PSA: Leave the Lowering ‘Biners Alone!

This is a public service announcement brought to you by the Western Slope Choss Association in conjunction with the People Who Climb Sport After Work Club. An increasing problem being reported at sport crags from Colorado to Quebec is people stealing lowering carabiners off anchors. At places like Rifle, the Red and Rumney, this has become a standard anchor set up. It’s quicker, so you can be off to the next pitch sooner, and it’s safer, since you dont have to untie and thread the rope through a chain anchor. Unfortunately, the word has not gotten out that these are not free carabiners that are there for the taking, and the less educated are collecting them like they are Beanie Babies going out of style.

As a more enlightened segment of the climbing population, it’s your job to spread the word that these are not free door prizes for visiting a climbing area, but valuable parts of the anchor system, and costly to replace. If we all do our part we can help get this practice under control before it becomes an epidemic of BP-like proportions!