The all important quadruple knot.

Tie a knot, secure the tail, done.

Broken malt liquor bottle at Carderock, never seen before. It can't Valley climbers, they drink King Cobra or Olde English 800.

How do locking carabiners open?

This is a twist lock carabiner. One twist and it opens. It was opening every time the climber weighted the rope. A screw collar is safer, and even 2 non-lockers would be better.

Yes, that's 5.5 mm Dyneema cord, plenty strong, more resistant to cutting than nylon, but it doesn't have to cut much to fail.

Too much thinking is totally a thing.

When more is too much. The friction knots in the blue webbing (probably Hedden knots) use weaker knots and materials than the anchor ropes. The blue runner at the center is actually holding all the weight.

A friction knot on a carabiner is actually weakening the ropes.

More bored campers?

X Face

Gear for an anchor at Great Falls.

The black rope goes to a perfectly good tree. Our resident arborist say the other tree, just to of frame, was fine. The placements are good but the rock isn't, also note the carabiner with the gate toward the rock. Guess which well known group built this anchor.

Back to the future.

Runners girth hitched, not the worst thing you will see.

Sorry for the blurry photo. The runners go to 2 dog bones, they still didn't have enough.

Unclear on the concept.

First, way too high on the tree, second, a single carabiner connecting the webbing to the climbing rope used as an anchor. The rope is entirely doubled, with mammoth knots. They could have tied single strands to both anchors (not pictured) and eliminated the webbing and carabiner.

Know this face? Summer camps rig it a lot, but they don't watch their kids.

The kids get bored and start scratching patterns into the rock. Two years ago it got so bad, the X Face was totally defaced. The company is making a bundle and leaving this.

Don't leave your stuff at the top of the crag.

About once a year, somebody's pack is stolen. Leaving your stuff at the top is an invitation, two packs, even their REI paper bag and coffee cup. Not a soul was in sight, anyone could help themselves.

The 7MM anchors are one issue, but the mystery knots are more of a concern.

How much daylight would you like under your anchor?

How to spot a dead tree.

1. No leaves, or in this case no branches, 2. bark falling off, 3.fungus growing all over it. "But it's a big dead tree." DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE THAT GUY? The guy who is killed by a dead vegetable.