One of SA’s best and favourite sport climbing crags, Tranquilitas Waterval Boven, now has perma-draws as top anchors on some of the most popular routes.
Perma-draws as top anchors allow for quicker climbing and less risk when needing to clean the top anchors, which is arguably one of the most dangerous parts of sport climbing. Rather than needing to perform standard cleaning procedures, you can simply clip your rope through the top two perma-draws, clean your quickdraws on the way down and pull your rope.
Tranquilitas Adventure Farm have made every effort to keep this pristine climbing area exactly that. With cosy accommodation options just a few minutes’ walk from the crags, well-maintained paths and ongoing route additions and improvements. Perma-draws are the way of the future. They are safer, allow quicker climbing times on popular routes, and make it very easy to check for wear and tear and replace if necessary.
Classic lines that have received perma-draw top anchor upgrades are:
- Little Bonsai (16) Grunt Area
- Endless Blowjob (18) Grunt Area
- Alex’s Mousse au Chocolat (17) Malaria Area
- Asymptomatic (18) Pandemic Crag
- Jenga (18) Baboon Buttress
- Lucy (17) Disciple wall
- Aussie rules (17) Hallucinogen Wall
- Snakeskin Safari Suit (18) Hallucinogen Wall
As perma-draws continue to be implemented, we will continue to update this post and thecrag.com.
Climb safe, climb strong, climb on!
Hi, This system only works if the express anchors are monitored and replaced when necessary. This system requires more maintenance as the express anchors wear in a single place. Double rings are still the gold standard IMO as the 2 rings move independently and do not wear in the same place.
https://www.raumerclimbing.com/en/products/classic/stainless-steel-anchors-with-ring-and-or-carabiner/rock-d-10-2-round-rings-d-10-a316l/
Cheers,
Cormac
Hi Cormac, thanks for the feedback and insightful info. The perma-draws at Tranquilitas are regularly inspected for wear and tear.
Different approaches. I guess Mike and Ruth Behr put these up – Tranquilitas is their land/crag. So they feel responsible for the safety of climbers. Yes these carabiners will need to be replaced on a regular basis. But then the advantage is you don’t need to untie/retie and clean… For public crags/lands I do think the 2 ring approach is better as there is no maintenance required for a decade or two.