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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
All NSW	(General)	(General)	(General)

Topic Date User

Shackles and the sheriff of Shipley 26-Apr-2011 At 2:18:13 PM rolsen1

Message

On 26/04/2011 Marssan wrote:
>It's the lowering that causes the wear.
>
>Here's my attempt to clarify the situation. From best practice to worst.
>
>Best: First climber climbs route, puts draws on anchor, lowers from draws.
>Subsequent top-ropers climb with rope running through draws at anchor,
>subsequent leaders lower from the draws the first leader put up. Last climber
>(leader or seconder) cleans anchor, threads anchor rings and abseils from
>rope running directly through anchor. The only wear the anchor rings get
>is when the last climber gets to the bottom and pulls the rope i.e an un-weighted
>rope sliding through through them - pretty minimal.
>This is the absolute optimal situation, you can't get any better than
>this unless you walk off. I'm sure anyone who's installed anchor bolts
>wishes more people would do this.
>
>
>Middle: First climber puts draws on anchor. Subsequent top ropers and
>leaders lower from those draws. The last climber re-threads anchor and
>is lowered with the rope running directly through the anchor rings. The
>wear on the anchor is that of the weighted roped running through it ONCE.
>
>This seems to be the accepted middle ground for cleaning a climb at the
>areas i climb at (Blueys mostly).
>
>Worst: First climber gets to top and threads rope through anchor. All
>subsequent top-ropers are belayed with the rope running through the anchor
>rings directly. If there are 3 top-ropers, the anchor gets three times
>the wear.
>To Linze and anyone else who seems to be missing the point. This is pure
>climbing douche-baggery. Don't ever do it. If you do and you get yelled
>at, you deserve it 100%. Don't go crying to the forum complaining how rude
>the Sheriff is, he was right.
>
>
>

Rubbish, you can't have it both ways, either no one lowers off or everyone can.

So the accepted "middle ground" allows leaders to lower off anchors but not top ropers? If it is good enough for leaders to lower off an anchor than it is good enough for anyone. Yes, I agree but we should all try to minimise wear on any fixed gear but this just hero leaders looking down on top ropers, period.

If a leader leads the route and lowers and cleans the route then a second person leads the route and they both take the "middle ground" approach then there is exactly the same wear on the anchors as the leader who leads the route and lowers and then the second who top ropes and lowers.

What about if I don't want you to place any bolts at a crag at all? Does that make it all right for me to go and yell at those who placed the bolts?