Beal Opera Unicore 8.5

Touted as the lightest single rope in the world, the Opera 8.5 weighs in at a mind-bending 48 g/m—that’s 7.4 lbs. for the 70-meter version. Rated as a single, half, and twin, its uses are endless, and our testers “took this rope for multi-pitch alpine to ice toproping to redpoints of mixed routes.” We don’t recommend making this your workhorse cord, but it stands out for alpine with its airy weight and incredible UIAA-certified Golden Dry treatment. “After full days in Ouray’s Box Canyon getting clobbered by falling ice and dipping into the river, the Opera was still bone-dry at the end.” Plus, Unicore keeps the core protected if the sheath gets cut.