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Any glaring holes in my sport rack?

Ryan Williams · · London (sort of) · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,245

This thread has made me realise that most people have a worse understanding of sport climbing than they do of trad climbing.

The Ex-Engineer · · UK · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 20
Ryan Williams wrote:This thread has made me realise that most people have a worse understanding of sport climbing than they do of trad climbing.
On balance you might be right. We are on the 5th page with a few decent posts interspersed with much waffle and still haven't had mention of a whole variety of things that are genuinely useful, albeit no means essential.

Loads of talk about clip sticks but not any about having a proper stiff quickdraw. Great for quickly resolving situations where the bolt is 'just out of reach'. Either home made such as spadout.com/a/how-to-make-a… or bought e.g. int.barrabes.com/kong-panic…

Given that every man and his dog has been (quite rightly) recommending a GriGri and we have had some talk about belay gloves I'm surprised there's been no mention of the neat Petzl Freino carabiner which massively improves lowering. It's a superb partner to any GriGri, especially the original version. It makes lowering so much easier and safer, especially if you have a brand new super-skinny rope for hard onsights or redpoints. For those who haven't a clue what I'm talking about see petzl.com/en/outdoor/specia… or an online review at racheligreenberg.blogspot.c…

No mention of bailing without leaving gear for which you do want a prusik loop or similar loop of old 6mm-7mm cord. However it's not to prusik with. You use it to bail via the classic 'Indian rope trick', see planetfear.com/articles/Ret…

Finally, really I'm not sure why there is so much talk about slings or extendable quickdraws. Unless either the bolting (or terrain) is pretty outrageous you shouldn't need any. Assuming you've got a decent draws (i.e. Petzl Spirits) doubling, or even or tripling up draws to extend bolts is just so much better than using slings. Clipping spinning krabs on the end of slings is such a pain. Also you should normally just be using draws to rest, to clip anchors and to TR from.
doligo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 264
The Ex-Engineer wrote: No mention of bailing without leaving gear for which you do want a prusik loop or similar loop of old 6mm-7mm cord. However it's not to prusik with. You use it to bail via the classic 'Indian rope trick', see planetfear.com/articles/Ret…
That's a pretty neat trick - thanks for sharing.
Craig Childre · · Lubbock, TX · Joined Aug 2006 · Points: 4,860
D.Buffum wrote: Perhaps I'm over-cautious in this concern.
No such thing!
The Ex-Engineer · · UK · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 20
D.Buffum wrote: I would be concerned about the sling being weakened.
I was (and still am) surprised at the use of a sling in the photos in the article. It seems an odd and poor choice. I've used an older 6mm prusik loop the few times I've done it, as have the others I've spoken to.

At least with cord you know you are still fairly safe provided the sheath is still intact. Also 4' of cord is dirt cheap and less than any bail biner so you can bin it without any worries, plus you aren't cluttering the route for the next climber.

If you've any concerns then the way to go would probably to use beefier 7mm cord. More durable but still cheap enough to bin at the first sign of major abrasion or glazing of the sheath.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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