GroundquestMSA wrote: disallowing a poor innocent caver from riding down their precious rope on aluminum is maybe a bit of an abuse of "personal preference."
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GroundquestMSA wrote:(perhaps NZ's claim of rope fibers being obscured by aluminum deposits can be confirmed by someone. I use an aluminum 8 very often for practice and most of the black cleans off when I wash my rope. I have no trouble inspecting it.)
Perhaps it's a simple hygiene problem. From my work as a canyoneering guide, with hundreds of canyon days sliding down ropes with aluminum devices and seeing no aluminum buildup, it's safe to say that the stuff washes off naturally with regular immersions. Maybe if the rope is kept completely dry, some buildup might occur. Should just wash off, though. Hmmm. Back to that hygiene question, need we look further than NZ's avatar to find a decent washing-up spot?