I dont own any climbers, so i cant reccomend one. BUT the plastic sheath around the cable cracking is OK. This typically happens when cable with a hard (black?) plastic coating has seen some exposure to the elements. Unfotuneately, this also probably means that the cable inside of the sheath is not stainless or too corrosion resistant. SO...keep an eye on it. As long as the metal cable is intact (not rotted out) and properly hooked up, you should be alright. Hope this helps.