Aging Like a Rope

Once again I am wishing for the end of RDF. I could have been developing today if it weren't for the miserable forecast. I will not get out on the weekend so...training inside.

For those of you who care, I rotate through 3 ropes. I have a new rope that I keep full length and then as a rope ages, I will cut it in half. I find a 30 meter rope good for the gym and Flat Rock. When the half rope gets old I use it as a fixed line where ever I am developing. I am about to cut my Mammut Flash (a burly 10.5mm) which is 3 years old but only used for 2 seasons. One Saturday past we were using it on German Face and I noticed that it seemed stiff. It felt kinda like an older gym rope when it looses its play.

Wednesday we were climbing at Walnuts when I took out my 30 meter Beal Top Gun (10.5 mm). That rope is 4 years old with 2 years of significant gym use and abuse. It seemed a little limp, sort of like cooked spaghetti. I know that heavy use can cause a rope to become limp.

Then the irony hits, what rope am I more like? Am I like the Mammut, the older I get, the more damage I take leaving me stiff with kinks here and there. I just don't play like I use to. Or am I more like the Beal, limp and played out ready to be hung outside for the season. But then, who really freekin cares because if I was a rope, I would keep going until my sheath was worn down with core shots here and there. Even if I was only good enough to be used on 5.5's, it would still be better than being woven into a mat for the retirement home. So I guess it doesn't really matter what rope I am, as long as I am getting out.

But between you and me, I think I would rather be the Beal Top Gun...Kim always liked the way it felt in her hands;)