Rumney Top Anchors

I personally think we should be trying some titanium ram's horns on the popular routes and titanium rings on second and third pitches. With a little time use of rams horns will be more familiar. People have to take a little responsibility to learn how to use the gear and teach new climbers. I am not sure one should be climbing if they are unable to figure out quickly with a little guidance the first time how to use them safely and efficiently.

I don't like the clippies. They wear out, gates fail and attract people to TR through them and if they aren't set up properly (see that often) they lay flat on the rock, making the rope rub

Eric LaRoche wrote: Some people just made it sound weird that they were hard to clip

The first time you see them they are a little odd. Personally I got a little confused for a moment when I first saw them on Underdog last year - wasn't sure if I was supposed to use both, or how the rope was meant to run through them.

I think a couple of signs in the parking lots with a sample set of the anchors and some drawings would clear it all up.

Time for me to ask my gumby question: How exactly do you use ram's horns? I have never used them, but hope to get to Rumney this summer, so knowing exactly what to do in advance would be helpful.

I'm guessing you climb, clip your draws and lower off of them as normal...but where do you clip the draws? To the bolts, or to the horns somewhere? Or will there be chains next to/as part of the horns?

Then when your seconds have climbed, I'd guess that the last one cleans the draws, runs the rope through both sets of ram's horns...then do they rap, or is lowering OK?

Found a nice photo of how you're supposed to thread the ram's horns before lowering/rapping:

M Sprague wrote:I personally think we should be trying some titanium ram's horns on the popular routes and titanium rings on second and third pitches. With a little time use of rams horns will be more familiar. People have to take a little responsibility to learn how to use the gear and teach new climbers. I am not sure one should be climbing if they are unable to figure out quickly with a little guidance the first time how to use them safely and efficiently. I don't like the clippies. They wear out, gates fail and attract people to TR through them and if they aren't set up properly (see that often) they lay flat on the rock, making the rope rub

I have to say, I like the rams. Discourages TR through fixed gear and you can lower off without untying which I really like.

Bill Shubert wrote:Time for me to ask my gumby question: How exactly do you use ram's horns? I have never used them, but hope to get to Rumney this summer, so knowing exactly what to do in advance would be helpful. I'm guessing you climb, clip your draws and lower off of them as normal...but where do you clip the draws? To the bolts, or to the horns somewhere? Or will there be chains next to/as part of the horns? Then when your seconds have climbed, I'd guess that the last one cleans the draws, runs the rope through both sets of ram's horns...then do they rap, or is lowering OK? Found a nice photo of how you're supposed to thread the ram's horns before lowering/rapping:

Clip the draws to the bolts or chain holding the rams.

Lowering is kind of the point so you don't have to untie.

ward smith wrote: Normally, I would agree with you. But at super high traffic areas like Rumney, this means that people will be waiting forever while people who have never threaded try to learn how to do it. Painful at best. Easy clips really don't cost much more, so why not?

Fair point, particularly in places like 5.8/Parking Lot/Meadow

Jon Frisby wrote: Fair point, particularly in places like 5.8/Parking Lot/Meadow

Well they have to learn sometime. Why get them used to a system we are trying to get away from. It really is not rocket science to use ram's horns.

Put the practice set up on a wall by the bubbler in the gyms instead of littering the crags with even more junk.

Eric LaRoche wrote:Discourages TR through fixed gear

How do you figure?

zswan wrote: How do you figure?

weighting and unweighting the rope is more likely to dislodge the rope in rams horns compared to biners/chains

redlude97 wrote: weighting and unweighting the rope is more likely to dislodge the rope in rams horns compared to biners/chains

That's pretty unlikely. I think there is more chance with floppy gated biners.

zswan wrote: How do you figure?

Even noobs are used to running ropes through biners and nothing else. Having biners on the anchors definitely would encourage use of them for TR. Maybe i'm just dreaming.

Eric LaRoche wrote: Even noobs are used to running ropes through biners and nothing else. Having biners on the anchors definitely would encourage use of them for TR. Maybe i'm just dreaming.

Turns out that doesn't matter if the gates on the biners wear out long before the steel does :)

Mr. Kemple- I'm still interested in donating for a new supply- I sent you a private message with my personal email.

If confused by Pig Tail watch this:

youtube.com/watch?v=a5FTe27…

Thanks, DRusso. That is a good video.

Mind numbingly complicated, isn't it? ;) It does show how important it is when installing the anchor bolts to leave them protruding enough that there is room to clip a draw under the tails.

Great video. Important in all situations to put your own draws UNDERNEATH the fixed gear so that you don't cross load the biner. Most people do not do this.

Some of our eye bolts are too recessed to be able to lift up and clip underneath

kemple sr. wrote:Some of our eye bolts are too recessed to be able to lift up and clip underneath

If a couple quicklinks are used on each bolt to attach the ones that are too recessed, there should be plenty of spots to clip in. Not ideal, but if there is not enough room you can clip the bottom of the horns if your biners are not too small.

I donated $100 to buy 20 steel quick links from Trango. A couple of people volunteered to chip in, if they do, and want me to, I will recognize them here.

Shortly after I ordered from Trango, Kevin Daniels from Fixe contacted me. He is coming through big time, and has sent a large supply of their steel biners to make good on the forged ones that had gate failures! This is great news for all of us and I can't thank Kevin enough.

With these in hand and the ram's horns Dave got from the AAC we should be in really good shape for a long time. More stainless quicklinks would be nice, but I can replace quickies without unscrewing the link if necessary.

The RCA does not seem to be too attentive to emails on the website, so feel free to post notices about worn anchors or loose bolts here. tk

shipment from Fixe came in today!!

fixe anchors

Another pigtail demonstration from the RCA website climbrumney.com/2016/06/19/…