How to Equalize an Anchor in Rock Climbing

Equalizing marginal anchors is an excellent way to increase the strength of the anchors. In this example, we will focus on equalizing three anchors.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Climbing Gear
• Climbing Harnesses
• Climbing Helmets
• Climbing Ropes
• Climbing Shoes

1. 

   Set your anchors. Each anchor should have a carabiner attached to it.

2. 

   Clip one long sling to each of the three anchor carabiners. The sling should be about three times as long as the distance between the outside anchors.

3. Pull 2 to 3 inches of slack in the sling and put a single twist in the section between anchors A and B.

4. 

   Clip a carabiner into the loop made by the twist.

5. Clip the same carabiner into the free strand of the sling.

6. 

   Repeat steps 4 through 6 for anchors B and C. Now you should have three anchors with a carabiner clipped to the sling between each anchor.

7. 

   Pull the two free carabiners so that all the slack is taken out of the system. These are the carabiners that you will clip into. They should slide freely back and forth so that if the direction of pull changes slightly, the system will continue to put equal pressure on all anchors.

Tips & Warnings

• It helps to use a sewn sling instead of a tied sling because the knot will get in the way on a tied sling.
• You can equalize anchors in horizontal placements as well as vertical placements.
• Watch out for the knot in tied slings as they can hang up on the carabiners and negate the equalization of the system.
• Climbing is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity.

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on 8/31/2006 The reason you tie a knot in the anchor is to create a powerpoint that each person clips into, and more importantly prevent the anchor from shock loading if one of the anchor points fails. This is how anchor building is taught by the American Mountain Guide Association as well as other Guide Associations.

on 8/8/2006 knots to each 'biner would not fully equalize, it would create pressure points on one or more of the anchors. Twisting is perfectly safe.

on 11/22/2005 This is an unsafe anchor, rather than putting a twist in each section there should be a knot connecting all the points.