The Devils Lake top rope cluster Fu&k thread...

Otherwise excellent but the sawed off stump? Why bother.

Haha...yeah, that stump is dumb. I don't love the yellow tree, either, but the red one is fine. Also not in love with how that cordelette is running over the edge. Still pretty solid as far as this thread is concerned, though.

would've slung the big tree and been done with it. That thing is bomber

Chris treggE wrote:Otherwise excellent but the sawed off stump? Why bother.

that is a huge effing knot

Same stump different day.

How the hell did they tie off that stump, too?

On the previous topic...any guesses as to why that tree is dead? :/

What do you guys think about the prospects of climbing this weekend? I'm debating driving up for a day trip Sunday but the weather keeps shifting...

This is another re-occurring thread I see often(specifically for devil's lake anchor building. Obviously these people don't check the forums on MT. PROJ for tips and tricks to anchor building but thanks for talking to the people you do see doing dumb things. keep it up, and i will too. You may save someone's life.

Ted Pinson wrote:What do you guys think about the prospects of climbing this weekend? I'm debating driving up for a day trip Sunday but the weather keeps shifting...

Depending on how my knee feels (Doctor appts scheduled, might be looking at reconstruction number 2) I'd like to get out this weekend to do some photography at the very least, and maybe a little climbing even. If I'm out there I'll be sure to get good hi-res photos of some sketchy anchors to share.

eli poss wrote:would've slung the big tree and been done with it. That thing is bomber

Exactly what I was taught by 'old timers' way back in the early 70's. Pick the Totally Immovable Object,,like a tree a foot thick or a 50 ton boulder set back from the edge. Then use exactly to the millimeter length, same-size sling pairs, and two biners, one is a locking biner, and you have just doubled your set up for every man made object that could fail. The HUGE tree or boulder is NOT going anywhere, and if for some ungodly reason that the tree became unrooted and began dragging toward the edge, your smart belayer will have noticed and lowered you off within 3.2 seconds if they are skilled in fast belay lowering, long before the tree comes over the edge. Chances are the tree is going to jam up somewhere anyway....same for a boulder. Each piece used is equalized, because the slings are exact size, thus the stress is put on each one, not just one skinny piece tied off with a water knot at each end. The biners paired are not different sized, but the same make or at least the same inner diameter so the slings hang with equal force on them together as one unit. Then you keep each of these EXACT paired sets stowed away together so they are always used as one unit. And you get to know which ones, which color will fit certain climbs, thus set up quicker and easier on your visit to the crags. It's worked well for me for over 40 years of DL toprope anchoring.

Yer gunna die!!

To me, "cluster Fu&k" implies a big complicated mess. This anchor is the opposite.

I was at Old Sandstone on Sunday, and rappelled after setting a toprope on American Beauty Crack. I came down and asked my gf if she knew who was on the anchor next to us, because I wanted to talk to them. She told me "It's a nice anchor, right? I overheard them talking about how bomber it is."

So, here's my description of their "bomber" anchor. At first glance, it was a long sling girth hitched to a big tree. They didn't have any other pieces besides the big tree, but I figure lots of people TR off a single tree. But, their sling connecting the tree to the climbing rope wasn't redundant - if it got cut, they would fall. And, on closer inspection, it wasn't a sling, it was 5-10 assorted sewn slings (single and double length, nylon and dyneema), all girth hitched together, and girth hitched around the tree.

Damn! Wish you'd taken a pic. That earns cluster status for the multiple chained slings, I'd say...

Sad thing is, if they had just used cord and tied a figure 8, it WOULD have been bomber.

A photo from my "Things seen t DLSP" series.

Phil Watts wrote:A photo from my "Things observed at DLSP" series.

Phil Watts wrote:A photo from my "Things seen t DLSP" series.

That last picture is clearly Hoofer Mountaineering gear. We specifically address this thing when we teach building TR anchors. Phil, did you happen to catch the names or appearance of the owners of the anchor?

Can someone tell me how rings under the edge of the cliff would "Detract more from the scenery" than webbing and who knows what else stretching back 10-60ft (from my experience) and climbers screaming people who get too close? So what, rings go up, and people have to risk their life just to lean over the edge to see them and complain about the scenery versus neon webbing all along the ridge so they can't even walk out for a vista?
Also, I'm not sure how to put this nicely, but if you want to preserve the methods used 85 years ago, should there be a collection box at DL so you can turn in your climbing shoes and get some spiked leather boots? Ironically, if the technology had existed 85 years ago, they would have done it gladly.

Daniel Krudy wrote:Can someone tell me how rings under the edge of the cliff would "Detract more from the scenery" than webbing and who knows what else stretching back 10-60ft (from my experience) and climbers screaming people who get too close? So what, rings go up, and people have to risk their life just to lean over the edge to see them and complain about the scenery versus neon webbing all along the ridge so they can't even walk out for a vista? Also, I'm not sure how to put this nicely, but if you want to preserve the methods used 85 years ago, should there be a collection box at DL so you can turn in your climbing shoes and get some spiked leather boots? Ironically, if the technology had existed 85 years ago, they would have done it gladly.

Daniel Krudy, you sir are a troll.

Why is that, Robinson?

Daniel Krudy wrote:Why is that, Robinson?