If you’ve belayed a long pitch, you know the feeling when your leader yells down from above, ‘How much rope left?’
You look down at the pile at your feet and think, “No idea.” Is that 20 feet? 45? Guessing wrong could force you into a sketchy, uncomfortable transition to an episode of unplanned simul-climbing.
In one of the biggest “Why didn’t we think of that?” gear ideas in comprehensive memory, Arkansas-based Lacaida added length markings to its climbing ropes.
Here’s how it works: Starting from the middle mark, a series of “METER XX” markings counts down toward the end, going both ways. Marks appear every meter until the fifth meter out from the middle. Then 5 meters from each end, each meter is once again marked.
Pretty simple, right? From this logic, it doesn’t take long to find the next meter marker. Do a little rough math if you need to convert to feet, and tell your partner how much farther they can run it out.
Three Metered Ropes are available in lengths from 40 m to 80 m. Low stock is the rule. As I write this, only several units of each remain in the stockroom.
The Lincoln is a 9.9mm, UIAA Dry rope with a dry-treated sheath and core. The Fern has the same dry treatment and slims down a little to 9.6 mm. And the 9.9mm Fitzgerald has a dry core but no dry treatment on the sheath and only comes in a 70m length and shorter. It’s the budget option at $249 MSRP for a 70m.
Lacaida also sells regular, unmarked climbing ropes and (pretty cool) rope tarps. The Graphic Tarps celebrate southeastern U.S. crags like Horseshoe Canyon, Sam’s Throne, and Stone Fort.
Lacaida is a veteran-owned, Latino-owned company. (It takes its name from la caída, Spanish for “the fall.”) Check it all out at the company’s website — and never short rope your leader again.
