Sunday, August 31, 2014

The Long Weekend II

Anchor 7 feet up in the tree. Meanwhile, I could hear the sirens and the chopper http://wtop.com/52/3692538/Man-dies-after-being-trapped-under-boulder

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Long Weekend I

This guy had tons of 11mm rope, but used a loop of 9mm to sling the block, then one biner and a clove hitch to attach to the 11mm. How did the end feet into the overhand loop in the biner? Magic! No, what looks like the end is a loop.

He told his victims he had everything equalized, edges padded, blah, blah...

But to give this tiny tree a break he didn't finish the knot.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Equalized?

Not when the rope on the left is slack and the one in the background is tight. Summer camps are leaving, I'm going to miss the teenage climbing experts.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Rain kept the madness away, but they're back.

9mm rope over a sharp edge. What could go wrong?

I don't know what it is. They'e Russian, maybe that explains it.

6 feet up the tree, why not?

OK, I won't tie off the loose block, but I'll run the rope behind it.

Do you want the brown rope 6 feet up the tree, or the black one at the base.

Monday, August 18, 2014

You can tell he's the instructor because...

he has all the crap on his harness

Could be worse. They used 1" webbing in a loop, padded an edge, but  girth hitched 9/16" sewn runners to finish.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Carderock Saturday Circus

An instructor tied this as high as he could reach.

The black webbing in the foreground is clipped with one binder to the climbing rope which drags across 20 ft of rocks and the cliff edge.

Let's start with some shoelace and single strand webbing to rig Beginner's Crack..

throw in a chock and a runner.

This shoelace and webbing are rigging the X Face...

let's add another runner...

then lead Beginner's Crack. To make it interesting dismantle the Beginner's anchor and belay 25 ft. away so the second is looking at hopefully swinging, sort of, after he drops 20 feet or so.

Start by slapping  a sling around the tree and tie the rope to the runner because...

you've only got 200 ft of rope left. Be sure and tie the tree off high enough to rip it out by the roots.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Gotta love the one in the background.

Single strand webbing and single niners at most connections.

Craig Miller to Black Diamond

John I am posting this letter to BlackDiamond on your Facebook as more climbers read your stuff:
Black Diamond gear from China:
Dear Black Diamond,
I feel I have been kicked in the gut by your company recently when I discovered that most of our technical gear, to include your climbing hardware and skis, are made in China.
I started climbing when I was 15 (1980) I am 50 now. While I have never been a great climbing it has always been a passion in my life. I have done big wall in Yosemite, 8000 meter peaks in the Himalayas, cragged on the east coast, lived in Colorado. I live in Austria now and climb in the Alps. No matter where I have climbed from peaks in Pakistan, to sea cliffs in Croatia and my local crag of Carderock outside of Washington, DC, Black Diamond (Chouinard Equipment) has always been part of my climbing life. I have always viewed BD (Chouinard and the Great Pacific Iron Works) as great American companies. So when it came to my attention that most all BD gear was now made in China it was a crushing blow.
I am no longer proud to own or use BD gear. I have a friend who worked for Chouinard equipment during the transition from Chouinard to BD and the move from Ventura to SLC. Through my friend I met many of the founders of BD, to include Director Pete Metcalf. What I remember about these folks was their passion and unbound enthusiasm to create a great American climbing company--especially a woman named Mariah (whose last name escapes me now). I recall how they would bash on companies like Camp, Salewa, Petzl, DMM, and Lowe, and how they would make a superior product.. and they did. BD stuff was the best. It seems now the profits (greed even) has trumped passion and pride. Please note the second word of BD's mission statement:
Mission: To profitably design, manufacture, and bring to market innovative and technical products of high quality, high performance and exemplary durability that are targeted toward our primary customers – climbers, mountaineers and off-piste skiers. (Does the Chinese laborer care about these things?--I think not.)
An another BD quote is: One of the founding 10 principles of Black Diamond Equipment is "to champion the preservation of, and access to, mountain, crag and canyon environments while minimizing our own environmental footprint."
Mr Metcalf, China is an environmental disaster and you are adding to it.. your house in Park City not big enough? China is a disaster on all fronts--a communist dictatorship with no regard for human rights. Look at the air and water quality of China and tell me China fits into your enviromental vision that you so proudly claim. It is also a slave labor based economy. Has the core nature of climbers and skiers changed so much that they are ok with doing business with this corrupt nation, China?
I was going to buy new BD skis this year (2014), but no more. There are still (thank god) American made skis. In addition as I start re-building and replacing gear on my rack I will actively seek out companies that are proud to be American, Welsh, French and Italian and buy from them.
Lastly, BD and Mr. Metcalf I would be willing to pay more if you could assure me that the product was made in America. I am saddened and disappointed in your and your company--but I doubt you care.
Craig F. Miller

Safety article

http://blog.weighmyrack.com/unsafe-beginnings/

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Sunday at Carderock.

The stopper know is about 6 feet from the bowline

He had enough rope at the other end, admitted he just got lazy.

Cargo hauling straps and a non climbing biner.


A hunk of orange rope girth hitched to really old flat webbing.


Flat webbing, older than the climbers.

They had two biners in the other connections, I guess they ran out. At least the gate is away from the rock.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Maybe she wants to have better kids.

Mummy had 4 kids hanging odd this side loaded anchor, at least none of them weighed even 100 lbs.