The Edelrid Boa Eco 9.8 Rope is a Workhorse

The Edelrid Boa Eco 9.8 is not only a workhorse, it is one of the top ropes of the year. From burly sport routes to multi-pitch trad climbs, it performs well across the spectrum of rock climbing disciplines.

Edelrid uses high-quality leftover yarns from the production of other ropes in each Boa Eco so no two ropes are alike. The thermo-shield treatment keeps every rope running smooth and the sheath is built strong to last. One of our favourite features is that the rope is produced in accordance to the bluesign® system, which eliminates harmful substances right from the beginning of the manufacturing process and sets and controls standards for an environmentally friendly and safe production.

We used the 60-metre Boa Eco this summer on dozens of pitches, from prickly limestone to rough granite. The weather ranged from hot summer mornings to cool fall afternoons. The sheath shows very little wear and maintains its original feel. The rope is so soft, that clipping is more difficult than with a stiff rope. You quickly adapt to the how subtle the rope handles. There wasn’t a lot of stretch on big falls, but the catches were always soft.

Now that the Canadian rock season is over, we have started using the Boa Eco indoors. We are surprised to find it works just as well as made-for-gym ropes, which makes the Boa Eco 9.8 one of the best all-round ropes on the market for rock and indoor climbing. It comes in 60 and 70 metres and can be found at MEC here.

Tech Specs: Weight: 3.72kg (60 metre) / Type: Single (9.9mm to 9.6mm) / Treatment: Non-dry / Length: 60m and 70m / Dynamic elongation: 32% / Static elongation: 9.3% / Impact force: 8.8kN / Linear weight: 62g/m / Diameter: 9.8mm / Halfway pattern change: No / UIAA fall rating: 7 / Made in Germany