My weekend rant.

[Alasdair]

This is a photo of a top rope anchor I saw in Leavenworth this weekend. This was built for use by one of our favorite local climbing clubs. It was being used by them entire day. Granted it was a back up for another anchor, but I could have dislodged both of these chockstones with a light kick. There is no way this should have been used as a part of any anchor system. Even as a back up.

 

If you are going to be TEACHING climbing classes please make sure your teachers are competent. If this anchor had been weighted it would have sent one or maybe both of these blocks down on the group below.

 

[charlieburnett]

Nah... I'm not buying it.

[summitchaserCJB]

Ya seriously, thats hard to swallow. While chockstones can be bomber, these don't look like it.

[kukuzka1]

The photo dose not show how well the rock is wedged in but as you say if you could kick it and it would fall apart then lets hope the main anchor was bomber

[summitchaserCJB]

Sounds like it might have been for illustrative purposes. But still sounds dangerous.

[Gym Wickedwire]

When you round Mountie corner you're supposed to honk and wave, not stop and climb.

[mountainmatt]

I don't know, the first stone looks bomber to me. Perhaps the danger is in the redundancy of slinging a second stone.

[hafilax]

"ROCK!" and then kick them out.

[JoshK]

Looks like they were taking instruction from my upcoming book "Building Anchors for People You Don't Like".

[DPS]

Looks like they were taking instruction from my upcoming book "Building Anchors for People You Don't Like".

 

[Alasdair]

Ok here is another one. When ever I see an anchor that is questionable I shoot a photo. This next one was not seen this weekend, it was seen somewhere on the east coast.

 

[RuMR]

modified american death triangle!

[billbob]

I cannot not say this following because I had a shitty day:

 

Serious Part-

Damn shame these anchors don't conform to your expectations, lad. One can only imagine the stories behind them.

 

Bitingly Sarcastic Part-

It is very reassuring to know that certain, more discriminating climbers would never, ever, under any circumstances whatsoever and regardless of conditions present, build anything as dangerous as these anchors.

Thanks for bringing this to the immediate attention of all climbers on this forum. I certainly and most emphatically hope that I speak for the majority of climbers here in expressing our sincere and profound gratitude while we look forward to your further investigative reports on the subject matter.

 

Seriously,

Bill

 

[genepires]

I have big expectations of my partners and besides draggin me up hard shit, I expect that they make damn good anchors. If they made a anchor like the slung pebbles shown, I would not climb with them. thanks for sharing and I hope this thread makes someone who is making shitty anchors think twice about it.

 

Damn Billbob, why the hate?

[mountainsloth]

dumb shits! ::

[ivan]

my fav-o-rite-ist anchor i ever built (and not too far from mountie land neither)

[KaskadskyjKozak]

gotta love 'em chicken heads!

[Rad]

chicken heads rock, but that middle one is not perky enough to keep anything on board.

 

[genepires]

it is a backup and therefore can be shitty.

[ivan]

i like that i left the locker unlocked on the primary head

[Dane]

Climb more, rant less.

 

 

 

[rocketparrotlet]

When taking the basic climbing course, I remember that we were required to anchor everything at the bottom of the climb...they believed it was ALWAYS possible using webbing. That crack over there...can you sling it? No? Better to use the giant boulder 20 feet down with 3 pieces of tubular tied together.

 

-Mark

[ivan]

 

is that a thumb making bro look like he's got the finest honkey-fro in creation?

[Dane]

Dave Dingleman's thumb in his photo of Dale Bard arriving at Birdwell's RURP anchor on the first ascent of Sea of Dreams.

 

And not a locker in sight

[mountainmatt]

Hooks make great anchors as well...

 

Fisher Towers