Fixed draws are not fair game

[Jens]

For those of you getting into the sport of climbing, It is an amazing lifelong passion. Just a quick note- that when you see fixed quickdraws on a sport route, they are there because someone is working on it. Although this is common at many crags in the US, here in WA is relitevly rare (except for at exit 32). The draws are to stay fixed even if there are only 2 or 3 draws on hanging on a really long route (they could be for hard clips). Novice climbers may find themselves rapping down routes with fixed draws. Please leave them and enjoy your day of climbing.

(I've had draws taken off 2 different routes here in WA in my life)- don't ask me for where, when, and whatnot so this doesn't turn into a sprayathon.

[G-spotter]

Fixed draws are booty just like stuck nuts are.

[powderhound]

and cams don't forget those great fixed cams.

[billcoe]

Fixed draws are booty just like stuck nuts are.

 

Dude......really?!

 

Is it cause leaving draws on a route is like people just leaving trash laying around or what is it? If you took every draw off of every route what would you even do with all of them?

[powderhound]

sell them on ebay.......

[haireball]

what I don't understand is why bother collecting these. in studies commissioned by the major Euro rope manufacturers back around 1980, they found that, on average, thirty percent of the impact force generated in a climbing fall is absorbed by the tightening of knots in the system! so why are these same companies selling us SEWN runners?

[mattp]

Because sewn runners are easier to deal with. The stiffened bar-tacked portion does not get caught on things as much as a knot and you never have to worry about it coming untied. Also, they look cooler.

 

Similarly, I think studies have shown that bent gates unclip themselves more readily than straight gate 'biners, but they are easier to clip. My experience is that many of the wire gates are similar in both respects. Also, they seem more high tech and may be lighter, or resistent to flutter or whatever.

 

(In the case of sewn runners or bent-gate or wire gate biners, they are not so good for other uses such as using the runners for bail anchors or using the 'biners for break bars.)

 

Convenience and coolness are at least as big of a factor as absolute safety or other practical concerns, and many climbers prefer highly specialized gear over the more generally useful tools of olden times - even for general mountaineering.

[slothrop]

Those stiffy dogbone draws'll kill ya. I bet ropes have changed in the last 26 years, though. They should repeat that study, since few people seem to use tied runners anymore, since they're more bulky and heavy.