The nifty anchors at the top...

The nifty anchors at the top...

The nifty anchors at the top of The Poodle Bites. Are you feeling lucky, punk? Alabama HIlls, CA.
Steve Larson
on Mar 30, 2005 1:08 am
Image ID: 97863

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rhyang

rhyang - Mar 30, 2005 12:28 pm - Voted 10/10

yikes !



Matthew Holliman

Matthew Holliman - Mar 30, 2005 2:02 pm - Hasn't voted

¡Ay Caramba!

Maybe I'll put off climbing here after all...

b.

b. - Mar 30, 2005 3:42 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: ¡Ay Caramba!

What? These look fine to me! At least it's granite, and not sandstone. Go test you luck in Utah someday!

rhyang

rhyang - Mar 30, 2005 4:35 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: ¡Ay Caramba!

oh, we've got sandstone all right. in fact, mossy, lichen-encrusted sandstone. but I guess the rusty old look to the anchors is a bit much ...

Steve Larson

Steve Larson - Mar 30, 2005 5:11 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: ¡Ay Caramba!

I think this is the only case of manky anchors in the area. Everything else we saw had beefy, well placed, redundant anchors. I'd bring a hammer next time, though, and treat them like any other fixed pin placement. The rock is sound, I'd just like to know that the placements aren't loose. Bettter yet, bring a bolt kit and just replace them.

rpc

rpc - Mar 30, 2005 5:51 pm - Voted 10/10

Nice photo.

But bthere is right. This is "standard" look of fixed anchors around Moab from my very limited experience. I've read arguments that these drilled angles make more durable fixed anchors in sandstone than bolts - of course this ain't sandstone. The rusty color is most likely just "surface" oxidation....most likely being the key phrase here ;)



Steve Larson

Steve Larson - Mar 30, 2005 9:02 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Nice photo.

Having seen the genuine article up close, I'll vouch for it's being just surface corrosion.

Dave Daly

Dave Daly - May 5, 2006 12:01 am - Hasn't voted

Worked Up Over....

Nothing! Actaully, this is a bomber as a bolted anchor. Rusty on the surface, yes. But the integrity of the anchor is probably bomber. Know your gear, folks!

skunk ape

skunk ape - Feb 26, 2007 6:57 pm - Voted 10/10

Nifty

Nice shot, Looks safer than some of the spinning bolts out there.

rpc

rpc - Feb 26, 2007 7:41 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: Nifty

Keeping things in perspective :)

Belay anchor in the desert:



Lead bolt just above this belay anchor:



...fortunately there's no more such bolts above (instead there's a 20 foot runout).

brutus of wyde

brutus of wyde - Mar 12, 2008 7:04 am - Hasn't voted

Anchors...

Getting good anchors in the Alabama Hills is mostly a matter of luck. The exfoliating nature of the granite means that, despite best intentions and thorough sounding of the rock, some bolt holes pass through good rock into air or decomposed granite. The results vary from spinner bolts to bolts that can be removed by hand (as was the case here).

Some locals are placing 8" x 1/2" bolts in this area for this reason. Needless to say, those monsters are not hand drilled!

Brutus

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