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Review: Black Diamond 7.8 FullDry Half Ropes

Black Diamond 7.8 FullDry Half Rope

Black Diamond 7.8 FullDry Half Ropes are perfect for all seasons in Canada, especially for longer rock and alpine climbs in the summer.

With a next level dry treatment, they also have UIAA fall rating that is very impressive with a half/double rating of 6 and 14 for twin application rivaling ropes from other manufacturers for far thicker/bulkier lines.

At 7.8 these ropes offer the luxury of easy handling with the smooth sheath, quick clipping and are very lightweight.

Rose Pearson and Blue 7.8 after a lap on Yamnnuska Photo Brandon Pullan

These are very durable as we’ve been putting them through the ringer on sharp limestone on peaks like Yamnuska, up alpine climbs in Kananaskis Country and up wet ice climbs like Professor Falls in Banff this spring.

So far, no visible abrasions to the sheath and they handle like new.

Rose Pearson and Brette Harrington recently used the 7.8 ropes for a new nearly 1,000-metre alpine route up Mount Blane they called Life Compass. Read about it here.

We are totally impressed with this new line of Black Diamond ropes and these are highly recommended for long alpine, multi-pitch rock and ice climbing.

On the new Life Compass in the Rockies Photo Rose Pearson

What Black Diamond Says:

FullDry Performance: With a core and sheath that are dry treated, our FullDry ropes are protected against weather from the inside out.

Endurance Sheath: With more material and a unique 1×1 weave construction, our Endurance sheath is abrasion-resistant and lengthens the lifespan of your rope.

Durability and Handling Balance: Purpose-built to balance both durability and great handling, our ropes are not too stiff and not too soft, giving you a great feeling rope that knots easily, feeds through your belay device with ease, yet holds up to a barrage of use.

Rope Type : Half/Twin
UIAA Factor Falls : [Half] 6; [Twin] 14
Weight Per Meter : 41 g (1.4 oz)
Static Elongation : [Half] 10.2%; [Twin] 6.6%
Dynamic Elongation : [Half] 35%; [Twin] 33%
Impact Force : [Half] 5.5 kN; [Twin] 8.5 kN
Sheath : Endurance
Sheath Slippage : 0
Half Mark : Yes

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