There are many situations in climbing where it makes sense to construct your anchor from the climbing rope you are already attached to versus reaching for a sling or cordelette; most notably when swinging leads or finishing a climb with a tree anchor followed by a walk-off. In recent years the Connecticut Tree Hitch (CTH) has gained popularity among both professional climbing guides and savvy recreational climbers.
The Buntline Hitch is also a suitable option that has a few distinct advantages over the CTH.
The hitch does not require a locking carabiner
The hitch forms a suitable master point for belaying your second (when using a CTH you must tie another bight knot to create a master point).
If tied incorrectly it forms either two half-hitches or a clove-hitch which have a high enough slip strength. The CTH tied incorrectly will catastrophically fail.
It is fast to tie and untie
Credit: Big thanks to Derek DeBruin for sharing this hitch with in the AMGA Professional Facebook Forum and for his continued work disseminating quality information. EDIT: Derek credits Richard Goldstone for teaching him this method.
Disclaimer: Climbing is dangerous. Practice new skills on the ground and seek qualified instruction.
With the gaining popularity of the Girth Hitch Master Point Anchor option I am making the case for using a closed rappel or “rigging” ring as the master point instead of the commonly used locking carabiner. Some advantages of this choice;
A closed rigging ring can’t be accidentally opened or left unlocked.
Using a rigging ring means you save a locking carabiner in the anchor construction
Adding a rigging ring to your regular kit means you will have one to leave behind should bailing be necessary (they are all cheaper than most locking carabiners)
A rigging ring is “omnidirectional” so you do not need to worry about optimum loading, short axis loading, gate loading, etc.
In most cases a rigging ring is lighter than a locking carabiner
Disadvantages of carrying and using a rigging ring in your kit are almost non-existent. One of the challenges is deciding which rigging ring works best for recreational/guiding in this system. To assist with that I purchased 5 of the more common rappel rings and will share the specifications and considerations for each to help you decide! Let’s start with this weight/strength/price comparison… I added a Petzl Attache Carabiner for comparison reasons.
The lightest and cheapest option is by far a SMC Aluminum Descending Ring. While ultra-light weight I am slightly concerned about the lower strength rating compared to other options. 14kN is over 3,000 lbs, which is a much higher force than the master point of your anchor should ever see. In a response to a REI slack online customer asking about the strength of these SMC stated “If you over tension the slack line you may notice some flex as the units start to elongate around 800 lbs”. So while these are strong “enough” for use as a master point I’d prefer something rated higher so I’m not second guessing myself while setting up a haul system or the dreaded “fall factor 2” type scenario (should never happen!). They are super cheap and light though, and easily fit three or four locking carabiners.
At about double the weight and 2.5 times the strength the SMC Rigging Ring seems like it might be perfect for this application, and it is, for two piece anchors and two person climbing parties. The issue with this ring is once you have a three-piece girth-hitch anchor internal space in the ring is a bit on the tight side to fit three locking carabiners (party of two) and impossible to fit four locking carabiners (party of three, guiding). Here’s a shot of this with a three piece anchor and you can see how tight it is.
It works but I don’t like how the carabiners bind on each other in this situation. So this would only be a good choice for two piece anchors and two person parties. Next up…
A little more weight (38 grams) and a little less strength (25kN) with just 2mm more internal diameter the RNA Revolution Ring, Small works great on this three piece two person anchor. If you don’t often climb in a party of three this is a good choice. This brings us to what is becoming my favorite option…
The RNA Revolution Ring, Large is my best in class for this comparison. While it weighs close to a Petzl Attache Locking Carabiner (56 grams vs Petzl Attache 58 grams) it still has a few advantages as a master point. It has plenty of space for more than 4 locking carabiners so this would be great for recreational and guided parties of 3+. It’s stronger in all directions than most aluminum locking carabiners (25 kN). It can easily accommodate a three or four piece girth hitch, and is easier to handle with gloves on (ice climbing FTW). We will finish with a quick look at the heaviest option…
Girth Hitch Master Point Anchor SystemGirth Hitch Master Point Anchor System
If you are not very concerned with weight the FIXE Stainless Steel Ring is a beast carrying a 35 kN rating with its 86 grams of weight. It can easily handle three lockers on a three piece anchor but a fourth locker would be pretty tight leaving this an option for two person parties.
Summary
Using a rigging ring is common in high angle rescue and industrial work and with the growing use of the Girth Hitch Master Point Anchor method recreational climbers and guides should consider the use of closed rings to create their master points for the advantages stated at the beginning of this post. No one anchor solution is appropriate for all situations and you should certainly practice this on the ground and seek qualified instruction and mentorship before trusting your life to any advice in this post. That said I think this method works quite well when appropriate and I expect it will be one of my common builds when multi-pitch climbing whether it be rock or ice (though I think this will really shine this winter while ice climbing).
Discount Purchase
After purchasing and testing these rings I let Rock N Rescue know their RNA Revolution Ring, Large was my “best in class” for this purpose and then they offered my readers a 10% discount on any purchases from their website with coupon code “AlpineStart10“. If you decide to add one of these to your kits you can save a little money on the purchase and at they the same time support the content I create here (this discount code will also earn me 10% of the purchase).
See you in the mountains,
Northeast Alpine Start
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