The anchors for your rope at the top of the cliff are the most important part of your chain of safety (also called protection system) when you’re top-rope climbing. If your anchors fail, then the climber relying on them to hold his fall or to hold him while being lowered will probably be killed or seriously injured.
Other Parts of Your Safety Chain
The other parts of your safety chain are:
- The rope
- The carabiners, slings, and other equipment
- The tie-in knot
- The harness
- An alert belayer
All these components combine to create a practical top-rope safety system to stop a climber’s fall or to hold a climber on the rope.
Anchors Are Serious Business
Setting up top-rope anchors is serious business. It’s not something to take lightly or to think that you know all about creating a top-rope anchor from these instructions or from reading a book about climbing anchors. Rigging the anchors for a safe top-rope should be left to experienced climbers. I advise you to take an anchors class from a knowledgeable climbing instructor or to serve as an apprentice to an experienced climber so you can learn first-hand how to choose and rig a safe top-rope anchor.
