Local Anchor Upgrades

Posted by on July 8, 2009

By Mike Schneiter

worn-binersYou know the scenario. You get to the anchor of a pitch of sport climbing at a popular crag, and the lowering ‘biners are heinously worn thin. Your inner dialogue runs through your head, “I’m sure I’ll be okay lowering. I’ll bring some new ones tomorrow.” Time and time again people make the same decision to lower off anchors that are well on their way out and pushing the limits of their strength.

This spring, we began replacing the aluminum carabiners at the top of many of the climbs at Thompson Creek, a popular local sport crag, with steel ones that will have a much longer life span. Thanks to the monetary support of a number of local climbers (who donated between $20 and $100 each) we were able to buy 30 Fixe steel ‘biners, which we then cammoed with a good layer of tan paint.

There’s more work still to be done at Thompson Creek and other local crags to ensure that our anchors are safe and secure. If you’re interested in donating money to additional efforts, leave a comment below and we’ll be in touch.

5 Responses to Local Anchor Upgrades

  1. Thanks Mike, when are you back in this area?

    Lynn July 9, 2009 at 3:24 pm

  2. Those “worn” biners look pretty good to me. Can I have them? I need to replace some really worn biners at Rifle … 🙂

    Andrew Bisharat July 9, 2009 at 5:39 pm

  3. Hey Lynn, I won’t be “fully back” until mid-August. We’re have a great ol’ time on the road in the Sierras.

    Hey Andrew, agreed, there are many biners at Rifle that are far more worn than what we pulled at Thompson Creek. We should work on doing the same thing at Rifle. Maybe even look at the Mussey Hook setup that is popular on the Eastside.

    Mike July 9, 2009 at 6:27 pm

  4. ya, those are pretty good..forward them to rifle! or my new routes!

    jason July 9, 2009 at 6:40 pm

  5. Mike- how do we know the money isnt going to the PBRs that are used while rehanging biners? let me know if you want some help.

    josh July 9, 2009 at 7:22 pm
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