Cleaning the Anchors on Sport Routes
Words and photos by Justin Roth

For every climb, there's a descent. On sport climbs, we all wish it could be as easy as clipping the anchors, being lowered to the ground, pull the rope, and move to the next climb, but that would get pretty expensive leaving two quickdraws on every route. On sport climbs outdoors, the draws need to be cleaned, and preferably in a way that minimizes risk.

Cleaning entails the short but intimidating procedure of threading your rope through the anchors at the top of the climb in order to lower down and get all of your draws off the bolts. You should always be backed up with at least two points of protection (bolts, on a sport climb), but it's crucial that you understand the repercussions of your actions so you know when you're making decisions that keep you as safe as possible, given the circumstances.

This workshop is by no means a complete guide to cleaning a sport route (that could easily turn into a whole chapter of a book). Presented is only one possible way to accomplish the end goal of retrieving all of your draws. The different anchor setups that a climber might encounter at the top of a route are varied and offer different degrees of security and comfort. When encountering different anchor set-ups than the ones presented in this example, different techniques must be used. Even the most practiced climbers will encounter situations that they are not completely familiar with, but because of their experience they will know how to safely deal with the new circumstances they are faced with. The information in this workshop is merely a stepping off point.

A significant number of climbing accidents happen during lowering. Neither the belayer nor the climber can let their guard down after the climbing is done. These accidents often occur due to miscommunication between the climber and belayer. For most sport climbs, it's possible to hear one another, so maintain an open line of communication with each other. Do not assume what the other is thinking!

Additionally, the WORST place to clean a set of anchors is for the first time is actually on a climb. There's no margin for error. With that in mind, start in a gym or similarly controlled environment, on a pair of anchors that are set just off the ground. Practice each step of this procedure with an experienced climber by your side to offer tips and guidance. Do this until you're clear about what you need to do from start to finish... then go through everything a couple more times. Don't hesitate to seek out qualified instruction.

There's no worse feeling than getting to the top of a climb, being ready to clean it, and then realizing you forgot a step or a piece of gear. If (or when) this does occur, stay calm, think through your options and, if required, lower. If you have to, leave a pair of draws behind-it's far better than putting your life at risk for pride and thirty bucks. With enough practice, you shouldn't have to face this uncomfortable situation.

Before you start this procedure, you will need to bring a few extra items up with you:
- A locking carabiner
- An additional quickdraw

[Photo #1]
Finish your climb and clip your rope into the draws at the anchors. Make sure your belayer takes your weight (use your commands) and then attach the extra draw on the "more solid" of the two bolt hangers. Clip the rope into this third draw as a backup. Unclip the rope from one of the two draws on the anchors and clip that draw directly into your belay loop. Now unclip the other of the two draws on the anchors and clip it into your belay loop as well. You must clip the biners into your harness so that the gates face away from each other - if the gates were to open, they would form an "X" - this will prevent accidental unclipping. Notice that the draws in this picture are clipped into the chains, not directly into the bolt hangers: this configuration lengthens the distance between your harness and the anchors, creating a bit more comfort when cleaning. Also notice that the bottom links of the chains are left unclipped - you'll thread the rope through here later. You can attach your locking carabiner to your belay loop now.

[Photo #2]
Call for your belayer to feed you some slack. The standard amount is around ten feet. You are not asking to be taken off belay! Even when your belayer feeds you ten feet of slack, you are still tied into the rope and on belay, so in the extremely unlikely situation of catastrophic failure of both anchors, you would take a (long) fall, but not a ground fall because the next draw down would catch you. Pull up your slack, tie a figure eight on a bight five or six feet back on the rope and clip it with the locking carabiner on your belay loop.

[Photo #3]
Now that you are backed up with your figure eight on a bight ten feet down the rope, you should double check that you are clipped directly into the draws on the anchors and that the biners on those draws have their gates opposed. Also double check that your locking biner is locked shut, not open. At this point, you are completely weighting the anchors. Once everything checks out, untie your original figure eight knot (the one you tied before starting the climb). Notice all the backing up and double-checking that goes on here? Just as you must be thorough and cross-check your belayer's equipment before leaving the ground, you should look at every point of attachment multiple times before and after every step at the anchors.

[Photo #4]
You have untied your original figure eight knot, now thread the end of the rope through the bottom links of the chain. Never thread the rope through a sling or cord or through the bolt hangers.

[Photo #5]
Once the rope has been threaded through the chains, tie back in to your harness through both tie-in points, not through the belay loop. Don't forget to dress your double figure eight with a double-fisherman's knot.