Rope Confusion.

[tflaris]

These 2 ends are in the same rope with no visible splice. I have examined the whole length and I'm completely puzzled.

Has anyone ever seem anything like this. I'm a total newbie caver but have used used ropes and pulleys in my job as an electrician.

Thanks for the assistance

Tony Flaris

[NZcaver]

Welcome to the forum.

What you're seeing most likely isn't a splice, it's just a change in sheath pattern which probably occurs at the middle of the rope. I'm assuming this is dynamic rope, not static?

Bi-color ropes have a change in pattern or in color halfway along the rope. This is particularly useful in sport climbing or single pitch climbing where the leader will be lowered off of a top anchor to the ground. The change in pattern alerts the belayer when the halfway point is reached, so they won't come up short or lower their partner off the end of the rope by accident.

[tflaris]

Thank you for the assistance.

TF

[Chads93GT]

wow. post a pic of where the pattern changes. That bizarre!

[rjack]

wow. post a pic of where the pattern changes. That bizarre!

Its been around as a middle marking technique which doesn't come off (like a bit of tape might) for at least 20 years. Its pretty common to need the middle of the rope for descents in climbing. Rappelling on both ends, then pulling the rope from the anchor from the bottom and repeating for the next rappel. I think PMI might have patented the idea back in the day because it never seemed to catch on with any of the other (dynamic) rope manufacturers.

[tflaris]

Any way to determine the age of a rope? I was given this rope and I far as I know it was in a dry cool storage for a long time.

Thanks for any assistance

Tony Flaris

[Scott McCrea]

That is a question that Blue Water can probably answer easily. If you want to find out the hard way, there should be a small, thin, flat piece of plastic inside the rope, bundled with the core threads, called a tracer. It is printed with manufacturing info including date.

[rjack]

Any way to determine the age of a rope? I was given this rope and I far as I know it was in a dry cool storage for a long time.

Thanks for any assistance

Tony Flaris

As a general rule dynamic ropes "never" break, even old ones. BUT ropes have been mysteriously contaminated with acid which has cuased them to break from falls they should have held - even ropes where the owners supposedly know its exact history.
http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/n ... efinal.pdf

Ropes are relatively inexpensive, so you might want to put this old one into less-critical uses. For instance making hand lines (although I personally find 1" webbing easier to hold).