Rock Climbing. Pete Hill

weigh less than an equivalent-size solid gate.

       The gate closure is performed by the clever positioning of the wire gate; there are no moving parts which could break or jam (unlike the solid gate, which often has a spring incorporated into its design).

       Most important is the mass of the gate. When a fall occurs, the passage of the rope through a karabiner sets up vibration. This can be sufficient to open and close a solid gate very quickly. If the point of loading on the karabiner – the stage at which the fall stops – coincides with the gate being open, this massively reduces its strength. A wire gate, as it has less mass, is less affected by the vibration and thus unlikely to be in the open position when the rope tightens after a fall.

      Solid gate (left) and wire gate (right) snap karabiners

      Although I prefer wire gates there is nothing to stop you using solid gate karabiners for your rack of gear (see Gear Rack), but I would recommend supplementing them with wire gates over time.

      Snapgate karabiners have either straight or bent gates. A bent gate allows easier clipping of the rope – especially when making ‘desperate’ clips – but there is also a slight increase in the chance of the rope unclipping during a fall in some situations, particularly if the gear has been clipped incorrectly (see Chapter 9).

      Straight (left) and bent gate (right) snap karabiners

      It is also essential that a bent gate karabiner is always used at the rope end of any protection and never clipped into the gear itself; any twisting motion could cause it to come undone in extreme circumstances.

      Screwgate karabiners

      These have a sleeve on the gate that is fastened to prevent accidental opening. This is important when they are used as part of an anchor system, or when connecting a belay or abseil device to a climber. They are often categorized into two types: D-shape and ‘HMS’ or ‘pear-shape’. The contrast is obvious from the photograph below.

      It is important to know how the two differ under use.

       The strongest axis of a karabiner is along the back bar, and the D-shape will automatically align the rope in the correct position. This makes it the stronger of the two overall (although this will not matter too much in careful everyday use).

       The HMS does not have a tight bend at the end of the back bar, thus any load could fall some distance from it, so making the karabiner weaker than the ‘D’.

       However, the HMS is great for clipping big knots or gear into, and will work well with a variety of belay and abseil devices. Its big advantage is when using an Italian hitch, as it allows the knot to work in the correct manner (since it is not forced into a tight corner). This function will become more obvious once we look at alternative belay methods (see Chapter 8).

      ‘D’-shape (left) and HMS (right) karabiners

      There are also different methods of locking mechanism. Many karabiners will use a sleeve that you need to tighten manually (don’t overdo it: make it snug then turn it back a little, otherwise it could jam), while others have an automatic facility. Automatic locking karabiners have a one- or two-stage function:

      Close-up of a ‘ball-lock’ karabiner, where the green button has to be depressed and the sleeve rotated in order to open the gate

       Single-stage You just rotate or pull down on the sleeve, depending upon the design, and the gate can be swung open.

       Two-stage Either rotate the sleeve then pull it back, or press a button and then rotate.

      I rarely use self-locking karabiners, but always go for the two-stage system as this seems to be safer than the single-stage operation.

      Extenders

      Sometimes known as ‘quick-draws’ or ‘tie-offs’, these are an essential part of a leader’s rack. They consist of a short length of sling with a snapgate karabiner at each end. Once a piece of gear has been placed, one karabiner is clipped into it and the other karabiner is used to hold the rope. For most styles of climbing a selection of different-length extenders can be carried, from around 15–30cm. This enables runners off to the side of the climbing line to be used effectively.

      Types of extender

      Extenders can be bought ready set-up with karabiners, or you can buy the sewn tape loops and add your own karabiners – buying ready-made sets will often work out cheaper. The sewn loops are either open like mini-slings, or have the middle parts attached so that the karabiners sit in their own loops on the ends. Make sure that neither of the karabiners is held too tightly by the stitching or by any rubber keeper device, as this will affect how they react when moved by the rope. If there is a separate keeper remove it to allow the karabiner to hang freely.

      Slings

      Slings are available in a number of lengths and widths, but the following are particularly useful (note that sewn slings are generally sold in flat measured lengths in centimetres, but are still often referred to by circumference in feet).

       4ft (60cm) sling made from a narrow fabric such as Dyneema. This length is very useful when equipped with two snapgate karabiners as it can be used as a long extender for off-line runners. The narrow fabric makes it easy to handle.

       8ft (120cm) sling made from a wider tape is extremely useful, and should be equipped with a screwgate karabiner. It can be used as an anchor or a running belay and, being made from thicker tape than the 4ft sling, is a little more robust.

       16ft (240cm) sling is the ‘Big Daddy’ and has many uses. For general outcrop use a wide fabric will be hard-wearing, but if you are going to venture on to multi-pitch routes you may wish to go for the thinner Dyneema, as this makes the sling very easy to handle when tying into anchor points. This sling should also be furnished with a screwgate karabiner.

      (Left) Short slings with two karabiners on being doubled. They can then be carried like extenders.

      (Right) Carrying an 8ft (120cm) sling

      Carrying slings is sometimes a problem, although with a bit of thought can be made quite easy. The short slings can be carried on your harness doubled through each other (see below). The medium-sized sling can be doubled, taken over the shoulder, then under one arm and clipped into itself. This enables you to take it off with one hand (not possible if you wrap it over your head). When carrying the long sling, double it and clip it into itself, then take it over your shoulder and under the other arm.

      Belay device

      This crucial piece of kit has a number of jobs, such as belaying a leader, belaying a second, and also doubles up as an abseil device.

      There are two main categories:

       Passive where you control all the braking of a fall.

       Active where the device itself – although not hands-off – helps you by locking off, either through rotation or by internal moving parts (akin to a car seatbelt). A passive device is ideal for the techniques covered in this book.

      Belay