Rope question

[D.O.N.E.]

I brought my rope out for some knot practice/inspection when I noticed one end of the rope is not right. The core has slipped into the sheath, about an inch of slip on a 120' rope.

couple questions:

I left the rope ends as I received them. They seemed sealed/melted but now I wonder should I have done something additional? No one has said anything about my rope and I don't recall seeing extra treatment on anyone else's rope ends but I'm kinda leaning to overdoing it rather than underdoing it.

Should I retire the rope? If not, what's the best way to cut the bad end off, how high above the slip should I go? This may be answered by question 1. I want to make sure I've reasonably done what I can to prevent this in the future.

Many, many thanks on your input!

[tcott]

What kind of rope is it? Most likely you can cut it just above the slip and melt it again. I've also used some liquid rope end whip before with reasonable results, doesn't really stop it from slipping again, but does keep it from fraying. An inch of slip is not a big deal, I've cut a few feet at a time off of various ropes before due to sheath slip.

TJ

[Bootboy]

If it's only an inch, leave it. Sheaths milk over cores a little. It's no cause for alarm on a static rope. It's actually the best way to finish the end of a rope because you can finish it without there being an increase in diameter. Autoblocks can exacerbate the problem, however. If the slippage becomes several feet at the end of the rope, then your sheath and core are out of balance. In which case I'd reconsider your use of an autoblock.

What kind of rope is it? Poly sheath, Aramid sheath, or hybrid?

[iflycr500]

I believe it is a 8.3mm canyon fire

[ratagonia]

What you have is "sheath slippage", which is normal, but a bit annoying. No cause for alarm.

You can "tighten" the rope by soaking it in water and letting it dry, a couple times. Easier in summer.

Best to refinish the end, if you have the tools to do it well. We try to weld the core and sheath together at the end, but it does not always work.

Technora and half-technora sheaths are quite a bit more difficult to finish. The BW CanyonPro is hard to finish because the core is a low-melting point material. Easier with the Imlay all-polyester ropes because the core and sheath are the same material.

Tom

[D.O.N.E.]

I't's the 9.2 canyonero rope.

phew!! Thanks for the good news guys. I might have gotten a little paranoid, but as my rope is my life-line I was rather concerned!

I do use an autoblock on precarious raps; longer, water involved or if it's been awhile and I just need that extra reassurance on my first descent.