Your rope wears out. Before you go climbing, it’s best to check your rope both visually and manually. Here are a few suggestions.
Eyeball the Rope First.
Look for frayed and abraded sections of the sheath. If you can see any of the white inner core, decommission your rope immediately. If you’re a sport climber and take a lot of falls while working on hard routes, look for wear between five and 20 feet from the end of the rope where it takes the impact of a fall on a carabiner. The sheath will usually be frayed and spongy, and you might even have a core shot, a spot where the sheath is worn through to the inner core.
Feel Your Rope Up
Run your fingers along the rope where it looks worn and frayed. Feel for soft spongy sections of the rope’s core. Feel for flat spots where the inner core has flattened out from repeated falls or a long fall. Feel for nicks in the sheath that might indicate a potential core shot, where the sheath will wear all the way through to the core. Feel for a dry stiffness rather than a supple elasticity. If any of these factors are present, it’s wise to retire your rope. I often do my manual rope check as I coil or uncoil the rope, feeling along the sheath as it pulls through my hand.
