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KARABINERS | |
|  Karabiners or Carabiners (aka "krabs" or "crabs") have been around since at least Victorian times but only really caught on in the British climbing scene in the late 1940s, though continental climbers had been using them long before this. In recent years the design of karabiners has gone through a rapid period of evolution with ever lighter and more radical designs appearing. NB Please click for Accessory Krabs and Quickdraws. Photo: Belinda "BJ" James and a big rack of gear tackling the second pitch of the classic E1, Raindrop on Black Crag, Borrowdale in the English Lake District. | | |
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Standard Krabs - Solid Gates and Wire Gates: | | | Standard (non-screwgate) karabiners are the workhorses of climbing, used to attach the rope to quickdraws, slings, nuts and cams. Surprisingly they were virtually unknown in British climbing before the end of the Second World War when army surplus ones became available in quantity.
Solid (or Plain) Gate Karabiners come either with a Straight or a Bent Gate - the latter is designed for the bottom krab on a quickdraw where it makes in extremis rope clipping easier and distinguishes one end of the quickdraw from another - this is important as falling on bolts can cause tiny nicks in the top end krab and if the quickdraw is turned around then rope damage can result.
More recently, Wiregates, though initially received with scepticism, have led to krabs that are lighter than any of their predecessors. They also do not freeze up in winter, and, because the gate has so little mass, are less prone to dangerous "gate open situations" than their solid-gated counterparts. As a karabiner is at its weakest when its gate is open, this is another important consideration. When wire gates first appeared, we worked out that the weight saving on the average reasonably comprehensive rack was equivalent to a jar of marmalade - that's worth considering as well! | |
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Small Screwgate Krabs: | | | | Small screwgates are ideal for setting up belays with. Typically a lead climber should carry at least two and make a belay by placing at least two solid bits of gear, then run each rope to one bit of gear befor looping itback to their harness where it is tied off with a clove hitch to its own small screwgate. Two is the minimum, though a few extra is safer as you can then have a screwgate at each end of the loop. For a second opiniion on the number of screwgates one should carry, see Andy Kirkpatrick's Psychovertical Website. | |
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Large Screwgate Krabs: | | | Large screwgates are not used so much due to the weight factor, but are useful when using very thick, or multiple ropes, or when extra strength is required.
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HMS Screwgate Krabs: | | | The name HMS derives From the German term for Munter hitch belay: 'Halbmastwurfsicherung' and is used to describe a larger screwgate suitable for belaying with a Munter or Italian hitch. They are also ideal for use where two ropes need to be tied to the same point. Much used for belay plates too, though beware of its tendency to turn round in circles which can result in dangerous cross loading of the gate.
Also be aware that smaller lightweight HMS type karabiners may not work well with some self-locking (auto-bloc) belay plates - it is best to use a larger diameter bar HMS krab with these, such as the Clog HMS or DMM Boa. | |
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Specialist Krabs: | | | | A selection of karabiners with fairly specific uses. | |
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Steel Krabs: | | | | Steel karabiners are harder wearing and stronger than their equivalant alloy counterparts, but they are also considerably heavier. It is a sobering thought that karabiners used for climbing in the '40s and '50s were this weight. Steel krabs are mainly used nowadys in the outdoor access industry, but are also favoured by outdoor education instructors for certain high wear areas of use. | |
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