SummitPost.org

I hate to start another one of those "analyze this anchor" threads because they seem to drag on and on, on some other forums. This was posted as a repelling anchor. I found it while browsing another site and was wondering if it is a safe practice / or is the risk acceptable? Seems like a neat way to retrieve all your gear.

WTF?

Whatever you life is worth?

$1.50 worth of sling?

gk

I have never seen that before. Creative way to save a few bucks on a regular cord using as v-thread. It seems like the width of the v-thread isn't wide enough but then the question is aimed toward the actual structure of the anchor setup itself and not the construction of the v-thread holes. It seems that the diameter of the v-thread hole would be too small for the rope to get pulled through by the sling. I would rap from it... after you.

The rope looks like its just sitting on the snow/ice, so the only anchor point I see is the web sling(?). Unless that sling is attached to a screw in some bomber-tough ice, its doesn't look to 'comfortable' to me. If I have to rap off an ice/snow anchor (in good weather), I'd want more than one anchor point holding my butt.

Was the Petzl Attache intentionally left unlocked and with the gate facing the ice?

Also, the Abalakov seems to have been drilled with a stubbie.

Where's the original discussion?

nifty, I'd go second...

I love these threads...you would be shocked what you can learn from trying to figure this stuff out.
I think it looks stupid though. Like someone said, leave the $1.50 worth of webbing behind.

So is that the infamous abalakov anchor? Mick Fowler mentions rapping off many of them on his descent of Tawoche. He also mentions employing prussiks.

It took me a minute to figure the picture out, but I think I get it. If you only want to leave a sling and a biner AND your sling is sewn, then this is a solution. If your sling is not sewn, then a normal V-thread will do. But which is better?

How hard does one have to yank on the rope, once pulled through the biner, to get it through the sling? Is that where prussiks come into play?

It really makes no sense to me at all. I dont see how you would retreive any of the gear. If you are rapping then put the rope directly though the webbing and go. This looks like a good way to get a rope stuck or loose a perfectly good biener.

you pull the rope, as you pull, that loop threaded through the sling pulls through, the sewn sling slides through the abaklov, and it all comes down, only the hole in the ice remains.
understand?

kiwiw wrote:you pull the rope, as you pull, that loop threaded through the sling pulls through, the sewn sling slides through the abaklov, and it all comes down, only the hole in the ice remains.
understand?

That makes sense. Yea Id use it if I was desperate. Actually looks like a good trick to know, but fancy retrieve everything tricks have a habit of killing people i can think of at least one well know accident.

There was no original discussion, the picture was posted on neice.com

After pointing out the gate is facing the wrong direction and unlocked and the v-thread is very shallow. I don't think I'd trust this person's ingenuity. It is an interesting way to get all the gear back though.

kiwiw wrote:you pull the rope, as you pull, that loop threaded through the sling pulls through, the sewn sling slides through the abaklov, and it all comes down, only the hole in the ice remains.
understand?

Got it. Very ingenious.

kiwiw wrote:nifty, I'd go second...

-1. I'd rather go first with a back-up anchor.

climbncookie wrote:After pointing out the gate is facing the wrong direction and unlocked and the v-thread is very shallow. I don't think I'd trust this person's ingenuity.

Agreed on the unlocked biner and shallow Abalakov. But it looks to me like the sling could have done a third of a twist since it was setup, maybe due to how the rope was positioned or twisted. So maybe it was initially setup with the gate facing up.