Edelweiss Canyon 9.6 mm rope opinions

[kokopelli99]

Trying to decide whether to buy Edelweiss Canyon 9.6 mm rope. Any experience/opinions on whether its a good canyoneering rope?

[xxnitsuaxx]

If it's the white stuff that Edelweiss claims is good for caving and canyoneering, STAY FAR AWAY FROM IT. My brother and I bought a brand new spool of it and took it down one canyon. We sent 6 people down a 200 foot rap and I was the last one down. 15 feet from the top (on a free-hanging rap) my Totem passed over a nasty core shot (like half the core was gone) and I was scared crapless all the way to the bottom. We tried to use the other side of the rope on a 25 foot rap and got a core shot on that too. Maybe I just had a bad experience, but it was enough to convince me never to use their canyon\caving ropes again. (But I've had three Edelweiss climbing ropes and I love them!)

[kokopelli99]

The rope is yellow.

[tcott]

The edelweiss canyon ropes have too much nylon involved for my liking. One of the stretchiest ropes I have ever been on, and very heavy when wet. I think their everdry treatment amounts to "will this rope everdry?" On a 200' wet rap, when I got to the bottom as soon as I let go with my brake hand the stretch alone pulled a good 6 feet of rope through my device. I would recommend looking at Sterling or Imlay ropes for canyoneering. I personally use both and have been very happy with them. I've heard mixed reviews on the Bluewater stuff, but don't have much experience with them myself.

TJ

[reflection]

Ropes, what will work. Political Candidates, what will work - lots of opinions and plenty of views, some slanted. Long ago folk used most any rope, mostly climbing/nylon ropes. When I started canyoneering more than a decade ago, we used 9mm Sterling nylon ropes and nylon accessory cord. We took those ropes through scores of dry/watery canyons but soon thereafter, we sought new "candidates."

These days, I/we mostly use 8 or 8.5mm ropes and sometimes match those with "slim" 9mm ropes - like a BW Canyon.
The weight of the rope, it's capacity to deflect water, and it's use and viability in a canyon wet & dry is what most arer after.

The rope you are talking about is likely nylon, or primarily nylon - I'm not sure. But it's weight and bulk would bother me. Maybe an OK line to set up at a crag and let folk practice rapping or jugging- as long as it's dry.

Most folk that do lots of canyoneering, mostly - these days - use poly sheath and poly core lines. And there are brand favorites.
Tom Jones Cancord Imlay ropes - he has a very nice mix of viable ropes in my view. Sterling canyon ropes - 9mm and 8mm. I've used both and compliment them too. BW ropes, I once used the 8mm canyon pro extensively - but no longer buy it. The 9mm BW canyon rope is "lighter" than the 9mm sterling or Imlay and works well with many. Each of these ropes has a different feel and "hand" and over time folk develop a preference. Imagine though, using a line single strand, or double strand and then having "light folk" rap on the lne and then "heavy folk" rap on the same line. And when it comes to safety, the 8/9mm lines are "plenty safe" in my view as long as folk learn various technique to safely and efficiently slide down a line. Another factor; if newbies are around, I use 9mm lines as they beat up the rope (often) sliding back and forth on rappell.

So a short answer would be to look for another candidate. A 9 or 8.4 (or whatever line); poly sheath and poly core. Best price for such a rope would probably be the Imlay 8.4 Canyon Fire; or the Imlay 9. If you could find a Sterling 9 or 8 on sale, that would work, OR BW (through Rich Carlson- Canyon and Crags) has a nice 9mm Canyonero (sp?); or the BW Canyon 9 (I've used those for years)

If you are on the Wasatch Front; IME has Imlay and Sterling lines. Black Diamond has Imlay lines. In Utah County, at least two shops - N Provo - have some Imlay lines, and maybe Sterling. Or you could order on line through Canyon- Crags, via Rich Carlson and/or on line through Tom Jones if the shops didn't have what you wanted. Good luck.

[ratagonia]

OR BW (through Rich Carlson- Canyon and Crags) has a nice 9mm Canyonero (sp?); or the BW Canyon 9 (I've used those for years)

While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

Rich's rope is 9.0mm and called the Canyonator. His Canyonator precedes my Canyonero.

My ropes are the 8.3mm Canyon Fire and the 9.2mm Canyonero.

I have used the Bluewater Canyon rope (9.0mm) which is nylon core and polyester sheath, and find it really bouncy, in an undesirable way -- perhaps I have just gotten used to a rope with 1% stretch.

Tom

[ratagonia]

Tom Jones Cancord Imlay ropes

I am reading this on my Foxcomm Apple iPhone 7...

NOT.

I would appreciate it, Mildred Steve, if you would refer to my ropes (ie, Bev-Tom's ropes) by their name, and it is confusing to include the factory from which they came forth. I was a Cancord dealer for one year, then became a distributor, and then re-designed the ropes to meet our canyoneering needs better. So they are Imlay ropes. Though they are made in the Cancord factory, Imlay has responsibility for all aspects of the ropes, and thus they are Imlay ropes.

Please call them by their name, not some other name that you make up.

(My mother's mother was Mildred).

Thank you

Mildred-Beverly-Tom

[ilipichicuma]

Back on topic of your rope.... This was my wife's and my first rope, and it has its pros and cons. It definitely is heavy when wet, and it isn't the toughest rope either. I'm also not a fan of the stretchiness, but they tell you that it's not completely static in the literature. Really, as the cheapest canyon rope we saw on the market, we've basically gotten what we paid for. We've used it in canyons, for climbing, and on waterfalls, and had a great time with it. I have managed to core shot it, but now I have two ropes! So, basically, it's a rope, and if you use it roughly, it will get cut. It doesn't have as tough as a sheath as a lot of other canyon ropes, so watch for that.

[kokopelli99]

Reflection, your thorough answer was most appreciated. I have an Imlay Canyon Fire 100' already and it looks like I'll be getting some more of that or the Canyonero.