A Google search for the best climbing rope will get you get over two million hits. The first page alone would take you a few hours to scour for all of the recommendations. But if you’ve already narrowed down your search with our How to Choose a Climbing Rope guide, there’s no point spending hours staring at your computer—we did the work for you, searching through multiple lists and compiling the results. Looking for something to do with your old rope? Check out 24 things to do with your old climbing rope.
Methodology
We took dozens of the “Best of Climbing Ropes” lists from sites like Outdoor Gear Lab, Rock and Ice, and Climbing.com and found the ropes that were on all of them. These are the ones everyone agreed were the best of the best. We broke them down into four categories: Best All Around, Best Workhorse, Best Value, and Best Lightweight. For each category, we’ve listed the diameter, length, price, weight in grams/meter, and whether it’s dry treated. Last we included links when available to make it easy to go straight to your favorite online store to purchase. First, a summary chart of all the ropes and then more in depth reviews of each rope.
| Rope | Price | Diameter | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mammut Infinity | $240 | 9.5mm | REI Backcountry Moosejaw |
| Bluewater Lightning Pro | $187 | 9.7mm | Backcountry Amazon |
| Petzl Arial | $240 | 9.5mm | Backcountry Moosejaw Amazon |
| Sterling Marathon Pro | $235 | 10.1mm | Backcountry Moosejaw Amazon |
| Beal Tiger Unicore | $210 | 10mm | Moosejaw Backcountry Amazon |
| Sterling Evolution Velocity | $208 | 9.8mm | REI Backcountry Moosejaw |
| Sterling Fusion Nano IX | $228 | 9mm | Backcountry Moosejaw Amazon |
| Beal Joker Golden Dry | $220 | 9.1mm | Backcountry Moosejaw Amazon |
Best Climbing Rope – All-Around
These ropes are good at everything. They find a great balance of weight, durability, feel, and price. If you’re looking for one rope to do it all, look no further than these three top picks.
Mammut Infinity 9.5mm
Price (60m Dry): $240
Weight: 59 grams/meter
Buy Now:Â REI | Backcountry | Moosejaw
This rope is on almost every list we looked at. It took Outdoor Gear Lab’s Editor’s Choice award. It was a top pick on 99 Boulders, The Adventure Junkies, Switchback Travel, Moja Gear, and Gear Institute. Described as the perfect balance between weight and durability, testers also loved the suppleness and ease of handling. With a 40% sheath thickness and a proprietary Teflon coating the Infinity can take abuse, yet it comes in at only 59 grams/meter. The Infinity is also highly customizable. It comes standard with a middle mark but is available in bi-pattern. It also comes in 50, 60, 70, and 80 meters lengths with three different levels of dry treatment available. While it’s not the cheapest option, all reviewers agreed it’s well worth the price.
Destinations: Pinnacles National Park Climbing Guide
Bluewater Lightning Pro 9.7mm Double Dry
Price (60m Dry): $183
Weight: 61 grams/meter
Buy Now:Â Amazon | Backcountry
You might have noticed these watermelon patterned ropes at the crag in the last year or two. Red Rock Rendezvous used this model in 2016 for all of their climbing clinics and sold them to participants afterwards. The Lightning Pro is a little bit thicker and heavier than the Mammut Infinity, and with that you definitely get added durability. This rope will last you a long time, especially with its Double Dry treatment. Yet this thickness and weight doesn’t affect the supple handling of the Lightning Pro. For the price it’s a fantastic choice for an all around rope and is also a winner in the “Best Value” category.
Petzl Arial 9.5mm
Price (60m Dry): $230
Weight: 58 grams/meter
Buy Now:Â Backcountry | Moosejaw |Â Amazon
The Arial is another perfect balance of diameter, weight, and durability. Its selling point over the Lightning Pro and the Infinity is definitely its handle which every reviewer raved about. And not to be outdone in durability, Petzl added their Duratec dry treatment which makes the rope very resistant to dirt, water, and abrasion. Rock and Ice reviewer Chris Parker said of the Petzl Arial, “The Arial was soft and flowed through my GriGri like a garden snake slithering through a knothole.”
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Best Climbing Rope – Workhorse
These ropes are designed to take the abuse of top roping, hangdogging, and long days at the crag. Prioritizing durability over weight, these ropes are fatter and heavier duty than others on this list. Expect either of these to last you a long time.
Sterling Marathon Pro 10.1mm
Price (60m Dry): $235
Weight: 63 grams/meter
Buy Now:Â Backcountry | Moosejaw |Â Amazon
Six of the top gear reviews sites chose the Sterling Marathon as their favorite workhorse rope. The name says it all—this rope will just keep going and going. And while ropes as thick as 10.1 are becoming less and less common due to weight concerns, at 63 grams/meter the Marathon is exceptionally light for its size. Reviewers were also pleasantly surprised by the soft catch of the rope, so falls are not jarring or forceful. The Marathon comes with an extra thick sheath as well as dry treatment, making it one of the most durable ropes on the market.
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Beal Tiger Unicore 10mm
Price (60m Dry): $210
Weight: 61 grams/meter
Buy Now:Â Backcountry | Moosejaw | Amazon
While many sites didn’t review the Beal Tiger, those that did were impressed. Beal’s Unicore technology tightly binds the sheath and core of the rope for added abrasion protection. And with a 40% thicker sheath than comparable ropes as well as UIAA certified Golden Dry treatment, this rope is built to last. What might be most surprising though is that it comes in at only 61 grams/meter, making it feel lighter than expected. The handling also surprised reviewers, who had no complaints. So if you are looking for durability but also want that in the lightest package possible, the Beal Tiger Unicore might be the rope for you.
Check out: Guide to buying a trad rack (Wait, What’s Trad Climbing?)
Best Climbing Rope – Value
Climbing ropes can be expensive. If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, these are the ropes for you.
Bluewater Lightning Pro 9.7mm Double Dry
Price (60m Dry): $183
Weight: 61 grams/meter
Buy Now:Â Amazon | Backcountry
Yes, the same rope as from the Best All Around Category. Â At $183 for a 60m Dry rope, it has to be mentioned in this category as well. An incredible rope at an incredible price.
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Sterling Evolution Velocity 9.8mm
Price (60m): $208
Weight: 62 grams/meter
Buy Now:Â REIÂ | Backcountry | Moosejaw
The Sterling Evolution Velocity was rated by three sites as “Best Value” and three sites as “Best All Around.” This tells you that it’s not just a great value, but a great rope. It falls just below a thick workhorse rope, but slightly above lighter all around ropes. For many climbers this is the sweet spot. Reviewers raved about the surprising durability of this 9.8mm rope, comparing it to much heavier 10mm—yet the handling was comparable to skinnier ropes.
Want more climbing content? Check out our Climbing page
Best Climbing Rope- Lightweight
These ropes are pushing the boundaries of UIAA certified single ropes. With newer technology, rope manufacturers are able to make ropes thinner and thinner while maintaining strength. These ropes are recommended for alpine climbing, your hardest sport projects, or anytime every gram of weight matters.
Sterling Fusion Nano IX 9mm
Price (60m Dry): $228
Weight: 52 grams/meter
Buy Now:Â Backcountry | Moosejaw |Â Amazon
For skinny ropes the Sterling Fusion Nano IX is hard to beat—it was a top pick by Outdoor Gear Labs, Travels Auro, and Switchback Travel. At 52 grams/meter the Fusion Nano is optimized for alpine ascents and redpoint sends. It is also rated as a half, twin, and single rope.  While its lightness comes with the obvious drawbacks—less durability and greater cost—many users said they were pleasantly surprised with the durability of such a thin rope.
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Beal Joker Golden Dry Unicore 9.1mm
Price (60m Dry): $220
Weight: Â 53 grams/meter
Buy Now:Â Backcountry | Moosejaw |Â Amazon
Coming in just slightly heavier (53 grams/meter) than the Fusion Nano, the Beal Joker has a slightly larger diameter. With its UIAA certified Golden Dry coating and Unicore technology, this is another surprisingly durable skinny rope—one reviewer claimed this rope has lasted them longer than some of their 10.2mm workhorse ropes. For those more advanced climbers looking for a high-end lightweight rope, the Joker might be the best climbing rope for you.
Read more: Trip report: Climbing Half Dome’s Snake Dike
Conclusion
No matter what type of climbing you do, you’re almost certain to find an excellent rope on this best climbing rope list. If you’re still not sure which rope is right for you, or want to learn more about the process of how to pick a rope, check out How to Choose a Climbing Rope.
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