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worst anchors ever....

Jonathan S · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 2,113
Yair Horowitz wrote:Super-sketch belay / rap station at the Gunks. Clipped it while hanging out for a bit and waiting for my brother to finish taking a piss, but didn't weight it. This one is likely bomber, but is also straight from a railyard... And for good measure...
Are those your cams in the photo?
Ksween · · Wakefield, RI · Joined Jul 2011 · Points: 30
Yair Horowitz wrote:Super-sketch belay / rap station at the Gunks. Clipped it while hanging out for a bit and waiting for my brother to finish taking a piss, but didn't weight it. This one is likely bomber, but is also straight from a railyard... And for good measure...
That top one is on Son of Easy O. It looks pretty good... Definitely cool for rapping... Throw a cam in and youve got a bomber belay.
jdberndt · · Seattle, WA · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 200

Not my photo but when someone discusses sketch anchors I always think of these old railway bolts at Index ;)

GNS belay bolts at Index

Kevin Flowers · · Granby, CT · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 0
Ksween wrote: That top one is on Son of Easy O. It looks pretty good... Definitely cool for rapping... Throw a cam in and youve got a bomber belay.
Yeah, I didn't have much concern with it. The cluster of webbing and cord could certainly be cleaned up and equalized a bit better but the cams were okay and the pins felt snug.
Go Back to Super Topo · · Lex · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 285
jdberndt wrote:Not my photo but when someone discusses sketch anchors I always think of these old railway bolts at Index ;)
hahah when I first saw this anchor i was so flustered for a hot sec cause I couldnt clip a draw to it due to its thickness. good times
Yair Horowitz · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2011 · Points: 190
steitz wrote: Are those your cams in the photo?
The only cam that I see in there had no trigger and looks like it's been there for a pretty long while. (Read: "No.")
Kip Kasper · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 200
jdberndt wrote:Not my photo but when someone discusses sketch anchors I always think of these old railway bolts at Index ;)
the railroad bolts are beyond bomber, if they can support massive granite blocks getting winched onto a train they'll hold you while you rap the low angle 4th class below. The climb that you rap over coming off princely ambitions has some shitty pins on it. pulled one out with my fingers.
MegaGaper2000 James · · Indianola, Wa · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 20
jdberndt wrote:Not my photo but when someone discusses sketch anchors I always think of these old railway bolts at Index ;)
Yeah, nothing is as sketch as 3/4 inch steel rods driven into granite. I mean, they could be corroded through to their cores!
Michael Schneiter · · Glenwood Springs, CO · Joined Apr 2002 · Points: 10,406
Nathan Stokes · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2008 · Points: 440
Ksween wrote: That top one is on Son of Easy O. It looks pretty good... Definitely cool for rapping... Throw a cam in and youve got a bomber belay.
Last time we climbed Easy O we were discussing the "welded" cams at the old belay station.
Dan Wachlaczenko · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 85
Yair Horowitz wrote:Super-sketch belay / rap station at the Gunks. Clipped it while hanging out for a bit and waiting for my brother to finish taking a piss, but didn't weight it. This one is likely bomber, but is also straight from a railyard... And for good measure...
Thats anchor on- Son of easy O in the Gunks _ makes me twitch every time I use it.
david goldstein · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 2,541

Most of the anchors pictured in this thread don't look that bad to me, especially the Son Of Easy O rig. The worst anchor I recall coming across was on the very obscure Twin Peak (C) deep in the La Garita mountains of Colorado which receives in the range of one ascent a year. The summit anchors were ancient tat, very sun bleached and about 50% chewed through around a cairn comprised of low density basalt stones. The cairn was about 30" in diameter and maybe a foot high. Likely sources on anchor failure under body weight included slings breaking, slings pulling through the cairn and the entire cairn itself giving way. Even though thunder was booming around us and the 5.8 ish crux finish to the last pitch was unprotected, we opted to tediously down climb to better rock and build an anchor with our own gear rather than trust the summit anchor setup.

Brie Abram · · Celo, NC · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 493

Of course, this is not a fixed anchor like most of these, but I thought I'd post it anyway. This is the hanging belay on top of the first pitch of a classic WI4 in North Carolina. This was the first ice lead for the acquaintance who built this. That buried screw is a stubby in a dinner plate waiting to happen.

Terrible anchor

rock-fencer · · Columbia, SC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 265

i dont know anything about ice but in no way would i ever hang off that!!

cdec · · SLC, UT · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 654

The Tattopus!!! This is pretty common here in Utah. Seems everyone cares extra webbing and cord but NO ONE carries a knife.

Anchor on Bridalveil left.

Andrew Buchan · · New York, NY · Joined Nov 2008 · Points: 5
Brian Abram wrote:Of course, this is not a fixed anchor like most of these, but I thought I'd post it anyway. This is the hanging belay on top of the first pitch of a classic WI4 in North Carolina. This was the first ice lead for the acquaintance who built this. That buried screw is a stubby in a dinner plate waiting to happen.
All things considered that's probably fine, even though it looks horrendous. More surprising is your friend's first ice lead being WI 4
wankel7 · · Indiana · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 10
Brian Abram wrote:Of course, this is not a fixed anchor like most of these, but I thought I'd post it anyway. This is the hanging belay on top of the first pitch of a classic WI4 in North Carolina. This was the first ice lead for the acquaintance who built this. That buried screw is a stubby in a dinner plate waiting to happen.
I don't know jack about ice...is that a safe anchor?
Brendan Blanchard · · Boulder, CO · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 590
wankel7 wrote: I don't know jack about ice...is that a safe anchor?
It's an accident waiting to happen for a few reasons, the screws will probably take some weight, but that slung pillar is not all that inspiring, not to mention, the anchor is equalized, but not tied off or limited in any way. If one piece blew, it would likely take more with it as the anchor re-adjusts and shockloads the rest.
Wei-Ming Lam · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 231

In the winds, found this rapping off of Wolf's Head. They probably had a single 60m - we had doubles and made it down to a far superior rap station. Actually doesn't look too bad, if I had to I'd use it

rap

MegaGaper2000 James · · Indianola, Wa · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 20
Wei-Ming wrote:In the winds, found this rapping off of Wolf's Head. They probably had a single 60m - we had doubles and made it down to a far superior rap station. Actually doesn't look too bad, if I had to I'd use it
Wait, I'm confused. If it didn't look too bad, how does it fit into the world's worst anchors thread?
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Trad Climbing
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