 26, 2009, 2:53 AM
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lena_chita wrote: clausti wrote: AlexCV wrote: tigerlilly wrote: "rocknice2 wrote: Time to retire when: Girth is getting fat Just can't stay dry anymore Serious case of the fuzzies Feels like a limp wet noodle when you gab it It's time to retire The rope or the climber? Kathy The rope, a couple blue pills and the climber should have a bit of life left. a little blue pill... a little blue pill... You can't be having THAT problem already!
naw, we sent the damn pezl failrope back to REI. waiting for spring to buy a new sterling.
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angry
Jan 26, 2009, 3:17 AM
Post #16 of 19
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clausti wrote: lena_chita wrote: clausti wrote: AlexCV wrote: tigerlilly wrote: "rocknice2 wrote: Time to retire when: Girth is getting fat Just can't stay dry anymore Serious case of the fuzzies Feels like a limp wet noodle when you gab it It's time to retire The rope or the climber? Kathy The rope, a couple blue pills and the climber should have a bit of life left. a little blue pill... a little blue pill... You can't be having THAT problem already! naw, we sent the damn pezl failrope back to REI. waiting for spring to buy a new sterling.
You mean the one I whipped on like 10 times a day for almost 2 weeks?
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clausti
Jan 26, 2009, 3:28 AM
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angry wrote: clausti wrote: lena_chita wrote: clausti wrote: AlexCV wrote: tigerlilly wrote: "rocknice2 wrote: Time to retire when: Girth is getting fat Just can't stay dry anymore Serious case of the fuzzies Feels like a limp wet noodle when you gab it It's time to retire The rope or the climber? Kathy The rope, a couple blue pills and the climber should have a bit of life left. a little blue pill... a little blue pill... You can't be having THAT problem already! naw, we sent the damn pezl failrope back to REI. waiting for spring to buy a new sterling. You mean the one I whipped on like 10 times a day for almost 2 weeks?
yes. your hangdogging not withstanding, the rope had sheath wear vastly disproportionate to it's time of usage. it had lots and lots of fray, all along the length, the kind you usually only see after repetitive sharp edge wear, after nothing but 2-3 months of downy-soft RRG climbing.
it wasn't one of the zephyr ropes with a known problem, but nonetheless it was inadequate. and quite expensive. REI refunded the vast majority of the purchase price, and we will not be purchasing any petzl ropes again.
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angry
Jan 26, 2009, 3:40 AM
Post #18 of 19
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clausti wrote: angry wrote: clausti wrote: lena_chita wrote: clausti wrote: AlexCV wrote: tigerlilly wrote: "rocknice2 wrote: Time to retire when: Girth is getting fat Just can't stay dry anymore Serious case of the fuzzies Feels like a limp wet noodle when you gab it It's time to retire The rope or the climber? Kathy The rope, a couple blue pills and the climber should have a bit of life left. a little blue pill... a little blue pill... You can't be having THAT problem already! naw, we sent the damn pezl failrope back to REI. waiting for spring to buy a new sterling. You mean the one I whipped on like 10 times a day for almost 2 weeks? yes. your hangdogging not withstanding, the rope had sheath wear vastly disproportionate to it's time of usage. it had lots and lots of fray, all along the length, the kind you usually only see after repetitive sharp edge wear, after nothing but 2-3 months of downy-soft RRG climbing. it wasn't one of the zephyr ropes with a known problem, but nonetheless it was inadequate. and quite expensive. REI refunded the vast majority of the purchase price, and we will not be purchasing any petzl ropes again.
They were definitely off my list though I had no problem with that one. It was pretty fuzzy for a brand new rope.
My Lanex Tendon seems to be in the same condition it was when I bought it, just dirtier. It's only seen a handful of routes compared to what it will see, so I'll report on that later.
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thej
Jan 26, 2009, 4:07 AM
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ptlong wrote: Send Sterling an email and ask them. It says right on their website that the Marathon ropes are made with a heavier yarn in the sheath in order to improve durability. Does a rope with fewer falls wear out sooner than a rope with a thinner sheath? Why do you usually retire a rope, because maxed out on hard falls or the sheath is looking sketchy?
I'm not much of a rope scientist, nor have I looked at the website myself, but I thought of this:
Perhaps Sterling's "durability" is more about "normal use". As in, a stronger sheath improves overall life span of a rope. Most ropes will never experience that many UIAA rated falls (I don't imagine many climber's will either), but the average rope will experience a lot of rubbing over edges, rubbing through biners for top rope setups and getting stepped on. Having a more durable sheath to protect the core from everyday use seems more efficient than sacrificing sheath strength to withstand situations that will not as likely be encountered (lots of UIAA rated falls).
No promises that is right though.
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