If you have little experience with ropes, ask someone about what people tend to use at the climbing area that you frequent most, or use these general guidelines. Selection guidelines Sport Climbing Select a 9.5 to 10mm rope for climbing lots of routes. For most sport climbers this is the rope to buy. Select a lighter 9.5mm rope for hitting projects and hard redpoints. Select a 10.5 to 11mm rope for top roping, working / dogging a project as well as bolting and cleaning. Trad Climbing Select a 9.5 to 10mm rope if you are careful with high wear situations. Select a 10.5 to 11mm rope if you’ll do a lot of belaying above overhangs and climbing with partners who climb well below your standard, (who tend to fall a lot following you) and are generally hard on ropes. Big Wall Climbing Select 10.5 or 11mm rope unless you have something special in mind like a speed ascent or other superhuman feats. Alpine Climbing Select a 9.5 to 10mm dry rope. Going with a lighter rope maybe acceptable for an experienced team who need to watch every ounce. Half Ropes Climbing with two slim 8-9mm ropes is a functional alternative on routes where a single rope would zig zag through gear, creating tremendous rope drag. With two ropes, one is clipped to the gear that trends toward the right side and the other is clipped when it wanders left. On sketchy routes, pulling up to clip only one of the half ropes allows the other rope to remain closer to the last piece of gear, thus reducing the length of a potentially dangerous fall. Of course, half ropes will give you twice the length to rappel with at the cost of nearly double the weight of a single line. Static Rope Static lines work wonders for Jumaring fixed lines, rappelling and hauling on big walls but when it comes to climbing, give the static ropes a rest. Even when it comes to top roping, static lines can jar a falling climber unless the belay is perfect. Other Considerations Rope length Sixty meter ropes (200 ft.) have mostly replaced the old standard of 50 meters (165 ft.). A sixty meter rope, while heavier, is great for lowering or rappelling and allows some two pitch routes to go in one push, saving huge amounts of time. Certain sport routes and speed ascents on big walls demand seventy meter lines. Those who top rope a lot may also consider a 70 m. rope, since top roping typically causes a lot of wear at the ends of ropes and taking a section off the end will not significantly reduce the utility of a seventy meter rope. Keep in mind that a 9.5mm X 70m. rope will weigh in at around 10 lbs. Dry treated ropes Besides keeping a climbing rope from getting saturated during inclement weather or an accidental dunk during a stream crossing, dry treatments reduce sheath wear over abrasive rock. You’ll get longer life from your investment and some additional peace of mind. Middle marks and Bi-coloring If you do any rappelling or you sport climb at an area where lowering climbers directly from the anchors to the ground is common, you already know how convenient it is to see when you have come to the middle of the rope. Middle markers are dyed spots (most do wear off in time) at the exact middle of a climbing rope. Bi color means that there are two different and distinct weaves for each half the rope sheath. Not only does the difference look cool, it never wears off. If you don’t mind the extra cost, a bicolor rope is the best way to assure that you get the maximum length from each rappel or that a leader on a sport climb will be able to get back to the deck without running out of rope. In short, middle marks and bicoloring save lives and lots of time. Supple Ropes A soft, supple rope is wonderful to belay with and the coiling is so very easy. These ropes are great for rock that is not highly abrasive or doesn’t have a lot of change in surface angle. Climbing multiple roofs with right angles and top outs that transition from steep to slabby will wear the sheath of a soft rope quickly. We have seen new soft ropes turned into dog leashes after one climbing trip to places like Penitente Canyon, CO. and Vedavoo, Wyoming. Care and Feeding of Your Rope Damage Prevention 1. Use your rock climbing rope only for climbing. Never tow a car, hoist equipment or appliances with a climbing rope. Even performing a light non climbing task with your rope could damage it without your seeing it. 2. Use a rope bag whenever it is feasible in order to reduce the amount of dirt and sand that inevitably works it’s way into the fibers of a rope. 3. Protect your rope from all chemical substances and acids. Retire any rope that you suspect may have been damaged by chemicals and especially acids. Do not mark the middle of a rope with any type of chemical or dye marker whatsoever. The chemicals are just as dangerous as any other and may seriously damage a rope. 4. Don’t step on a rope and protect it from traumatic impacts such as falling rocks, crampon front pointing or hammer blows. 5. Do not mark the middle of a rope with any type of chemical or dye marker whatsoever. The chemicals are just as dangerous as any others and may seriously damage a rope. If you want to see some recent testing on ropes tested after using a "Sharpie" marker, you can draw your own concludions by checking this link. Sharpie test. 6. Take care to not overexpose rope to UV rays unnecessarily. 7. Avoid rope on rope or rope on sling situations. The most damaging and potentially deadly is attempting to top rope or lower a climber directly from a sling without carabiners. Cleaning 1. Rope may be washed in a front loading washing machine or by hand in cold or lukewarm water using a mild soap. Dry the rope either by hanging (preferred), or by winding it around a large, clean floor area without the rope lying on top of any other part of the rope. Insure that there will be no foot traffic over the rope and wait at least a full day. Turn the rope and give it another 12 hours. In a cold or damp environment, only hang the rope to dry. Shop for Beal, Petzl, Metolius or Sterling climbing rope: 
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