Securing self when setting up TR anchor

I took a TR anchor class and thought of a question related to securing yourself when building a TR anchor. The locations of the bolts at the class location were relatively flat and we were told to clip into one of the bolts with a locking beaner and a sling. Some things I’ve read say that you shouldn’t use slings or PAS if you’re above the anchor. Does that apply here? The approach to the anchor is relatively safe. I’ve also read that you can secure yourself with a rope around a tree and a grigri but wasn’t sure if there is something simpler. Maybe it matters more if the anchors are on the wall itself not on the flat part above it.

It's about managing your risk.  A sling clipped to a bolt will usually be strong enough to catch you, but it might not(the specific failure modes have been discussed ad nauseum elsewhere if you feel like looking into it).  Is it better than nothing: yes.  Is it foolproof/guaranteed: no.  It's also incredibly uncomfortable to fall on a static system.

There are hundreds of ways of setting up a toprope depending on what's available, reaching over the edge to face bolts(you should definitely anchor yourself somehow for this one), pulling up chains attached to top bolts, building anchors off top bolts that extend over the edge, etc.  If you aren't 100% sure you won't fall off the edge, go ahead and protect yourself.  An extra rope to a grigri or similar is probably the simplest, just tie a knot to limit how far down the rope you can go, but the more you learn, the more options you'll have.

At the end of the day, your safety is your responsibility.  Never be ashamed to admit "I'm not sure I know how to do that safely yet" and try to always answer the "why would you do it that way" question to yourself.

I'm guessing they told you not to use slings/PAS above the anchor because:

1. If you were to fall on your slings above the anchor it would be a static fall and would not feel good
2. You need to be careful not to slip over the edge while trying to attach your slings to the anchor from above

If the anchors are over the edge of a cliff, definitely tie yourself into a tree or something before reaching for them. 

Sounds like to need a better class.

Things to learn:

• How to rappel off natural anchors
• Failure modes of the gear you're using
• How to ascend a rope mid rappel
• How not to lose your rope
• How to configure anchors of various types

Learn these things, and the question of what to do and what not to do answers itself based on what you're trying to do.  Never depend on a service or another person to tell you what is right or wrong.  Learn about the methods and the materials you're using and test the methods in a controlled way close to the ground. That way, you'll always know yourself and won't have to depend on the judgment of someone else that has simply done what you could have and should have done in the first place.  The information is out there.

Commenters above are not pulling your leg. The class left out one of the most important considerations in setting up a TR: building and rappelling from natural anchors above the bolts. Where I live, there's usually a juniper somewhere near the rim. I shake the s+-t out of it to make sure it's solid, and sling it with the rope, either with figure 8 follow through or two figure 8s on bights linked with a locker (single line rappel). I put a stopper knot in high enough to keep me from decking, then rap down or at least back myself up with a GriGri (that's right, if you've been kicking yourself for succumbing to peer pressure and buying that POS, at least you've finally discovered an application to which it's perfectly suited). If there's any chance I'm going to be dangling free from this rope, I have some sort of ascender...a prussic at least.

Unless they're very old school routes, the folks who established them probably lowered from something to install the anchors: tree, boulder, chickenhead, single bolt in rock outcrop, gear in a crack, deadman, T-post, truck, large human. That something might still be up there. Thoroughly test that something before relying on it to keep you alive.

There are many ways of skinning this cat. If you're not 100% sure you know enough to be safe in your area, a day with a guide is probably a good idea. Or some crusty old person who has done this a lot and not died. Barring this, Anchors and Down are books you might study.

9/10 would whip. Assuming root and rock are bomber it's fine. Don't clip both biners into both slings unless you also knot them into a masterpoint, triaxial loading is a thing. A bit of drop should one leg fail (knot doesn't help this), but the edge doesn't look too sharp. Really the only risk is one leg failing and the redundant sling cutting as it swings across the edge under load (again, a knot/masterpoint doesn't help this) speedtest.vet/  . 

hula amrut wrote:

9/10 would whip. Assuming root and rock are bomber it's fine. Don't clip both biners into both slings unless you also knot them into a masterpoint, triaxial loading is a thing. A bit of drop should one leg fail (knot doesn't help this), but the edge doesn't look too sharp. Really the only risk is one leg failing and the redundant sling cutting as it swings across the edge under load (again, a knot/masterpoint doesn't help this).

"hula"