Solid As A Rock Properly Set Anchors Are Critical To Climbing Safety

Sylvia Oliver gets a sinking feeling when she sees the way some climbers fix their safety anchors.

Last month she and her climbing partner, Bob Scarfo, witnessed a serious but preventable accident at Minnehaha Park, a popular climbing area near Upriver Dam.

“What bothers me most is that this wasn’t an isolated case,” Oliver said.

“We seem to be seeing more and more poor judgment or outright ignorance when it comes to setting up anchors at Minnehaha or (Q’emilin Riverside Park in) Post Falls.”

Oliver doesn’t bill herself as an expert rock jock, but rather as a concerned climber with nine years of experience.

“Most of the mistakes we see could be avoided with a little common sense,” she said.

Oliver and Scarfo raced to a nearby residence to call 911 after witnessing the acciident last month.

“I was so shook up, we bought a cell phone after that experience,” she said.

The accident victim was a muscular young man who must have weighed about 250 pounds, Scarfo said.

“Apparently they had looped the climbing rope directly over a single piece of webbing stretched between two anchors,” he said. “You should never rely on a single piece of webbing or run a rope over webbing.

“The guy was being lowered after his climb, so there was a lot of friction. We think the rope melted the webbing.”

When the webbing broke, the climber fell about 25 feet onto a rock ledge below a route known as Main Crack.

“I saw him bounce,” Scarfo said.

At least four fire trucks and three paramedic units responded, but fire officials would not release the climber’s name or the extent of injuries.

“He was conscious, but they spent hours figuring out how to get him off the ledge safely in case there was a spinal injury,” Scarfo said.

Tubular webbing is tough, but it cuts easily and friction can melt it, climbers say.

“A few extra carabiners and fresh webbing is cheap insurance to prevent these kinds of falls,” Oliver said.

In a few minutes one evening at Minnehaha, Oliver pointed out several groups that were using questionable anchoring techniques for climbing and rappelling.

One group ran their climbing rope through a single carabiner attached to the webbing and anchors.

“They’re assuming the webbing is the weak point, but their putting total faith in one biner,” she said. “I’ve learned you should always have a backup.”

At another anchor, climbers used bolts that had been installed in a spot that left an attached carabiner hanging partially unsupported over a rock.

“This puts a force on the carabiner that could make it weaken or break,” Oliver said.

The solution was simple. Using two longer pieces of webbing, she simply ran the angler a few feet farther over the top of the rock ledge and clipped into two anchor bolts that had been more wisely placed.

“That’s a good example of why climbers should always have plenty of fresh webbing,” said Matt Mitchell, head of the Eastern Washington University Outdoor Center. At 30 cents a foot, it’s cheap insurance, he said.

On the same evening that Oliver pointed out questionable anchoring techniques at Minnehaha, EWU was conducting a climbing clinic. The emphasis on safety was obvious.

Every anchor had at least three anchor points. Every climber wore a helmet.

“People doing lead climbs often don’t realize that even if there’s no chance of rockfall, if you slip you can catch a foot and flip over backward and hit your head,” Oliver said.

Said Mitchell, “We encourage rock climbers to learn how to set up anchors even if they plan to climb with more experienced climbers who do most of the rigging. It’s important to go with people you trust. But you should learn enough to double-check the anchors set up by someone else.”

The Outdoors Center drills students on four basic points in setting up an anchor:

Solid: Test all anchor points, including bolts, hardware and natural formations to be sure they are sound.

Equalized: Anchor systems should have at least two anchor points fixed so that each component receives equal weight.

Redundant: Carabiners, webbing and anchor points should each have independent backup.

No extension: If one anchor point blows, the rest of the components should not move.

Graphic: Rigging an anchor

LEARN THE ROPES Courses offered Mountain Gear of Spokane is offering two basic rock courses next month. Class meets three hours a night on June 9-10, or take the same course in one six-hour shot on June 19. Cost: $50. Info: 325-9000. Other climbing courses are available through Eastern Washington University, 359-7920; North Idaho College, (208) 769-7809; Tom’s Sportco in Coeur d’Alene, (208) 667-2726; and REI in Spokane, 328-9900.