Quickdraw failure - "Convicted" at the Mother Lode

[512OW]

Why do people continue to leave fixed draws anyway?

Have you ever tried carryin 14 of those things in a pack up a crazy hike like the Motherlode? Add in some Powerbars and Redbull in a Nalgene and you got yourself a certified backbreaker.

[Gaar]

My draws have been on stain for only one season and they already fried! Sombody has already changed a couple of the biners out. Thankfully i gave them to Aaron (rockstar) if he ever gets them off the route.

What was the tempature the night before and the day of the break? Does anyone know?

[Eric]

"They found a fragment, big deal," Ballard said. "Am I surprised? No. When you go down there, there's stuff all over the place. It hit an iceberg and it sank. Get over it." (in reference to the sinking of the Titanic)

I thought it was hiliarious that this Ballard guy said the same thing 512OW was saying.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/12 ... index.html

[512OW]

Damn smart man.

[mcrib]

So are the draws off Stain? I was there the day of the failure. The climber did not seem too rattled. Anyone that was climbing on that route around the time of the biner failing had to be aware the its days were numbered. I had been hammered and it didn't take long looking at to tell that. It was the draw right before the upper crux i.e. a lot of people fell there and a lot of people lowered from there. Problems like that biner usually get addressed. The fixed anchors at the top of Buff the Wood were worn and 3/4 of the way through so I left two biner on the chains. It is a small price to pay to ensure safer climbing.

[Ernie]

As to the issue of leaving fixed gear. Have you ever looked at the Madness Cave? Would you like to clean one of those routes? I say no thank you. I have grown to greatly appreciate fixed gear. As a matter of fact, most of my gear has become fixed gear at one place or another. The issue is, fixed gear doesn't stay good and therefore it needs to be replaced from time to time.

A guy named Jason Marshall actually replaced all of the draws on Convicted. It was a very nice thing for an out of towner to do. I have seen many other sketchy biners and draws being replaced this year. I can't even count how many of my friends draws/biners/ etc... have been used on Chain Saw alone this year. Many of the locals who climb there all the time are actually working on a deal to get steal carabiners and begin a massive re-fixing effort. The problem is it costs a lot of money to fix a route. But the efforts are being made. Replacing fixed gear makes things safer, simple as that. I know that I want to continue rock climbing, thus it is imperitive that I don't die or get seriously injured. While this is always a risk, as rock climbing is a risky undertaking, it doesn't mean that precautions shouldn't be taken.

So if you see a crappy biner or runner, instead of saying "wow that looks sketchy", rumage through your pack and see if you have a nicer one to replace it with. Everyone who climbs on fixed draws is responsible for their wear. Donating a biner, draw, or webbing hear and there can really help.

[512OW]

Or....heres a novel concept....use yours and take em with ya.

[mcrib]

Sure.

[Spragwa]

Nice location mcrib. I just caught that.