Every time I climb up to an anchor on a sport climb that I know should have clip 'n’ go biners and they’ve been removed, I feel an upwelling of frustration. How could other climbers not know that anchor biners are meant to stay there? Read on to learn more about the ethics of taking fixed gear off of climbing routes, and why in most cases, you should leave it where you find it.
Fixed Gear on Anchors
Do not remove carabiners from the anchors of any sport climb, unless they are worn out to the point of being unsafe. If this is the case, the most conscientious action is to replace the worn-out biners with new ones. The biners are there for everyone’s safety and convenience. Also, if you’re toproping, it’s best to toprope on your own quickdraws, thereby extending the life of the actual anchor biners.
If you think you’re getting a deal on climbing gear by stealing the biners off of an anchor, you should know that climbers often use old biners or biners that have been dropped as anchor biners. They still suffice as anchor biners because they won’t see falling impacts, plus there are two of them (or so the thinking goes).
However, since you have no idea of the history of those biners you’re taking, you’re potentially risking your own safety and the safety of others (plus adding to your bad karma) by removing them. Removing fixed carabiners from anchors increases the potential for accidents, since every time a sport climber has to tie through, untying and retying a knot, this increases the probability of human error.
Fixed Draws on a Route
Like anchor biners, leave fixed draws on a route in place, unless they’re worn out and unsafe. By this same token, you should thoroughly inspect fixed draws on routes before trusting your life to them, especially in highly trafficked areas with lots of fixed draws, like Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. Stiff, faded or frayed/cut slings should be replaced immediately, as should carabiners with grooves or sharp edges worn into them.
The Single Carabiner
Oftentimes, another climber will leave a single carabiner as a bail biner on a climb he’s unable to complete. This carabiner is often thought of as free for the taking, but you should keep in mind that like anchor biners, bail biners are usually worn out or have been dropped, making them unsuitable for using on quickdraws.
Before plucking a single biner from a climb and adding it to your own collection of bail biners, however, you should consider whether it might have another purpose on this particular route. If the route is steep, the biner might allow the climber to more safely remove her quickdraws from the climb when lowering off (by clipping her rope into the biner, thereby keeping her closer to the rock). The carabiner might also be used as a pull-through lowering point for climbers with a shorter rope.
When in Doubt, Don’t Take Gear
Always leave anchor biners and fixed draws on sport climbing routes where you find them, unless they’re worn out and unsafe. If you remove worn-out carabiners or quickdraws from anchors or a climb, replace them with safer ones if you have the means to do so.
Don’t take a single carabiner off of a route unless you’re certain it’s a bail biner and serves no other purpose. In this era of stick clips, bail biners have become less and less necessary, since the stick clip allows the climber to get to the top of virtually any sport climb, leaving no gear behind.
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