Friday, August 31, 2018

Quick draws are good for everything, right?

Connect the runner around the rock to the tree anchor and...

Use another quickdraw because...

Knots are good, right?

More is better?

No, adding the loose rock doesn't help. It increases the angle of the anchor, decreasing the strength.

Saturday, August 25, 2018

You bought it, you use it.

Run your anchor right across the trail.

Run the anchor 5 feet up the tree, use a single carabiner.

The thread on the left has the skinniest runner, with a 7mm cordalette. The two cams are in rock notorious for breaking, some of the carabiner gates are down towards the rock.

One sling, one carabiner, and this is the only anchor working. The other is totally slack.

Monday, August 20, 2018

If you don't know the right knot, tie lots of them

This is 7MM cord.

Redundant? Only if a loop breaks. The climbing rope is dragging mightily on the rock, you could hear it.

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Worst ever? Well, runner up maybe.

This little horn is the main anchor.

The single strand of webbing runs over sharp edges.

The other anchor is a knot jammed in a crack.

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Yes, the pay for play groups have rigged everything.

7MM cordalettes, including one around the rock on the left. They are going to stretch and could cut.

Daisy chains are made to hold body weight is a straight line, not cross loaded like this. A single carabiner had better be locked.

I hope they bought this stuff online. Mysterious Euro eyelet cord, single carabiners, plus the stopper which is probably holding all the weight.

Another daisy chain and single carabiners.

Earth Treks thought this REALLY dead tree was the perfect anchor. Note all the fungus, the leaves were all dead and  bark is flaking off. Each anchor is supposed to be bomber, bot a backup.

Friday, August 17, 2018

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

The little things add up.

How big a deal is it that the rope protectors are in the air not on the rock. Climbing safety is cumulative. The little things add up, and this indicates a "whatever" attitude. This was a summer camp full of kids, maybe your kids.

Monday, August 13, 2018

Everything looked fine until...

Nice new gear, perfect knot around and OK tree, but not a bomber anchor. Then this. This block is the best anchor. Rather than tie a knot, they went with a single carabiner, gate down towards the rock. Is that gate locked? Better hope it is.

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Going, going...

You can see where the fibermat runs out. This tie won't last long. 

Monday, August 6, 2018

It's still dead.

So dead. This is a summer camp with good workers, nice new equipment. If this tree falls, the camp would be out of business.

Gate down towards the rock, yes it is a locker. There are two kinds of climbers, those who HAVE found an unlocked biner, and those who WILL.

Saturday, August 4, 2018

It's dead, not "Pining for the fjords of Norway" just dead.


When a tree has no leaves, losing bark, and covered in fungus, it is really dead.

When you can't tie the knot right, tie two of them.