Here is a quick set of initial observations on Gleistein GeoStatic NE semi-static rope. A full write up will follow in the future.

So, a few weeks ago I was chatting to a caving friend of mine who has turned outdoor gear importer/supplier and was told about a new type of semi-static rope available in the U.K. The reason this particular rope caught my attention was down to it’s specs, the sheet described a 9mm rope with full Type A certification and a strength exceeding that of Beal 10mm Antipodese, I had to get some!
The rope in question has just landed at Hitch n Hike in the Peak District and I ran down there today after work to collect a length for testing. What I’ve got here is just a few initial observations for the interested caver.

Length:
I was aiming for a 30 metre length after shrinkage so was expecting to be buying around 34m today. An examination of the GeoStatic data sheet showed a shrinkage of only 0.7%, thats 70cm in 100m! The rope must be pre-shrunk before being placed on reels to get a figure that low. I opted for 32m to be on the safe side.

Edit – It’s now March 2014, a year and a half after buying. I’ve just re-measured this rope and it is just over 29m, a shrink of 3m since purchase. This is a shrink of about 9% in longer term use. For comparison I also re-measured a length of Beal Spelenium Gold which had shrunk from 32m to 27m over its 3 year life so far, 15.6% shrinkage from the cut length.

Handling & appearance:
You are in no doubt that it is a 9mm rope, a coil of 31m looks like it could fit in a handbag, a significant size reduction on the Mammut Performance semi-static I generally use. It handles like a supple dynamic half rope, bending almost flat as you make a teardrop in your hand and not feeling at all stiff as you turn it to form knots.
The rope is apparently manuractured in a number of different main colours, all with a common single white line woven spirally. The colour currently available from Hitch n Hike is orange, so would not look out of place underground alongside the current Mammut orange rope (+double black fleck). Other colours like blue may result in people asking if you are using dynamic rope!
The single white band corresponds with the generally accepted method of identifying 9mm ropes with a single line of flecks – Beal use a single line of red and black and Mammut a single black line.

Preparation for use:
As with all new ropes, the first thing I do is soak them in a bucket of water. This serves a duel purpose, allowing the rope to shrink and washing any residue of the manufacturing process off (that slippy white liquid). The shrinkage I will measure and report back on. The rope appears to have been pre washed and shrunk because after one hour there has been no discolouration to the water. The rope’s colour changes to a nice dark shade of orange once wetted, a small point but you’d easily be able to tell if it was dry.

Next step:
I will leave the rope to soak over night and hang to dry tomorrow. I will measure the length to the nearest half metre and mark it up with gear tape.
I’ll be using the rope as much as possible in the coming weeks to get a real feel for it. After a dozen or so uses I’ll remeasure it and report on any further shrinkage.

I’ll put up a more in depth reveiw of the rope after I’ve used it a bit more, but for now the manufacturer’s site is here and the Hitch n Hike site is here.

Specs:
Gleistein GeoStatic NE 9mm
4% stretch
0.7% shrinkage
39/61 sheath to core ratio
27kN breaking strength (epic)
54g per metre