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

Like sorry its off topic, I know this is more about people building terrible anchors, but I'm not impressed with the logic I'm seeing to shut down putting up rings. If you want to get back on topic, I promise I'm a good anchor builder, as well as apparently being a troll. :)

Round one. Mr. Robinson.

straw man: "preserve methods"

Daniel Krudy wrote:Like sorry its off topic, I know this is more about people building terrible anchors, but I'm not impressed with the logic I'm seeing to shut down putting up rings. If you want to get back on topic, I promise I'm a good anchor builder, as well as apparently being a troll. :)

To Gabe B. I have no specific info on the anchor or anchor-builder. Sometimes I walk the top at DLSP and take photos of sketchy anchors. I use the photos in classes.

Phil Watts wrote:To Gabe B. I have no specific info on the anchor or anchor-builder. Sometimes I walk the top at DLSP and take photos of sketchy anchors. I use the photos in classes.

It's from May 2014, see Jon's post on page 4 of this thread (a different shot of the same anchor).

Wow! It's come to this! Reposting stuff that's up-thread!

plagiarism......

jon jugenheimer wrote:plagiarism......

I just wanted to keep the thread going....fair use for sure!

I actually received that photo from a friend that spends a lot of time guiding at the lake, but didn't want to post themselves. So, it isn't even mine!

Vote one for competence, and the art of anchor building.

Anchors for top ropes now, full routes in another few years.

Leave it alone!

Here's one that seems like it easily could have been safer. It was on the east bluff on Sunday.

The problem (and I could be wrong, it was hard to see the details and my phone took a bad picture) is that the master point carabiners are hung from a single sling and therefore not redundant. There wasn't an overhand on a bight or other knot in it. It also wasn't a sliding x as far as I could tell.

It was connected to three pieces, all tricams. Two of the tri cams used the same purple sling which was set up in the same way, making the pair also not redundant with each other.

I yelled down to the party and mentioned that the sling could be made more safe and they said they were done climbing the route anyway.

people seem to set anchors like they were quickdraws on a sport route: one biner, one sling to one anchor point at a time. Not taking the time to double up every piece when doing topropes. I think they figure if a single piece will hold repeated falls on sport routes, why not a single set up for what should be basically static tension guided top rope climbing. Or just can't afford to buy more sling length and carabiners. Whatever, it does seem senseless to see doubled up sections and then a single piece in the anchor chain which just ruins your redundancy efforts that were looking so good.

What's the thought on one inch webbing use here? I believe in a fixed loop of a known length to me, (even a tape label on it to remind me of length), one nice tight water knot on the fixed loop to use. I am not in favor of a single piece of web, an overhand knot at each end, to be used. Why the double knots people? That weakens your link right there. Use a full loop of web, either pre sewn or pre tied to sizes needed. And I double up my placement by using TWO loops such as that, per link in my system, with two carabiners of identical size so that one biner is not the only weight bearing one, as the other hands loose being a half inch longer inside. Match the sizes up, prepare your loops ahead of time, carabiners in selected matched pairs for each set up section you do. Works for me.

Funky down there toward the master point! Can't really tell how bad it might be.

As bad as the lack of redundancy is, the most damning thing to me about this anchor is the way it appears to aim the rope for the crack. Looks like a good way to make the rope hard to pull and maybe even desheath your rope.

The thing I find most suspect is this anchor's lack of internal consistency. A non-redundant sliding-X masterpoint with two STEEL lockers. Massive overkill on the 'biners and massive underkill on the sling.

Whether you think the non-redundancy is a faux pas or not (I definitely do), the lack of consistency makes the whole thing suspect in my mind.

I didn't bother to read the words, the pictures are incredible though. Thanks for the laughs!

If I had to take a guess, this was a case of anchor extension gone horribly wrong. What they did with the red sling is anybody's guess; it looks like they looped it through the two master point biners then around and clipped it to the 3rd piece. What on earth? Unless it is a sliding X with ridiculously uneven arms, but it doesn't look like it...

I'm going to leave this right here...

It sure was a zoo, yesterday, despite rain in the morning! 'Tis the season ....

To be clear, this latest photo is actually two anchors. Some sort of non-climbing webbing in the anchor over "Stretcher"? Looks like they are setting up a fixed rope - perhaps for rappeling?

Wow, I just started reading this thread. I learned to climb and build TR anchors from an experienced climber at Taylor's Falls, and Devil's Lake was like the dream destination when I first started climbing. This was the late 90s, so not that long ago. I remember hiking around forever in oppressive heat with a guide book trying to figure out what we were looking at with the the distinct lack of chalk marks and bolts to reference.

I haven't Top roped off of a traditional anchor in a long time, but I always loved the art of anchor building. I spent a lot of time on my anchors, and took pride in them. Anchor building and rappelling was as much a part of the whole experience as the actual climbing. This thread has made me want to start doing it again!