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Dry-Treatment: Does it Really Matter?

When choosing a climbing rope, you frequently have to decide between a “dry” or “standard” (non-dry) option. How important is the dry feature? Very - at least when it comes to choosing a rope for ice and/or alpine climbing use.

Dry ropes have a special treatment applied to the sheath (and in some cases, also the rope core itself) that greatly increases the water repellency of the rope. Standard, or non-dry ropes, do not. In the ice/alpine climbing environment, ropes frequently come into contact with melting ice and snow, and often free-flowing water. Rain or sleet may be encountered on day-long or multi-day routes. The result?

Non-dry ropes act like sponges and absorb this water, becoming heavier and more difficult to handle. In sub-freezing conditions, this absorbed water turns to ice, and the resulting iced-up ropes are not only extremely stiff and hard to run through a belay device or clip, but can be dangerously slick and fast on rappels. Dry ropes – and particularly so-called double-dry ropes, where both sheath and core of the rope are dry-treated – resist (but don’t eliminate) these icing problems, and are thus preferred for alpine/ice climbing use.

More importantly, ice formation reduces the dynamic qualities of a rope. Tests conducted by rope manufacturers have conclusively shown that wet and/or iced-up ropes are significantly less strong and able to hold repeated falls than when dry.

So, chose and climb on a dry rope (rather than a standard) for the ice/alpine season. Many top brands offer double-dry ropes that have both water-repellent core and sheath treatments: “Golden-Dry” (Beal), “BoneDry” (Esprit), “HyperDry” (Edelrid), “Dry” (Maxim) (who also makes “Endura Dry Core” ropes with dry cores but standard sheaths), “SuperDry” (Mammut), and “UltraDry” (PMI). Not only will you be happy that your dry ropes ice up less quickly, but they are also typically more dirt/abrasion resistant as well.

Get out there and climb safe (and dry!).