Looking for Comments Regarding Sport Anchors

I'm going to place an order this week so that I can start replacing worn anchors as the weather gets cold. My question is I really like the Metolius rap hangers but I'm worried that if I start replacing old cold shuts with these that people will TR through them anyway which would be dangerous or cause excess wear on the rope. I don't want to be responsible for that.

Just wondering what others thoughts are on the rap anchors, do you like them or would you just use bolts with quick links that can be more easily replaced once they are worn. Any input is appreciated.

Seems that Fixe Ring anchors are the best long term solution. For both rapping and lowering.

Checkout this thread and the associated thread on Supertopo.

mountainproject.com/v/south…

supertopo.com/climbing/thre…

- Luke

For one-pitch routes, lowering hooks are a great choice. Available at Home Depot (see

for details) or through Fish Products (Mussy Hooks). Durable, convenient, easy to replace. Downside: more expensive than other alternatives. I install them on most of the new routes I put up in Boulder Canyon.

Ron Olsen wrote:For one-pitch sport routes, lowering hooks are a great choice. Available at Home Depot (see

for details) or through Fish Products (Mussy Hooks). Durable, convenient, easy to replace. Downside: more expensive than other alternatives. I install them on most of the new routes I put up in Boulder Canyon.

I love these, because unlike the springer anchors or other forms of open cold shuts, you can safely clip into the bolts if you want to (for toproping seconds, or whatever).

Mussy Hooks rock.

Is there any reason not to put hooks on the ends of chains? This seems like it'd be a good solution because it can eliminate the need for the traditional 'cleaning' routine when a party is done with a route. As long as 2 quickdraws are used directly off of the bolts the rope can run through all 4 (2 'draws + hooks) and the last person only needs to remove the draws to clean the anchors.

Peter Franzen wrote:Is there any reason not to put hooks on the ends of chains? This seems like it'd be a good solution because it can eliminate the need for the traditional 'cleaning' routine when a party is done with a route. As long as 2 quickdraws are used directly off of the bolts the rope can run through all 4 (2 'draws + hooks) and the last person only needs to remove the draws to clean the anchors.

Cost. Two more quick links and two lengths of chain would add $6 to $8 to the cost of the anchor. Here is the breakdown of my costs for a lowering-hook anchor:

2 stainless-steel 3/8" x 3" wedge bolts: $3.60
2 Fixe stainless-steel powder-coated hangers: $6.50
2 Mussy Hooks: $10.00
2 9mm quick links: $5.50

Total: $25.60

I could save by using non-stainless bolts and hangers, but it's still more than $20 for such an anchor, even without the extra quick links and chain.

just to clarify. your post title says sport anchors. and your question says rap anchors. not always the same. but i would say for one pitch sport climbs:

i would say no on the Metolious. unless they are primarily a rap anchor. i dont even think they work that great for belay anchors. i used a few of those setups and i dont like em.

fixe rings can put twists and kinks in the rope sometimes. even if set correctly.

i like ron's input.

but, if dont like the mussys try this (ignore the open hook):

or just some chains and biners if you must. but helps to paint them. anyone can replace the biners. even if you dont have a wrench for the quick link. CONS: relies on the honer system. yeah, i know, whats that?

whatever is decided, whether it's right or wrong; people will still top rope on them.

so whats wrong with toproping through them?

why not just plan/design for that?

Darren Mabe wrote:just to clarify. your post title says sport anchors. and your question says rap anchors. not always the same. but i would say for one pitch sport climbs: i would say no on the Metolious. unless they are primarily a rap anchor. i dont even think they work that great for belay anchors. i used a few of those setups and i dont like em. fixe rings can put twists and kinks in the rope sometimes. even if set correctly. i like ron's input. but, if dont like the mussys try this (ignore the open hook): or just some chains and biners if you must. but helps to paint them. anyone can replace the biners. even if you dont have a wrench for the quick link. CONS: relies on the honer system. yeah, i know, whats that?

Sorry for the confusion, after reading again I see my mistake. Yes, I am talking about 1 pitch sport routes and I would like to plan for people TR'ing thru them because I know it's going to happen.

David Hodges wrote: Sorry for the confusion, after reading again I see my mistake. Yes, I am talking about 1 pitch sport routes and I would like to plan for people TR'ing thru them because I know it's going to happen.

That's what's great about Mussy Hooks: lots of steel at the point of wear = great durability, even if people top-rope directly through them. Much longer lasting than carabiners, quick links, or chains.

Got to thinking about it on my drive home. Initally I was thinking that using the rap anchors could be a way to encourage people to not TR thru the anchors but after reading Darren's comment I realized that I have been looking at it all wrong. Just build it into the system and try to inform people not to TR thru them. Thanks for your help.

One of my favorite anchor configurations:

Another choice is the Fixe ring anchor:

Use two of these in a horizontal configuration for a sport anchor.

Bought directly from Fixe USA, the cost is $6.45 each for plated steel, $9.50 each for stainless steel. You may be able to find them cheaper from another source.

The ring can rotate, so wear is not concentrated on one spot. Should stand up well even if used directly for toproping. These are commonly used in Boulder Canyon, and I've yet to see one of these rings show any significant wear.

Downsides:

• Not as convenient as Mussy Hooks for lowering and cleaning.
• Somewhat difficult to clip/unclip a biner directly to the hanger.
• More difficult to replace if you're not using a nutted wedge bolt to attach them to the rock.

Agreed Ron -- a pair of Fixe ring anchors is great value (especially for the plated version -- which is fine for Bo-Can). Mussy Hooks are a bit of an eye sore in my opinion.

Ron Olsen wrote: Cost.

Thanks Ron. Sometimes it takes somebody else to point out the obvious.

/smacks forehead

Dan Levison wrote:One of my favorite anchor configurations:

that is an awesome setup for either rap or sport, dan! i am a fan.

I find Dan's setup to be the very best for rappelling (because no abnormal loading should one bolt fail), but not so for sport anchors. The reason being that typically when sport climbing, you arrive at the anchors with draws of the same length. Since the anchor bolts are not at the same level, you cannot really clip directly into the bolt hangers as they would not be equalized. You would thus clip into the ring and the bottom of the chain. Now in all reality, the stuff is so strong that there is nothing wrong with doing that, it just adds another "link" in the setup.

The guys down at Red Rock Open Space used the Fixe rings. Last time I was there (a little more than a year ago), the ones I saw were in great shape. Consider that they were about 4 years old, see high traffic, obviously have tr's run through all the time, and the ropes are sandy as hell to boot.

Ron Olsen wrote:Another choice is the Fixe ring anchor: Use two of these in a horizontal configuration for a sport anchor.

This anchor configuration is popular, and I put in a few myself back in the day, but I've since realized that this configuration almost always causes severe rope twisting when lowering. I am no longer a fan, though they are cheap. They have a new style with two rings per hanger that is far superior.

Ron Olsen wrote:The ring can rotate, so wear is not concentrated on one spot.

This is the theory, though in reality, often these rings get worn in a single spot. Still much better than an oval or d-shaped ring or biner.