COMMON CLIMBER
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  • Themed Editions
    • Adaptive Climbing Edition >
      • Adaptive Climbing Photo Feature: Paradox Sports
      • Climbing with Type 1 Diabetes
      • Advocating for Deaf Climbers: Sonya Wilson
      • Amputations: Leg Prosthesis for Climbing
      • Blind Ambition Builds a World Class Climber: The Story of Jesse Dufton
      • First Paralyzed Ascents: Rand Abbott
      • Mixed Climbing: My Answer to KT Syndrome
      • Paraclimbing Competitions: Althlete Interviews
      • Rock!
      • The Unreasonable Man
    • Belaytionships Edition >
      • Featured Photographer: Charlie OlGrady-Kessner
      • Belaytionships: Maggie and Charlie Odette
      • Zac the Interloper
      • Book Review: Uncoiling the Ropes
      • Belaytionships: Drew-and-Sarah
      • This page has been removed
      • I Am My Father's Son: Layton Bridwell
    • Big Wall Edition >
      • Book Review: Paul Preuss: Lord of the Abyss
      • Featured Photographer: Matt Spohn
      • Grading Commitment
      • Hanging with the Monkeys, and Getting the Monkey Off My Back
      • It Was His Time: Brad Gobright Interview May 2019
      • John Middendorf : A Big Man for a Big Stone
      • Sébastien Berthe Free Climbs the Nose From the Ground Up
      • Shit Happens – Or, Why You Need a Walkie Talkie
    • Developers and Guidebook Authors >
      • Developer - Mitch Lehman
      • Andrew Penny - A Blue Mountaineer
      • Kevin Powell
      • Rock Star Groupie
      • Tony Calderone
    • Exploring Our World >
      • AUSTRALIA - Photographer - Diego Perez
      • AUSTRALIA - Profile - Julie Anderson
      • Book Review - Climbing Rock
      • CHINA - From Yangshuo, to Getu, to Liming
      • FRANCE - Verdon in Winter
      • GREECE - Meteora
      • ITALY - Dolomites
      • MEXICO - La Huasteca
      • SPAIN - Artist - Karmelo Onate
      • UTAH - Maple Canyon: This One Makes You Taller
    • Firsts... and Last >
      • A Tale of Oso Madre
      • Clayton Herrmann - Featured Photographer
      • Rysavy Ridge >
        • The Migrant Pom on Rysavy Ridge
        • Throng of Roland
        • Fast Forward - Rysavy Ridge Revisited
      • The Three Sisters
    • Honoring Diversity >
      • ARTIST: Shawn Lee
      • A Shift on Moonlight Buttress
      • Claiming a Space on the Mountain
      • Colorblind
      • Feature Photographer: Bryan Sillorequez
      • Is Diversity in America Diverse?
      • MOVIE: People of Climbing:
      • Profile - Favia Dubyk
      • The Lineage
    • Joshua Tree >
      • Bouldering: JTree Made Me Do It
      • Improv at JTree: Bad Bolts
      • JTree: Bolting Pressure Cooker
      • Joshua Tree: Heinous Approaches
    • Overcoming Adversity >
      • Acopa Outdoors
      • Anoushe Husain
      • Expanding the Circle
      • Failure is Part of the Price: Rand Abbott Attempts the First Adaptive Lead Ascent of The Nose
      • Overcoming a Brain Tumor: WeighMyRack Founder Interview: Alison Dennis
      • Rising
      • The Mountain Path Book Review
    • Overcoming Boundaries >
      • Photographer - Brook Anderson
      • Profile - Louise Shepherd
      • Profile - Megan Banker
      • Profile - Shawn Axelrod
      • Rock Type 1
      • The Tape Job
    • Women's Edition >
      • Editorial - Women's Edition
      • Climbing is My Art
      • Mt. Logan Solo
      • Photographer - Michelle Ranee Johnson
      • Profile - Caitlin Schokker
  • Writing
    • All Writings (List)
    • Topics >
      • Adaptive Climbing >
        • Adaptive Climbing Edition
        • El Capitan: Enock Glidden
        • Failure is Part of the Price: Rand Abbott Attempts the First Adaptive Lead Ascent of The Nose
        • Quinn Brett Interview
        • My Journey to Adaptive Rock Climbing
        • Planning for Mt. Rainier: Adaptive Climbing
        • Resources - Adaptive Climbing
        • Single Pitch Instructor Adaptive: It's About Climbing Independence
      • Alpine & Ice >
        • A Chamonix Initiation
        • California Still Has Untouched Climbing Wilderness
        • Elusive Ice - A Rare Tasmanian Treat
        • Ice Solo
        • Mt. Ogden Spanking
        • Mt. Whitney Whipping
        • My Common Alpine Epic
        • The Dru Derby >
          • Horses for Courses - The Dru Derby 1971
          • My Dru Derby
          • The North Face of the Dru - Chris Baxter
        • Vertical Ice Climbing in Ontario, Canada, eh?
      • Profiles >
        • Climberisms by Dylan Taylor
        • A - Shawn Axelrod - Overcoming Boundaries
        • B - Megan Banker - Plus-Sized Climbing Advocate
        • B - Wendy Bruere - More Than It Hurts
        • D - Favia Dubyk - American Ninja Warrior
        • F - Debbie Fowler - A N00bie Climber's Story
        • E - Ian Elliot - It's All Up From Here
        • H - Lindsey Hamm - The Hamminator
        • H - Sabine Pratt Hunziker - Little Red Riding Hood
        • M - Marisa Michael - Nutrition for Climbers
        • M - Josie McKee: Training the Mind for Joy
        • P - Dave Parry - Author Grit Blocs
        • S - Caitlin Schokker
        • S - Louise Shepherd - Aussie Legend
        • T - Mia Tucholke - IFMGA Mountain Guide
      • Comics >
        • Master and his Apprentice
        • Totem Pole 2082
      • CoVID and Climbing >
        • COVID Climbing Memes
        • CoVID-19 Remakes Our Lives
        • Dear Memory
        • From Couch to Lifting Couches
        • How to Climb and Avoid the Corona Virus
        • Train the Mind: Mental Toughness Tips for Quaratraining
        • The 5.10 Commandments
        • Trying to Send this Route
      • Equipment (writings) >
        • Aliens!
        • A Rack Retrospective
        • Cam Ranges (+ Big Bros)
        • Carabiner Strength Ratings
        • Climbing Shoes Fit
        • Guide Book Follies
        • Rope Buying 101
        • Shit Happens – Or, Why You Need a Walkie Talkie
        • The One Item to Stockpile
        • Which Way Should I Carry My Trad Rack?
        • Why GriGris Suck
        • 8 Reasons I Carry a Full Rack on Every Trad Climb
      • Facebook Feature >
        • FF: Big Walls
        • FF: Butt Shots
        • FF: Exploring Our World
        • FF: Overcoming Boundaries
        • FF: Trees & Climbing
        • FF: Welcome New Climbers
      • Fiction >
        • GOD
        • Red Curtain: Prologue & Chapter 1 Excerpt
      • Gift Ideas >
        • Climbing Goods
        • Climbing Stocking Stuffers 2021
        • Rock Stack Card Game
        • Safety Gifts 2021
      • Grades, Styles, & Types >
        • Absolutely Hypothetical: Introducing the Graham Scale
        • Bouldering-Falling
        • Bouldering Grade Advancements
        • Grading Climbs at the Gym
        • It's a F-ing Chimney
        • Onsight vs Flash vs Etc...
        • Top 10: Increase the Climbing Grade When...
        • Trad Climbing is for Chicken Sh*#s
        • WTF 5.7?
        • 18 Climber Types: Which Are You?
      • Kids >
        • Family Stages
        • The Guidebook
      • Legends & Tributes >
        • B - John Brailsford Tribute - The Immaculate MOAC
        • A - Bryden Allen
        • B - Joe Brown
        • C - Cutcliffe - The Boy from Bothwell – A Tribute to Max Cutcliffe, an Australian Legend
        • G - Brad Gobright
        • G - Todd Gordon
        • H - Hugh Herr
        • H - Thomas Huber - In Another World - A Personal Climbing Journey
        • J - Saxon Johns
        • M - Tim Macartney-Snape: ​A Legend from Sea to Summit
        • M - John Middendorf
        • S- Paul Seddon - From a Nut to a Harness: A Tribute to Paul Seddon, The Third Troll
        • R - Early to Rock: David Roots
      • Mental-Physical >
        • Climbing Training Series >
          • Climbing Warm-Up: Shoulders & Fingers
          • Improving Hip Mobility
          • Rock Climber Mobility
          • Train the Mind: Mental Toughness Tips for Quaratraining
        • Climbing Through Life
        • A Climb Worth Fighting For
        • Achilles
        • Encouraging Words - At Any Age
        • Everyone Around Me Is Better Than I Am
        • Falling Far Enough
        • Fear, Pride, and Exploration
        • How Auto-Immune Disease Affected My Climbing
        • Lessons from a 30-foot Ground Fall
        • Mastering Joy on Easy Street
        • Mind, Body, and Soul
        • My Demon Has a Name
        • New Year's Resolutions
        • Of Cartoons and Quickdraws
        • Push and Pull
        • Sorcerer and the Kidney Stone
        • Take Risks - You'll Remember Them Later
        • The Art of Climbing Without Rock
        • The Devil's Game
        • The Eye
        • The Taste of Climbing
        • 12-Weeks to Onsighting a 5.8
      • Other/Misc >
        • A Leap into the Blue Back in the Day
        • Animal Acts Part 1: Things with Wings
        • Animal Acts 2: Things That Slither, Crawl, and Walk
        • Assault on Schurman Rock
        • Christo's Little Bay Rhapsody
        • Climbing, Community, and the U.S. Presidential Election
        • Climbing Drinking Games
        • Climbing Gyms: The Gateway Drug
        • Climbing Hands
        • Climbing in the Bare Essentials
        • Climbing Resolutions
        • Dirtbag Trucker
        • Demented Dirtbag
        • Don't Take Granite for Granite
        • Dorothy, We Aren't on Havana Anymore
        • Guatemalan Worry Dolls Go Climbing
        • No Health Insurance Changed How I Climb
        • Snakes and Ladders
        • Starting Over
        • Summit Fever
        • Sydney: Growing Up
        • The Adventure of A Lifetime - So Far
        • The Bane of Northwest Climbing
        • The Hangglider Incident
        • The Pink Tricam
        • Things of Stone and Wood
        • We Were Just Boys
        • Zac the Interloper
      • Places & Climbs >
        • Climbs >
          • Consolation Prize
          • Echo Crack and Cracked Egos
          • Email From Italy
          • Flakes and Shakes: Flake Crack Revisited
          • From Yorkshire to Eternity
          • I Like Fake Cracks (And I Cannot Lie)
          • Lost Boys Meets Hard Boys >
            • The Lost Boys: The Epic First Ascent of Mount Warning's Wollumbin Shield
          • Ozymandias Direct - Fifty Years of Fun and Games
          • The Fourth Bolt of Texas Radio
          • The Matterhorn
          • Thumbing The Nose at Mr. CF Jingus
          • Tiptoeing Through Some Bungles
          • Tombstone Territory
          • Yosemite - What We Came For
        • Location Reviews
        • My Home Crag >
          • Climbing in the Upper Cumberland Valley, Kentucky
          • Copen Hill Climbing Wall
          • Drytooling in the Rain - Wayne's World, WA
          • My Home Crag: Nowra, NSW, Australia
          • New River Gorge, West Virgina
          • The Kenyan Climber
        • Travel Stories >
          • Blue Mountains - Bliss: Climbing in the Blueys
          • Buenos Aires, Argentina Crag
          • Colorado - Calling Pat Ament
          • Coolum Cave - Sendfest 8
          • Ecuador - A Nation of Four Worlds
          • Egypt: The Sinai Sampler
          • El Potrero Chico - Riding the Dirty Dog
          • Yosemite: Growing Up
          • Lover's Leap - Zone of Craptitude
          • Moonarie
          • Rio de Janeiro - Classic Climbs Sampler
          • Sintra, Portugal
          • Taghia, Morocco - Hardly Failing
          • Tasmania - Legend of the ‘Unclimbable Cliff’
          • Thailand - Lost and Found: A Mini-Epic in Paradise
          • Vedauwoo, WY
          • What Two Friends Uncovered in Verdon
          • Yosemite - What We Came For
          • 20 World Destinations for Adventurous Climbing
      • Poetry/Prose >
        • A Bard of Yosemite
        • Anti-Social Climbers
        • Sojourn at Dyuritte
        • Finding Poetry
        • Ice is Nice
        • The Space Between
      • Safety and Skills >
        • Bolting and Ground-Fall Potential
        • Euro-Death Knot is NOT
        • Multi-Pitch Tips: Two ATCs
        • Sketchy Anchor Bolts
        • Sliding-X Anchor
        • Three Ways to Use a Stick Clip
        • Top 10: Climbing Best Practices
      • Social, Social Media, & Social Issues >
        • Chossy Trio Renegades
        • Climbing into the Fold
        • Diversity in Climbing is Not a Bandwagon
        • Don't Burn Out
        • From Gortex to Camouflage: The story of climber, Irina Galay and climbing’s responses to the war in Ukraine
        • Fuck "Gumbies" and "Noobs"
        • I Am a Woman: Brie Chartier Shares Her Transition Journey
        • Montana, My Home: Claire Larson
        • My Husband Climbs Stronger than Me
        • Navajo Rising
        • Social Network Rescue
        • Social Pressure, Climbing, and Leave No Trace
        • The Alps Will Have to Wait
        • The First Climbing Gym Union?
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  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews >
      • Advanced Rock Climbing Book Review
      • Adventures at the Edge of the World
      • Climbing Glass Book Review
      • Climbing Rock: Vertical Explorations Across North America
      • Hangdog Days Book Review
      • HOOKING UP: The Ultimate Big Wall and Aid Climbing Manual
      • Paul Preuss: Lord of the Abyss
      • Red Curtain - Book Review
      • Sydney Climbing - Book Review
      • The Greater Fool - Brad Gobright and the Blinding Shine of Originality
      • The Mountain Path Book Review
      • The Sharp End of Life: A Mother's Story - Book Review
      • Uncoiling the Ropes
      • Valley of Giants
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        • Edelrid Mega Jul
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        • Sukoa Chalk Bag Review
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        • Camp-Daisy-Twist
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        • D4 Delta2P Portaledge
        • Skyhook Stick Clip Review
    • Location Reviews >
      • Australia >
        • Queensland, Australia >
          • Kangaroo Point Photos and Beta
          • Kangaroo Point Review
        • New South Wales Australia >
          • Blue Mountains >
            • Blue Mountains Photos and Beta
            • Blue Mountains Review
          • Nowra >
            • Nowra Review >
              • Nowra Photos and Beta
      • Mexico >
        • Potrero Chico Photos and Beta
        • Potrero Chico Review
      • United States >
        • Climbing Area Check List - U.S. >
          • Climbing Area Check List Part 1: Alabama to California
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 2: Colorado to Michigan
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 3: Minnesota to New Mexico
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 4: New York to Wyoming
        • Arizona >
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            • Joshua Tree Tips
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            • Smith Rock - Photos and Beta
            • Smith Rock Review
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            • Trout Creek Review
        • Nevada >
          • Gun Club
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            • Red Rock Canyon Review - Yeahs and Neahs
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        • New Hampshire >
          • North Conway, NH
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          • Echo Canyon
          • Ferguson Canyon >
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            • Ferguson Canyon Review
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            • Ibex Review
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            • Maple Canyon Review
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            • Moab -Main - Review
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            • St. George - Prophesy Wall- Photos and Beta
            • St. George - Prophesy Wall - Review
        • West Virginia >
          • Seneca Rocks
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          • Ten Sleep
  • Photographers & Artists
    • A-F - Photographers and Artists >
      • A- Brook Anderson
      • B - Florian Beyer
      • B - Michael Blowers
      • B - Phillip Booth
      • B - Guillaume Borga
      • B - Michaël Bortoluzzi
      • B - Michael Bretz
      • C - Karen Chan
      • C - Matt Cunningham
      • D - Daga Dygas
      • F - Eric Fallecker
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      • G - Katherine González
      • G - Max Gordon
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      • K - Christine Kuebler
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      • L - LieseLotte P
      • L - Jim Lin
      • M - Lindsey Mathewson
      • M - Alex Messenger
      • N - Tiffany Nardico
    • O-Z- Photographers and Artists >
      • O - Charlie OlGrady-Kessner
      • O - Karmelo Onate
      • O - Camila Ospina
      • P - Diego Perez
      • S - Xavi Sanchez - Climbing Comic
      • S - Helmut Schulze
      • S - Bryan Sillorequez
      • S - Stephen Smithburger
      • S - Matt Spohn
      • V - Laura Vallo
      • W - Joel Wilson
      • Z - Eson Zhao
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        • Dave Barnes Extended Bio
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      • T- Frothy Thomson
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      • W - Kirby Walke
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      • W - Lani Wilson
      • W - Dierdre Wolownick
      • Z - Peter Zabrok
  • Videos
  • Climbing Events 2023

​Top 10: Climbing Best Practices


By Stefani Dawn ​
We all want to get better at climbing. But getting better is not necessarily about crushing harder grades (we will all reach a plateau sometime, and then decline with age), it is about being a better climber, which means consistently using best-practices.
 
Here are the top 10 best practices when climbing and why:

1. C-RAP at the top

Acronyms make everything more memorable, don’t they? C-RAP stands for Clean & RAP. Do this instead of lowering off the permanent anchors.

  • HERE’S WHY:
    • Rappelling saves wear and tear on the anchors. It is expensive and time consuming to put up routes. Let’s be good stewards of the crag and take care of the permanent equipment.
    • Rappelling saves wear and tear on the rope. Many anchors are bolts and plates. The plates have edges that can press sharply on the rope and wear the fibers down more quickly.
    • Rappelling protects YOU! If you rappel then you are not reliant on another to put you back on belay when you have been taken off belay. Numerous severe accidents have occurred from miscommunication/misunderstanding during this critical time. Don’t risk it, rappel.
 
2. Knots at BOTH ends 

You know this one but why are there so many people who still don’t do it? This does not just mean tie knots at the end of the rope when rappelling. It means ALWAYS tie off the ends of your rope, even when belaying. When belaying tying off the “free” end of the rope will prevent the rope from passing all the way through the belay device and dropping the climber. Even Alex Honold sustained compression fracture in two vertebrae when he was “dropped” in this way.

  • HERE’S WHY: You just might misjudge the length of a climb. It happens more than you might think and there are several reasons this can happen: a) the midpoint of the rope is not clearly marked or you missed it (a bi-pattern rope helps mitigate this problem); b) The rope is shorter than you thought. You thought it was a 70m and it is really a 60m (what happened to Honold). Or part of it was cut off to remove a damaged section; c) The route is longer than expected – guide books may not list the length of a climb or make a mistake.
 
3. Back that thing up

Use a back-up knot when rappelling.

  • HERE’S WHY: Shit happens. There is truth and wisdom in that phrase. Having a backup knot makes it easy to use both hands to disentangle the rats nest of rope that inevitably occurs when you toss it down or when the rope gets caught in a crack or tree (by the way, there are some handy ways to avoid these problems…). Or, it can save your ass if you are knocked unconscious by falling rock during a rappel.
 
4. Talk to me baby (but not too much)

(1) Use good, clear, minimal, and consistent communication. Go over the commands you use when climbing with someone new (i.e. Do you prefer "take" or "tension" or "up-rope?") and avoid full-on conversations when climbing. (2) Go a step further and use best-practice commands as defined by the American Alpine Association.

  • HERE’S WHY: (1) You want your partner to know what to do when you tell him or her to do it. A misunderstanding can result in a potentially injurious mistake. Talking too much can be confusing or distracting to nearby climbers who are trying to hear their partner's commands. (2) The American Alpine Association's list of commands are clear and they do not sound similar to one another (with the exception of "on belay: and "off belay" which are said in a particular sequence). In addition, their commands are just that, commands,  clearly telling the belayer what to do. A statement like "safe" is problematic because it sounds like "take", in addition, it does not provide a command. If you are secured in a Personal Anchor System (PAS) say "off belay," but ONLY if you want to be taken off belay. Otherwise don't say anything.

5. Keep them turned “On”

Never take a person off belay unless you are 100% sure they told you “Off Belay.” When multi-pitch climbing it can be particularly challenging to hear commands. Some people use a rope tugging signal system, but even that can be difficult to have confidence. Usually we use several cues – yelling the command, 3 tugs (off be-lay), and I if I’m still unsure, I wait until the rope is being pulled up quickly and I can’t keep up.

  • HERE’S WHY: Unless the person above you is in a PAS or secured for a rappel, the belay is their ONLY lifeline. Taking someone off too soon or if there is ANY question is a death sentence.

6. Give good belay

Use the PBUS (Pull, Brake, Under, Slide) with all devices (including a GriGri – don’t get lazy and let your hand come off the rope!). Even better - always use a brake-assisted device such as a MegaJul or GriGri AND PBUS.

  • HERE’S WHY: The old “hands-up” or “slip-slap-slide” method keeps the rope in an un-braked, open (parallel) position for a period of time. If a fall occurs when the rope is in an open position at minimum the belayer will get bad rope burn trying to stop a run-away rope. At worst, the fall becomes uncontrollable. The BEST best practice is to also use a brake-assisted device. I highly recommend the MegaJul (see review) because it is multi-purpose. It can be used for top-rope belaying, lead belaying, belaying in guide-mode on multi-pitch climbs, AND it can be used to rappel (with brake assist!). A brake-assisted device is the ultimate insurance policy for “shit happens.”

7. Check, check, 1, 2, 3

Check and re-check each other.

  • HERE’S WHY: We know mistakes happen with newer climbers, but they also happen A LOT with experienced climbers because we “have it down.” I have even rushed through checks and missed an error. So now I talk through (verbalize) each check and really pay attention.

8. Climb clean

Don’t climb drunk, stoned, or under the influence. Save the party for later. 
 
HERE’S WHY: Does this really need explanation? If you do this, you can easily convince yourself that being under the influence “helps” because it does x, y, z (relaxes you, makes you more focused, fill in the blank…). This is your brain fooling you because it likes the drug. Research shows otherwise. Even low levels of alcohol impair thinking and motor function. Although studies show alcohol is worse than pot on many cognitive, reaction, and thinking-ability levels, pot still has a deleterious effect – it slows thinking and reaction time down. Not really what you want to happen when you are in a risky situation like climbing. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15276919; http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/24/politics/marijuana-study-drivers-impact/ ; http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/24/politics/marijuana-study-drivers-impact/ )

9. Get SERENE, anchor in peace man...

This means build SERENE anchors.  In many sport climbing scenarios using two draws at the anchor is acceptable, but they still need to meet the SERENE standard. Equalization can be difficult to achieve with a quick-draw anchor set-up. Here is what SERENE stands for:

  • S = SOLID – Make sure the bolts or rock in which you are placing the anchor are/is solid.
  • E = EQUALIZED – Equal pressure/pull/weight needs to be distributed across each of the anchor points (i.e. the two bolts in a sport anchor or 3 or more pieces of protection in a trad anchor). This can be difficult to achieve when using quickdraws and depends on the position of the bolts and the natural fall-line of the rope. If all of the rope is hanging on one quick-draw, the anchor is not equalized. There are different ways to equalize an anchor (which become increasingly complex in trad-climbing situations). A good quick anchor to use is the sliding-x (see the article and video on this anchor to learn more about how to create a SERENE anchor using the sliding-x).
  • R = REDUNDANT – This means if some part of the anchor breaks, there is a back-up. In short – double up. Building an anchor (or rappelling) off one bolt is not redundant.
  • E = EFFICIENT – This is most applicable in multi-pitch situations where saving time and physical resources, such as gear, matter.
  • NE = NO EXTENSION – If one part of the anchor breaks you want to minimize additional shock loading by decreasing the amount of extension that occurs. Less extension means less shock loading.
 
It can be challenging to achieve each of these elements 100%, but it is worth a try.
 
NEVER USE THE AMERICAN DEATH TRIANGLE!

10. Be a creature of habit

Habituate these best practices. This means doing them every time all the time. Is the route you are about to rappel a short 30 feet? So what, still tie a knot in the end of your rope and use a back-up knot on the rappel - habituate.

  • HERE’S WHY: Habituating best practices means that when you are tired, hungry, distracted by your recent break-up, get stuck in a thunderstorm or be-nighted, or what-ever bull-shit is thrown at you, you will be less likely to fuck-up. Taking 10-seconds or a few-minutes to implement a best-practice could save you months or years of physical therapy or rehab.
 
We all may not become 5.13, or even 5.12, climbers, but we can all be a better climber by using best practices!

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