‘…I’m thinking in terms of shape…’

Ovals.

Best way I’ve found to reduce wear & tear is to place a bit of old carpet on the ground so the ‘biners & rope aren’t getting scuffed. Most of my rack is Petzl.

You can take rope protection even further and buy some “Rope Protectors”.

Saves ripping up your plush pile flea infested carpets.

If tope-roping on the urban-fringe , make sure you regularly check you top-rope-set-up , just in case the local yobbos have sneaked to the top of the cliff and …

Hey John,

I’d just get alloy screwgates for the anchors and master point. They are lighter (if that is a factor) than steel and whilst steel can usually hold around 35kN of force, no fall is ever gonna generate anywhere near that, especially on a top-rope. And they’re also cheaper. Just have to watch them for thread wear as the alloy is easier to deform. The ones with a little and a big end are best (HMS??) as they are a bit more versatile and can hold more than one rope comfortably.

Ummm, I prefer using static rope to set the anchors up. Sure, use tape and slings to go around trees, etc but for the actual runs to the master point I prefer static.

And I guess it goes without saying that you should use two biners for the master point, in an opposed setup to prevent the rope escaping (rare yes but it does happen).

Maybe I’m starting to state the obvious here but just tryin to help out a friend. =)

P.S. – Anita and I have been frequenting Churchman’s if you ever wanna meet up for a day on the rock.

Cheers

Ben

Better Bouldering is a good read, lotta helpful hints. If you wanna good bouldering vid to watch I recommend Pilgrimage. Full on bouldering in India on this boulder field that stretches as far as the eye can see. Sweet…