The Enduro Range

The idea behind the Enduro range was to deliberately create a rope construction ideally suited to UK climbers and ‘trad’ climbing, because for a lot of people, this very British style of climbing is still the one which means the most. To make sure that our concepts of what type of rope to build for this style of climbing were correct, we talked to lots of climbers of all abilities who mainly led on double ropes.

Generally, our ideas were confirmed, as we found that the overriding factors in rope choice were to make sure that the design was solid, confidence inspiring and long-lasting. When questioned further it seemed that this choice of a robust style was related to the wide range of activities that the typical British climber engages in and subjects their rope to, whether it be general short and long route cragging or serious multi-pitching, seas cliffs, abseiling and winter climbing. These are all situations where trust in a rope must be absolute.

Another factor was the range of rock types that could be encountered: the harshness of grit, the sharp edges of slate or rhyolite and the fierceness of granite all mean that unlike in sports climbing, there was more concern that these ropes would be ‘hammered’ and must be able to ‘take it’.

Finally there was a genuine concern that the rope must ‘feel’ solid and natural in the hand, knot well and handle well in double rope belay devices. Obviously we also considered in this category, those who were single rope trad climbing and who were also in the market for a tough unit: one of the stipulations here was that it must be beefy enough to cope with all round leading use as well as being great for top roping on a variety of rock types.

So to try and hit all these requisites we specifically designed these ropes to be the hardest wearing in their class, and in doing this, it seemed appropriate that the name ‘Enduro’, their original project code name, stuck. It is the ideal name to sum up the attributes of the final product.

Sheath construction statistics of Enduro range

To achieve this longevity without sacrificing performance, as we have described above, it was imperative to select the appropriate balance between sheath and core. For the Enduro ropes we have achieved this using heavier denier yarns and a higher than normal ratio of sheath to core yarns (described as Unique Sheath Plait or USP – see Ropes Features section). This makes the outer robust enough for all that the trad climber might throw at it, but importantly without sacrificing handling quality.