How to Use Rock Climbing Ropes

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Bill with Zoar Outdoor here on behalf of expertvillage.com. Today we're at Chapel Ledges in Ashville, Massachusetts, Trustees of the Reservation Property and in this series I'm going to be talking about rock climbing gear. Your climbing ropes are really important piece of equipment. It's the thing you're going to rely on to keep you off the ground when you're climbing. Basic climbing rope, 50 meters long or 165 feet, comes in all sorts of pretty colors and different thicknesses. This is a dynamic rope which means that it stretches a bit, not that you notice it here, but when you put your weight on it, it's going to stretch 20 to 30 percent, which is a good thing for your comfort when you're falling and you want to not just get yanked. It's available in a number of different thicknesses that give you options in terms of how much it weighs and different ways of using it. Some ropes will only be used as a double if they're really thin, but for your purposes at the beginning you're going to go with a single climbing rope, probably 10-5, 10-3, maybe down to 9-8 millimeters and diameter. Also in the world of rope are static lines, static meaning that there's no stretch what so ever in this and they'll look different and they'll be clearly designated by the manufacturer as to the fact that it's static, because you don't want to be climbing on this in the same way you do your dynamic rope. In terms of greater specifics in climbing ropes, check with your gear shop, check with the manufacturer. They've all got lots and lots of information the ropes that you can get it, but know that 50 meter climbing rope and 10-5 to 9-8 is what you're going to need to get started."