Carabiner Care
Add to Del.icio.usCaveats for this essential piece of gear
by Black Diamond EquipmentIf you’re just getting into climbing, memorize these tips from Black Diamond Equipment about using carabiners. If you’re an avid climber, here’s a refresher.
NEVER load a carabiner in three directions. When you have several slings clipped into one biner be especially careful that the pull is only in two directions lengthwise.
NEVER load a carabiner over an edge. Loaded in this manner, biners will fail at much less than their rated strength.
NEVER load any carabiner across its gate. Cross-loading weakens a carabiner dramatically.
Be aware that in certain situations a carabiner can open: if the gate gets pushed against a protrusion in the rock, if the biner is struck against the rock, or if the gate sticks open. In the event of a fall, carabiners can also undergo momentary "whiplash," an oscillation of the gate due to sudden impact.
Open carabiners pose two significant hazards to the climber: They are weak (much weaker than a biner with its gate closed), and they can easily unclip.
Black Diamond Positron Screwgate Carabiner (L) and Black Diamond Hotwire Carabiner (R)
LOCKING CARABINERS
NEVER allow the rope to run against the sleeve of a locking carabiner. The rope's movement could potentially unscrew the lock and open the gate.
NEVER load a locking biner across its gate, whether the gate is locked or not. Like all biners, lockers are only strong along their major axis—lengthwise.
Reprinted with permission of Black Diamond Equipment.