In July 2022, an extremely dangerous incident occurred in the "Götterwandl" climbing area near Nassereith. A climbing rope was almost severed by a ground-in carabiner of a fixed quickdraw.
Reason enough to point out once again the danger that fixed slings can pose.
The bad habit of leaving fixed quickdraws hanging for years in climbing areas is unfortunately widespread. So please be aware of this potential danger and draw the attention of your friends to it!
The dangerous incident occurred on the Götterwandl at the end of July. The picture is an urgent warning to all climbers NEVER to blindly trust fixed equipment! Picture: Nadine Wallner
Why can fixed quickdraws be so dangerous?
If a quickdraw gets stuck in a route, it can be "stretched" every time it is lowered. The rope does not run "around" 3/4 of the carabiner, as in the case of a fall or a diverter, for example. No! The rope basically runs parallel to the inner apex, i.e. loops it "straight" from the side.
Over time, this leads to extremely sharp edges on standard aluminum carabiners. As a result, even the slightest strain can lead to cuts in the rope sheath, e.g. during normal "insertion" into the rope.
If you fall into such a carabiner, the rope may even break!
The following picture illustrates the principle by which the rope-side carabiners can get such extremely sharp edges!
This is how the extremely dangerous, sharp edges occur! The rope runs "straight" over the inner apex of the carabiner. Image: Press release ÖAV / Peter Plattner
History of serious accidents
Serious accidents first occurred in climbing gyms from 2008 onwards. First in a climbing hall in Prague, where the rope broke on the 1st bolt. 2010 a similar pattern in an incident in the Red River Gorge U.S.A.
Then the sad climax in 2012. A fatal accident in Magletsch in Switzerland. The culprit was a rope break on a ground-in carabiner under a roof edge.
It has now been a good 10 years since the subsequent media coverage in the climbing media. Possibly one reason why this potential danger has disappeared from the consciousness of climbers. Reason enough for us to launch a corresponding appeal to sensitize the community.
The following picture clearly illustrates the potential danger and why climbing ropes can break so easily.
Razor sharp! Ground-in aluminum carabiners on fixed quickdraws can have extremely sharp edges. A rope break is inevitable in the event of a fall! Image: bolting.eu
How can you counter this potential danger?
In the following, we suggest a few simple rules of conduct to increase safety on the rock when it comes to fixed quickdraws:
NEVER "blindly trust" fixed gear if you find fixed material on routes, you should always hang your own quickdraws on it in affected areas, please talk to other (inexperienced) climbers about the danger simply dismantle your equipment and do not hang fixed quickdraws in the routes in the first place if you find such quickdraws, take them down and leave them at the base of the wall for the owner in a fair manner if you absolutely need fixed quickdraws in your projects, then steel carabiners should be used on the rope side
Shouldn't be and doesn't have to be! Fixed quickdraws have no place in the climbing garden in the long term! Dismantle and deposit at the base of the wall. Image: bolting.eu
All fixed quickdraws are removed!
As there is obviously "imminent danger" on the Götterwandl, all fixed quickdraws will be removed from August 14th. Therefore, please remove all your quickdraws from the routes yourself beforehand.
The dismantled quickdraws can of course also be collected later. They will be deposited at the TVB office in Nassereith. They can be collected there during office hours.
References:
ÖAV press release Detailed technical article from bolting.eu "Ground-in carabiners - risk of rope breakage"
