Has anyone ever had a locked carabiner break?

I've been seeing examples of minimalist anchors lately, which got me thinking - has anyone ever experienced a properly locked carabiner break? It seems like it might be the strongest (removable) component of an anchor system. Is that true?

Yes, but in tree work. Overloaded the crap out of a steel one. bent it real good. Rated for 50kn =D

Another one stretched on the spine and the gate didn't reach the nose correctly anymore 

I don't understand why the minimalist anchors makes the locking biner failure more interesting/important?

Franck Veewrote:

I don't understand why the minimalist anchors makes the locking biner failure more interesting/important?

Because all your eggs are going into one locking biner for the whole party. 

NancyJo Pwrote:

I've been seeing examples of minimalist anchors lately, which got me thinking - has anyone ever experienced a properly locked carabiner break? It seems like it might be the strongest (removable) component of an anchor system. Is that true?

“Minimalist anchors” is an oxymoron.

Some steel ones are very ductile. Bent one open enough it wouldn’t lock hauling food over a limb for bear proofing. If it had been locked it wouldn’t’.

Caused by an improper lower out on el cap which shock loaded the static haul line - this was the bag end carabiner.

If anyone wants to know more about what happened, see our old trip report: http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Learning-to-aid-climb-on-Mescalito/t11459n.html (spoiler: no bag was dropped and we topped out)

And I agree with abandon moderation - I wouldn't be worried about a single locker as master point on an anchor unless there were mitigating circumstances.

abandon moderation wrote:

Personally I haven't, but I've read reports of rope soloists breaking locked biners in a lead fall (biner on the belay loop attached to a grigri) - very likely from cross loading or some other weird mechanism.

In the context of anchors, I would have no qualms about hanging myself or my partner (or both of us) off a single locked biner, if that's what you're thinking about. I routinely have my ATC in guide mode, so only one biner keeping my partner on the wall, and have myself clove hitched in, so one biner keeping me on.

Most of them are rated to 24kn across the major axis, so as long as they're sitting in appropriate orientation, not loaded over an edge, and locked, they should be as strong as your rope or belay loop.

Yep, that scenario is exactly what I am picturing.

Erik Strandwrote:

Yes, but in tree work. Overloaded the crap out of a steel one. bent it real good. Rated for 50kn =D

Another one stretched on the spine and the gate didn't reach the nose correctly anymore 

What the hell did you do to have that happen?? I've see 3/4" ropes break but never a 50kn steel 'biner.

Shock loading it by pulling a stump with 3/8” boomer chain might do it

Bryan Lwrote:

What the hell did you do to have that happen?? I've see 3/4" ropes break but never a 50kn steel 'biner.

Bent em. Winching big things. First one was a wonder. Second one confirmed we can do better. I personally prefer to use a timber hitch instead of any type of hardware. It wasn't my idea, but I'm an accomplice. 

When rappelling on an 8 was in vogue, getting the small part of a figure 8 rappel device caught on the gate was a good way to pry to pry the gate  off, locked or not. 

Binders do not break under normal usage and load

NancyJo Pwrote:

I've been seeing examples of minimalist anchors lately, which got me thinking - has anyone ever experienced a properly locked carabiner break? It seems like it might be the strongest (removable) component of an anchor system. Is that true?

If you are using a girth hitch belay, a rigging ring can be a really useful master point