Pretty interesting video about dyneema vs Nylon...Maybe many of you knew this, but this video made me scratch the old noggin about connecting myself or my partners to an anchor via the metolius PAS....Does this video apply to that device? Welcome rants raves and all...just curious for a good old anchor talk.
"The Mountains are my church and climbing is how I worship" - Tommy Caldwell
it was interesting. when i belay i'm usually anchored by my end of the rope in a clove hitch to the belay & a daisy chain. it was the way i was taught, but i couldn't have explained why as well as this guy. i've never been careful to make sure the daisy didn't have slack in it, but i will now!
i've also never belayed in a situation where i'm physically above the anchor point where i could take a fall factor 2. i'm not sure when someone would do this or why. can someone tell me when this would be appropriate or useful? (granted, i've never done multipitch on anything harder than 5.9+/5.10 so maybe that's used in harder climbs?)
"Unthinkably good things can happen, even late in the game." ~ Under the Tuscan Sun
It would definitely never be useful, but it's one of those things where you might think "it'll be ok just this one time to hand my climber a piece he forgot" or something like that.
That is good to know. I am sure I have had some sketch anchors in the past, and now feel extremely lucky that worse case scenarios never came to be.
Josie, I am not sure why you would be above your anchor, except maybe in certain aid climbing situations. There are plenty of situations where I have set up an anchor directly above the climb, but the comfortable belay ledge was off to the side, usually I would be backed up on the ledge too, but I could see it not being possible and attaching a long sling to the anchor.
I also wonder if that guy cries a little on the inside every time he has to explain something using feet and pounds.
How you compare may not be as important as to whom you are compared
Josephine wrote:can someone tell me when this would be appropriate or useful?
I am not necessarily endorsing this, but I have seen people on multi-pitch hook into a bolt or piece of pro with a sling, then try to reach up to get the next clip. Usually when backing off the route is not a good option. In these cases, they are still tied to the rope and on belay, so if they fell and the sling broke, it would be the same as a lead fall.
I think climbing with that guy would be like a whirlwind of insanity when it came to anchoring in....but at the same time...you'd be safe.
I was thinking about things like the web-o-lette...isnt that dyneema? and if you were pulled from the belay because you did not have an upward piece placed...this might result in breaking the slings?
"The Mountains are my church and climbing is how I worship" - Tommy Caldwell
