Edelweiss Laser Arc Climbing Rope – 9.6mm Review

When I was in the market for a new rope I wanted something lighter in weight than the 10.2mm x 60m rope I was using, it had to work for both sport and trad routes, and it had to last a long time. After researching I chose the Edelweiss Laser Arc Climbing Rope – 9.6mm.

Edelweiss is a known and trusted name in the climbing community and has a good reputation. The Laser Arc fit everything I was looking for and threw in a couple things I didn’t know I wanted.

Edelweiss Laser Arc 9.6mm Climbing Rope Features

• Thickness: 9.6mm
• Type: Single Rope
• Length: 60m and 70m
• Dry: Yes
• Sheath Construction: Double-pick
• Impact Force: ~8kN (with 80kg)
• Elongation: 7.5%
• Center Mark: Yes
• Falls: 6
• Recommended Use: Sport, Alpine
• Weight: 61g/m
• Price: $250

Edelweiss Laser Arc 9.6mm Climbing Rope Review

My experience with the Laser Arc 9.6 has been extremely good. I’ve been using the rope for a few years and it is still running strong. I’ve used it from sport redpoints, to top-roping with the family, to long, multi-pitch trad routes. It honestly has excelled in every situation. My absolute favorite feature is the bi-pattern on the rope. This wasn’t a requirement when I bought the rope, but it will be for every rope I buy in the future. It takes all the guesswork out of finding the middle. No more scanning the rope for the mark you colored with a marker. I had full confidence on every rappel and it was super handy on long multi-pitch routes for gauging distance.

I thought that 9.6 might be a little skinny and it wouldn’t hold up. After a few years of use it’s starting to show some where and tear. It has taken some big falls, it’s rubbed against thousands of feet of granite, limestone, dolostone, and many others, and it is still in good shape.

I wish I would have purchased the 70m to get the extra distance for longer sport routes. 60m has been long enough though for just about everything I’ve done. There’s been a couple of instances where we had to really stretch the rope to get it long enough and one time about 5 feet of downclimbing was required.

If you plan on doing a lot of top-roping, get a thicker rope.

The Good

• Bi-pattern
• Long-life (well, I’ve experienced long life with it)
• Good all-around rope

The Bad

• Too thin if you want to do a lot of top-roping

Bottom Line:

You really can’t go wrong with the Edelweiss Laser Arc 9.6mm Climbing Rope. It you want a good all-around climbing rope, go with the Edelweiss Laser Arc 9.6 Climbing Rope.

Buy Now: Pick up the Edelweiss Laser Arc 9.6mm Climbing Rope