Breaking down the myths of ERNEST
When we break apart the simple acronym "ERNEST" in
regard to
building anchors for climbing purposes, each component of this idea;
Equalized, Redundant, No Extension (slack), Solid, and Timely
are in
themselves worthy of analysis and discussion.
In this tech-tip, I will be demonstrating a few of the
more
common anchoring techniques and lead-protection systems which can both
strengthen and speed-up what is often the most time consuming aspect of
multi-pitch rock climbing: Placing solid
protection.
Great gear and
solid anchors are the foundation of success in the steep rock
environment and if this can be achieved with a minimum of gear at a
maximum strength, then we are only making it easier for ourselves to
travel "light and fast".
The mental skill of a never missing attention
to detail in addition
to a well developed ability at placing protection and
building solid
anchors in the most challenging environments are the core skills of our
rock and alpine superstars. We can all develop these same
abilities
with practice and a mindful attention to the details which matter the
most.
This approach has kept me thus far out of harm's
way and I do believe that those climbers who take the most "planned"
falls on traditional gear are the best at placing it well.
The
opposite also holds true: Those climbers who have
not stood (aid
climbing) or fallen much or at all on their gear often don't realize
how poor a job they are doing in placing it well.
|
Building
mini-anchors on lead by combining two solid pieces of protection into
one that is even more solid.
Another
example of two solid pieces being treated as one where the rope
connection takes place.
|
|
Often it only takes a consideration of the possiblities
to make a
small change which can produce big results. When faced with
the
prospect of a runout section or a crux move, two is better than one and
when we consider that connected together in an equalized fashion
strengthens the entire system, this "hook-up" pictured above is an
example of connecting together protection up so that each piece will
only receive close to 50% of the anticipated load (falling
climber).
|
Lead
Protection:
Depending on the stance, above is another simple but
very strong
way to equalize protection for lead climbing and to "sew-up" a crux
section.
My goal is often to have this type of very solid gear placed
from a stance below the crux section of a route and then to climb
through the crux without stopping to place more "pro", knowing that I
have something very solid below me.
A similar connection for lead protection that treats two
pieces of
protection as one connection to the rope.
Carabiners are one of the
weakest links in the system, so putting them "opposite and opposed" on
the rope end of the sling is a simple but very solid way of ensuring
that this connection cannot fail under load.
|
|
"Quickdraws" or small runners are often helpful for
reducing rope
drag and more importantly, to keep the lead protection from being moved
into a compromised position by the leader's
rope.
As well, in the
set-up above, the falling climber's force will be distributed more
equally between these two pieces than if the upper piece was clipped
short.
Potentially this could mean 50% less force being
applied to
each piece which could result in a system that is literally twice as
strong. I'll usually take those odds over the weaker option.
|
|
Above are two more options for connecting together
multiple pieces
of lead protection to maximize their strength and to minimize the gear
needed in connecting this system to the leader's rope. These
"mini-anchors" are usually much more confidence inspiring for the lead
climber than the often-used single piece of protection
placed between
the leader and the deck (ground/ledge). Extra raps of the 24"
sling
around the carabiner on the right-hand protection were used to better
equalize this set-up after it was constructed and the rope attached.
|
The set-up shown at right could be both lead protection
or an anchor
in certain rock environments. Three pieces of protection is
often the
rule in anchoring, but if the gear is completely solid
(primarily due
to rock type) then a two-piece anchor may be more than enough to get
the job done.
I've also placed more than a few 5-6 piece anchors in
less inspiring rock like Eldorado Canyon, in the North Cascade or
Alaska Ranges. An overhand on a bight knot is used to tie-off
the 48"
sewn sling due to it's low bulk and ease of tying.
|
|
Anchoring Systems:
Keep in mind that rules are meant to be
broken and that the
principle needs of the rock climber in regard to anchoring are to have
an anchor which can sustain falls by the leader or
follower.
The
strength of each individual gear placement is paramount to the
overall
anchor strength thus a well connected anchor cannot make-up for poorly
placed gear or bad rock.
When faced with tying it all together,
some
of the simple solutions outlined below can both speed-up and
maximize
the strength of what can be a time consuming process with often less
than ideal results.
Daisy chains are
usually unnessary for multi-pitch trad climbing
and the rope is our strongest and most direct connection to the
anchor.
Belaying directly off of the anchor demands a
stronger anchor
than one that has the belayer's body between the anchor and climber
(A-B-C), but belaying directly off of the
anchor is twice as strong as
the often-used technique of re-directing the climber's rope from the
belayer up and through the anchor.
|
|
The auto-lock belay device (Black
Diamond ATC Guide) is connected to the upper "shelf" of
this anchor to
allow the belayer to have more space for bringing in the climber's rope.
Pictured above is another example of an
anchor constructed using a
48" sewn sling tied with an overhand-on-a-bight knot to make a
"pre-equalized" connection for the three solid pieces of
protection.
The bottom piece of pro is connected to the anchor's "masterpoint" and
the key to this connection is to tie (or adjust) the masterpoint so
that the bottom piece is equally being loaded by the potential forces
to this system.
|
A
close-up of the simple overhand-on-a-bight knot which is used to
create two "redundant" arms on each side of this "pre-equalized"
system.
Although the "sliding-x" or "self-equalizing" system (not
shown) can have some advanges, if there is any possibility of
any of
the anchor protection failing due to poor rock quality or dubious
placements, the resulting shock-loading from the extension of the sling
could more easily produce enough force to cause failure to the entire
anchor system. |
|
|
Once we are ready to lead above our anchor, we must first consider
the potential for a lead fall in the first few meters as this is the
most critical point in regard to minimizing the
potential lead-falling
forces. Often clipping the highest piece of a solid
anchor is the best
option,or even better, placing a piece immediately above the anchor are
both actions which will result in lowering the
potential falling
forces.
More gear than less is better in these first few meters above
an anchor, especially if the anchor is less than ideal or if the
likelihood of a fall is significant as lower falling forces also better
enable our belayer to maintain a grip with their brake hand(s).
|
