How to Equalize a Rock Climbing Anchor Without Knots

Being able to build anchors is a vital part of rock climbing skills. Your life, and the lives of your partners, will depend on your ability to build anchors safely. The anchor is the primary solid point of attachment to the rock for climbers, rope, or both. Equalizing a rock climbing anchor means adjusting all parts of it to share the load equally.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Two or three solid anchor points
• Carabiners
• Slings of various lengths
• Climbing rope

1. Establish at least two, preferably three, points to be part of your anchor. These may be heavy-duty steel bolts properly placed in the rock, "natural" anchors like trees or rocky protrusions, or climbing gear like cams or nuts that have been properly placed in the rock.

2. Determine which way you will be pulling on the anchor. If you're not climbing past the anchor, you will probably only pull down and maybe to the sides. If you're climbing up past it, you need to keep in mind that you'll be pulling up on the anchor after a certain point.

3. Verify that all of your anchor points are solid and secure. If you're dealing with bolts, the rock around them should be solid and secure too. If you're dealing with trees or rocky protrusions they should also be solidly rooted or in place. Make sure that you have the proper training if you are using climbing gear for anchor points.

4. Clip a carabiner to each anchor point, oriented so that the gate will not rub against anything and inadvertently open. The exception to this is if you are using a tree or rocky protrusion. If that is the case, wrap a sling around the tree or protrusion, checking to be sure there are no sharp or abrasive places that may rub through the sling. Then clip a carabiner to the sling.

5. Attach a sling to each carabiner. Bring the slings together in one place, pulling in what you decided in Step 2 was the primary direction of pull. If you used slings of the proper length, their ends should all come together at the same place. This place is called the power point.

6. Adjust the slings as necessary, swapping longer or shorter slings to make them all come together properly. Once they match up nicely, clip the rope through one or two carabiners at the power point. These must be either screw lock carabiners with their gates oriented to protect them from rubbing open against the rock, or non-locking carabiners with the gates reversed and opposed.

7. Double-check your entire anchor. Verify that all locking carabiners are screwed shut, all carabiners are oriented to protect them from rubbing open or unlocked, all knots are tied properly, all anchor points are solid, and that you've established the correct direction of pull on your anchor.

Tips & Warnings

• Equalizing a rock climbing anchor is especially important when one or more of your anchor points are not as strong as you'd like. Spreading the force out between them makes it more likely the anchor will hold.
• Redundancy, or always having backup, is a vital concept in rock climbing that may save your life. Because of this, the absolute minimum number of pieces, bolts, or places to anchor to, in order for your anchor to be safe, is two. Three is usually better, but after a certain point you hit diminishing returns. If your gear or bolts are so insecure that you can't build a secure anchor from three pieces, you probably don't want to be climbing there.
• Rock climbing is a dangerous sport. Death or serious injury can result, even when the most careful precautions have been taken. Always double-check your gear including anchors and knots. Never climb alone, and always seek expert guidance.
• A botched attempt to equalize a climbing anchor can actually increase the forces on each anchor piece, making it more likely to fail. Serious injury or death can result.

Resources

• More information on constructing a safe anchor

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