From: eric@milton.u.washington.edu (Eric Hirst)
Newsgroups: rec.climbing
Subject: Bad protection (was: Cathedral Peak)
Date: 18 Aug 92 18:49:19 GMT
Organization: University of Washington

kjones@yoda.eecs.wsu.edu (Kent Jones - EECS) writes:

>I was taught to always have a minimum of 3 anchor points. I was also
>taught to equalize the anchor points so that no one point is bearing
>all the load.  

Every belay stance is different.  Textbook anchors are not always possible
or appropriate.  A single bomber piece can be better than three cheesy ones.

>[Setting anchor on Snow Creek Wall]
>help equalize the anchor. I finally decided on a point that would hold, only
>if weighted in the right direction... My climbing partner followed me up, and
>as I was to lead the next pitch as well we traded positions. In the process,
>the questionable piece popped out... 

This is a very real issue -- many belay anchors are secure in one mode, e.g.
belaying a second, but insecure in another mode, e.g. the transition period
when climbers are changing positions.

>Even though the other two points held securly, this almost scared my partner
>to death. After he got over his shock, I had a long time in convincing 
>him that the other two points were secure...

Unless you are in the curious habit of guiding strangers for cash, you need
to insist that your partners understand such fundamental concepts as these
before taking them on multipitch routes.  Having to factor in a partner's
(unjustified) anxiety level should be, but too frequently is not, a secondary
concern.  Snow Creek Wall is large enough to require a certain amount of
commitment from both partners.

>So my question is: Should I have used only the two points I was pretty sure
>to be secure, or should I have spent as long as necessary to find a third 
>anchor point?

Time can count, too, as can the quality of your stance.  Set up a system
that will catch the falls.  Keep it simple and strong.  Don't get creative
unless you are thinking extremely clearly.

>[At Joshua Tree] I knew the placement was marginal and 
>figured that it would maybe slow down a fall. Well, I managed to then 
>gain some confidence to climb up to where I was able to place some bomber
>protection. The mistake I made then was to not remove the piece I knew was
>marginal. After about 20 more feet and some very good protection I fell off.
>The marginal piece popped out... In the mean time my belayer had moved off to
>one side so that he could take a picture of me climbing. When the bottom
>marginal piece popped out, that gave the rope a considerable amount of 
>slack. As a consequence I fell about 10-15 feet...

You might try and find better belayers.  It sounds like the piece would
not have been loaded if he had stayed put. On meandering lines, however,
it is often a good idea to go back and clean a piece to reduce drag and
eliminate the hazard you describe.  This even applies to protection that
was bombproof when you moved on it, but questionable for sideways loading.

I have had a marginal piece save me from serious injury, and I'll place them
when that's all I have.  The exception is when placing bad pro will only
tire me out and increase the chance of a fall.

The last few issues of Rock & Ice contain some very good information on
protection and protection systems, in a three part series.

Or, you can read the Sport Climbing Connection for pointers on how to clip
bolts.  (I'm not making this up.)

>Kent Jones
>kjones@yoda.eecs.wsu.edu

Eric Hirst
eric@milton.u.washington.edu
Newsgroups: rec.climbing