Cleaning an Anchor
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2005 7:55 pm
Some of you who hike into Muir Valley from the main parking lot have noticed a pair of anchor chains on the first wall of rock you encounter (on the right side) along the trail. On first appearance, this "route" might seem to be an April Fool prank, inasmuch as the anchor is about 8 feet off the ground.
Actually, we set this anchor as a practice route where climbers inexperienced in outdoor climbing can be taught how to safely clean an anchor and rap off. The person instructing can stand to the side with a clear view of the situation.
I think we've all seen newbies nervously cleaning their first anchors with instruction being yelled up 60 feet to them by belayers squinting to see what the climber was actually doing. This low anchor system should provide a much safer and less intimidating way to learn proper techniques.
Also, to preserve the life of the hardware on climbs in the Valley, we would like to ask you to do two things: First, toprope through your draws, rather than use anchor rings. And second, when cleaning, rap off rather than lower through the rings.
When you do rap off, it's a darn good idea to keep the belayer's end of the rope knotted and also tie a knot at the free end of the rope. To be really safe you can also back up your rap with a simple autoblock on a harness leg loop. If you don't want to take these safety steps, at the very least, have your belayer monitor your rap ride rather than wandering away after taking you off.
Mother Hen
Actually, we set this anchor as a practice route where climbers inexperienced in outdoor climbing can be taught how to safely clean an anchor and rap off. The person instructing can stand to the side with a clear view of the situation.
I think we've all seen newbies nervously cleaning their first anchors with instruction being yelled up 60 feet to them by belayers squinting to see what the climber was actually doing. This low anchor system should provide a much safer and less intimidating way to learn proper techniques.
Also, to preserve the life of the hardware on climbs in the Valley, we would like to ask you to do two things: First, toprope through your draws, rather than use anchor rings. And second, when cleaning, rap off rather than lower through the rings.
When you do rap off, it's a darn good idea to keep the belayer's end of the rope knotted and also tie a knot at the free end of the rope. To be really safe you can also back up your rap with a simple autoblock on a harness leg loop. If you don't want to take these safety steps, at the very least, have your belayer monitor your rap ride rather than wandering away after taking you off.
Mother Hen
