Hot take: that climbing rope I swore by for years almost got me killed

Snapped a 30 year old rope at the top of a 50 foot oak in a backyard in Royal Oak last Tuesday and now I replace any gear over 5 years old no questions asked, anyone else ever have a close call like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera1951mo ago

That "30 years on a climbing rope is a lot" really stuck with me. I read an article not long ago that said UV damage alone can cut a rope's strength by half or more, and that's before you even factor in all the other wear.

brianm661mo ago

Man, I once trusted a shoelace to hold a hammock and woke up on my tailbone real quick.

thomas_sanchez1mo ago

30 years on a climbing rope is a lot of sun and sweat cycles. Rope degrades from the inside out so visual checks don't tell the whole story. I work with arborists who replace their rigging lines every 2-3 years just from normal use. Storage matters too, hanging it in a garage or keeping it in a hot car trunk kills it faster than anything.