A totally useless anchor is sometimes a good thing.

Why are 8MM anchors not a good idea?

Because they will stretch every time the climbing rope is weighted. The runners drag a good 6 inches on that edge each time.

At least it was only a small child climbing on this.

It is a nice tensionless anchor but why use a carabiner?

100% of the weight is on the webbing and the tiny tree.

Which is not a bad thing, since this anchor is totally side loading the system.

Anchors in the air

How many things are wrong? The ropes are way up the tree. There are mystery knots. Both ropes go to one tree, not an independent anchor.

The mystery knot may be a bowline, with a figure 8 as a less than perfect stopper knot.

Same guy, new anchors. Looks like 12 feet in the air.

Not as high, but a smaller tree.

Lots of Dads wanted to go climbing on Father's Day.

The huge tree and block apparently needed this third anchor to a hollow tree.

The slack anchor in the foreground is doing nothing. The laundry line in the background has the full load.

Slack is good when side loading is going on. The jammed carabiners, not so much.

This is the only real anchor.

Single strand 1/2 inch webbing with mystery knots.

Yes, we are sport climbers.

Way up the tiny tree, with a possible bowline.

Sport climbers use 2 draws for a top rope anchor.

Piles of rope but they add a cordalette and a carabiner.

Yes, there are copperheads. This guy was right above Beginner's Crack.

How to open a carabiner.

Gate down, with an 8MM anchor, the stretch forces the carabiner against the rock every time the belayer takes up rope. ( A little tension for the climber?) You could hear the carabiner slap the rock.

Busy Saturday.

Way up the tree.

Single strand webbing, carabiner instead of a knot.

The orange sling isn't doing anything, which is good since it is clipped in with a non-locking carabiner. There are three pieces, some of the carabiners are gate facing the rock

Way up a tiny tree, no stopper knot on the bowline.

This is actually an improvement for these guys.

The good news, they aren't using single strand webbing. The bad news, looped high around the tree, sliding over the bark, and the smallest horn they could find.

More than a choice.

The rope goes to a small tree, but the nut is questionable: first, the rock breaks, second, there are lots of placements and the guy had an enormous rack, third the outward pull cries for pieces in opposition.

The stopper is in its weakest orientation, sideways, with the smallest area of contact with the rock. The guy had bigger gear, and there are lot of options for other placements.

How to make a good anchor bad. The primary is Bluewater II static rope (true static not sorta static). He then adds a secondary that is unloaded when unweighted but becomes the primary when loaded. It is completely side loading the carabiners.

Is this your high priced summer camp?

The webbing is an unnecessary link in the chain, as is the single carabiner. The clove hitch is not a secure knot, so they tied an overhand and stuck a carabiner in. Just tie a real knot.

Yeah, that's the end of the rope sticking out. The knot is a bowline tied with a bight of the rope. The carabiner says the climber doesn't really know this stuff.

Lots of gear, no clue

Single strand webbing, non-locking carabiner, this is the main anchor.

A gear anchor is on the red carabiner, completely cross loading the blue carabiner. A second gear anchor is on the yellow carabiner, gate down against the rock, cross loading the carabiner in the center, which has a pulley clipped in on its minor axis. The climbing rope goes through the pulley, dragging over a rock edge.