My climbing rope got a bad core shot on a big oak in Portland
It happened last Thursday while I was doing a reduction prune on a 70-foot pin oak. I was about 40 feet up and felt a weird pop, then saw the sheath was cut and the core was showing. I had to do a controlled descent right away and finish the job from a lift. Has anyone else had a rope fail like that, and what brand did you switch to after?
Yikes, that's a scary pop to feel up there. @nancyramirez is right about oak being a rope killer, it just grinds through stuff. I had a similar core shot on a Yale line and switched to Samson, their 16-strand has been way more durable for me on rough bark.
Check your rope for any previous damage from that same tree. Oak bark can be super abrasive and wear down a spot over time without you noticing. What kind of friction device were you using when it happened?