I see a bit of green, which tells me the tree is alive. At that size, if it can survive a windstorm, it can survive a climber's fall.
this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2023
4 points (100.0% liked)
Climbing
741 readers
1 users here now
Discussion of all aspects of climbing from indoor bouldering to high altitude mountaineering.
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
Looks like the rope is just passed between the trunk and the root, with the lockers simply clipped to the rope, meaning if one piece pops, you're just on the rock, kinda sketch
Sometimes people twist one side of the rope to prevent this, it's hard to tell from the picture. Personally, I prefer a master knot though. "Mountaineering the freedom of the hills" and "climbing anchors" are good books that describe these techniques as well as pros and cons.
In this case, it's conditional. Even assuming the tree is dead it could be a reasonable anchor, but it depends on a couple of factors. First, what loads is the anchor going to see? On TR, you usually don't have the risk of a high-force fall, but if the route has significant overhang or traverses, you need to be more careful. Second is how strong is the tree/root? In this case, I probably would attach myself to a better anchor uphill and then yank on the trunk and roots to test how solid they are. Tree type also matters - from the little bits of bark & green, I'm guessing this is a cypress of some kind, and they're very rot-resistant. OTOH if it were something like a birch or a pine I'd be a more hesitant to trust the dead wood.
Putting the third leg of the anchor into rock is a good insurance policy on top of that.
I'm certainly not the best person to answer, but since this is a fledgling community, I'll just say that it looks super good enough to me.
Local beta is that the tree is bomber. It does feel that way but may not stay that way forever
Either way some gear in the cracks cant hurt as backup