Retiring Climbing Ropes

Question
I know that everyone is saying that there is no definate formual for retiring ropes.
I manage a camp that has about 10k people in the summer time with an Alpine tower that runs 6 belay ropes. That's an average of 1666 usages per rope for the summer. Can someone tell me tha aprox # of usages they would use a rope for?

Answer
Cathi,

I'm afraid your first statement is correct, there is no defined formula.  This is because there are so many variables.  Type of rope, type of anchor, type of belay devise, average weight of the climbers, number of falls the rope takes, severity of those falls, weather, etc.

What I would recommend though is that you visually inspect the ropes.  Here are a couple of things to look for:

-If the outer sheath becomes "hairy"

-If the inner core and the outer sheath separate at the ends (about 2 to 4 feet from the tips) so that you can feel the two moving separate from each other.

-If there are any flat spots on the rope.

If you are looking for ropes that will be more durable, I would suggest you contact a couple of rope manufacturers.  Here is a link that lists a few rope brands:  http://www.gearexpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=G&Catego...

I highly recommend Sterling, but ropes are kind of like cars, they all have their pros and cons, and everyone has their favorite.

If there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.

Thanks for the question,
Nick