Comments on: Favorite Glacier Rope

By: Sean

Sean — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:53:39 +0000

Yes Alaskan’s use two 30′s (8 mm) and sometimes just one, in the chugach, on the kenai and talkeetnas for glacier travel, ski touring/mountaineering, emergency rappels, ridge protection, etc… It is a very versatile and useful setup… Havent tried it in the Alaska Range, but i dont see why not, if i can keep 50′ spacing i would use it, which a team
of three can, And that is my optimal glacier travel number

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:40:03 +0000

Do you use the 30′s in Alaska?

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:55:18 +0000

Thanks Frank – here’s another version of the same link:
http://www.mra.org/services/grants/documents/Using_low_stretch_ropesFinal.pdf

By: Frank Rossi

Frank Rossi — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:54:48 +0000

Take a look at this test of smaller diameter static and dynamic ropes for glacier travel.
http://www.mra.org/services/grants/…/Using_low_stretch_ropesFinal.pdf

By: Harpo

Harpo — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:37:48 +0000

A, you talk about using a Beal Rando as a substitute for your 9.1mm 30mm. I was wondering if you could comment on how the different diameters effect what you can use each for. I think the Rando is about a 8mm rope.

By: Stewart

Stewart — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:08:53 +0000

For all the aforementioned reasons I’ve been using a 8mm (double) dynamic dry rope cut into 30m sections for many years. For glacier travel and rescue, and occasional emergency rappels it seems more than adequate, and I could use it as a double rope in the unlikely instance I need to lead something. I’m always looking to cut weight for extended ski traverses I’ve been thinking about using 30m sections of 6mm Mammut Powercord and am interested in what you think the pros and cons might be.

By: duggaboy

duggaboy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:43:31 +0000

We use 8mm Dynema which is super static of course and very light and compact and carried in two pieces for glacier travel as well. ‘Cause it doesn’t stretch a grigri raps on it, too.

Expensive, however, and not good for leading 5.10 or higher where a fall might be expected, but super good in the mountains/glaciers.

By: ptor

ptor — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:28:27 +0000

That’s generally my favourite system too.

Another favourable attribute (important although morbid..)is that more than one person has a rope in case of incident, i.e. the person with the rope falls into a crevasse while skiing, or falls off the mountain on a technical bit leaving the rest of the group ropeless when there is still technical ground or crevasse danger on the return.

When just two people, it distributes the rope weight evenly and fairly between the team. Nobody ends up skiing with the 60m mega coil. It can speed things up also if coiling duties are divided after a rapel etc. or leapfrogging shorter rapels with ground in between or leaving one rope set up or fixed for something.

When ski-mountaineering in the alps (and in general I guess), I always insist on the 2×30 or 2×40 system. Doug, myself and others decided way back that it should be the “standard” system (at least 9mm because too many just ski with a 6mm rapel line which is good only for rapelling) here around La Grave so that we are always compatible with eachother when just meeting up out of the blue on the ski-hill. Everybody just has their 30m piece in their kit. (and a piece of wood which is standard in my crevasse kit).

It’s just not the same good time melting the rope ends since they stopped using hemp!