Static & Dynamic Ropes : Rock & Mountain Climbing Gear

Video Transcript

" Hi! My name is Dan, and I am here with Expert Village today to talk about some things you might want to think about when choosing a rope. There are 2 main kinds of rope: static and dynamic. A static line is typically one color. It has very little or no stretch in it. A static line is typically used for repelling, since there is very little bounce and jiggle when the line is running through your belay device. Dynamic line is typically used for climbing, for ascending. A dynamic rope has a stretch factor to it. Each rope is slightly different, and there will be a label saying how far the rope will stretch on a percentage basis. Some other things you might want to think about when selecting a rope is how long is it—they usually come in 50, 60 or 70 meter coils—how thick is it—different thicknesses are used for different applications. Thinner lines usually running as a pair are typically used for ice climbing, whereas a single line is often times used as a top rope or lead rope. A rope also is rated for a certain number of falls, which will also be said on the packaging when you buy the rope. If you have exceeded the number of falls you can take on a particular rope, it is then time to discard it, so those are a few of the things you may want to think about when selecting a climbing rope."