Edelweiss Discover 8 mm

My new favorite rope for glacier travel.

ME: So, you carry the tent and stove and I'll carry the rope?" Partner who hasn't seen the rope yet: "That sounds fair." ME: *Smiles. 

My rope is under 3 pounds

I bought this rope for one reason; low-angle glacier travel on Mt. Rainier, Baker, etc. At 8mm this 30m rope won't work with many belay devices so TRY IT OUT WITH YOUR PRUSIKS AND BELAY DEVICES BEFORE YOU GO CLIMB!

Caveat:  I am using this rope as a single rope even though it is ONLY rated as a twin. Currently this practice is EXTREMELY common and widely accepted even though, for legal reasons, you won't hear it talked about much.  The kind of people who learn mountaineering from books and overbooked seminars with popular clubs based in Seattle will call this irresponsible, but the odds of me taking anything like a fall on a crag are zero on low angle glaciers where I use this rope.  If you are doing high angle climbing this is not your rope. 

When I am traveling on glaciers the risk of falling into a crevasse is pretty slim, but I still need a rope I could rig a z-pulley with or prusik out with and this rope suits both of those criteria, but I would never jug on this or use it in ice climbing or cragging unless I had another one to pair it with. Plus, it's just 30m. 

My prusiks are 7mm and work fine with this rope, but some brands of accessory cord are too stiff and you could get a nasty surprise if you actually had to self rescue from a slot. 

Test Conditions: Mount Rainier, DC route, July

Rainier

Weight: Hello? It's 2.7 freaking pounds! Compare that to your nine pound cragging rope and I think I am done explaining here. I'd carry this rope anywhere. 

Waterproof: I drug this rope up Disappointment Cleaver through mud, pumice, and slush to the summit. It did not absorb a drip of water and the coating helped the rope stay soft and smooth. It cleaned right up. It has a dry treated core and sheath. 

This is what this rope is for

Flexibility: This rope is so thin that it can't help be a little flexible but it really excels here. It feels buttery soft and my climb partners all said, "Ooohhh," when they felt how nicely it handled. 

Pumice and slush didn't touch it

Durability: My knucklehead partners tromped all over this thing in crampons (I probably am a little overly sensitive to this) and luckily it shows no signs of wear. 

Red is the perfect glacier color IMO

Middle Mark: I put it on with a sharpie

Conclusion: Light is fast and fast is safe. Period. 

Glacier travel is where this rope crushes. Cragging? No. If your partners insist on bringing some 60 meter 10mm monster rope because some book they read or seminar they took said they have to, whatever, as long as THEY carry it.