Setting Up an Anchor on Multi-Pitch Climbs With a Direct Tie-In
Prepare to be amazed by beautiful views, meet physical and mental challenges and discover what you're made of through the sport of outdoor rock climbing. Multi-pitch climbs entail the climbing of two or more pitches, which is the distance climbed between two anchors. Usually the lead climber, the first one to ascend the rock face, will set up a top-rope anchor for the next climber to climb the pitch. There are several ways, many of which are situationally dependent, to set up an anchor while at the top of a climb.
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Things You'll Need
- Dynamic 60 or 70 meter rope
- Climbing harness
- Helmet
- Tether (can be a Personal Anchor System (PAS), a nylon runner or a longer cordelette)
- Quickdraws
- Slings
- Locking carabiners (at least 4)
- Non-locking carabiners (optional)
- Cordelette (20 to 25 feet long)
Instructions
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Bolted Routes
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1
Double-check all of your gear before climbing, inspecting ropes and your climbing harness for tears in the fabric or stitching. Also make sure that you have enough quickdraws and slings to ascend the route and build an anchor.
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2
Tie your tether to your belay loop, which can be connected in different ways depending on the type of tether you're using. Ask your climbing partner to double-check your harness to make sure it's doubled back, figure eight knot and helmet.
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3
Climb the route until you reach the anchor point. For bolted routes, the anchor of each pitch will appear as two bolts placed beside each other.
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4
Clip a locking carabiner to the end of your tether and attach the carabiner and tether strand to one of the bolts. Give your carabiner a squeeze-check and tell your belayer that you are tied in direct to the anchor.
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5
Clip two locking carabiners, or a locker and a non-locker, to the eyelets of the bolt, so that one carabiner is attached to each bolt. Clip your cordelette to each of the carabiners and lock the carabiners by screwing the gate until it will no longer rotate. The cordelette should make a giant enclosed loop, with the two carabiners securing the cordelette on the top side of the loop.
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6
Holding the bottom of the cordelette loop, grab the cordelette strand between the carabiners and pull the strand so that it doubles-up with the bottom of the loop, making a giant "V" shape. Equalize the direction of the bottom point of the cordelette's "V" shape so that when the master point is tied, all four strands are tight and transferring an equal load to the carabiners. Tie the master point, either by using a double overhand or a figure-eight on a bight.
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Attach a locking carabiner to the master point of the anchor and set up the belay for your second climber.
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Tips & Warnings
Use the acronym EARNEST to judge the quality of your anchor. Load strands should be "Equalized" between two or more anchor points. The "Angle" of the strands coming from the master point should be no more than 45 degrees. The anchor should be "Redundant" so that if one piece of the anchor failed, there would always be a backup load strand. The anchor should have "No Extension" if a piece did fail, preventing the sock loading of the entire system. Lastly, the anchor should be "Timely" and simple to set up. Another climber should be able to look at the anchor and easily see all other components of the EARNEST acronym.
Make sure you are on-belay before coming off of the anchor.
Rock climbing can be a dangerous sport if you do not have the proper training, skills and experience. If you do not have any experience lead climbing or building anchors, defer to someone with more experience who can mentor you as you develop as a climber.
References
- University of Oregon PE & Recreation: Climbing Anchors
- Outward Bound Rock Climbing Staff Manual
- Stephen Pratt: Climbing Anchors
- Chauvin Guides: Anchor Building on Multi-Pitch Climbs
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
