Skip to content

Practice anchors install (w/ pictures!)

General Climbing
11 5 694 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


  • 1 Votes
    3 Posts
    16 Views
    mootParadoxM
    In case you need "silent feet" to be even more of a challenge!! #Climbing #RockClimbing
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    60 Views
    nikkiA
    A much delayed continuation of roadtrip climbing posts. Climbing stop 4 was a lovely week of bouldering outside Leavenworth #climbing #bouldering
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    80 Views
    UK ClimbingU
    Billy Ridal has made the eighth ascent Rhapsody (E11 7a) at Dumbarton Rock, Scotland. https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=782462
  • Guidebook XIV—Grant Spotlight

    General News climbing
    1
    1 Votes
    1 Posts
    120 Views
    American Alpine ClubA
    We stared out at the treacherous somber surfaces, weathered by wind and storm. The mountains transformed in our minds, revealing an expanse impossible to comprehend. It is upon this sea of summits we desired to stand. I was born in flatland central Wisconsin, and often biked with my childhood friend Devin Grdinic up the 1.56-billion-year-old, 1,924-foot prominent hill, Rib Mountain, located in our hometown. From the gouged rim of the hundred-foot quartzite quarry, we grew an affinity for mountains, dreaming of summits. In our early 20s, ambitious and hell-bent, we drove from Minneapolis to Mt. Elbert in a day. Devin did the planning, and I went along. Knowing the importance of acclimatizing but lacking the time, we spent a night in the Never Summer Mountains. With a pound of venison strapped to my chest to prevent the blood from leaking in my bag, we set forth to high camp and shivered through the cold night. In the morning my appreciation of the mountains solidified as I opened the tent to the majestic view. Over a cup of coffee at a wayside diner a few years later, Devin proposed another scheme—to tag Mt. Whitney, the tallest in the lower 48. Without hesitation, I said yes. We descended into the smog of LAX and drove north to the Sierra Nevada. Finding residence in Mammoth Lakes, we improved our acclimatization period by visiting the ancient bristlecones of the White Mountains of California. Parking late in the afternoon on October 7, 2008, we hit the Mt. Whitney Trail with heavy packs. Unbeknownst to us, our map remained in the back seat. We missed the creek crossing at Lower Boy Scout Lake and went off-trail, bushwhacking into the night. Panicked, we trudged over bush and boulders, reaching an icy ledge where my foot slipped and I hung by loosely fitted gloves. Devin instinctively reached with his hiking pole and hoisted me back up. Clearly, my intrepid aspirations were on a slippery slope. Miraculously finding Upper Boy Scout camp in the dark, we shivered through the night with inadequate sleeping pads as winds battered our tent. In the warmth of the morning, we set off to climb the wrong mountain. Returning to camp, we planned one final attempt before we’d miss our flights. With little sleep, we set off before dawn, reaching Iceberg Lake as Whitney’s east face prominently glowed orange. At the base of the snow-filled Mountaineer’s Route gully, we realized we were a bit over our heads. With blistered feet and tired shoulders, we descended. Over the next seven years, Devin and I summited Mt. Temple, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Baker, and Mt. Rainier together. In the years between doing Shasta and Baker, I was introduced to technical rock climbing by my close friend Ross Nueske, a serious square-jawed man who wore a mischievous plotting grin. Ross and I enjoyed climbing multi-pitch trad routes, but after a decade of rock climbing, something still felt unfinished. The memory of Whitney taunted me to return. I purchased an entry permit for the summer of 2020. While climbing at the North Shore of Minnesota that June, I received a message from Devin. He had been diagnosed with life-threatening leukemia. Complete devastation washed over everyone close to him. I recall sitting by Lake Superior, staring into the empty blue horizon, trying to process the news as waves lapped sorrowfully over the pebbled shore. Dreams of the future in jeopardy, one small dream being Whitney, the gravely worse one—losing my best friend. Life lingered in a fragile balance as we stayed in contact over Devin’s year-long struggle. Through multiple series of treatments that brought him to the brink of death, he ultimately survived, thanks to a miraculous bone-marrow transplant. In 2023, I purchased another North Fork of Lone Pine entry pass. The new plan was for Ross and me to climb the East Buttress (1,000', 11 pitches, 5.7) on Mt.Whitney. Devin invited his older brother Marcel Grdinic, a chemistry teacher from Chicago, to join him in attempting the third-class Mountaineer's Route. Two months before the trip, I ruptured my right distal biceps tendon while bouldering. Orthopedic surgery was needed, followed by six months of nonuse: no climbing, no lifting, and the struggle to use my left hand for everything. The trip still went on, albeit with a hiking-only itinerary. Clouds Rest, a famed trail in Yosemite National Park, gave everyone a magnificent view of the Valley. https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2025/5/14/guidebook-xivgrant-spotlight
  • No Bolts Used on New Dolomites M8+ WI5+

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    97 Views
    GrippedG
    Few routes of this calibre are repeated so quickly, but this is destined to become a classic The post No Bolts Used on New Dolomites M8+ WI5+ appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/no-bolts-used-on-new-dolomites-m8-wi5/
  • The Arc’teryx Kopec Mid GTX Shoe Review

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    137 Views
    GrippedG
    These are one of our favourite new approach shoes heading into the fall hiking season The post The Arc’teryx Kopec Mid GTX Shoe Review appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/gear/the-arcteryx-kopec-mid-gtx-shoe-review/
  • Calgary Has New Outdoor Granite Boulders

    General News climbing
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    95 Views
    GrippedG
    They were installed in a famous park near downtown and they have dozens of problems to climb for free The post Calgary Has New Outdoor Granite Boulders appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/news/calgary-has-new-outdoor-granite-boulders/
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    102 Views
    GrippedG
    Sohta Amagasa, Meichi Narasaki, and Sorato Anraku took spots one, two, and three in a round of tough boulders in Innsbruck The post A Podium Sweep for Team Japan at Men’s Boulder World Cup appeared first on Gripped Magazine. https://gripped.com/indoor-climbing/a-podium-sweep-for-team-japan-at-mens-boulder-world-cup/