UKH

How many of you keep a record of when you started using your ropes? Time has a habit of passing unnoticed, and there I was thinking my 50m rope was "about 5 to10 years old". I was flicking through some old photos when I recognised this rope in a photo I took nearly 20 years ago! I was astounded because it just seemed like yesterday that we did the climb.

I think it's about time I retired it, even though it hasn't broken yet

Seriously though, what do you do with old ropes? I am loathe to just put it in the bin in case someone got hold of it and tried to use it. I don't have any hay ricks that require tying down either. Any suggestions?

My newer 60m and 40m ropes are a lot younger, so I'm happy to go on using those, although i don't have actual purchase dates for them.

In reply to Trangia:

We have an old rope in the back of my wife's car for towing etc. We have daisychained old rope sections into dog toys (3-4m is good). In some Primary Schools, old rope is freat for "Loose Parts" or similar playground/building schemes (kids make shelters etc out of old junk)...however, I always chop rope down to maybe 8m, and make clear by signage or email that rope is no longer 'rated'. Ab/descent rope? However 20 yrs is getting on a bit perhaps.
Many folk seem to be touting the woven mat thing, not sure I have enough soare time for that but goid luck all! Local boat folk may find a low-force use for it too? I dunno.

In reply to Trangia:

I retired a couple of half ropes a few months ago, and ended up sending them to a guy on here who was after old rope to recycle into furniture, garden products etc. Digging into my email suggests that the user was "hehasawifeyouknow".

Alternatively, the hand line running up to "suspension bridge buttress" in the avon gorge was in a bit of a state last time I saw it...

In reply to Trangia:

http://www.madebyscavenger.com/mobile/index.php

One idea

In reply to Trangia:

Spoke to someone who sells their's as Used climbing rope on ebay, presumably with appropriate warning.

In reply to Trangia:

Leave them on Pinnacle Ridge, they will soon be gone.

In reply to Trangia:

Mat? Hammock? Dog leads? Knot-tying practice for the local scouts?

In reply to Trangia:

We met a lovely lady called Freddie at Keswick Festival recently and she makes all sorts of goodies with old climbing ropes and cord. I am sure she is willing to take them off you hands and will probably offer you a little money for it.

Better than them going to waste and always nice to support small business.

http://www.hangingbyafred.co.uk/

Ben

In reply to Wingnut:

I was going to say ask your local Scouts or Guides, they are very useful for marking out playing areas, knotting practice etc.

In reply to Neil Williams:

^^^
This and perhaps animal shelters, as the ropes can be easily crafted as toys, lanyards and also as a material for a scratching post.

In reply to Trangia:

Seriously I do. Another reason why I'm called pedantic at times.

I give my old ropes to the local sub aqua divers for 'guide' lines and the scouts for knot practice etc. Although I do cut them into unusable lengths for climbing for the latter just in case....

In reply to Trangia:

Soup

In reply to Trangia:

Make a doormat
youtube.com/watch?v=uX9DJp_pfgM&

In reply to krikoman:

I only do that with retired pants.

In reply to Trangia:

I gave my last one to my canoe club for rafting kayaks/tying them down/etc

In reply to Trangia:

Keep your old rope for use as a tyrolean rope for sea stacks. You won't mind if the sea engulfs it for a few hours if it's 'retired' anyway.

In reply to Trangia:

Thanks all. Lots of good suggestions there.

Intrigued by the "soup" Krikoman!

In reply to Ben_Climber:






Bump for this

Freddie's dad took me on my first ever climb and gave me huge encouragement when I was starting out.

In reply to Trangia:

Making a rope mat is another creative idea:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=6214

In terms of retiring I usually find it's when the sheath starts to go. You chop the bad bit out and wait for it to happen again. After a few times it seems to go quicker and quicker at which time the rope is getting too short so it's ready for retirement.

But if it's a long rope you can chop it in half and use the middle end. Often this is almost as good as new. If it's an 80m that makes two 40m ropes which are fine for indoors or short crags like most of the Peak District crags.

Another use would be to replace fixed lines. The ab rope on the Diamond broke last year so it could have been replaced sooner. That and the via ferrata ones should probably be replaced annually I'd have thought.

In reply to Samuel Wainwright:

I did this following the edelrid instructions and it worked really well.

In reply to Ben_Climber:





Her climbing may coasters seem to be made from our old rope, which was retired several years ago after being used to help cut down a tree. It lives out it's retirement in our spare room, maybe we should do this!

In reply to Trangia:

Replace lower-offs. I chucked out all my old ropes out before I moved to an area with a lot of manky old cord lower-offs that need replacing. Daft!