How to use the Beal rope marker
Most quality ropes these days come with a middle mark from the manufacturer. But . . .
Some don’t
Even if yours did, it can fade over time.
Why is a middle mark important?
It helps you set up your rappel more quickly and safely.
Short rope warning. If you’re single pitch climbing and the belayer notices the middle mark passing through their belay device BEFORE the climber has reached the anchors and plans to lower off, that’s an immediate sign that your rope is too short! STOP, get creative, and next time, bring a longer rope and RFG (Read the Friggin’ Guidebook).
(Hopefully you know the importance of using a closed rope system, which means the ends of the rope are always tied either with a stopper knot or into someone's harness to prevent dropping your partner when lowering or rappelling off the ends of the rope, two of the most common climbing accidents.)
Even if you have a “bi-pattern” rope with a sheath color or pattern that changes in the middle, it can still be a good idea to mark it. Most bi-pattern ropes are extremely obvious, but some are more subtle. Depending on the color and pattern, the change can be hard to see in low light or with a headlamp (ask me how I know this.)
There's been a L O N G debate on the interwebs about the safety of using things like Sharpie pens and laundry markers to mark the middle. We’re not going to rehash those here.
One solution that most people should be comfortable with: go with a recommended product from one of the largest rope manufacturers in the world. The French company Beal offers a rope marker that has a specially formulated ink in a handy dispenser that's designed for use on climbing ropes.
The Beal rope marker is approved by Beal, Edelweiss, Blue Water, Roca, PMI, New England, and Lanex. There are some big names here that are not mentioned: Mammut, Edelrid, and Sterling, to name a few. If you have one of these other ropes, you may want to contact the manufacturer and see if this marker is approved.
(Another option is the rope marking pen from Black Diamond.)
As far as I know, there has never ever been a case of a climbing rope breaking because of some aftermarket middle mark. But there have been dozens of cases of people rappelling off the ends of the ropes, or dropping their partners when lowering because their rope was too short. Let's focus on a solution to the real problem and not invent imaginary ones.
A few tips . . .
Before you start, recommended items are: 1) exam gloves to protect your hands, 2) tape to make a clean line, and 3) something to protect your work surface (like cardboard) from the ink. Do NOT do this on your kitchen table! I suggest working outside. It’s gonna be messy.
To unscrew the dispenser cap, you turn it CLOCKWISE, not counterclockwise. (Silly me, I almost broke the bottle turning it the wrong way.)
Remove the stopper, screw the dispenser cap back on (counterclockwise!) and roll the ink onto your rope. Let it dry, ideally in a well-ventilated ideally outside place for a couple of hours. Done, give yourself a high five.
You have enough ink to do many ropes, invite your friends over.
I've marked a lot of ropes with Sharpie pens, and this Beal marker works much better.
Here's a short video showing the process.
