Girth hitching slings?

[EV]

Just curious, is there a general consensus on girth hitching slings? I'm particuarly interested in setting up an anchor, you need to extend your sling to make the angle less, and rather than putting a biner between two slings.

Hope this makes sense.

Thanks.

[Thomas]

As far as I know (??) there is nothing wrong with girth hitching two slings together. I have done it lots myself. It uses less gear than connecting 2 (or more)slings with a 'biner, and should make for a more secure anchor system, as there are fewer 'links in the chain' (without the connecting 'biner). Ideally you would have the right length sling for the situation, but that rarely happens, unless you're clippin' bolted stations.

Does anyone out there have any arguments for not girth hitching slings together???

Hope this helps you out.

Thomas

 

[Justuncanny]

From what I know there is nothing dangeriously wrong with the practice of girth hitching slings. Below are a few points that may help to consider.

These can be very difficult to untie if heavily weighted due to a fall, extended top-roping or a hanging belay.

Although a girth hitch will do in many situations it may be be faster, but harder to equalize when setting up more questionable anchors with natural pro. One of the many options is to use a cordellette instead of multiple slings or the climbing rope.

Also if you look at the strength rating of knots (see "Freedom of the Hills" by the Mountaineers) a girth hitch is a bit lower than water knots and fishermans...so depending on the sling type this can lower the strength of an anchor.

Hope this helps,

Justin

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Justinuncanny

[Wallstein]

Thomas,

You might want to do a little research before claiming girth hitching two slings together is stronger than linking them with a 'biner. When you girth hitch two slings together you can loose anywhere from 30-40 percent of its strength. A sewn loop of 11/16" will hold on average 5700lbs. When two loops are girth hitched the system will hold anywhere from about 3500lbs to 4300lbs. This is about 17kn which is below the rating given to the sling by the manufacturer. Still plenty strong for many applications. If you are using 9/16" loss of strength is even greater. But I would never girth hitch two slings on any important piece or an anchor that might take a fall. My point is null though if you are using tied slings to start with. Tied slings already have a %30 loss in strength compared to sewn ones.

-Mike

[rbw1966]

In addition to the above, if you do girth hitch slings together make damn sure you dress the hitch correctly as loading will cause the fibers to rub against each other, creating friction.

Friction bad!

Personally, I will avoid girthing slings if at all possible. But, part of a climbers bag of tricks is adapting to the circumstances. Just be aware of what you are doing.

Rob

[Thomas]

Hey Mike and Rob,

Thanks for the beta about girth-hitching slings. I didn't realise that it would reduce the strength of slings that much. I have typically used girth-hitched slings to reach around large trees at the top of a route. I wouldn't consider doing it in a situation where the anchor system must be strong enough to absorb the impact of a lead fall. As Justin mentioned, a cordelette is great for most anchor situations.

knowing is half the battle.......