UKC

I'm currently putting together a document intended to help people (particularly student clubs, but also just people in general) with equipment inspection tasks for climbing equipment as part of my role on the BMC's Technical Committee.

It would be really helpful to have visual examples of equipment which has been retired following inspection, i.e. something that required an inspection to determine it's unsafe, not something that is very obviously broken like the helmet in this article for instance: https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/accident_in_afghanistan_head_i...

Ideally I'm looking for photos of the following:

Furry/ UV Degraded/ Chemically damaged/ burnt slings.

Cracks in Ice Screw tubes/ hangers

Cracks and/ or corrosion in none stainless steel crampons (BD had some issues with Sabretooth crampons cracking about a decade ago so I have some good examples of cracking in stainless steel crampons)

Karabiners retired due to burrs (i.e. heavily used gear end karabiners from quickdraws)

Cracked helmet shell (I have a good example of a cracked bike helmet which will work for helmets like the Petzl Meteor, nothing for the hybrid type like the Petzl Elios, or BD Half Dome)

Good examples of corrosion on nuts/ hexes/ tricams (head, or the wire loop if used)

Cracked/ damaged cam lobes

Cams with bent axles 

ATC Style belay plates wher the keeper loop has pulled out

Damaged ice axe shafts/ picks

Good idea. Gives new climbers a guide as to what to look for.

Will it be available more widely?

I often use/buy used gear: I'm careful about what I eventually use, but if there's another resource coming out, I'd be keen to read it.

All the best, j

How far gone would you like?

The intention is for it to be held on the BMC website, I'll put the link on here once it's released. It was originally conceived as an aid to student clubs given the high turnover of people (most gear secretaries will only be in post for 1 year) and them being the main type of club which uses communally held gear, however there is nothing stopping it being useful for people who aren't in student clubs.

Unfortunately UKC doesn't do emojis, but you've got a good laugh at this end!

They're a bit more knackered than I was hoping for, however the krab and belay plate are an excellent example of surface corrosion in aluminium so I can just describe them as being an extreme example of what someone may be looking for.

Ideally I'm looking for stuff which needs someone to apply some effort in looking at it to determine there is an issue, a bit like the screwgate in this image which had a rough surface under the top bar of the carabiner.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipN6pSPuVNfx1pBiuG5YvkN80zJ0Zz-QqHhv-nb...

I recall being very impressed by Gary Gibson's retired "Figure of 8" descender, which probably holds the record for most use. If he sees this, hopefully he can share the photo 😄

I may have seen it already! Being a wuss I am much rather conservative about the lifetime of gear!

Hello, contact me in this thread if you want more pictures. 

Best wishes max

I think this might be too obviously broken, but it is a carabiner that I bent the gate out in a relatively benign sport climbing fall. 

Thanks Tony, a pretty visible failure mode, but if a krab can wind up looking like that it 100% needs retiring so that's definitely helpful.

A Black Diamond Gridlock Magnetron crab I retired, if of any use. Doesn’t auto lock. Spring closure now stops gate about just 1 mm short of required position needed for auto locking. Photo 1 in “forced” closed position ie locked, but photo 2 is the now normal natural sprung returned position. Probably some kind of slight distortion of crab with use. No known reason for failure, eg significant fall, just usage.

Excellent, much more subtle than the sticky wild wires!