Locking carabiners offer a method of preventing the gate from opening when in use. There are two major varieties: locking and non-locking carabiners.

Steel carabiners are much heavier, but harder wearing, and therefore are often used by instructors when working with groups.Ĭarabiners exist in various forms the shape of the carabiner and the type of gate varies according to the use for which it is intended. Once made primarily from steel, almost all carabiners for recreational climbing are now made from a lightweight but very strong aluminum alloy. Protecting a rope that hangs over a sharp edge (tubular webbing).Ĭarabiners are metal loops with spring-loaded gates (openings), used as connectors.Carrying equipment (clipped to a sling worn over the shoulder).Extending the distance between the climbing protection and a tie-in point.It is also important to note that only nylon can be safely knotted into a runner (usually using a water knot or beer knot), Dyneema is always sewn because the fibers are too slippery to hold a knot under weight. Generally speaking, most climbers carry a few of both types. Both ways of forming runners have advantages and drawbacks, and it is for the individual climber to choose which to use. These loops are made one of two ways-sewn (using reinforced stitching) or tied. When webbing is sewn or tied together at the ends, it becomes a sling or runner, and if you clip a carabiner to each end of the sling, you have a quickdraw. Tying knots in Dyneema webbing was proven to have reduced the total amount of supported force by as much as half. In 2010, UK-based DMM performed fall factor 1 and 2 tests on various Dyneema and Nylon webbings, showing Dyneema slings can fail even under 60 cm falls.

Dyneema is even stronger, often rated above 20 kN (4,500 lbf) and as high as 27 kN (6,100 lbf). It is very strong, generally rated in excess of 9 kN (2,000 lbf). Climbing-specific nylon webbing is generally tubular webbing, that is, it is a tube of nylon pressed flat. Modern webbing or 'tape' is made of nylon or Spectra/Dyneema, or a combination of the two. They are also used for abseiling (rappelling) and as fixed ropes climbed with ascenders.

Low elongation ropes stretch much less and are usually used in anchoring systems. When a climber falls, the rope stretches, reducing the maximum force experienced by the climber, their belayer, and equipment. Dynamic ropes are designed to absorb the energy of a falling climber and are usually used as belaying ropes. Ropes used for climbing can be divided into two classes: dynamic ropes and low-elongation ropes (sometimes called 'static' ropes). The core provides about 70% of the tensile strength, while the sheath is a durable layer that protects the core and gives the rope desirable handling characteristics. Climbing ropes are usually of kernmantle construction, consisting of a core (kern) of long twisted fibres and an outer sheath (mantle) of woven coloured fibres.

Cable rope pull over