ProView – Sterling Nano 8.9 XEROS

Taking the Nano 8.9 out for the first time was a dream. Hiking up to one of my local crags has never been easier with this lightweight rope. Throw in the colorful nature and bi-pattern on this rope and I felt like a rockstar heading out to climb. 

I had the opportunity to take the Nano out to Clear Creek Canyon on a sunny winter afternoon for some sport and trad climbing. Though the crag was snowy, the rock was crisp and dry. Perfect conditions for sending. I’ve been climbing for about eight years now and have used a wide range of ropes in that time in various conditions and disciplines. 

Performance

The Nano 8.9 is now my go to for hard sport and trad climbing. As I tied in for the first time that day, I was immediately impressed with the feel and how small my figure 8 knot looked on my harness. Starting up a nice sport route, I felt light as a feather. The rope, which was just unpackaged and flaked for the first time that morning, handled amazingly well and fed out smoothly from my partner’s belay device. Clipping bolts never felt so easy! 

When I moved onto a nice crack to climb nearby, the rope continued to amaze. It was easy to handle through jamming and stemming and I still felt nice and light on my feet despite the heavier trad gear now burdening my harness. 

Look/Style

Though this rope comes in a few different colors and styles, the rope I received is a high visibility orange bi-pattern. The bi-pattern on the rope makes it super easy to find the middle mark of the rope which helps to speed up the rappelling process at the end of a climb. As well as that, I don’t have to worry about an inked middle mark wearing out over time. 

Durability/Construction

The Xeros treatment on this Sterling rope helps to extend the life of the product by shedding water and dirt. This specific treatment actually starts by coating the filament of the rope. The filament is the building block to the rope’s core and, by dry treating it, ensures a superior, longer lasting treatment. Did you know that a non-dry treated rope, when saturated with water, can lose up to 40% of its strength? Kinda spooky right?? 

Well, I felt plenty confident in the construction of the Nano even when laying it on the snowy ground. In addition, the sheath of this rope proved to be plenty resistant to being run over sharp edges of gneiss granite. 

Weight/Packability

Probably my favorite thing about this rope is how light it is. I threw it on my pack in an alpine coil and barely felt it as we hiked to our cragging destination. At the end of day, I tossed it into my rope bag easily and packed it out with little effort. 

Friendliness to the Earth

This rope is made with Bluesign certified raw materials. Additionally, all sterling ropes are PFOA free. Sterling also offers a recycling program for their ropes. This helps keep Nylon based materials out of landfills – woohoo! 

The Final Word

I. Love. This. Rope. The high-vis color and bi-pattern is incredibly helpful for climbing and rappelling. The weight is perfect for sending your hard projects and longer approaches. The UIAA triple rating allows it to be extremely versatile as a single, half, or twin rope. Finally, the Xeros dry treatment will hopefully allow me to enjoy this rope for many more climbing days in all conditions. 

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