ProView – Beal Sunrise 9.2MM Unicore Dry Cover Review

I tested this rope in Wyoming — mainly Rodgers Canyon and Vedauwoo. Rodgers, in particular, has been a go-to for after-work climbing. It is a smaller crag with shorter sport climbs, so having a 50m rope has been perfect. The compact length has made it easy to hike in and out with, and it was long enough for every route we tried.

I’ll be guiding a bit of sport climbing and mountaineering this summer, and am prepping for an unguided ascent of Mt. Baker. Having the opportunity to test a rope that’s versatile enough for both single-pitch dragging and glacier travel is awesome. What makes it even better is that this rope is made from 100% recycled tires—how cool is that? 

Durability

This rope has proved to be very durable, especially considering my rope bag was claimed by the Wyoming wind gods last year. I’ve since been carrying my ropes around a bit more exposed than I’d prefer, yet it has held up impressively well. I was initially concerned about how quickly the light color would show dirt, especially in dusty places such as Vedauwoo, but to my surprise, it still looks almost brand new after many uses. 

With a dynamic stretch of 36% and a static stretch of only 8.4%, the rope delivers a great balance. Lead falls feel soft and cushioned, but the rope does not. I was a bit worried with how light colored this rope is that it would get super dirty really quickly, but it has not. It still looks brand new after many days at dusty crags.

Comfort

Beyond the soft lead catches, this rope is just straight-up pleasant to use. It glides smoothly through belay devices. One of my biggest issues with other ropes has been hand fatigue or minor chafing during long belay sessions—especially when belaying climbers on long projects, catching many falls. With this rope, I have not felt the need to throw on belay gloves at all. Even after multiple rounds of my beginner friends top roping mixed in with belaying others on lead projects, my hands felt totally fine.   

Features

Hands down, the coolest feature of this rope is its sustainability. It is made from 100% recycles tires—but you would never guess that based on its feel. Beal’s ropes create a reduced carbon impact of 78% in addition to matching every purchase with a tree planted. The SUNRISE single rope and the SUNUP double rope are the first ropes in the world to be 100% recycled which is pretty rad!

The Final Word

I am seriously impressed by this rope and by Beal as a company. Before gear testing this product, I had not known much about Beal since they are based in France, but I am really glad I got the chance to try out one of their ropes! It is lightweight, durable, easy to handle, and could not be more eco-friendly! This rope has quickly become my go to rope!

Whether you’re guiding, projecting, or getting after a big alpine objective, this rope is a solid choice. I’ll absolutely be purchasing from Beal again in the future and recommending their ropes to other climbers! It is not often you find a product that hits the mark on performance and sustainability at the same time, but this one really delivers. 10/10 

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