Skip to content

Practice anchors install (w/ pictures!)

General Climbing
11 5 860 1
  • Okay, I did a thing.

    Yesterday I briefly outlined my plans to build a set of practice anchors in my garage.

    After a quick trip to the hardware store, I got what I needed and as promised, here are some progress pics and the final result.

    PXL_20240822_143020828.jpg

    PXL_20240822_194756349.jpg

    PXL_20240822_204026195.MP.jpg

    PXL_20240823_021253567.jpg

    Some notes

    • The initial plan was to use tee nuts or threaded inserts, but I wasn't able to easily get those, so the fallback was to use regular nuts and to drill a recess into the back of the board so they'd sit flush.
    • There was some splintering the first time I tried to use a spade bit. Practice makes perfect!
    • I expected the studs in my garage to be 16 inches apart, but they were 21.5 inches. Measure twice, cut once!
    • I was today years old when I discovered a 2x4 is not 2 inches by 4 inches.

    Cost breakdown (Canadian dollars):

    • Fixe 316 SS Bolt Hanger 1/2" (MEC, $2.93 apiece)
    • Camp 8mm Oval Steel Quicklink (MEC, $4.95 apiece)
    • 1" spade bit ($8.98)
    • 1/2" threaded bolt ($3.85 apiece)
    • 1/2" nut ($0.26 apiece)
    • Free/on-hand items:
      • Scrap wood (2x4)
      • Power drill and drill bits
      • Adjustable wrench and socket wrench
      • Deck screws
    • Total: $32.96 CAD
  • Sweet! Have you tested it at all yet? Do you see any flex of you try to hang from it?

    Another idea might be just a piece of 2x4 screwed lower to the ground to act as a foothold while you're "on" the anchors

  • Okay, I did a thing.

    Yesterday I briefly outlined my plans to build a set of practice anchors in my garage.

    After a quick trip to the hardware store, I got what I needed and as promised, here are some progress pics and the final result.

    PXL_20240822_143020828.jpg

    PXL_20240822_194756349.jpg

    PXL_20240822_204026195.MP.jpg

    PXL_20240823_021253567.jpg

    Some notes

    • The initial plan was to use tee nuts or threaded inserts, but I wasn't able to easily get those, so the fallback was to use regular nuts and to drill a recess into the back of the board so they'd sit flush.
    • There was some splintering the first time I tried to use a spade bit. Practice makes perfect!
    • I expected the studs in my garage to be 16 inches apart, but they were 21.5 inches. Measure twice, cut once!
    • I was today years old when I discovered a 2x4 is not 2 inches by 4 inches.

    Cost breakdown (Canadian dollars):

    • Fixe 316 SS Bolt Hanger 1/2" (MEC, $2.93 apiece)
    • Camp 8mm Oval Steel Quicklink (MEC, $4.95 apiece)
    • 1" spade bit ($8.98)
    • 1/2" threaded bolt ($3.85 apiece)
    • 1/2" nut ($0.26 apiece)
    • Free/on-hand items:
      • Scrap wood (2x4)
      • Power drill and drill bits
      • Adjustable wrench and socket wrench
      • Deck screws
    • Total: $32.96 CAD

    @devnull I got that on my to-do-list… One day it actually might happen 🤠 I got inspired by the SkillzBoard https://skillzboard.com

  • Okay, I did a thing.

    Yesterday I briefly outlined my plans to build a set of practice anchors in my garage.

    After a quick trip to the hardware store, I got what I needed and as promised, here are some progress pics and the final result.

    PXL_20240822_143020828.jpg

    PXL_20240822_194756349.jpg

    PXL_20240822_204026195.MP.jpg

    PXL_20240823_021253567.jpg

    Some notes

    • The initial plan was to use tee nuts or threaded inserts, but I wasn't able to easily get those, so the fallback was to use regular nuts and to drill a recess into the back of the board so they'd sit flush.
    • There was some splintering the first time I tried to use a spade bit. Practice makes perfect!
    • I expected the studs in my garage to be 16 inches apart, but they were 21.5 inches. Measure twice, cut once!
    • I was today years old when I discovered a 2x4 is not 2 inches by 4 inches.

    Cost breakdown (Canadian dollars):

    • Fixe 316 SS Bolt Hanger 1/2" (MEC, $2.93 apiece)
    • Camp 8mm Oval Steel Quicklink (MEC, $4.95 apiece)
    • 1" spade bit ($8.98)
    • 1/2" threaded bolt ($3.85 apiece)
    • 1/2" nut ($0.26 apiece)
    • Free/on-hand items:
      • Scrap wood (2x4)
      • Power drill and drill bits
      • Adjustable wrench and socket wrench
      • Deck screws
    • Total: $32.96 CAD

    @devnull I would recommend adding washers to those nuts to prevent them from digging into the wood over time, and 4 screws on the corners to prevent the board rocking when loaded/unloaded.

    Not the typical reunion but I guess it works for simple practice.

    I would tottally do something like that if I was allowed to in any case.

    This is how it starts, and it ends with a climbable wall in the garage xD It's a matter of time.

  • @devnull I would recommend adding washers to those nuts to prevent them from digging into the wood over time, and 4 screws on the corners to prevent the board rocking when loaded/unloaded.

    Not the typical reunion but I guess it works for simple practice.

    I would tottally do something like that if I was allowed to in any case.

    This is how it starts, and it ends with a climbable wall in the garage xD It's a matter of time.

    @rayko@mastodon.raykoworld.com ah that's good advice! Ironically the weakest part of this board is the actual attachment to the studs.

    I need to buy longer screws and put four more. That'll be "super good enough" hopefully, as a certain someone says.

    @bean no flex, although I also haven't fully weighted the board just yet. I've only practiced a top belay setup so far.

  • @devnull I got that on my to-do-list… One day it actually might happen 🤠 I got inspired by the SkillzBoard https://skillzboard.com

    @martinsnygg@infosec.exchange

    SkillzBoard

    Ha! Yeah I did see this before too. It was probably also where the idea first took hold in my head.

    I put in two hangers but I think eventually I'll have to add a third when testing more esoteric three-piece setups 😬

    Maybe I'll build a little crack to hold a cam...

  • @martinsnygg@infosec.exchange

    SkillzBoard

    Ha! Yeah I did see this before too. It was probably also where the idea first took hold in my head.

    I put in two hangers but I think eventually I'll have to add a third when testing more esoteric three-piece setups 😬

    Maybe I'll build a little crack to hold a cam...

    @devnull And so the scope creep begins hehe

  • @martinsnygg@infosec.exchange

    SkillzBoard

    Ha! Yeah I did see this before too. It was probably also where the idea first took hold in my head.

    I put in two hangers but I think eventually I'll have to add a third when testing more esoteric three-piece setups 😬

    Maybe I'll build a little crack to hold a cam...

    @devnull Yeah, three is a must for me I think to get a grip on equalization and stuff. Not really sure I do need a board though. Might just put up three hangers on a beam in the basement.

  • Today's faffery — Garda hitch shenanigans

    Want a solution to a super contrived scenario whereby you have no belay device or HMS carabiner (for a munter hitch), but do have two non-locking carabiners and still want to haul something up with a makeshift progress capture device?

    1000004639.jpg

  • Today's faffery — Garda hitch shenanigans

    Want a solution to a super contrived scenario whereby you have no belay device or HMS carabiner (for a munter hitch), but do have two non-locking carabiners and still want to haul something up with a makeshift progress capture device?

    1000004639.jpg

    @devnull
    Funnily, #HowNot2 just shared a video a couple of days ago about tests he did with the #GardaHitch.

  • @devnull
    Funnily, #HowNot2 just shared a video a couple of days ago about tests he did with the #GardaHitch.

    @mkroehnert@social.tchncs.de indeed, that video is exactly why I even played around with it 😁

    So now one more esoteric tool in my quiver.

Suggested topics


  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    78 Views
    GrippedG
    For over 20 years, he was one of the world's best big wall climbers The post Piolet d’Or 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award for Alexander Odintsov appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/piolet-dor-2025-lifetime-achievement-award-for-alexander-odintsov/
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    92 Views
    GrippedG
    Sonnie Trotter will be stopping by in Portland, Salt Lake City and other cities in the west - dates below The post Sonnie Trotter is Going on a U.S.A. Book Tour – Here’s Where appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/uncategorized/sonnie-trotter-is-going-on-a-u-s-a-book-tour-heres-where/
  • New Crag in Squamish for 5.10 Climbers

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    194 Views
    GrippedG
    The Alpine Club of Canada Squamish section has released a topo and details for The Grotto The post New Crag in Squamish for 5.10 Climbers appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/new-crag-in-squamish-for-5-10-climbers/
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    145 Views
    American Alpine ClubA
    Cams might not be as bomber as you think. We are stoked to kick off our Prescription video series by unpacking some magical thinking around cams. This video series will give you greater detail and visual insight into the accidents analyzed in our monthly Prescription newsletters. Featuring Accidents in North American Climbing Editor Pete Takeda, and IFMGA/AMGA Mountain Guide Jason Antin, these bite-sized lessons will get you thinking about how this accident analysis applies to you and your climbing. For Rocktober we have two accidents that represent a larger trend we noticed in 2023. This trend involves: 1) Placing an inadequate number of protection pieces and 2) Poorly placed camming protection. Garrett Genereux submitted the following report to ANAC: At the end of a great day of climbing on May 15, my partner Lance (30) and I, Garrett Genereux (34), decided to do one last route on our way out of the main area. We stopped at Lion’s Chair Start (5.10c/d R). As usual, no one was on it despite the routes on both sides being busy. I had been on the route several times before. I didn't realize how tired I was until on the route. I was trying to conserve energy by not placing too much pro. I was about one body length above my first two pieces of gear and placed a 0.4 cam. My belayer asked if it was a good placement. I assured him that it was fine and kept moving. As I approached the first bolt, where the crack pinches down, I became very fatigued and started getting scared. I wanted to clip the bolt as fast as I could. I was able to hang the draw at my farthest reach. Then I pulled up rope to make the clip. As I inched the rope closer to the lower carabiner, my left foot greased off and I fell. There was a ton of rope in the system, and when I heard the 0.4 plink out of the crack, I knew I was going to the ground. My left foot briefly hit and then I landed on my butt. I lost my breath and made some guttural noises trying to get it back. I lay supine. My ankle hurt and my lower back was pretty tight, but I had full sensation and movement below. I even remember feeling like I needed to pee while lying there and took that as a good sign. The folks nearby were able to clean up the lower pieces and someone with the longest stick clip I've ever seen, snagged the draw off the bolt. Someone let me borrow their camp chair. I was able to slip off my climbing shoes. My left ankle was dark in color and already beginning to swell, but I could bear weight and felt that we didn’t need a crew to carry me out. My partner carried the gear and I used my stick clip as a walking stick as we hiked to the road. My ankle was just a soft-tissue injury, and my back had compression fractures at T12, L1, and L2. Two months later, I was back climbing and feeling well. Since then I have even gotten back on the same route. I sewed it up with 11 pieces rather than three. Simply put, I did not place enough protection. In the first 15 feet, I only placed three pieces: a nut and a cam protecting the start and then the 0.4 cam that pulled. Also, I could have climbed a bit higher to a better hold and clipped the bolt with the same amount of rope in the system as I had when I fell. I also should have checked in with myself mentally and physically. While it is not the most difficult route, it does take focus and it gets an R rating in the newest guide. (Source: Garrett Genereux.) On the morning of July 10, Mac Taylor (25) fell on the first pitch of Gunky (2 pitches, 5.8). He wrote the following account for ANAC: “Two friends and I hiked to the base of Gunky (5.8) at the Sandstone Buttress. I was new to the area. We hiked with gear on our harnesses while carrying ropes and a bag with water and extra gear. I decided to lead the first pitch, despite being told that there was a scary roof section. Part of the reason I chose to lead it was that I already had most of the gear racked on my harness. On the route, I placed a large nut and a number 1 Camalot. I then clipped a bolt and placed a 0.75 Camalot in a shallow slot deep in the crack that I was climbing.  “Halfway up the pitch, I rested and placed a number 2 Camalot deep in an offwidth-sized crack. I laybacked the crack and got established below the roof. From there, I struggled to find comfortable holds. I was about 10 feet above my last piece. https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2024/10/23/the-prescriptionoctober-2024
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    144 Views
    EpicTVE
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMCJEiXCo9s
  • The Must-Have Trad Climbing Essentials

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    135 Views
    GrippedG
    https://gripped.com/gear/buyers-guide/the-must-have-trad-climbing-essentials/
  • Fri Night Vid Doubloons - A Stunning Colorado Arete

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    207 Views
    UK ClimbingU
    In this week's Friday Night Video, we follow Tanner Bauer and Chris Deuto high into Colorado where they attemptDoubloons(5.14b/8c); a stunning arete on a beautifully balanced pinnacle. https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=772369
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    117 Views
    EpicTVE
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GLH7QrGfqs