Several climbers had their rope stolen before they could pick them up after the climb. The day when we fixed, some guys dropped one pack. Then we saw two climbers asking us if it was ours. After we said no, they seemed to be heading towards the direction of the impact. If you have to leave your rope, it is probably safer not to drop it.
Most parties take three ropes, because it is necessary to lower out for the king swing.
However, Bill Wright has done The Nose and recommends some interesting strategies. He recommends taking only 2 50m ropes. He said all the traversing pitches are short enough that you can tie the haul bag in short and lower out on the end of the haul line. The advantage of 2 ropes is less chance of them getting all tangled together, stuck under flakes, etc. After the pendulum into the Stovelegs, Bill says the leader should begin leading on the haul line.