ISPO Award Winner 2024: Mammut 9.5 Alpine Core Protect Dry Rope

Despite the high quality of modern climbing ropes, accidents involving severed ropes can still occur, particularly on alpine climbing tours, around sharp edges, or when navigating cracks. Even on sport climbing routes with aged, fixed carabiners, sharp edges pose a potential risk to the rope. "Every year, accidents occur due to rope failures and breaks. With Core Protect, we've developed a product that can mitigate these risks and enhance the safety of our sport“, says Magnus Raström, Senior Product Manager Climbing Gear at Mammut. The Core Protect Rope represents Mammut's response to these risks, marking a significant advancement in climbing rope technology.

Polyamide, the material from which climbing ropes are made, is renowned for its excellent dynamic properties and strength, yet it lacks resistance to cutting. Conversely, aramid is extremely cut-resistant, but lacks dynamic properties and is sensitive to UV light. Adriana Stöhr Textile Engineer, Climbing Equipment at Mammut explains: "The primary challenge in working with more cut-resistant materials is preserving the rope's dynamic behavior. Aramid lacks natural stretch, but thanks to the hybrid yarn construction, we've managed to integrate cut-resistant fibers into a dynamic climbing rope."

Mammut's innovative Core Protect technology melds the advantages of both materials: an additional aramid sheath adds strength and is strategically positioned beneath the outer polyamide 6 sheath, shielding the rope from UV rays and lessening wear on carabiners and safety devices. The braiding of the aramid with extra length preserves the rope's dynamic qualities, allowing it to behave like any other Mammut rope. Without this additional length, the aramid would reach maximum tension much sooner during a fall, unable to stretch and absorb the impact's energy. However, with the new technology, when the aramid comes under tension over a sharp edge, it unfolds to its full length, thereby avoiding exposure to the maximum forces of a fall. This innovation enhances the climber's safety and extends the rope's lifespan.

Equipped with the same handling, dynamics, and weight as a standard rope, this safety enhancement has no drawbacks. Whether engaging in mountaineering, single-pitch, multi-pitch, or ice climbing, the Core Protect Rope elevates your safety to unprecedented levels. Mammut dedicated twelve years to developing and testing the Core Protect Rope, ensuring top performance in realistic fall scenarios. The test results highlight its superior ability to withstand falls over sharp granite edges, outlasting standard ropes and offering climbers unparalleled safety. Designed and crafted in Switzerland, the Core Protect Rope underwent extensive testing by mountain guides and professional athletes, including Stephan Siegrist and Jonas Schild. Its construction ensures it performs like any other Mammut Dry climbing rope, providing a reliable and familiar climbing experience.

Mammut offers the Core Protect technology in two ropes: the 9.5 Alpine Core Protect Dry Rope, which we appraised during the judging process, and an 8.0 Alpine Core Protect Dry Rope. These ropes, composed of 96% polyamide 6 and 4% aramid, are manufactured in the Czech Republic, with the polyamide 6 sourced from Europe. Additionally, the rope meets Bluesign standards.

• Additional aramid sheath for more cut resistance under load
• Certified as single rope
• Same dynamic behavior as other Mammut ropes
• Optimized abrasion resistance thanks to Dry Finishing
• Repelling water and dirt according to UIAA for maximum safety