To the fellow rc'ers... What would you have done?

Why would you cut the cord?

The 5mm? I'd cut it into little pieces

Right on

kobaz,

Was the guide Joe Vitti? http://gunks.com/...y_Night_Li#Post67688 Perhaps that was the anchor he saw that inspired today's posting on Gunks.com
The red and blue knots are actually joined with a square knot. Still unacceptable, and a dangerous knot to use at all in any climbing application.
http://www.animatedknots.com/...ww.animatedknots.com Although the anchor you saw probably had continuous loops of chord not likely to capsize, joining them that way is also dangerous. ( As you noticed)

I'd say the cord mechanics are okay but the sizing is a little small given that there is no redundancy.

Disclaimer: No one was injured during the recreation of this anchor.

I saw this exact setup at the top of Kens Crack this past Saturday.




That's it. That's everything.. (except the two locking biners on the end of the red cord)

Entire anchor description:
One 5mm cord girth hitched *high* up on a tree.
One 7mm cord girth hitched to the blue cord.
Two locking biners on the end of the 7mm cord with the toprope running through.

No one was climbing on the rig while I walked by and I was thinking of dismantling the whole thing and throwing the rope down... I should have. Earlier in the day I saw a half dozen kids taking laps on the route.

I talked to one lady who seemed to be with that group and mentioned that her anchor was unsafe and inadequate. She gave me a blank stare and replied with "uh huh".

I talked to some other climbers in the area and they informed me that an amga guide had previously gave them the same spiel that I did to no avail.

I then proceeded to walk away to avoid having to be involved in any rescue.


To the fellow rc'ers... What would you have done?

Unrelated to this anchor...there was already an accident at the Gunks this season. A belaying accident where the belayer could not hang on to her second. He fell 60 feet and sustained broken ribs, scalp laceration. He is expected to make a full recovery. Belayer sustained significant burns on hands.

We have a lot of gym climbers transitioning to the great outdoors. I suspect many of them are simply too inexperienced to climb safely.

It's often difficult to figure out when to intervene. I find myself leaving the area more often then offering any suggestions. That said, I have taken over belays, assisted with rescues, stuck climbers etc.

I would find the leader and point out the dangers. Imagine how you would feel if you didn't and there was a fatality.

In many situations it is difficult pointing out dangers when the climbers seem to be experienced. You know you are going to get an arrogant f.o. response. I once pointed out some belaying errors to a such a fellow. Minutes later he dropped his female climbing partner onto his own head.

Here's a newbie question, from someone starting to transition to outdoor climbing: what exactly was wrong with that setup?

1. The high girth hitch I assume was problematic because it creates greater torque on the tree
2. Only having a single rope is dumb because there is no backup if the only anchor fails.
3. Is there a problem extending the rope that way? More likely to fail at the knot?
4. Is there a problem attaching ropes of different diameters to each other?

when you climb enough multi ... youll eventually belay off a large single tree with a single sling, often girth hitched

when you climb enough multi ... youll eventually belay off a large single tree with a single sling, often girth hitched

when you climb enough multi ... youll eventually belay off a large single tree with a single sling, often girth hitched

Yep. We probably all have. But, with a single loop of 5mm cord?

Which is irrelevant to this situation, where they (likely scrambled up to) set up a toprope on a short climb.

That's fine... I've done stuff like that, well usually not girth hitched if you can avoid it because it reduces strength... but tiny little cord for kids running laps? That's seriously disconcerting.

if you noticed my reply was in response to ...

"1. The high girth hitch I assume was problematic because it creates greater torque on the tree
2. Only having a single rope is dumb because there is no backup if the only anchor fails. "

its not the girth hitch thats the problem in this case ... nor even a "single" rope ...

RC at is finest