This situation where the top carabiner can flip and become cross loaded appears to be what happened in the video above. That however, is no different than the alpine draw in that if any of the styles of draws see an outward and upward force it can put it in a more compromised position especially if the rope has been seeing a lot of movement, causing the top draw to flip. The disadvantages are their single purpose and the ability of the top biner to become cross loaded if it flips over. The advantages of sport draws are obvious: they are much easier to clip (Imagine trying to send your project while fumbling with an alpine draw), the bottom carabiner will never get cross loaded because it is held in place, and they are easy to deploy and rerack. If the gates of the carabiners face opposite directions (aka French-style draws), the upper carabiner can become compromised by the bolt and open as seen in the photo below. The sport draw has a top carabiner that is held loosely by a sewn loop which is made to clip to a piece of protection like a bolt or nut and bottom carabiner meant for the rope that is held by both a sewn loop and some sort of rubber keeper that holds it securely in place.ĭraws should have both carabiners facing the same way, and when climbing it is preferable to have the gates facing away from the line of climbing. These draws are a simple, mostly a single use item and, like everything else, have gotten lighter over the years. That brings us to sport draws (dog bone with two carabiners). Alpine draws are inefficient both to deploy and rerack, a significant factor for me because, as you know, I like to move quickly!.Similarly, because of the looseness the carabiner attached to the gear could become cross loaded, and depending on the type of biner, could seat at an off angle on the bolt or gear, although sometimes the looseness actually allows the carabiner to flip back and seat appropriately.The clipping carabiner could become cross loaded in a fall because of the looseness.Since the carabiner is not sewn to a small loop or otherwise held in place on the rope end, clipping can be difficult, particularly when wearing gloves (ie ice climbing). The sling can be used for different purposes like for basket or girth hitching a tree and in a pinch as a friction hitch.Īs with most things, there are disadvantages to alpine draws as well.Longer slings can reduce rope movements being transferred to pieces of protection which could compromise or dislodge them.An extended draw can minimize rope drag on longer pitches and allow the climber to place gear farther from the center climbing line with less angle put on the rope.This ability to extend the length of the draw offers several advantages: The alpine draw offers both a shorter 12” lenth and a longer length of up to 2’ when fully extended. Most of us use dyneema slings and some sort of wire gate style carabiner with them. Each has advantages and disadvantages, which I take into consideration when choosing what gear to carry. **For a complete list of the gear I take trad climbing, see my post on trad racks.ġ-2 over the shoulder slings (one carabiner)Īs with many aspects of climbing, the “why” choose one draw over another can be a bit confusing. Petzl Spirit Draws (one extra from number of bolts on the pitch)Ģ over the shoulder slings (one carabiner) For the “why,” read below, but in the meantime, here is a list of the types of draws I carry for the different types of climbing I do: Another system is using two opposing quickdraws which also creates a locking system and increases surface area for the rope.Easy answer: sport draws. You might not want your quickdraw gate to open by itself for example, when setting a top rope system outdoors, you may choose to create and use a quickdraw with locking gates to spare the wear on the fixed anchors. You might choose this gate for the rope side of your quickdraw. Something else to think about is how easily do you want the gate to open? A bent gate will open more easily and is frequently used in a climbing gym for this reason. One important consideration is weight, w ire gates are the lightest and then comes either the straight or bent gates. The three pie ces are purchased separately and combined by the person purchasing them. These last draws don’t usually come as standard. There is also a variation of a solid piece with a little bend in it called a bent gate, or you may have seen a quickdraw sling that has a locking carabiner in one end or the other. Some gates are made of wire, others are a solid piece called a straight gate. Next, let’s look at the gate of the carabiner.
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