Techniques to maximize anchor strength

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 am seeking to demonstrate 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".

Starting with lead protection, my philosophy since my first rock lead in 1984 has been that every piece of gear should be worthy of holding a substantial fall and that anything less is both unacceptable and a waste of gear.  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.

Having been lucky enough to have climbed with a  few of the best in this sport, I have seen that cutting-edge ascents are not based on luck or bravado.  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.

Lead Protection:

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).  Two carabiners at the rope end of the system creates a relatively unfailable "mini-anchor" which should be confidence inspiring for the leader.

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.

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.

"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 above 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.

The above picture demonstrates a three-piece anchor which is spread-out among two different crack systems.  The angle betweeen the two arms of the 48" sling come together at the connection-point at approximately an 80 degree angle.  Although the principle of "vectors" should be respected in regard to connecting gear together, this 80 degree angle only puts an approximate 60% load on each of the two arms versus the 50% load that would result if the angle between the two arms was less than 5 degrees.  Two carabiners are used at the climber's connection to the anchor due to the tri-axial load being applied to these carabiners- two is stronger than one.

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).

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