Check your biners

[chossmonkey]

I don't think this has been posted yet.

http://www.czechclimbing.com/clanek.php?key=6771

A fairly new rope was completely severed by a worn biner.

I don't think that type of wear is much of an issue with draws that get constantly used in different places, but is something to think about if you are climbing on fixed draws or you use the same draws on the same bolts all the time. YMMV

[Fred]

anyone else ever see the rap hangers in Owens River Gorge?

[martha]

There were loads like that in Vegas too.. open cold shuts that were worn well past the half way point. Ugg!

[granite_grrl]

It should be noted that groves caused from lowering do not create the same sharp edge. Lowering will create a more rounded edge due to the angle that the rope runs. The example in this thread was the first biner on a route and was worn in a different manner.

[Fred]

gotcha

makes sense because it's carving it out at 90 degrees on one side instead of full bend around the stock

[chossmonkey]

It could conceivably do it to the shuts at the top of a route.

It really shouldn't matter in this respect as long as you don't thread the rope through just one, but why would someone do that? Maybe if there were three shuts and you only did two?


Anyway, yeah the way the biner was worn is why it did what it did. Most people evidently didn't fall there so the sharp edge had a chance to build up. It should also be pointed out that it wouldn't need to be on the first bolt. It could happen anywhere the rope makes a sharp dogleg. Like under a roof.

As a side note, keeping your rope clean will go a long way to keeping hardware from being ground down by the rope. Places like the Red or anywhere your rope picks up sand or grit can turn your rope into a grinding machine.

[chossmonkey]

In the last week I have been seeing a lot of the routes with fixed or semi fixed draws here at the Red that have a really sharp first biner and/or biners that make sharp doglegs. All the grit in the ropes wear the biners pretty quick.