The new climbing rope Swift Protect Pro Dry from Edelrid has a very high cut resistance thanks to aramid fibers in the rope sheath and is still dynamic. It is perfect for multi-pitch tours and mountaineering. We present the rope to you.
Not so long ago, the motto in alpinism and climbing was: don't fall! Protection and other equipment such as the climbing rope was designed to prevent the worst from happening in an emergency.
The situation is different today. In most alpine multi-pitch tours, a fall into the rope is normal, for sport climbing anyway. This is made possible by the better protection with bolts and the much more advanced equipment.
Ropes are rarely seen when climbing
Messages about accidents with rope breaks are rarely heard. The reason for this: the tensile strength of today's ropes is significantly higher than before. In some cases, however, there is total failure with today's dynamic ropes, i.e. rope breaks. Edge loads that can occur in the following situations are still problematic.
Here there is an edge load in combination with a pendulum movement
Grinded-in express slings in sport climbing routes
One reason for broken climbing ropes are fixed hanging express slings in sport climbing routes. Especially on steep routes, it can happen that the rope-carrying carabiner is ground in over time and a sharp edge is created. Anyone who falls into such a carabiner risks tearing a rope.
Sharp edges in multi-pitch tours
A second cause can be found in alpine multi-pitch tours or mountain climbing. There the rope course is not always ideal, so the rope may run over a sharp rock edge. It becomes particularly problematic if there is an additional pendulum movement when falling over an edge.
In this case, the rope is virtually sawn through (see video above). In the situations described above, there is a risk of a rope break and thus a total fall of the climber or the entire rope team.
Aramid fibers in the rope sheath significantly increase the cut resistance of the Swift Protect Pro
While the risk described in sport climbing can be eliminated by checking fixed express loops, the residual risk remains with multi-pitch climbing and mountaineering. And this is where the new Edelrid rope comes into play. Despite its small diameter of 8.9 mm, it offers a very high cut resistance.
The Swift Protect Pro Dry combines cut resistance with dynamism.
This is made possible by aramid fibers in the sheath of the rope. Aramid is itself a static material. To ensure that the rope maintains its dynamism - and thus makes the fall softer - a newly developed processing method was used for the Swift Protect Pro Dry. The aramid fibers were woven into the jacket in such a way that they increase the cut resistance and still allow dynamics in the rope.
This combination makes the Swift Protect Pro Dry the ideal guide rope for rough terrain as well as climbing rope in alpine multi-pitch or high-altitude tours.
The climbing rope Swift Protect Pro Dry from Edelrid in comparison
Details of the Edelrid Swift Protect Pro Dry
- 8.9 mm diameter
- Number of falls: 6/18/30
- Comfortable handling thanks to the Thermo Shield treatment
- Higher proportion of sheath and processing of aramid for increased cut resistance
- Permanently water and dirt repellent thanks to Pro Dry
- Water absorption below 2% according to the UIAA Water Repellent Test
- Certified as single, half and twin rope
- When used as a single rope, not suitable for work-out or top rope climbing
- 3D lapcoiling makes it ready for immediate use
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Credits: Pictures Edelrid