Our Edelweiss Supereverdry Curve Unicore workhorse holds a place of honor in our office.
Ropes:
60m, 70m Edelweiss Supereverdry Curve Unicore 9.8mm Rope
When these ropes first arrived in their cardboard mailing box, our guides ripped the tape open, removed the two 60m and one 70m bright fuscia ropes from their plastic bags, and didn’t let them out of their sight for days. The ropes have been out in the field for about 20 days so far, look brand new, and have received nothing but rave reviews in their roles as workhorses at our mountain guiding company in Vail, Colorado.
In the often drippy guided single-pitch ice climbing setting with reasonably short approaches, these ropes shine. As expected, the thicker weave-to-sheath ratio results in a bit longer period of firmness before the ropes exhibit supple handling, but the guides overwhelmingly agree that this is a small price to pay for the durability uptick. The Supereverdry coating does not cause a noticeable weight increase and the ropes stay absolutely dry, benefiting the guide and climber because the ropes do not freeze and remain lightweight, even under otherwise wet conditions.
Our guides proudly carry this bright fuscia rope fleet because of the innovative technology that maintains the rope’s dryness and increases its durability. The rope has become a staple at our company and will continue to serve as our fleet workhorse.
70m, Metolius Monster 9.2mm Rope; 70m, Metolius Monster 8.9mm Rope
True to form, the Monster line by Metolius does not disappoint in the area of supple handling.
The 9.2mm rope, at 70m length, is an easily-managed rope that excels during the pursuit of hard sport routes due to its 35% dynamic elongation rating. It is surprisingly resilient and can take a beating, but is simultaneously just a slight bit heavier than comparable ropes. Metolius ropes have a convenient center marker sewn into their makeups.
The 8.9mm rope was used by the mountain guiding company’s director during a rock guide examination at Joshua Tree. It was chopped from 70m to 60m to become the perfect length to bring a single client and use in rappels as a single line. A friendly and trustworthy rope, the director says, “It’s all there when you need it.”
The takeaways regarding these ropes are that they are easy to manage, soft and supple, have decent elongation, and are useful in multi-pitch or single-pitch settings.
70m, BlueWater Icon 9.1mm Rope
This is our mountain guiding company director’s “go anywhere, do anything” rope. Without compromising weight for durability, the folks at BlueWater have created a rope that can guide single- or multi- pitch with ease, performing equally well in both wet and dry conditions. It’s been in the director’s fleet for more than a year and a half and it’s holding up extremely well. The extra thick sheath is comprised of a tight braid so the skinny rope is supple and durable, making this a top choice for a single-rope quiver.
“Whether single-pitch sport or trad, ice, or multi-pitching in Eldorado Canyon, this is my rope of choice for weight, reliability, and usability,” says our director, Scott.