Is Opening Critical Carabiners Acceptable??? #climbing #rockclimbing #safetyfirst

[AlbertMartino]

I’d personally put in a simple QuickDraw or PAS as a backup, but I didn’t know you could switch hitches like that. Very cool!

[ebttt]

You providing a great service thank you. There will always be people looking for something wrong

[shikamaru]

For an experienced climber, it seems sufficient. For someone with less knowledge, I would caution to have a secondary point of attachment when doing anything like that. Now even if I was a master at the craft I would always have a secondary attachment.

[rosy-rho]

I think for someone like you, who's very experienced and would do this with intention after explicitly considering consequences, it's totally fine. I think the layers of protection you outlined are definitely sufficient. If I'm teaching newer climbers, I'll generally teach them to always do the "most safe" option (use a second carabiner or clip in with an alpine draw), until their default is always the safer option. And after that, cutting corners as described in your video is something they can do only after making the explicit decision to deviate from safer options.

[vazap]

How about a quick PAS on a shelf during the switch?

[yubacore]

I’ve done it hanging with another backup clove hundreds of times, it’s fine.

[ShortGuysBetaWorks]

To your question, I think climbers often get fixated on having two "fully mechanical" points of protection, particularly at anchors, and don't think about their behavior and awareness as part of the safety system. They seem to be saying, "I can be completely negligent and still be protected." We don't follow this line of thought at other points and procedures of climbing; for example, a belay, that is still wholly reliant on human awareness and behavior. I don't know what it is about anchors. Is it that anchors are easily perceived as dangerous (even if they aren't, always) and we don't perceive a belay from the ground as dangerous (even though it is)??

[samuelluria]

30+ years climbing trees for a living, and I am a big believer in a man keeping a level head. Seems like that's what you have here. Good job!

[Yourubestolemyhandle]

Sound judgment is what keeps you safe in dynamic environments

[thegingerpowerranger]

I would not rely on my stance as one layer of protection. As soon as your brain gives up and turns off, you are just one big sack of meat with gravity as your enemy! That said, I don't think it is unsafe to open your carabiner to make it into a clove hitch, what you did was perfectly fine.

[someoneelse]

Seems like a needless risk when clipping in with a cowstail/tether/quick draw/rope would be minimal fuss. Always add before you subtract n all that.

[henryc.]

If you have a good spot to stand why not make it quick and easy? Really like the stream line hitch usage.

[Climbingdude]

I read those comments. Never read the comments. Your content is amazing

[Tallhandsome]

I believe you should take risks at whatever level you're comfortable with.

[mitchellbaker]

Feel like a second carabiner behind the first with a clove hitch would be a better option. There's just a level of complexity here I don't know that we want normalized for less experienced climbers.

[TarikVann]

I think it's entirely intelligent but as climbing becomes more accessible more and more idiots with false sense of confidence get involved. I have had a guy try to tell me that we don't need a brake hand on an ATC in guide mode and while he is right that is is highly unlikely there would be an issue, he was telling this to me in front of a bunch of beginner trad climbers who I was educating. Just senseless to introduce the LESS safe way, they'll figure that way out eventually when they are more experienced.

Maybe grading your advice would be good, so that beginners know that this technique is unsafe if not practiced properly.

[timonix]

Honestly... You are carrying like 4 extra slings. just chuck one on. takes like 5 seconds.

[ryenschimerman]

My thinking is as follows:
1. Don't break the masterpoint. On a quad, the locker isn't the masterpoint, on a SWAMP or girth it is.
2. Have a second point in before I open any other point.

Personally I'd throw a QD into the masterpoint before I did that procedure, even on a ledge. But I know I'm an idiot.

[geoffreygreen]

No. Standing on a ledge is NOT a layer of protection. Period.

[simonsimon]

The people who criticized this are idiots. You opened the biner in the first place to put the munter in, and you'll open the biner again when you break down the belay and move onto the the next pitch.

You'll be fine opening it a third time to tie off the clove. 🙄