Deceptively Skinny

As the fattest cord in our review, the Cirque had a lot to prove to skinny-rope-loving testers. But while sport climbing in New Mexico and Colorado, and with a little ice climbing on the side, this rope proved to be performance-minded. It managed to be stiff and slick at the same time—“in a good way,” said one tester. It “felt skinnier than its 10.6mm label,” knotted easily, “slithered like an eel” through pro, and stayed dry in wet snow while ice climbing in January.