paulraphael

Right. And then there's the versatility issue, like what if you need to tie off 4 pieces, or if you want to sling a big block or tree or icicle.

Same is true for Trango's Alpine Equalizer (which uses the same basic design). You have to chose between dynamic equalization and limited extension, but you can't have both.

I agree with that. The odds of anchor failure are really low (mostly because anchors are almost never tested ... people seem to know better than to fall directly on them). The issue is that the stakes are so high. When anchors do fail, it's usually the end for everyone involved. And since there have been a few high profile (and fatal) anchor failures in recent years, and since recent studies show that most of the common techniques leave something to be desired, the subject is worth a second thought. But I would never switch to something slow and complex that introduces whole new dangers just because it works well on paper or in the lab. I'm only interested in solutions that are fast and versatile, and difficult to screw up.

I used a web-o-lette for years. it's basically a cordelette (with all the associated stengths and shortcomings), with the advantage of compactness, and the disadvantage of being made out of extremely static webbing, which Long and Ewing found to increase forces and decrease load distribution. In general I'm more comfortable with 7mm nylon, based on tests I've seen.

In most cases it's easy to limit extension to 6 inches or less. How much extension you're willing to tolerate is a whole other conversation, but the biggest concern is making sure the belayer doesn't get yanked off the ledge. I tend to be more worried about extension if the pro is sketchy, if it's a hanging belay, or if it's a precarious ledge. Other times it's pretty much a non-issue, and speed and simplicity are more important to me.

Yeah, we tried the butterfly, but it was too hard to tie in a double strand. The whole idea was an anchor that was fast and simple in the field, not just on paper. The fat adjusting knot was our biggest concern until Jim Ewing tested it. He found it to be more than strong enough, even when tied sloppily (which we always do) in either 7mm nylon or technora.

If anyone's interested, the info on the ACR has been updated. We've been field testing it all over the Gunks and Will Gadd is going to start testing it in the Rockies. Jim Ewing at Sterling has done some preliminary pull tests and given it the thumbs up. My partner and I find it faster and more versatile than anything else we've tried and are planning to stick with it unless something better comes along.