Is This the Safest Rope on the Market?

It’s been a memorable 12 months for climbing gear nerds. We’ve seen innovations that have made climbing easier, more comfortable, and lighter, from pants and ice tools to backpacks and belay devices. But lately Climbing’s field-testing team has raved about one product making climbing undeniably safer: Mammut’s Alpine Core Protect Rope.

Mammut’s New Alpine Core Protect Rope

The most notable aspect of Mammut’s Alpine Core Protect Rope is that it has two thin sheathes, one of which is braided with aramid. Best known by the brand name Kevlar, aramid is an exceptionally strong fiber found in all sorts of hard-wearing products, including climbing slings, canoes, and bulletproof vests. Aramid is strong but not particularly durable, which is why Mammut loosely wove it into the second, internal sheathe. This loose, expandable weave does not reduce the elasticity of the rope in the event of a fall, but if a sharp edge cuts open the external sheathe, the exposed aramid will provide best-in-class cut protection.

On paper, the Alpine Core Protect is the most significant rope innovation in recent memory, building off of Edelrid’s aramid-infused design. But our testers wanted to know how it would hold up in the field after thousands of meters of climbing. Does the thin, external sheathe fuzz quickly? Does stiff aramid actually give a comfortable catch? And is it worth the money? We took it to Patagonia, the Canadian Rockies, and the Bugaboos to find out.

The Alpine Core Protect, Tested

Available as a 9.5mm single rope and an 8.0mm half rope, the Alpine Core Protect is dry treated with a dyed middle mark. Both diameters are on the beefier side for a rope intended for alpine climbing, where weight is often a primary concern. However, on 250-meter simul-climbing blocks on the Northwest Ridge (5.8; 900m) of Mt. MacDonald, B.C., weaving my cord around quartzite gendarmes for pro, the 9.5mm proved to be the perfect amount of rope. Even on hard-for-me multi-pitches, like the 500-meter Minotaur Direct (5.11+), I didn’t mind carrying the extra weight when teetering up delicate 5.10+ surrounded by creaky flakes. The rope’s extra cut resistance was well worth the added effort.

As far as handling goes, the Alpine Core Protect is on the stiffer end of what I’d call “supple.” It strikes an ideal balance for an alpine rope—it feeds out quickly, while also being stiff enough to not snag on rappel. Our testers are a particularly anal retentive bunch, and even the crankiest among us were impressed.

Watch Anthony Walsh test the Alpine Core Protect in Patagonia and the Bugaboos:

Durability

One of my initial concerns with the Alpine Core Protect was that it would fuzz quickly due to its relatively thin external sheathe. (The thin sheathe is how, at 59 grams per meter, the 9.5mm is not terribly heavy relative to its weight class—despite having two sheathes.) But even after using the “fix and follow” technique on Minotaur Direct—plus jumarring over 900 meters on Torre Egger, Patagonia—I didn’t find the Alpine Core Protect to soften prematurely, or really develop any fuzz at all.

I would have happily continued abusing the 9.5mm after my six weeks in Patagonia, but unfortunately Torre Egger was my last climb with the rope. A gust of wind blew it 40 meters out of sight, and, racing a horrific storm, we opted to cut the cord and continue with what remained. So it goes.

Thankfully I also had the 8.0mm to test, so when I returned home to the Canadian Rockies I brought the half ropes up nearly a thousand meters of steep water ice. Even on soaking wet routes like Popsicle Toes (WI5+) and Nuclear Winter (WI6) in B.C.’s remote Icefall Brook, the half ropes took on hardly any extra weight at all.

How Mammut’s aramid rope compares to Edelrid’s

Mammut’s ropes may initially seem like a copy of Edelrid’s line of “Protect” ropes, but the brands have notably different designs. While Mammut hid the aramid fibers beneath a traditional polyamide sheathe, Edelrid wove aramid into the sole, external sheathe. Out in the field, we found that Edelrid has the inferior design. Aramid, as mentioned above, is strong but not durable. Think of it like a car’s air bag: you want that ballooning pillow exposed at the last possible second to save you from disaster. You wouldn’t want it to be your everyday bumper.

So while Edelrid’s Protect ropes are indeed strong—the Eagle Lite Protect Pro earned our “Editor’s Choice” award last year—we’ve noticed how horribly fuzzy they become after relatively little use. Edelrid has assured us this is normal when dealing with exposed aramid, but the caterpillar-looking cord takes on noticeably more water weight when fuzzed up, increasing rope drag on long pitches.

The only gripe I have about the Alpine Core Protect is that not enough diameters are being made. I’d happily bring a 9.0mm single line onto a big alpine wall if Mammut made it. And as a weight-conscious (read: lazy) alpinist, a 7.0mm half rope would be an absolute dream. Until then, I’ll be lugging these beefy ropes up all sorts of walls. The peace of mind is worth it.

Buy the 9.5mm for $217 (25% off!) at Backcountry

Buy the 8.0mm for $202 at Backcountry

Pros

• Best-in-class cut protection
• Reasonably priced ($290 for 60m)
• Surprisingly durable
• Easy to handle
• Low impact forces (8.9kN for 9.5mm)

Cons

• Only made in two diameters
• Middle marker fades quickly