Your anchor is not redundant. Simply tie the ends together to fix this. Or, since you have to go to the top to retrieve your gear anyway, just use your rope as the anchor. Also, your devices are oriented so they can easily collide which creates risk of malfunction. Again, easily fixable with the gear your have. This may be 'safe enough' but when you can do things more safely with the same gear in the same amount of time then it is silly not to. I am all for taking risks while climbing but not risks that provide no reward.
This is not a trad or sport anchor made of multiple bolts or peices of gear. If you blow a bolt or pull a peice of gear out of the rock you need a redundant anchor. If falling rocks are possible you need a redundant anchor. If none of these factors are present and your sling is not old or damaged and you need a second tree to be truley redundant.... You may as well quit the gear fear and trust that a single sling will hold 22 football players before breaking. The loop on his figure nine knot is also a single point of failure. If it breaks then two slings, two carabiners, two strands of rope, two connection points on his harness, two trees....none of that will help. One sling and one tree is common and accepted in search and rescue work. Firefighters rappel from windows on a single hook they wedge on the window seal. The military rappels from helicopters using an anchor that is flying around not attached to the ground at all. Would you tell them they are doing it wrong even if they are trained and paid to do it in a way that breaks "climbing rules", or do you accept there are many variations in saftey rules for feilds involving rappeilng, Window washers, Arborists (tree people), SWAT, Military, search and rescue, Cavers, Climbers, Canyoneers. I saw a guy use an official bag of dirt anchor in a canyon. You can buy one, fill it with dirt, there's your anchor.
@@BrandonWendt2 Why not take 2 seconds to tie a knot? I agree that there are many non-redundant components of a climbing system but when it is possible to increase safety at no cost, the option should be taken.
@@beefpapa7616 You have over looked a major factor here. Tying the sling ends together on a single point anchor would not actually have the effect you may think. If one side of the sling breaks what is the other side going to catch on? Remember the sling is not connected to the tree, it is simply wrapped around. If one side breaks the whole sling fails. If you think I'm wrong test it, verify. The knot you suggest tying is not only pointless, it would waste time, it would technically lower the overall strength by become the weakest point in the sling, and it certainly would not be redundant. Then you have to untie the pointless knot after you put your full weight on it. Checkmate
@@BrandonWendt2 If you tie the ends together, in order for one side to break, two strands of sling would have to be cut instead of one. If you are worried about the knot being hard to untie, clip a biner into it.
I would protect the rope where it goes over the edge at the top. Top rope solo has a big abrasion risk because the rope is stationary: the same small bit of rope is interacting with the ledge the whole climb. Could use a friction guard, or re-fix the rope so it is slack over the edge.
Good easy to follow video. While you are cleaning the climbing face for safety, if everyone did that, the whole area would be denuded of rocks, dirt and brush in no time. I don’t necessarily agree with moving any thing that is not absolutely necessary.
I think this is a great video- especially for beginners. You explain your system quite well. As some others here have commented, it could be a good idea to create a backup anchor point up top, but that tree absolutely looks healthy and very strong, and there aren’t any sharp rocks or other edges around the sling that would realistically result in it getting cut as you climb. The sling itself will indeed likely hold 20kN. I personally like redundancy, and I would look for a second tree and run a second sling with additional carabiners, but your single anchor point looks like a very good anchor point, and your decision process to trust the anchor point as well as your rigging is fundamentally sound. For others on here, I think the choice to use 2 ascenders on 2 strands is a solid choice that others should follow. Your belay rigging with the prusik is also solid. Again, I think beginners could learn several good tips from this video. People who actually get hurt climbing almost always use rigging that is way less safe than the system shown in this video.
Hi! Came across your video searching techniques. Might I suggest though...I would use two slings each with a separate locking carabiner around your tree for your anchor (redundancy). Also, I'd use a rope protector for the top there over the edge ;)
I love suggestions, they help everyone learn. Ultimately everyone has to decide for themselves what is "safe enough" .Every single rig situation is different, so being competent and dynamic in your abilities is more important than a cookie cutter methods. Thank you for the input. :)
@@adventurecandyrandy2129 well, there are safety standars and that anchor was very sketchy. You could also extend your rappel for comfort and safety too.
I read up on the recommendations of the German Alpine Club (DAV). They also recommend to use two redundant slings in a top rope tree anchor situation. They further recommend to have only one of these slings loaded by default in order to create a "passive redundancy" layout. Source in German language: services.alpenverein.de/chameleon/public/58e94181-93b4-787d-22b8-0ab78adc9fe2/Panorama-3-2011-Sicherheitsforschung-Toprope-Unfall_20322.pdf
How is that sling going to fail? The odds of being injured by a falling object are 10,000x greater. Should he wear a motorcycle helmet in this case? 😂😂😂
As others have said definitely want to make your anchor redundant. I will admit Im a two tree guy no matter the size but rule of thumb should be bigger than your leg you only need one tree. As far as your knot you used two figure 9s, whats the advantage to those? I use a BFK it gives you two loops to clip in to the anchor so redundant, equalized and easy to untie. Its funny I like the idea of two lines (device on each) but I always seem to use 1 with a chest harness. Right now Im using a micro trax and Camp lift (primary) but I ordered and waiting for a Taz Lov3 to be delivered. Sick of switching to a grigri to lower then switch back to ascend when working a hard spot Good video its always terrifying doing a climbing video because of the critics. haha.
Of all the content I make nothing gets more criticism than ANYTHING to do with rigging. If you want to climb that is 100% safe....don't climb! The reality is there is a level of risk no matter how you rig. I use common sense and encourage everyone to do the same. You should not be learning to climb/ or rig from youtube. So...that said, I like tying 9's b/c they are less prone to bind. The BHK is perfectly suited for this as well. Which is exactly what I keep telling people. There is no one way that 100% period. Ideally I'd have a 3/4 inch wire slings attached to multiple epoxy expansion anchors ran from granite. I am very happy hanging off of a double wrap basket sling that is rated for 23Kn. Right or wrong this is what Im comfortable with. As always thank you for the input and keep having fun! :)
This is not a trad or sport anchor made of multiple bolts or peices of gear. If you blow a bolt or pull a peice of gear out of the rock you need a redundant anchor. If falling rocks are possible you need a redundant anchor. If none of these factors are present and your sling is not old or damaged and you need a second tree to be truley redundant.... You may as well quit the gear fear and trust that a single sling will hold 22 football players before breaking. The loop on his figure nine knot is also a single point of failure. If it breaks then two slings, two carabiners, two strands of rope, two connection points on his harness, two trees....none of that will help. One sling and one tree is common and accepted in search and rescue work. Firefighters rappel from windows on a single hook they wedge on the window seal. The military rappels from helicopters using an anchor that is flying around not attached to the ground at all. Would you tell them they are doing it wrong even if they are trained and paid to do it in a way that breaks "climbing rules", or do you accept there are many variations in saftey rules for feilds involving rappeilng, Window washers, Arborists (tree people), SWAT, Military, search and rescue, Cavers, Climbers, Canyoneers. I saw a guy use an official bag of dirt anchor in a canyon. You can buy one, fill it with dirt, there's your anchor.
@BrandonWendt2 Thank you for your feedback. And I agree with you 100%. I'm actually a certified rope access technician and trusting your skills and gear is just as important as all the "rules" that people love to point out. RUclips is no replacement for an in person teacher. Stay safe and keep learning. "Rules" are for people who don't understand what they are doing.
What's the point of attaching 2 figure 9s to the locking carabiner at the top instead of just one? I've seen multiple people do this but I really don't see why.
Great video! Finding solid setup guides for solo climbing hasn't been easy but this is nicely detailed, and includes some gear and ideas I've never seen. A few things I'd change but it comes down to personal preference and redundancy. I'm not a people person, and very spontaneous, so Its hard to find climbing/belay partners lol. Not completely sold on the idea of using pulley type devices for ascending (Wild Country Ropeman 2, Petzl Traxion series, Roll-N-Lock, etc) at the risk of unsheathing the rope during a fall. Would it be better to use a traditional Ascender, or is there something else you could recommend? Thanks!
I hear on the prefernce to adventure alone. As for gear I use the roll.n lock because it's a cam device which I have never heard of sheathing a rope since it pinches rather than grabs. An primitive alternative for ascending could be two prusiks with foot loops. This would require extreme caution. I would.definetly prefer an ascending device with a cam as a primary.
S tec duck ascender is another cam device that I have a lot of experience using which is heavy but easy on the rope and very durable. The key to all of this is going to be keeping your ascending devices high and prevent potential shock loading. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for the input.
Why tie both ropes to a single carabiner? Why not give each rope its own carabiner? Having two ropes which could both fail on one carabiner seems to defeat the purpose of having a safety rope. I'm a beginner so forgive my ignorance, but could you explain the reasoning behind this? Also why not tie the rope directly to the tree instead of the sling?
I suspect 2 distinct rope lines with their own knots helps establish fully redundant rope lines, which is important in rope soloing due to cliff edge drag and other unknown factors when you can’t see your anchor. The single point carabiner (while I personally would use 2 since it’s barely more gear to carry) is plenty for a top anchor like this - it can handle way more force than 1 climber taking tiny falls. The carabiner has very few risks in this setup - no falling objects, not easy to vibrate the screw gate open, etc. Again, not how I’d do it, but everyone has their own risk tolerance, and I’d worry much more about the ropes dragging over the ledge here than the single point carabiner.
![Sending 5.13c without a Belayer [How I Climb Alone]](/img/1.gif)
probably extend the rappel and eliminate the possibility of droping upside down and hitting the deck because of the prussik jamming on the atc.
Looking good buddy 🤙 don’t let the haters get you down. I’d climb on that all day every day
Thanks bro. I'm happy to climb in gear rated for 5000 lbs..lol
Your anchor is not redundant. Simply tie the ends together to fix this. Or, since you have to go to the top to retrieve your gear anyway, just use your rope as the anchor. Also, your devices are oriented so they can easily collide which creates risk of malfunction. Again, easily fixable with the gear your have. This may be 'safe enough' but when you can do things more safely with the same gear in the same amount of time then it is silly not to. I am all for taking risks while climbing but not risks that provide no reward.
Thanks for the input.
This is not a trad or sport anchor made of multiple bolts or peices of gear. If you blow a bolt or pull a peice of gear out of the rock you need a redundant anchor. If falling rocks are possible you need a redundant anchor. If none of these factors are present and your sling is not old or damaged and you need a second tree to be truley redundant.... You may as well quit the gear fear and trust that a single sling will hold 22 football players before breaking. The loop on his figure nine knot is also a single point of failure. If it breaks then two slings, two carabiners, two strands of rope, two connection points on his harness, two trees....none of that will help. One sling and one tree is common and accepted in search and rescue work. Firefighters rappel from windows on a single hook they wedge on the window seal. The military rappels from helicopters using an anchor that is flying around not attached to the ground at all. Would you tell them they are doing it wrong even if they are trained and paid to do it in a way that breaks "climbing rules", or do you accept there are many variations in saftey rules for feilds involving rappeilng, Window washers, Arborists (tree people), SWAT, Military, search and rescue, Cavers, Climbers, Canyoneers. I saw a guy use an official bag of dirt anchor in a canyon. You can buy one, fill it with dirt, there's your anchor.
@@BrandonWendt2 Why not take 2 seconds to tie a knot? I agree that there are many non-redundant components of a climbing system but when it is possible to increase safety at no cost, the option should be taken.
@@beefpapa7616 You have over looked a major factor here. Tying the sling ends together on a single point anchor would not actually have the effect you may think. If one side of the sling breaks what is the other side going to catch on? Remember the sling is not connected to the tree, it is simply wrapped around. If one side breaks the whole sling fails. If you think I'm wrong test it, verify. The knot you suggest tying is not only pointless, it would waste time, it would technically lower the overall strength by become the weakest point in the sling, and it certainly would not be redundant. Then you have to untie the pointless knot after you put your full weight on it. Checkmate
@@BrandonWendt2 If you tie the ends together, in order for one side to break, two strands of sling would have to be cut instead of one. If you are worried about the knot being hard to untie, clip a biner into it.
I would protect the rope where it goes over the edge at the top. Top rope solo has a big abrasion risk because the rope is stationary: the same small bit of rope is interacting with the ledge the whole climb. Could use a friction guard, or re-fix the rope so it is slack over the edge.
Noticed you had no suspension cord to hold the devices up to facilitate the rope passing thru easily. Enjoyed your video!
Good easy to follow video.
While you are cleaning the climbing face for safety, if everyone did that, the whole area would be denuded of rocks, dirt and brush in no time.
I don’t necessarily agree with moving any thing that is not absolutely necessary.
Thanks for the feedback. I agree in many ways with leaving areas wild. It's difficult to strike a balance sometimes.
I think this is a great video- especially for beginners. You explain your system quite well.
As some others here have commented, it could be a good idea to create a backup anchor point up top, but that tree absolutely looks healthy and very strong, and there aren’t any sharp rocks or other edges around the sling that would realistically result in it getting cut as you climb. The sling itself will indeed likely hold 20kN.
I personally like redundancy, and I would look for a second tree and run a second sling with additional carabiners, but your single anchor point looks like a very good anchor point, and your decision process to trust the anchor point as well as your rigging is fundamentally sound.
For others on here, I think the choice to use 2 ascenders on 2 strands is a solid choice that others should follow. Your belay rigging with the prusik is also solid.
Again, I think beginners could learn several good tips from this video. People who actually get hurt climbing almost always use rigging that is way less safe than the system shown in this video.
Thanks for the feedback. Rigging is always a hot topic. Know the hazards and capabilites of your gear. There's always room to improve. Stay safe :)
ruclips.net/video/8EWSWgo100c/видео.htmlsi=rLVrIOTG8WKfUVcv
1 inch tail on the prusik cord! That's HILARIOUS 🎉
Hi! Came across your video searching techniques. Might I suggest though...I would use two slings each with a separate locking carabiner around your tree for your anchor (redundancy). Also, I'd use a rope protector for the top there over the edge ;)
I love suggestions, they help everyone learn. Ultimately everyone has to decide for themselves what is "safe enough" .Every single rig situation is different, so being competent and dynamic in your abilities is more important than a cookie cutter methods. Thank you for the input. :)
@@adventurecandyrandy2129 well, there are safety standars and that anchor was very sketchy. You could also extend your rappel for comfort and safety too.
I read up on the recommendations of the German Alpine Club (DAV). They also recommend to use two redundant slings in a top rope tree anchor situation. They further recommend to have only one of these slings loaded by default in order to create a "passive redundancy" layout. Source in German language: services.alpenverein.de/chameleon/public/58e94181-93b4-787d-22b8-0ab78adc9fe2/Panorama-3-2011-Sicherheitsforschung-Toprope-Unfall_20322.pdf
How is that sling going to fail? The odds of being injured by a falling object are 10,000x greater. Should he wear a motorcycle helmet in this case? 😂😂😂
As others have said definitely want to make your anchor redundant. I will admit Im a two tree guy no matter the size but rule of thumb should be bigger than your leg you only need one tree. As far as your knot you used two figure 9s, whats the advantage to those? I use a BFK it gives you two loops to clip in to the anchor so redundant, equalized and easy to untie.
Its funny I like the idea of two lines (device on each) but I always seem to use 1 with a chest harness. Right now Im using a micro trax and Camp lift (primary) but I ordered and waiting for a Taz Lov3 to be delivered. Sick of switching to a grigri to lower then switch back to ascend when working a hard spot Good video its always terrifying doing a climbing video because of the critics. haha.
Of all the content I make nothing gets more criticism than ANYTHING to do with rigging. If you want to climb that is 100% safe....don't climb! The reality is there is a level of risk no matter how you rig. I use common sense and encourage everyone to do the same. You should not be learning to climb/ or rig from youtube.
So...that said, I like tying 9's b/c they are less prone to bind. The BHK is perfectly suited for this as well. Which is exactly what I keep telling people. There is no one way that 100% period. Ideally I'd have a 3/4 inch wire slings attached to multiple epoxy expansion anchors ran from granite. I am very happy hanging off of a double wrap basket sling that is rated for 23Kn. Right or wrong this is what Im comfortable with. As always thank you for the input and keep having fun! :)
This is not a trad or sport anchor made of multiple bolts or peices of gear. If you blow a bolt or pull a peice of gear out of the rock you need a redundant anchor. If falling rocks are possible you need a redundant anchor. If none of these factors are present and your sling is not old or damaged and you need a second tree to be truley redundant.... You may as well quit the gear fear and trust that a single sling will hold 22 football players before breaking. The loop on his figure nine knot is also a single point of failure. If it breaks then two slings, two carabiners, two strands of rope, two connection points on his harness, two trees....none of that will help. One sling and one tree is common and accepted in search and rescue work. Firefighters rappel from windows on a single hook they wedge on the window seal. The military rappels from helicopters using an anchor that is flying around not attached to the ground at all. Would you tell them they are doing it wrong even if they are trained and paid to do it in a way that breaks "climbing rules", or do you accept there are many variations in saftey rules for feilds involving rappeilng, Window washers, Arborists (tree people), SWAT, Military, search and rescue, Cavers, Climbers, Canyoneers. I saw a guy use an official bag of dirt anchor in a canyon. You can buy one, fill it with dirt, there's your anchor.
@BrandonWendt2 Thank you for your feedback. And I agree with you 100%. I'm actually a certified rope access technician and trusting your skills and gear is just as important as all the "rules" that people love to point out. RUclips is no replacement for an in person teacher. Stay safe and keep learning. "Rules" are for people who don't understand what they are doing.
What's the point of attaching 2 figure 9s to the locking carabiner at the top instead of just one? I've seen multiple people do this but I really don't see why.
It makes each rope an independent line. Ans yes, if the one carabiner ( the master point ) fails, the whole system fails.
This makes me wanna get into rope soloing
...then you definetly should :) Unique experience.
Great video! Finding solid setup guides for solo climbing hasn't been easy but this is nicely detailed, and includes some gear and ideas I've never seen. A few things I'd change but it comes down to personal preference and redundancy.
I'm not a people person, and very spontaneous, so Its hard to find climbing/belay partners lol.
Not completely sold on the idea of using pulley type devices for ascending (Wild Country Ropeman 2, Petzl Traxion series, Roll-N-Lock, etc) at the risk of unsheathing the rope during a fall. Would it be better to use a traditional Ascender, or is there something else you could recommend?
Thanks!
I hear on the prefernce to adventure alone. As for gear I use the roll.n lock because it's a cam device which I have never heard of sheathing a rope since it pinches rather than grabs. An primitive alternative for ascending could be two prusiks with foot loops. This would require extreme caution. I would.definetly prefer an ascending device with a cam as a primary.
S tec duck ascender is another cam device that I have a lot of experience using which is heavy but easy on the rope and very durable. The key to all of this is going to be keeping your ascending devices high and prevent potential shock loading. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for the input.
Praise the alog gods!
also great video
Thanks
Why tie both ropes to a single carabiner? Why not give each rope its own carabiner? Having two ropes which could both fail on one carabiner seems to defeat the purpose of having a safety rope. I'm a beginner so forgive my ignorance, but could you explain the reasoning behind this? Also why not tie the rope directly to the tree instead of the sling?
I suspect 2 distinct rope lines with their own knots helps establish fully redundant rope lines, which is important in rope soloing due to cliff edge drag and other unknown factors when you can’t see your anchor. The single point carabiner (while I personally would use 2 since it’s barely more gear to carry) is plenty for a top anchor like this - it can handle way more force than 1 climber taking tiny falls. The carabiner has very few risks in this setup - no falling objects, not easy to vibrate the screw gate open, etc. Again, not how I’d do it, but everyone has their own risk tolerance, and I’d worry much more about the ropes dragging over the ledge here than the single point carabiner.
You didn't place a carabiner through your ascender 😬😬
S.E.R.E.N.E.
Imagine all the stuff he was throwing was just smacking some dude in the head down there 😂
Yea best practice to yell "ROCK" ..lol