Anchoring With Rope

The climbing or installation rope can be tied directly to the anchor using several different techniques. This requires less equipment, but also sacrifices some rope length to tie the anchor. The rope can be tied to the anchor using an appropriate anchor knot such as a bowline or a rerouted figure eight. Round turns can be used to help keep the rope in position on the anchor. A tensionless anchor can be used in high-load installations where tension on the attachment point and knot is undesirable.

Rope Anchor

When tying the climbing or installation rope around an anchor, the knot should be placed approximately the same distance away from the anchor as the diameter of the anchor (Figure 5-10). The knot shouldn't be placed up against the anchor because this can stress and distort the knot under tension.

Figure 5-10. Rope tied to anchor with anchor knot.

Tensionless Anchor

The tensionless anchor is used to anchor the rope on high-load installations such as bridging and traversing (Figure 5-11). The wraps of the rope around the anchor absorb the tension of the installation and keep the tension off the knot and carabiner. The anchor is usually tied with a minimum of four wraps, more if necessary, to absorb the tension. A smooth anchor may require several wraps, whereas a rough barked tree might only require a few. The rope is wrapped from top to bottom. A fixed loop is placed into the end of the rope and attached loosely back onto the rope with a carabiner.

Figure 5-11. Tensionless anchor.