Mammut Tusk 9.8 climbing rope review
The Mammut Tusk 9.8 climbing rope
When it comes to climbing ropes, a rope is a rope. At least that’s how I felt after 10 years of rock climbing. But there are differences between ropes, as small as they may seem. The Mammut Tusk 9.8 climbing rope
does the job like any other rope meant for sport, trad and ice climbing, but after I used it a few times, my theory about climbing ropes changed.
From sport climbing in the Wasatch and Red Rock Canyon near Vegas, to indoor climbing at Momentum, the Mammut Tusk showed off some features that make a rope better than others, and at such a low price, the Tusk is a good deal as well.
At 9.8mm, the Mammut Tusk is thin, but not so thin that it feels like you have no control when lowering a climber through an ATC belay device. It’s also a pretty light weight rope which is nice on multi-pitch trad climbs or while humping it up a long approach.
The rope also feels good in the hands. One thing I learned with this rope is that not all ropes bend the same way or are as supple as the Tusk.
The Mammut Tusk also has a nice amount of stretch when catching falls, which was put to the test many times over at the indoor climbing gym.
The Tusk is also a dry rope with Mammut’s “superDRY” protection against water and dirt along with a “COATINGfinish” teflon coat to add durability.
Another nice feature is how Mammut packages their ropes. By lap coiling the rope, the rope is less likely to get tangled or twisted when it’s uncoiled before use.
A rope is a rope, and I’m still not picky about which rope I use while climbing. As long as I can belay easy, clip carabiners quickly and not die when I fall, then the rope is good in my book. So I certainly can recommend the Mammut Tusk for anyone looking for a good, all-around climbing rope for day trips on local crags.
You can purchase the Mammut Tusk 9.8 rope at Backcountry.com
Here are the rope specs:
