Stepping on the Rope OK?

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McHale's Navy

Trad climber

Panorama City, California & living in Seattle

May 11, 2013 - 12:40am PT

it is critical to keep the rope away from chemical contamination which makes the parking lot a band place to dump the rope

I have always heard the rope should be kept away from oil contamination.

Ken M

Mountain climber

Los Angeles, Ca

May 11, 2013 - 01:01am PT

how the heck would you step on a weighted rope? HUH? Never stepped on a weighted rope in 30 + years of climbing.... never seen a weighted rope get stepped on.

You have a group of climbers tied in, hanging, while they fix ropes/anchors on a steep ice/snow route, and then have a second group cross their tie in ropes, above them.

You've never experienced that, because you are a safe and careful climber.

LuckyPink

climber

the last bivy

May 11, 2013 - 01:47am PT

step on the rope if it's on the wall at the time. It's a good cheat sport climbers use. clip your bolt, put your foot on the rope, you have a no hands rest hanging from your draw and your belayer is completely unaware of it. continue your red point.

Norwegian

Trad climber

the tip of god's middle finger

May 11, 2013 - 08:32am PT

sometimes i swallow an end
and slowly work it thru my stomach,
digestive tract, and eventually
usually on tuesdays i pass it
out the b-side.

im like a bead on a ware,
or a tattoo on god's underdeveloped bicep.

i floss the rope in and out a couple times,
really scouring out my internal
transit system.

i've never pushed the entire 200'
down my gob, i always pull it back
up the hatch.

so one end of my rope is quite featured
with many layers of stomach acids and shite.

this is why i have to self belay,
word got out and now no one will
hold my rope, by which the way,
never yet broke.

tradmanclimbs

Ice climber

Pomfert VT

May 11, 2013 - 11:40am PT

that is completly impossible with simply stepping on an unweighted rope. You would have to weight the rope over the edge to do that. something else happened to the rope that you missed and you blamed it on the guy stepping on the rope.

Kurt Ettinger

Trad climber

Martinez, CA

Topic Author's Reply - May 11, 2013 - 12:27pm PT

I never thought incidental stepping on the rope did a whole lot of damage. I always thought of it more akin to slapping someone with a glove and challenging them to a duel. Just a rude thing to do.

climbrunride

Sport climber

Golf Wall, CO

May 11, 2013 - 12:43pm PT

I climbed with Cosmic once. He was very safe and aware. And fun to hang out with. I believe that he really does check his rope every time.

But someone has to play Devil's Advocate...

climbrunride

Sport climber

Golf Wall, CO

May 11, 2013 - 12:45pm PT

I was taught the rule that, if you get caught stepping on the rope, you owe the person who caught you a beer.

Wade Icey

Trad climber

www.alohashirtrescue.com

May 11, 2013 - 12:45pm PT

it's never okay to step on the rope..but it's okay to sleep on it.

snowhazed

Trad climber

Oaksterdam, CA

May 11, 2013 - 02:46pm PT

I was taught that stepping on a rope and working dirt into it arent so bad for the rope, but the dirt in the rope then abraids the biners it runs through, potentially filing them down over time. Not a big deal if you clean your rope and inspect your gear.

Although if you are wearing street shoes you may very well have petrochemicals from the road. Paranoid? perhaps. But it is the one part of the system that isnt redundant....

FRUMY

Trad climber

SHERMAN OAKS,CA

May 11, 2013 - 02:59pm PT

It also depends on how long you want to keep you rope.

Grit gets into everything.

A little grit goes a long way.

It is amazing what grit can cut through.

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

May 11, 2013 - 03:11pm PT

I've always considered it bad form, at the least, to step on a rope,
especially when wearing crampons. But I was also too cheap to retire
one after doing so. Besides, climbing is all about worrying, isn't it?

neebee

Social climber

calif/texas

May 11, 2013 - 03:59pm PT

hey there all, say, this is an interesting share...

*did not know there were old-wives tales, as to ropes, :)
(course old-wives tales find a way to fit in, everywhere) ;)

carry on... as you carry your ropes into the future, to be the 'best that they can be'...

tradmanclimbs

Ice climber

Pomfert VT

May 11, 2013 - 04:07pm PT

That is a repetitve wear mark as in rope rubbing ona sharp edge. ever try to cut an unweighted rope with a sharp knife? ever run over a rope with logging chains? i have wrecked enough rope to be highly doubtfull that a casual standing on a rope would do that. 10 min of purposfully grinding the rope against a sharp rock with your foot with the intent of doing the dammage possibly but a casual step on the rope no effin way. If ropes got coreshots that easy i would have to buy a new rope every week...

tradmanclimbs

Ice climber

Pomfert VT

May 11, 2013 - 04:12pm PT

there is a common sense aspect to this. if the rope is on the sharpest rock you have ever seen find a better place to stack it or do not stand on it. If it's laying in the sand and your buddy steps on it and you yell at him you are just being an ass.

FRUMY

Trad climber

SHERMAN OAKS,CA

May 11, 2013 - 04:21pm PT

If that was wear from repetitive use there would be wear marks all around the cut, but there are none. On top of that the rope does not look new but I see very little fraying.
I believe Cosmic.

tradmanclimbs

Ice climber

Pomfert VT

May 11, 2013 - 06:43pm PT

Cosmic, My apologys. the photo was aparently taken after the core shot got worn. it did not look like a fresh core shot to me. I have wrecked and broken a ton of retired climbing rope and it has been a great learning experience. (I do know what a fresh and an old core shot look like) I routinely log with retired rope. i know it is not ideal because of the stretch but I always have it on hand and its good for my head to drag a 60t tall 12" diameter oak out of the woods with a rope that I have retired.

I do not treat my in service ropes like sh#t but I am not all uptight about dirt and stepping. My ropes wear out from climbing miles and falls logged long before they have any kind of chance to suffer from dirt. If someone does step on the rope I nicely and calmly tell them that it is not a big deal but it is better if they do not do it. I am hyper aware of car trunks with jumper cables in them, any work gloves that have been under the hood of the truck and that kind of stuff. a bit of dirt however is not an issue. Quite a few times I have seen someone bark at a newb for stepping on the rope and 99% of the time it looks and sounds like chest puffing ego strokeing BS.