Funny and Educational: Amazing Rappel Anchors

[Slot Machine]

We came across the following anchor in Baptist Draw yesterday. At the first rappel we were astonished to find a rock buried underneath at least 75 feet of webbing.



The anchor consisted of:

1 tan sling hung over the rock.
1 piece of tan webbing tied to a pinch
1 blue sling tied arond a pinch
1 piece of red webbing tied to a pinch
1 green sling hung over the rock.
1 long purple sling wrapped twice around the rock (brand new, I cut it before the photo).
2 rapid links
1 aluminum ring

We fixed it by cutting everything away, then tying some of the purple webbing to a pinch and extending it just over the edge. Yes black or grey would have been better colors , I know, I know. The purple stuff was new and free, so we used it. The blue webbing on the right was tied to a meat anchor backup and wasn't left behind.



This thread is meant for the entertainment of those that know how to build anchors and for the education of those that don't. I'm not claiming to know anything about building anchors. Please post some of the funniest or craziest anchors you have discovered, so we can all have a laugh and maybe learn something.

Bob

[Iceaxe]

Canyon Bootie

I love finding anchors like that. You should have collected enough hardware from that anchor to last at least a couple of months.

[Slot Machine]

Canyon Bootie

I love finding anchors like that. You should have collected enough hardware from that anchor to last at least a couple of months.

It's true, I left the canyon with 3 new rapid links and an rap ring. The price? We had to haul a backpack full of webbing up and out of Fault Canyon.

[optikal]

What's a "pinch"?

[Audilard]

That's like the Mount Everest of anchors. Where everyone leaves a flag or something, but in this case a piece of their own webbing. Now no one will know they've been there.

[ratagonia]

What's a "pinch"?

When there are boulders stacked up, where two boulders meet -- one securely pressed against the other or against the bed rock -- is a secure place that webbing can be tied around. This is a pinch.

Tom

[PG Rob]

We fixed it by cutting everything away, then tying some of the purple webbing to a pinch and extending it just over the edge.

[Scott P]

A lot of webbing for a "rappel" that is easily downclimbable.

[Slot Machine]

A lot of webbing for a "rappel" that is easily downclimbable.

It's funny that you mention that. We all took a good look at the drop and agreed that it was at least 30 feet. I was the first to rappel down, got to the bottom, looked up and felt kind of silly. It was clearly shorter than 20 feet. Maybe the mountain of webbing psyched us out when we looked off the drop.

Downclimable? Sure. Use a rope if you are nervous? Sure.

Doesn't anybody have a funny picture of an anchor they would like to share??

[Udink]

Doesn't anybody have a funny picture of an anchor they would like to share??

Here's what a friend and I used to break in my then-new Canyon Fire rope coming off the top of Bowknot Bend.

[Slot Machine]

Here's what a friend and I used to break in my then-new Canyon Fire rope coming off the top of Bowknot Bend.

Is that... a ShamWow? A ShamWow/Bucket hat anchor??

Udink, that is AWESOME!!!

[deathtointernet]

No picture, but one of my favorites was the anchor setup for the long rappel in Birch Hollow the first time I was there. The usual sling around the pine tree was there, with another sling around a second tree, this one tied through the loop of the first sling (NOT the ring). I remember looking at it going, what the hell... this doesn't protect against failure in the: rope, ring, knot, or webbing. The only single thing it protects against is the uprooting of the entire 100ft tall pine tree, which seemed very unlikely. Not to mention if it did happen, sure, you'd still be on rappel, but you'd then have a 100ft pine tree falling directly onto you, so maybe it wouldn't matter much anyway. People worry about some strange things...