***Please read required gear and sign-up information section at the bottom of the trip description***
Note: This will cover the same skills and information from the previous session I ran on the 12/04.
This is a demonstration and theory session on basic (non-trad) anchors, that is, anchors that can be constructed on fixed gear. It is intended as a non-comprehensive primer on anchors for those looking to get outdoor climbing soon or revise their anchor skills and knowledge.
I'll be planning to run some beginner outdoor and lead trips as things get cooler and drier and the weather isn't as unpredictable. This is an excellent opportunity for those looking to get some skills done ahead of these trips.
The session will be held in the ANUMC Gear Store, located at the far end of the second sports hall (one further than the one the climbing walls are in)
I'll begin the session at 17:30 and it should go for about an hour.
This session will aim to teach:
- What climbing anchors are.
- What kinds of anchors exist.
- Which anchors are best for each kind of activity (sport climbing, top-roping, and maybe multi-pitch if we get the time).
- How to set these anchors up.
- How to safely clean these anchors.
- The appropriate communication that should occur between you and your belayer as the above two processes take place.
Necessary Gear and Sign-Up Information
If you wish to participate and not just observe then please bring what you can from this list (Having no gear and just observing is fine):
- Harness.
- Personal Anchor System (If you don't know what this is don't worry I will explain during the session).
- Belay device.
- Three or more locking carabiners.
- One for your belay device, one spare and one or more for your PAS.
- Any and all extra personal gear you would like to use to practice making anchors with
- Examples would be a long cordellette, sling, quickdraws, locking carabiners etc.
- Rope
- Can be a climbing rope,old static rope or non-climbing rope; will be used to practice cleaning and belaying so it doesn't need to be rated to usual climbing forces.
Please indicate when you sign-up
- What you would like out of this session or any questions you would like answered at the session.
- This is just to help me better tailor the experience to the participant's needs and learn what I should improve on for each session
The Inevitable Disclaimer
I am not a trained guide and nor is this session be considered a total and comprehensive demonstration of anchors. As always there is no substitute for professional guidance, experience in real situations and study from multiple sources. I highly recommend you supplement this session with research from accredited sources, practice at home, as well as seek out professional instruction.
Resources
Here are some excellent resources you can look at before attending the session or after to consolidate your skills.
- https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/ An excellent, highly visual resource with good explanations of many climbing skills. Their ebooks are superb and can be acquired for free, although consider donating to help maintain this resource :)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SkCojauHto (A Primer on Climbing Anchors) An excellent video that involves visual depictions of anchors right from basic double quickdraws to multi-pitch rappel set-ups. There is really valuable discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of anchor here, which is useful for helping you think about why or why not an anchor would be useful in a given situation. A lot of what I'll teach will be drawing from his resource as well as instruction I received on a multi-pitch trad course I attended late last year.