catbirdseat

The discussion started out about which way the biners should face on the draw. This is a "set it and forget it" issue.

If you are starting out learning something new, it is as easy to learn it one way as it is the other. So if one method has even an infinitesimal safety advantage, you might was well learn it this way. A large number of small safety advances can add up. You old timers, don't worry about it.

I can't follow exactly what you are trying to say.

You should practice clipping the rope in both from right and left using either hand until you can do it quickly and efficiently no matter which way the gate faces.

If this were done, who's job would it be to haul a phone booth to the summit. Do you have any idea what those things weigh?

Assuming you are right about the accident journals, and I am not conceding that yet until I check, there is a very good reason why an unclipped draw would not result in death on a sport route and that is because typically there is another bolt only 5 feet below the first. I happen to disagree with your premise that a person must die before climbers decide to make improvements to the way they do things.

There is not unanimous agreement on this point. You will find plenty of good climbers who face the biners away for convenience of clipping. Having said that, most manufacturers including Black Diamond, ship their draws with the biners facing the same way.

That is NOT true. You assume that the draw can rotate freely relative to the carabiner but that isn't always what happens. If the gate is facing in your direction of travel, it can rotate in such a manner that the gate come in contact with either the rock or the bolt itself. If you are willing to rotate your top carabiner after placing the draw, then it doesn't matter, but in any case you want the gate facing away from the direction of travel.

WRONG Dru, do it your own way. I'm just telling people the right way to do it. Don't confuse them.

Question Number One matters if you are sport climbing (or clipping bolts). Your quick draws are set up wrong if the gates are not facing the same way. It doesn't matter if you are trad climbing or using alpine draws, because you can flip the biners if necessary.

Supposedly the Beer Knot is stronger than a Water Knot, but I've yet to see anyone actually use one.

RC.com Discussion

I am probably not the only person who has noticed the inverse relationship between sling diameter and price.

Tell us why it this is important.

Any tube style belay device would work for rappelling and all would twist the rope less than a figure eight device. For belaying from above, the Munter Hitch directly on the anchor is an accepted method. Another method is to use one of the belay devices in the "autoblocking" mode, such as the B-52, reverso, GiGi or the ATC-Guide. Yet another method is to belay off your harness using a belay device in the standard mode with a "redirect" to the anchor.

There was a thread on RC.com in which Malcom Daly stated, "DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE GIVE A CINCH, GRIGRI (ETC) TO A BEGINNER. " That's standard procedure at VW. http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewt...w=&start=15

That's not what the maps say.

Both acetazolamide and methazolamide are carbonic anhydrase inhibitors used to treat glaucoma. They differ only by a single methyl group.

The call goes out for bona fide glaciologists and we get Dru and JayB.

You say that as though it would be a fact that every kindergartener knows.

Next thing you know, Bart and Homer will show up.

I once climbed Rainier with a 69 year old. It was slow (12 hours from camp to summit) but we made it.

That may be so but you don't mean to say that liquid water is the main erosive force of glaciers. It's the ice.

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