How do I tell if this single climbing rope is still safe for use?

Question

I've lent my friend a five year old single climbing rope for a garden project. It was in meticulous condition until then.

Instead of a weekend it took him more like six weeks to complete his project to fix a leaking roof of a hut in a valley.

However, the rope got dirty and wet in typical central European autumn conditions. So not too much UV ingress. Unfortunately, it was not stored properly and stayed outdoors for the whole time.

The sheath and the core seem to have sustained no damage at all. Only some stains are to be seen.

How do I tell if the rope is still safe to be used (for sports climbing)?

Answer 1

I have always been told that if you are not sure a climbing rope is safe it is deemed unsafe and should be discarded, and many people do it in such way it can never be used for climbing anymore.

You know this rope has been left out in bad weather and got dirty.

Either see this as an expensive lesson never to let your climbing rope be used for building activities or claim the cost of replacement (minus devaluation for age) from your friend.
That might be a smaller bill than you expect as climbing rope needs regular replacement even when used proper.

Answer 2

You should replace your rope. 5 years is a long time for a climbing rope. 6 weeks of daily use in wet conditions (especially if it's a not a dry treated rope) is a fair amount of stress for an old rope. Storing a rope outside for 6 weeks, regardless of how cloudy, is a lot of exposure. Arguably an unacceptable level for a brand new rope even. Even if it wasn't for this 6 week stint I'd probably recommend consider replacing the rope soon due to its age.

Make sure to responsibly retire your rope. This means it should at least be cut up so it can't be practically used for climbing again.

See below table based on data from Mammut and the British Mountaineering Council. Also see Edelrid's very similar advice. You can learn a bit more about Mammut's extensive testing beyond the CE requirements on the Hard Is Easy YouTube channel. For example, this video on soft/fuzzy ropes.

Approx. Lifespan    |  Frequency of use
In Years            |
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10 years            | Maximum lifespan of a rope that is never used (shelf life)
Up to 7 years       | Used rarely - roughly twice per year.
Up to 5 years       | Occasional use - once per month.
Up to 3 years       | Used regularly - several times per month.
Up to 1 year        | Frequent use - once a week.
Less than 1 year    | Constant use - almost daily.

Answer 3

I searched for the source of the chart posted by Noah (hoping to find a somewhat better quality version) and found this excellent page How Many Years Does a Climbing Rope Last? .

The article is well worthwhile overall, but one factor mentioned seems to relate well to your friend's described usage.

They discuss several areas of degradation.
One which may not be intuitive is "While a heavily used rope will likely not break, its ability to absorb the force of a fall is significantly less than a new rope"

Based on the following chart alone, it seems very likely that your rope has exceeded its "maximum number of pitches" equivalent.

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Added from my comment below:

Deceleration in Gs = Fall_distance/arrest_distance.
So, if you fall 10 metres and arrest in 2 that's 10/2 = 5G.
Heavy but bearable.

Fall 10 and arrest in 1/2 metre (little stretch) = 20G.
Very nasty.

Answer 4

Just have a look at one of the the countless guides out there or if you prefer visual media, have a look at one of these.

Basically run down the length of the rope and check for irregularities.

How was the rope used? Holding up beams and stretching the rope to the maximum flex for a long time? Did your friend fall off the roof a lot while tied in with the rope? Stored in a spill of roofing tar?

Climbing ropes usually break because of stress and friction. If its water and dirt you are worried about, a rope can take it if was in good condition before. It doesn't help with longevity but doesn't immediately break it either. Give it a wash (don't tumble dry) and check like one of the above guides explained.