UKH

Stone Farm

So according to the bmc when on Southern sandstone {stone farm rocks and Harrisons etc} you should use semi static rope (static/low stretch rope) and not dynamic when top roping climbing up because of the stretch is damaging to the rocks. 

My centre manager is telling me off for using a semi static rope and not a dynamic and not adhering to their sop's. 

Can use some advice with this as I know I'm in the right for using semi static and propably just in the wrong for going against their sop's but at the same time was not on site or running a session. It was a day off and personal climbing amongst friends but using centre gear? 

Please help me solve this situation. Any help or advice would be much appreciated. 

To clarify, are you talking about using a semi static rope for actually climbing on, or just to rig the top rope anchor?

Semi static to climb on. 

This is the preferred rope for all southern sandstone due to minimal  movement and abrasion on the rocks.

Semi-static is absolutely appropriate for top-rope climbing as long as no significant slack is allowed to be introduced. In many ways it is preferable to dynamic ripe in a top-rope situation as the climber doesn't drop a metre or so on stretch each time they weight the rope. But at the same time there is enough stretch such that a climber falling onto a small amount of slack won't be injured; this is why it's called semi-static and not static.

Anyone telling you that top-roping on a semi-static rope is dangerous is simply wrong.

The current BMC advice is to use static rope or slings to rig your belay, but as far as I can see it doesn't say anything about what sort of rope you climb on (since that shouldn't come into contact with the rock anyway):

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/access-launch-updated-version-of-the-sandstone-cod...

Part 3. 

http://www.southernsandstoneclimbs.co.uk/p/sandstone-videos.html?m=1

Thankyou for this

Or even, if I may be so bold as to dip an oar, 'low-stretch', which I believe is currently the preferred nomenclature 

I stand corrected!

Haha, it's okay. 

Just been told that I am essentially not in the wrong but I am in the wrong for going against centre sop's and I will be informed as to why they do not adhere to the bmc guidines in the morning. 

Once again I'm pretty sure that with any Southern sandstone especially stone farm that is owned by the bmc they are rules and regulations and not guidelines. Because it is such brittle/soft Rock they tell yiu what to use for a reason not well this is what we do but go ahead a d feel free to do whatever you want... We're just the bmc after all and your centre sop's are far more inferior!!

Sorry I'm rather peeved at how I'm being told I am wrong when I know I am in the right, which is why I am fighting. If I was in the wrong then I hold my hands up and accept that 

As others have said, "low stretch kernmantle" ropes meeting standard EN 1891 are perfectly suitable for top-rope climbing in most, if not in all scenarios. Ropes meeting the Type A standard (tested with 100kg) would be preferable to Type B (tested with 80kg) if specifically purchased for this use, but either would be safe.

You are also absolutely correct that they are the best option for minimising both erosion and rope wear on Southern Sandstone.

Providing due consideration is given to selecting a version with good handling characteristics and a compatible belay device, I can think of no good reason why anyone would be against their use.

One thing about using low stretch ropes to climb on at Southern Sandstone crags it that the guidelines also rightly ask climbers to extend their anchor well over the edge and also to top out.

If climbing on a low stretch rope then falling at the point of topping out is essentially taking a fall with forces similar to that of a lead fall onto a low stretch rope. Something the rope isn't designed for and could transmit big forces to the body.

For that reason I rig with a low stretch rope but climb on one of my older less stretchy singles, cut down to an appropriate length. Less stretchy is better to avoid wear but still has dynamic properties if I fall above the anchor.

This is an excellent point. There are many routes where placing the anchor far below the top-out is the only way to rig without the climbing rope contacting the rock. A second point concerns stretch in the anchor. A static climbing rope will transfer much greater forces into the anchor and the idea here is to minimise the amount by which the anchor, which may contact the rock, stretches. I fear the video is simply wrong here.

Their gear, their rules.

They should try top-roping the 30m tower at Ratho on a dynamic rope.   There's so much rope out that even with the low-stretch ropes they use on that route you can fall several metres on rope stretch if you come off on the bottom section.  It might be less fun coming off onto a low-stretch rope on a really short route though.