Cleaning the Anchors

Transcription

1 Cleaning the Anchors Removing your gear at the top anchors when finished climbing a route 2013 Richard Weber Warning: No claim is made about the suitability of the information provided here on cleaning anchors, for any purpose, either stated or implied. By reading the information herein, you accept full responsibility for it s use, and any consequences of that use. Rock climbing is an inherently dangerous sport and should never be undertaken without competent instruction, followed up with practice on actual rock under the supervision of competent, experienced rock climbers. The information on this website is subject to error and should supplement but never replace caution and common sense. When reading descriptions of climbing routes in any guidebook or on-line guide, you should understand that details pertaining to route length, type and location of descent, and number of bolts may be significantly different than what is published.

2 Cleaning the Anchors Introduction You have climbed up to the top anchors and now wish to retrieve your two quickdraws (or whatever type of personal anchoring gear you used) and rappel back down to the ground. This technique is called cleaning the anchors. Rappelling is the preferred method for descending to the ground after cleaning the anchors as it does not cause any wear on the fixed anchor hardware. There is another technique for descending back to the ground used by a few climbers that calls for the climber to be lowered off by his belayer. This method does cause significant wear on the fixed anchor hardware and should be avoided. Wait... just how can a climber being lowered on a soft nylon rope running through stainless steel rings cause wear on those rings? This nifty stuff we climb on is called Corbin Sandstone. When Mother Nature and time erode it away we are left with sand on the ground on which our climbing ropes sit. The sand becomes embedded in the ropes, turning them into very efficient abrasive cutting tools. When a sand encrusted rope, under the weight of a lowering climber, is pulled through an anchor ring, the resulting wear is significant. Figure 9 shows a worn rap ring removed from a popular climb in Muir Valley less than one year after it was installed. Please note that there are many types of anchor systems installed on climbs throughout the Red River Gorge region. Almost all are redundant with two rock anchors of some type usually rap rings, hanger brackets with quicklinks, or chains with quicklinks. The technique described here with rap rings should work on those other systems by simply clipping your tethers into the two anchor points. Step 1 - Tether yourself to the anchors You must first secure yourself directly to the permanent anchor system that is bolted to the rock. This is often referred to as going in direct. There are several ways to do this. The method shown here requires you to use two 2-foot runners (60 cm), each of which is girth hitched to your belay loop. A carabiner is connected to each runner and clipped to a gear loop on the back of your harness to keep them out of the way while you are climbing. We ll call these girth-hitched runner with a carabiner tethers. When you reach the anchor system and while still being belayed by your partner, reach around to unclip the carabiner on one tether and clip it to one of the rap rings as shown in Figure 1. Clip your other tether to the other to rap ring. There are different types of anchor systems. This one with rap rings is commonly found throughout the Red. Others consist of two side-by-side glue-in bolts, two quicklinks, or chains. Regardless of the type of anchor system, be sure to tether yourself securely to it. Sit back and allow the tethers to tighten and take up your weight. You may need to ask your belayer for a little slack so that you can verify that you are, indeed, directly tethered to the anchor system. Figure 1 - Tethering into the anchors Once you have confirmed that you are safely tethered, call down to your belayer to take you off belay. This is usually done with: Fred, I m in direct and off your belay. Wait until your belayer confirms he has removed his belay device before proceeding with the task below. Once your belayer has taken you off his belay, pull up about twelve feet of rope through the quickdraws and tie an overhand knot on a bight as shown in Figure 2. Use a carabiner to clip this bight of rope onto a gear loop of your harness. This will ensure that you won t drop your rope when, in the next step, you untie it from your harness. 1

3 Cleaning the Anchors Step 2 - Untie the climbing rope from your harness After you have clipped the bight of rope to a gear loop of your harness, untie the knot with which you tied the end of your climbing rope to your harness. This is usually a retraced figure eight or a bowline with a Yosemite finish. Figure 2 - Untying the rope from your harness Step 3 - Thread the rope through the anchor rings Remove the quickdraws at this point and hang them onto gear loops on your harness. Thread the end of the climbing rope through both rings (or quicklinks or chain, if either of these are installed as the fixed anchor system). IMPORTANT! At this point, after you have pulled the rope through both anchors, tie a stopper knot usually a double overhand knot on the end of the rope. This is an important safety step that can ensure that, in the event you fail to lower the end of the climbing rope all the way to the ground, you won t rappel off the end and fall. Lower the end of the rope with the stopper knot all the way to the ground. Your belayer, who should be attentively watching you will confirm that the end is on the ground. Figure 3 - Threading the rope through the anchor rings 2

4 Cleaning the Anchors Step 4 - Tie an autoblock hitch to both strands of your rope You will need an autoblock cord to accomplish Step 4. If you don t have one, here s how to make it. Cut a 50-inch length of of 6-mm diameter accessory cord and connect the ends with a double fisherman bend with 2-inch long tails. We will call this the autoblock cord. Clip a locking carabiner to your belay loop and clip the autoblock cord onto this carabiner near the double fisherman bend. Wrap a bight of the autoblock cord around both strands of the climbing rope three or four revolutions, and bring the bight back to clip onto the carabiner with the first bight. You should end up with the arrangement shown in Figure 4 and in more detail in Figure 10. Figure 4 - Tying an autoblock hitch to the climbing rope Step 5 - Connect an ATC to both strands of your rope Figure 5 shows a short (30 cm) sewn sling girth hitched to your harness belay loop. A quickdraw can also be used in place of the sewn sling. The purpose of this sling is to extend the location of your rappel device shown as an ATC in Figure 5. Connect an ATC to this short sling. Insert both strands of the climbing rope into the ATC by pushing a bight from each strand through the openings, making sure to capture BOTH bights with the carabiner. Although hidden behind the climber s left hand in Figure 6, the autoblock hitch is holding up the weight of the climbing rope ends, making it easier for him to thread the rope into the ATC. Figure 5 - Connecting an ATC to both strands of the rope 3

5 Cleaning the Anchors Step 6 - Check your rigging BEFORE unclipping your tethers Take slack out of the climbing rope, as shown in Figure 6, and do a careful visual check to be sure that your rappelling rig is correct. Now, check it again! Figure 6 - Checking your rigging before unclipping tethers Step 7 - Unclip your Tethers First, ensure that all slack is taken out of the two strands of rope between the anchors and the ATC and between the ATC and the autoblock hitch. Next, pull down on the section of climbing rope between the two anchor rings (or quicklinks or chain links). This action creates a 2-to-1 purchase mechanical advantage kind of like a 2:1 pulley system allowing you to pull yourself up with a force equal to about half of your weight. This releases tension on your tethers, allowing you to unclip them with your free hand. Note that the autoblock hitch is backing up your rope so that you don t have to keep your brake hand on. Note that some anchor systems are configured with only one master point, instead of the two rings shown in Figure 7. On these systems, you will not be able to pull down on the rope as shown here and will need to relieve tension on your tethers by pulling on the rock or a part of the anchor system, itself. Figure 7 - Unclipping your tethers 4

6 Cleaning the Anchors Step 8 - Rappel to the ground Make sure your tethers are stowed away on your harness. Start rappelling by gripping the autoblock hitch and pulling down on the top of it. If you want to stop rappelling, just remove your hand from the hitch. This will give you both hands free to clean any other gear that you may have left on the climb as you descend. Figure 8 - Rappelling to the ground Rap ring worn by rope This rap ring was removed from the top anchor system of a popular climb in Muir Valley after only a few months of use. The two grooves worn into the rings are clearly visible in the photo. Ideally, before the wear grows to a dangerous condition, these rings are replaced a procedure that is costly in time and dollars. By using the rappelling method described in this booklet, rather than the lowering-off -through-the-rings method, the life of this hardware is greatly lengthened. Figure 9 - Worn rings The autoblock hitch The autoblock cord is made from a 50-inch length of of 6-mm diameter accessory cord with the ends connected with a double fisherman bend with 2-inch long tails. The autoblock hitch is made by first clipping a bight of the autoblock cord onto a carabiner that is clipped to your belay loop. Next, wrap a bight of the autoblock cord around both strands of the climbing rope three or four revolutions, and bring the bight back to clip onto the carabiner with the first bight A good animation of how to tie an autoblock hitch is shown here: marinews.com/bait-presentation/autoblock-knot/560/ Figure 10 - Details of Autoblock Hitch 5