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Performance
At 53 g/m (almost exactly seven pounds for the 60-meter version), the Performance is one of the lightest ropes on the market, and that’s with the addition of Unicore (bonding filament between core and sheath, see Tiger review for more info). “This is the best-performing skinny rope I’ve ever used, from knotting and clipping to running through gear and coiling,” said one tester, who took it on the 12-pitch Estrellita (5.11a) and the 23-pitch Time Wave Zero (5.12a) in El Potrero Chico, Mexico. “I view it as a top-notch lead line by itself, and then the added security of Unicore is like extra icing on the cake.” It easily stood up to rock-killing abrasion and never kinked, even straight out of the box. It’s rated as a single, half, and twin, so it’s equally at home on sport climbs and wandery ice routes. Unicore adds some structure to the rope so that even if it gets wet, shrinkage will be reduced by about 50 percent. However, the Supereverdry treatment available on this rope blew the new UIAA Water Repellent standards out of the water (pardon the pun) by absorbing less than 1.5 percent of its weight.
Conclusion
A cut sheath on this skinny and super-light cord doesn’t mean disaster anymore with the added protection and stability of Unicore, and its rating as a single, half, and twin means you can use it almost anywhere.
$190–$370; libertymountainclimbing.com