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>>In my early climbing career, I nearly killed myself when I extended an anchor over an edge with just one long sling. After one climb, the sling was cut halfway through. I still carry the section on my keychain as a reminder.—S.S, via Climbing.com
LESSON: Edges can be tricky. If your chosen anchor location puts your anchor material over sharp rock, your first choice should be to build your anchor somewhere else. That’s not always an option. In a toprope situation, extending your anchor with a thick static line is the best choice, because they’re the most abrasion resistant. In a multi-pitch scenario, it’s not practical to lug along a heavy static line. In these situations, you may need to pad the edge. Some climbers use carpet or sections of hose, some companies sell expensive roller-systems—even a bunched up sweatshirt is better than nothing. The thinner your anchor material, the more important it is to protect it, but even that fat static rope will need help if the cliff looks like a hand saw, and it never hurts to add redundancy with some extra strands of rope/sling/cordalette in the problem area in case one does cut through.
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