Rock climbing is a group of extreme sports that require special skills and knowledge.
Before you can go rock climbing, you have to learn how to do a lot of things. For example, you must learn how to tie knots in your rope and choose a safe route.
So it makes sense that rock climbing requires different tools to keep people safe. A rope is an essential piece of gear that must be thought about and is a big part of the sport of rock climbing.
When rock climbing, the rope’s most important job is to keep the climber safe or to catch them if they fall off the cliff.
It makes sense that the rope must be made of a unique material that can hold a lot of weight and doesn’t get damaged easily when it rubs against the rock.
If you are new to rock climbing or want to learn more about it, it doesn’t hurt to know what kinds of ropes professionals use most often.
The rope that is used to climb rocks is about 50 meters long. In general, there are two types of rock climbing ropes: kernmantel ropes and hawser-laid ropes. The two types of rope are different in how they look and are used.
Kernmantel Strap
Kernmantel rope is made of kern parts, nylon fibers (at the core), and a mantle, which is a covering (on the outside). This rope also comes in a few different kinds, such as:
Static Kernmantel
Kernmantel rope is around 15% flexible, which is about what you’d expect from its name. So, this rope is hard to stretch and feels stiff most of the time.
Its color, either white or green, is also not bright. Most of the time, Kernmantel rope is used to go up and down.
Dynamic Kernmantle
The dynamic mantle strap is different from the last one because it has a strap that is easy to stretch. This rope’s tensile strength is between 25% and 30%, which makes it stretchy and easy to work with.
Because of how it works, dynamic kernmantle rope is a good choice for a track when rock climbing.
Not only that, but its flexibility can help rock climbers absorb less shock when they slip or fall. So, there will be less chance of getting hurt by running into a cliff wall.
Semi Static Kernmantel
This kind of coat is flexible between being stiff and moving. This rope isn’t as stiff as a static coat, but when it’s being used, it has the same tensile strength as a dynamic coat.
Semi-static Kernmantel is excellent for going down and up rock climbing routes.
Hawserlaid rope
Hawserlaid rope is made from natural fibers and has three braids, with each braid being made up of smaller braids. There are two steps to making this rope.
The first step is to gather the bundle of thread or fibers and then twist them clockwise or counterclockwise. Then, the threads that have been twisted are put together with two other threads to make a rope.
Hawserlaid ropes are more flexible or elastic by at least 40% compared to kern mantel ropes. Even though it is made of different fibers that are woven together, the hawser-laid rope is weak, easy to unravel, and hard to tie.
Even so, the first rock climbers (around the turn of the 19th century) used hawserlaid ropes as safety, body, and tyrolean crossing ropes. Hawserlaid rope is still needed in rock climbing because it makes it less likely that the climber will hit the ground when they fall.
Hawser-laid ropes can’t be stored randomly, either. This rope needs to be coiled the right way, so it doesn’t get tangled and knotted at the end with a splice so it doesn’t come apart quickly.
These are some types of ropes you need to know about for rock climbing. Before you try this sport, ensure you have the right gear and that the rope you use is the best you can get. It could be helpful.