Lots of ugly.

 Use the skinny stuff to sling the boulder, and put the anchor way up the tree.

The holidays always bring out folks who don't climb much.

This tree wobbles when you grab it.

Plenty of rope to tie off the boulder, no need for the skinny runner and carabiner.

 

Where does this come from?

 

Looks like two anchors going to a single carabiner.

Ratty good webbing in a single strand, plus 2 wire gate carabiners with the gates on the same side.

Unclear on the concept.

See all that rope. A simple knot would replace weaker cordalette and single carabiner, two unnecessary links in the anchor chain.

 

Missed it by THAT much>

Got piles of rope but let's use that cordalette and single strand webbing.

Just two more feet, yes that's the climbing rope dragging over the rock.

 

You could do it that way.

 

The webbing is threaded through the figure 8 knot, as well as being clipped together.

You've got a choice, why put the gate down towards the rock where it could be opened.

Another view of the "unique" attachment.

Bad anchors and bad behavior.

More crap form the Internet, note the eye splice and non-climbing carabiner.

 The other anchor is the dead tree, with a loose loop and knot. While the guy was rigging, his kid was throwing sticks over the cliff. Two missed me, I thought it was the high winds, the third was bigger and closer, then I knew what it was. He told the kid to stop, no apology then, and not when he came down to climb.

Ok, let's review one more time.

See that big pile of orange rope on the left? That means the climber could have just tied knots, eliminating two unnecessary links in the belay chain. The rope is 8MM cord, totally inappropriate for a top rope anchor. A climber will hit the ground if they fall before their feet are higher than six feet off the ground. Ropes have strands to absorb force, 8 MM means way fewer strands, so the rope just stretches.

 

Hang em high.

Tiny ropes and tiny trees.

Take all your gear to add a boulder.

 Big trees, bigger ropes, still hoping to strangle hikers.

Did they crawl under there?

 

Rip that hollow tree out by the roots.

 

Tiny trees seem more popular.

A couple of cams were probably intended as a directional, they are holding a lot of the weight.

Two tiny trees with mystery knots, and way up on the trunk. The one in the foreground moves when you push it.

Strangle those hikers!

How high is your anchor?

About as high as they could reach.

 

Both gates bumping against the rock.

 

All good, right?

A cam in a crack formed by a detached block and a hollow tree.

Dead tree, tiny tree, high anchor, and the climbing rope dragging across the rock.

 

They can't stay away.

Everything is half-assed: tiny tree, tiny runner, single carabiner, gate down, unstable clove hitch and a botched fisherman's knot. What's not to like?

 

More crap from Amazon.

No name carabiner and webbing from Amazon.

Yes, that's a slack line as an anchor.

Mystery gear attaching the slack line to a tree.

 

Rip those trees out.

 The anchors are way up those small trees, hard on the trees, more importantly the climber can hit the ground several feet up the climb, when the trees bend.

Any anchor should be a real anchor.

The tiny tree is a joke. The enormous tree in the background is fine. The little tree was holding weight, no excuse for this.

They just can't stop using the REALLY dead tree and the tiny tree.

Passed up lots of good anchors to create one that is actually weakening the system.

 

Don't buy no-name climbing stuff from China.

You can find this stuff at their web site with an American flag and fractured English, claiming the company is in Las Vegas. You can also find it on Amazon made by Meituo, as in "Me Too" a rip-off.

No name at all. When you buy this stuff you take money away from legitimate manufacturers who improve products and test them for your protection.

 

New contender for worst ever, the bondage anchor.

Yes, that's a chain, five feet up a tree, with five ropes attached, running across the Billygoat Trail.

 

It's hard to be an oak tree at Carderock.

 OK, this poor root is the primary anchor, webbing stretches more than static rope. Give roots a break. The webbing connects to static rope with the evil clove hitch, OK if it is in front of you, not OK when you can't see it.

Yard sale.

Love the sling, carabiner and clove hitch above the big hole in the trunk.

The yard sale, where you lay out everything you own, including a quick link you bought at a hardware store.

Single strand webbing, anchors way apart, practically cross loading the carabiners.

Single cam, barely in the crack, next to a block that is a great anchor.

 

Don't leave your gear at the top of the crag, it will disappear.

If you can't tie the right knot, tie lots.

They can't stay away from the refrigerator, despite its terrifying overhang.

Could be a bowline tied around the wrong strand of rope. How does that work?

 When you trash your new anchor rope on the first day, use an alpine butterfly to take the bad spot out of the system.

Madness.

Single bowline, a half hitch is no real tie off and a DEAD tree.

 Madness.

Miracles every day at Carderock.

"Yes, I am a sport climber and yes, this is all the gear I own."

You can do a tensionless anchor with three wraps, but they should be tight around the tree to really work well. Luckily the carabiner is an auto locker since the gate is pressing against the rock. Don't use a carabiner, use a knot that cinches down like half a double fisherman's