Surprising Effect of Dirt on Climbing Ropes

[joshmartinez]

Yes it makes a huge difference. I'm a tower climber & that's one of the thing we get taught in climbing class. Never leave your rope on the ground

[Diesel_Mountain]

A trick I learned has helped immensely. Basically what I do is avoid climbing under any circumstance whatsoever. I've had not a single issue with rope since.

[Sleipnirseight]

My dad has always climbed and his three rules are:
1) Don't leave your ropes in the dirt
2) Don't use deet near climbing equipment, and
3) ALWAYS double check your knots and your partner's knots ✅

[tonybob]

That's why I always wash and sanitize my mountains before I go climbing on them.

[diisegreti]

In a carpet cleaning class I took once they told us every grain of sand has an average of 167 cutting micro edges per grain.

[daviessong]

As a former rope, I love to see the care put into cleaning ropes

[thomasafrica]

Adding dirt essentially turns the edge it's grinding on into sandpaper

[awh]

As a non climber I'm happy to see this level of effort being put into climbing ropes, stay safe people.

[YuriMakarov-hp]

Yeah, as some know, dirt is abrasive. It has sand in it, hence the product called sand paper.

[vitamind]

Makes a huge difference. I’m a firefighter, part of a rescue team and we keep our rescue rope separated from regular rope. Our rescue rope is always in bags and gets checked before the start of my shift. It can be such a huge factor we don’t handle the rescue rope unless you’re wearing gloves to keep the dirt and natural oil off it

[alcom]

As a professional climber I can tell you that it is very important to bring a broom and a dustpan to clean the entire mountain free of dirt before climbing so you don't get any hazardous issues like these.

[Joe___R]

The fine dirt thar gets inside of ropes is a lot sharper than most people think. Instead of working as a slight lubricant, it acts like sandpaper between the fibers.

[thomaswalsh]

My dad is an old school climber, and this was one of the first things he ever taught me. Never walk on a rope, even if it’s not being used. All the dirt and rock grains that end up forced into the rope create tiny cutting surfaces inside the rope, making it age incredibly faster

[status_data]

My brother-in-law taught me everything I know about working at heights. He used to insist on keeping the ropes clean, and as an ignorant person, I thought it wasn't that important. He passed away a few months ago, and looking back, I realize how much of a genius he was in many aspects of this type of work. R.I.P. Jonathan

[CashTheRealest]

As a tower climber I can’t express how important this is.

[FloridaManMatty]

NEVER leave your rope on the ground, and NEVER free-wash your rope (especially kernmantle). You should always place the rope in a mesh or purpose-made bag before washing in an agitating washing machine. Hand washing is generally your best method because A) it cleans the rope (duh) and B) it requires you to have “hands-on” and allows you to physically inspect the rope as you wash, which increases your chance of finding any defects.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t ever toss any rope intended for life safety into a washer freely as is shown in this clip.

[foosmonkey]

When I did rock climbing as a teenager, we were taught to call out loudly “Sorry Mr. Rope!” if we stepped on a climbing rope. It’s a good way to get people to watch their step and prevent ropes from breaking.

[xBloodXGusherx]

I hate how these loops are cut in such a way where it feels like you are watching a continuous video.

[beluapi]

I did high rise window cleaning for 16 years. Keeping your gear & ropes clean & maintained is paramount. Always use rope protectors on all of your edges even if it’s not a sharp one.

[nvg]

And this is why when I was on the local search and rescue team, you had to buy everyone a beer every time you stepped on a rope.