Here at ECCC, we are immensely grateful for our partners who value the sport of rock climbing and the positive impact it has on our community. Camp Hale is renowned for its opportunities for skill development and because of this has seen significant traffic over the years.
While this traffic is beneficial overall, it has caused wear and tear on the permanent fix hardware. Thanks to the support from both individuals (you know who you are!) and organizations, the six most popular sport climbing anchors have been updated with modern hardware. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who made this possible. The community safety you have provided is truly commendable and should be worn as a badge of honor. Especially considering that many of these routes are used by youth as they first begin to lead climb.
Thank you to individual donors, Vail Valley Cares, and the American Safe Climbing Association (ASCA). To learn about how to properly use Lower Off Anchors visit https://safeclimbing.org/lower-off-initiative or scroll to the bottom of this page. Consider donating to the ASCA as they are at the forefront of national climbing safety improvement.
To help support more projects like these donate to ECCC here.
Stubborn Mule 5.10a
Pack It In- Pack It Out 5.9
Warriors Tears 11d/12a
Monumental Experience 5.6
Up One Hill 5.8
Up The Other 5.7
HOW TO CORRECTLY USE LOWER OFF ANCHORS
Anchor hooks and many other lower-offs are not designed to be climbed above. Do not climb above anchors when using only lower offs for protection.
Do not clip lower off anchors from above and down climb to them when attempting to set up a toprope. This is dangerous and can result in accidently unclipping your rope from the anchor.
When toproping on any fixed anchors, only the last climber should lower directly on the lowering hardware to increase the working life of the wear part. Use personal gear to toprope up until the final climber lowers.
When the final climber reaches the anchor they clip into the steel hooks/carabiners, get tension from their belayer, and then clean personal gear that was used for toproping before lowering.
If you are leading the extension to a route with lower offs installed at the first anchor, clip a quickdraw to one of the bolt hangers of the anchor as you pass, not one of the lower offs.
If there are lower offs on the first pitch of a multi-pitch route you should build your anchor to climb the next pitch above by clipping the bolt hangers or quicklinks with personal gear, not the lower off.
Lower off anchors on popular single pitch routes help to address many common accidents that arise with complacency and high traffic, but still require climbers to pay close attention to their systems. Climbing comes with high consequences if mistakes are made. Always understand the system you are using for protection and weight/re-inspect before you transfer to a new protection system.
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