Review: Mammut Phoenix 8.0 Double Ropes

The performance of Mammut’s Phoenix double ropes inspires a climbing twist on an old cliche: two ropes are better than one. Routing the separate cords through alternating pieces of gear or switching ropes across a traverse makes rope drag a thing of the past, as does the slick 8mm diameter and their patented COATING finish. Even after climbing dripping ice-choked topouts, the cords stayed dry and supple. Handling on these ropes is no slouch, either—their soft sheath and low weight made them fall right into gear and draws. Even more of note, they seem to have an ability to resist tangling with some sort of black magic. Tossing a sloppy coil over a blind rappel full of snags miraculously does not stop these ropes from finding the deck. Certainly not the setup for sending that sick sport project, but on long ice routes, wandering trad, or multi-pitch missions, the Phoenix provided double the rope—and double the stoke. Available at Northern Lights. $190 per rope; mammut.ch.