The problem, according to KP, is that when you are attached to an anchor with a daisy, you’ve taken the rope out of the system, and made it completely static. This can set you up for a potentially dangerous shock loading situation, in which the daisy can blow apart and/or you can get severely injured due to the high forces of a static load.

A further problem is noted in that it’s quite easy when shortening your daisy to clip it incorrectly, such that in a shock loaded fall it can blow apart and leave you detached from anything. The video does a great job illustrating this.

QC Lab: Daisy chain dangers from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

Some would be quick to point out (and rightly so) that the Metolius PAS eliminates this scenario and therefore is the safer option, but it doesn’t change the fact that you are still anchored via a static system. Imagine the following:

Many people I know use a daisy chain or PAS to anchor in on multipitch climbs. Typically they will go in short with the daisy and then back that up with the rope. If this is how you are anchored, and your partner is climbing the next pitch and takes a big fall, you will be violently jerked upwards. The daisy/PAS is static, and you’ll take the full brunt of the fall to your back. Ouch, gonna need to see the chiropractor after that one!

Now, I’ve never liked daisy’s/PAS’s for several reasons, and so I always just use the rope to anchor in at belays, but I’ve often used a sling to go in short, which creates the same problem. It seems the best way to anchor in, to avoid any static loading, is simply using the rope. Some might say this only gives you one point, and you need two to be redundant, but the rope is always just one point when you are using it. And if you really want a backup, you could anchor in short with the rope, and then use a long PAS/sling as a backup. This way, the rope would take the impact of any fall and save you from that chiropractor visit.

For many, this isn’t new news, and it seems this info gets recycled every couple of years, but for good reason. There are still a lot of people out there using these potentially dangerous systems. Of course, you could go your whole life and never have a problem, but climbing is all about calculated risk, so why not stack the odds a little more in your favor?

Back at the 5 Point Film Festival in May, we were treated to several excellent film segments from the guys at Sender Films, including the haunting Point of No Return, which detailed Johnny Copp and Micah Dash’s fateful trip to China. Each one was well done, and reported to be part of an upcoming box set. That box set launched today as First Ascent: The Complete Series, and can be purchased over at the Sender Films website.

The entire series was co-produced with National Geographic, and has received awards and accolades from across the world. While some of the episodes have been seen here and there, the box set is the first time for fans in the US to get the complete series.

The first 2 discs of the box set feature the following episodes:

1. Alone On The Wall
   Twenty-three year old Alex Honnold is taking the high-stakes sport of free solo climbing to new heights. Climbing truly massive walls without a rope, and zero chance of survival if he falls, Alex is calm and fearless (except when it comes to girls). But attempting the 2,000-foot wall of Half Dome, the greatest free solo ever attempted, would finally teach Alex the meaning of fear.
2. Patagonia Promise
   Climber Stanley Leary and his two friends venture across South America to the wild peaks of Patagonia on a journey of the heart. Their mission: to attempt a first ascent, and spread the ashes of Stanley’s lover Roberta from the summit, thus granting her dying wish.
3. Impossible Climb
   For a decade, Chris Sharma has ruled the climbing world, establishing the most difficult first ascents in existence. Now Sharma has found the longest, hardest, most beautiful climb of his life. Training for months on end, braving hundred-foot falls and throwing every ounce of his superhuman energy and ability at this seemingly impossible route, he aims to once again.
4. Point Of No Return
   Elite alpine climbers Jonny Copp and Micah Dash travel to a little-explored and treacherous mountain range near the border of Tibet to make a first ascent of a high-altitude face. When tragedy strikes, the dark and dangerous side of climbing is revealed.
5. Brother’s Wild
   Two brothers – Timmy O’Neill, a pro climber, and Sean O’Neill, who is paralyzed from the waist down – push the limits of adaptive climbing, conquering the 3,000-foot face of El Capitan. Then it’s on to the Ruth Gorge of Alaska, where they cross a treacherous glacier to climb a remote rock wall. In a storm-stricken land that would challenge even able-bodied climbers, Timmy and Sean face their greatest challenge yet.
6. Fly Or Die
   Aerial samurai Dean Potter combines his two passions of free solo climbing and BASE jumping to create the most outrageous and visionary style of climbing ever conceived: The BASE Free Solo. Climbing with no rope, and only a parachute to catch him if he falls, Potter turns the adrenaline levels up to maximum and pushes climbing into new and dangerous territory, while chasing ever closer on the heels of his childhood dream of human flight.

“First Ascent: The Series” Trailer from Sender Films on Vimeo.

The 3rd disc features over an hour of bonus footage, with outtakes, behind the scenes, making-of, trailers and additional climbing, high-lining and BASE jumping scenes. The entire box set retails for $49.95, which isn’t bad considering you get 3 DVD’s worth of footage.

The episodes we saw at 5 Point were incredible, and I can’t wait to check out the rest. Stay tuned for a full review once we get our hands on them!

There were numerous drills running throughout the canyon during the day, and it wasn’t just the high end routes that got some lovin’. Several of the popular easier climbs also got fully rebolted with brand new stainless hardware, thanks to the ASCA & ARI. Other work included some trail upgrades and a few nice benches in the Wasteland.

Rifle is a climbing paradise, which is made all the more enjoyable by the fact that the City of Rifle is fully in support of climbing in the canyon. They allow many routes to have fixed draws, and have been granting bolting permits for new climbs for the last couple of years. This has meant a steady flow of new stuff to climb on, whether you send 5.13 or just enjoy a casual 5.9. And given the City’s support, it’s important that as climbers we give back each year to show our thanks and help maintain the crag that is so loved by many.

This event also serves as a great example of how a lot can get done when everyone lends a hand. Bolt replacement is tiring, body crushing work, especially on the steeper routes. With a small army of volunteers, however, it’s impressive to see how much can get done. Here’s a recap:

• Spuds in Space (5.8), 9 bolts replaced.
• Hot Potato (5.9), 8 bolts replaced.
• James Brown’s Wild Ride (5.11d), 13 bolts (including new anchors) replaced with glue-ins.
• Merry Maids (5.10a), all route bolts replaced, with an extra bolt added near scary bottom crux.
• Lost and Found (5.12b), all bolts replaced.
• Dirty Johnson (5.12b), extra bolt added on run-out at top.
• Bumble Bee (5.9), two bolts added, to eliminate scary run-out.
• Popular Demand (5.10c), 8 bolts replaced, with some being moved into better positions.
• Guilt Parade (5.12c), all bolts replaced, including new anchors in a better position (Also note some choss has been removed, making climb safer).
• Ruckus (5.12b), anchors replaced and perma-drawed.
• The Beast (5.13a), anchor bolts replaced,perma-draws added,bad bolts replaced on Beast with two Backs extension.
• Never Believe (5.12d), new perma draws.
• Quickdraws (5.12c), rebolted with 9 new bolts.
• Living in Fear (5.13d), perma-draws and new anchors added.
• Let it Burn (5.13d), bolt added to eliminate run-out on Sam Elias’ new route.
• Mousetrap (5.12c), bolt added to protect 30-foot run-out scramble start, with dangerous choss blocks removed. The start is much cleaner and much safer now.
• Defenseless Betty (5.12a), bad bolt above roof replaced.
• Irie Meditation (5.11d), perma-drawed.
• Bottom Feeder (5.11b), perma-drawed.
• Sometimes Always (5.13c), rusted first bolt replaced.
• Rehabilitator (5.11c), first two bolts replaced with new perma-draws.
• Brothers Carruthers, bolts on traverse perma-drawed, and steel biners added to anchors.
• Climb-a-dime-a-ding-dang (5.12b), bad crux bolt replaced and moved lower for a better clipping position with chain/steel biner added.
• Rendez-Spew (5.13a), bad bolt above crux at lip of cave replaced.
• Pile Driver (5.11b), perma-draws added.
• Pygmy Mastodon Boner (5.12b), anchors added.
• Cracked Open Sky (5.13d), three glue-ins added.

• A better trail was built at entrance to Bauhaus in order to eliminate further erosion to the muddy soil.
• The bridge leading to the Sno Cone area was fixed.
• Two benches at Ruckman cave (one super-deluxe with beer holder)
• One bench at Project wall
• Two benches at Anti-phil
• One bench at Wichester
• Two benches at Bauhaus
• Two benches at Wasteland
• One bench at Arsenal

As usual, the BBQ afterwards was a great time to catch up with friends, and lots of folks won some gear in the raffle. Thanks to everyone who came out and lent a hand!

• Bench building at a couple of the cliffs
• Fixing the bridge to the Sno Cone Wall
• Fixing the Bauhaus trail.
• Hardware Replacement

If you’d like to help out with any of those, meet at the Feline parking lot from 9:30 to 10:30 to get your marching orders. At the end of the day (6:30pm) is the party at the Community House, just past the top of the canyon on the left. There will be free food, and beer from Avery Brewing, as well as a prize raffle with lots of great schwag. Afterward there will be music, dancing and general socializing until the wee hours. For those who don’t want to drive back home, there is free camping available at the group site.

See you there!

The deadline for voting is September 10th, and the winners will be announced on Sept 16th at the Reel Rock premier in Boulder. Winners get a prize package from the Reel Rock sponsors and their films will screen in over 100 locations worldwide, so it’s a pretty big deal for those that are competing.

Check it out!

I had good intentions. All of my appointments would be in the morning and early afternoon, leaving the evenings free for some climbing. Somehow the OR Show just has a way o f taking over, however, and climbing didn’t happen. We did get to check out a lot of the latest and greatest coming out next year, and here’s a look at our top picks. There’s a ton of gear at these shows, but this was the stuff that made us say, yeah, that’s cool, I want one.

Five Ten

It seems like these guys crank out new shoes year after year. They had quite a few offerings this show, but a few really stood out from the rest. Most climbers spend their time on vertical to slightly overhanging terrain, and the Quantum was designed with these folks in mind. It resembles a downturned version of the Anasazi pinks. Of all the Five Ten shoes I’ve had, the pinks are still my favorite, so throw in an aggressive toe and it sounds like a winner to me. It also features Stealth Mystique rubber, an S-lacing system, and a low volume heel cup.

The Supermocc is a beefed up version of the tried and true Moccasym. The key feature is the split toe rand, designed to give you more power from your toes. It’s also got a better heel cup, and they’re white, the most stylish climbing shoe color around. We have a tried and true Moccasym fan on our staff, so it’ll be interesting to see how these stack up.

Petzl

Yeah, yeah, the Gri Gri 2 is rad, but so are the new CORE batteries for their Tikka 2 and Zipka 2 headlamps. This is a rechargeable battery that will save an estimated 900 batteries from going into a landfill over the course of it’s lifetime. And if that wasn’t cool enough, you can program it to your desired output. Say you are doing an endurance race and want steady light for 7 hours. No problem, just connect it to your computer, change the settings via their simple software and you are good to go. Definitely a little dorky for most, but I think some folks are going to find this super useful.

And then there is the Gri Gri 2. It’s everything you could have wanted improved on the old Gri Gri. It’s smaller and lighter, which will probably prompt more folks to take it on multipitch routes. It lowers better, so they say, and gives you even more fine control over how much rope you are letting through the device. And of course, my favorite, it’s now certified to work on single ropes down to an 8.9mm. While many have been using ropes under 9.8mm with the old Gri Gri for years now, you definitely felt like you were maybe getting away with something. Now you can rest easy knowing it’ll clamp down on the skinniest of ropes as your partner lobs off their project…again.

Mammut

Gri Gri’s are an incredible tool, but they aren’t the right one for all applications. To that end, Mammut is introducing the Smart Alpine, which works just like a Reverso, but locks up in a fall both in normal and seconding belay modes. It’s not a certified autolocking device, as it actually allows some rope slippage to dissipate the fall forces on your gear. I got to play with it a little, and it seems to feed easy, and lock up well. It’s designed as a go anywhere, do anything device, and it’ll be fun to see how it works in the real world.

Rab

We love Rab. They are everything most clothing companies in the US aren’t. They build gear that works, and there is no lifestyle fluff. That being said, the new Boreas pullover is right off our dream list. You’re out cragging for the day and want a light pullover, with a hood, that you can throw on at belays, and that’ll keep you warm in a light wind and dry in a light rain. The Boreas does all that, as it’s got the functionality of a jacket but wears like a shirt. Very cool.

Camp

I love the trend of everything getting lighter, but I’m not so psyched on smaller. At some point it becomes hard to work with gear that is really small, especially under winter conditions. Enter the Camp Photon, a full size wiregate that weighs in at only 29 grams, which is about the same as the Black Diamond Oz, and the crewgate version that clocks in at a scant 42 grams. (By comparison the Petzl Attache 3D is 55g.)  Now that’s something I can get excited about.

Black Diamond

Climbers like to talk a lot about redundancy in our systems, but belaying is one place where we are relying on a single piece of gear. That being said, several companies have tried to address the matter of preventing a cross loaded belay ‘biner during a fall. BD’s solution is the Gridlock, which attaches to the belay loop on your harness via a unique system on the end of the carabiner, and it doesn’t involve any bulky plastic pieces.

An honorable mention on this list is a program that Beal has instituted with their ropes. Each cord has a unique code on it, which you can register on their site. It will then send you email reminders about the age of your rope, so you know when to replace it. No more wondering, did I get that last year or the year before?

There was a lot of other stuff out there, including new shoes from Sportiva, fun stuff from Metolius and much, much more. At the heart of it, though, are all the great folks that work in the industry, and friends that we’ve had for a long time. It’s these connections and the friendly faces that really keep us coming back year after year, and why we’d go even if there wasn’t any of this fun shiny stuff to look at.

The Access Fund has setup a simple and easy way to send them your thoughts, you can access it here on their website. Take a minute and let the Park Service know if you value climbing in this magical place. Today is the last day to submit comments so don’t miss out on the chance to be a part of the decision process.

Closer to home, Diana DeGette is pushing to get a wilderness bill passed this fall that includes the Assignation Ridge and Thompson Creek areas. This is completely different than the Hidden Gems campaign, which has a much longer road ahead of them. DeGette has been working on a wilderness bill for eleven years, and she feels the time is ripe to get this piece passed this fall.

The Assignation Ridge/Thompson Creek area is a legitimate swath of pristine land that deserves wilderness protection. However, a couple of important local climbing areas lie just within the boundaries and this designation would exclude the use of power drills to both safely maintain existing routes and develop new ones. The main areas of concern are Thompson Creek, the Narrows, Redstein and Coal Creek. We met with her and her staffers to explain our concerns and they seemed willing to work out a compromise, which ideally for us would be excluding these cliffs from the wilderness area.

You can send in your comments regarding this issue via this form on their website.

As with all these issues, the more we let our voices be heard, the more legitimate we become as a user group, so please take the time to send in comments. And to keep it simple, we’ve included a sample letter below that you can cut and paste into the comment form on DeGette’s website, or modify as you see fit:

To Whome it May Concern,
I write with concern for the preservation of climbing opportunities in the Assignation Ridge/Thompson Creek area.

One of the big reasons people enjoy climbing is the time we get to spend outside, pursuing our passion in some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet. Protection of the natural environment has always been a high priority for Roaring Fork Valley climbers, who have been using low impact techniques since the 1950s. Climbing activity goes nearly unnoticed aside from a few locations right off roads, such as Independence Pass, where it has even become a tourist attraction. When the climbers are not practicing their craft, it is hard to tell that people have passed over the rock above or the land below.

Many different types of anchors are used by climbers to protect themselves on the climbs, including natural anchors (slings around rocks or trees), passive and mechanical chocks (devices that are set into cracks and removed after use), and fixed anchors (pitons–metal spikes driven into cracks–and bolts, both left in place). Climbers have relied on fixed anchors to make rock climbs safer for over 50 years. In western Colorado, the nature of much of the rock, with its absence of natural cracks, dictates fixed protection, including bolts, be used to safely ascend cliffs. Bolts are most efficiently and safely installed by using a mechanized power drill. Without the ability to use this tool, it becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, to safely maintain existing routes, and the potential to develop new climbs is severely limited.

Given these conditions, I was concerned when I learned of the Assignation Ridge wilderness proposal, as many of our current climbing areas, as well as potential new climbs, were within the proposed wilderness boundaries, which would outlaw the use of mechanized power drills.

The areas that are important to climbers which would be affected by this bill include the Narrows, Redstein, Coal Creek and Thompson Creek, which, despite the unfounded fears of the BLM, does not have the potential to become a destination crag, but rather will remain a great spot for locals.

The cliffs in question tend to lie close to road and hardly qualify for what many would consider a “wilderness” setting. By adjusting the boundary lines, the cliffs I am concerned about could be excluded, which will allow climbers to continue to maintain the safety of the climbs, and give future generations the ability to seek out new challenges, while still keeping the majority of the wilderness area intact.

Additionally, adjusting the proposed boundaries would accomplish a number of things:

1.Maintain climbing resources that has been valued by locals and visiting climbers for many years. It has been well taken care of by the climbing community.

2.Visiting climbers contribute to the local economy, including several climbing stores and two guide services. Ouray, Colorado is a good example of how climber groups working with local business and government entities can bring strong economic benefits to a town without compromising its environmental values.

3.Climbing terrain tends to be too steep for extraction or other high impact commercial uses, so limiting wilderness in this area presents little risk to forest lands.

4.Climbing access could be preserved in a way that doesn’t compromise the wild elements of these areas, while still expanding the wilderness significantly from current boundaries.

With the few minor exceptions outlined here, I support wilderness designation for the Assignation Ridge/Thompson Creek area, and welcome the preservation of those wild places.

Sincerely,

A couple standout items for those who aren’t following us on Facebook:

Leave it to Petzl to refine the Gri Gri to perfection. The Gri Gri 2 is lighter, smaller, works on skinny ropes and lowers with even more control. We can’t wait to get one, and the only problem with this is that there will suddenly be a plethora of old Gri Gri’s kicking around. (Jefe, would you say I have a plethora of Gri Gri’s?)

Five Ten has some great looking shoes coming, including the aggressive Quantum, and the stylie Super Moc.

Black Diamond’s got two new lockers, the Gridlock, a dedicated belay biner to eliminate crossloading, and the Nitron, the lightest locker they offer. The packs are also on display, but already covered that last week.

Over at Mammut, the Zephyr harness looks like something designed by Nasa, weighing in at a scant 250 grams.

Stay tuned for more!

Also, we’ll be posting live updates from the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City this week on the Facebook page and from Twitter, with more comprehensive show coverage here on the site next week. We’re really looking forward to checking out the new Gri Gri from Petzl, more new packs from BD, and who knows what else, as well as catching up with many great friends.

The fire is the Meadow Creek fire, which is burning in the upper reaches of Main Elk Creek. It’s close to the Fortress and Main Elk crags, but apparently a fireline has been established on the south side, which will hopefully prevent it from spreading in the direction of the cliffs (and the homes in that area as well.) The Hadley Gulch Trail is CLOSED, however, which means there is currently no access to Main Elk, the Pup Tent, or the Fortress.

For more info and a web cam of the fire you can check out the website here.