
HOW TO TRIM YOUR BLACK DIAMOND SKINS
Watch and learn as our Field Test Coordinator runs you through a step by step...
Add $99.00 more to quality for free Shipping!
$0.00 USD
Carabiners are incredibly strong—they meet a minimum test of 20 kN (4496 lbf or 2039 kg) when properly loaded their major axis with the gate closed. In an open gate scenario, carabiners still test to a minimum of 7 kN (1574 lbf or 714 kg). But when you test a nose-hooked carabiner, it can fail at less than 10% of its rated closed gate strength - that's less han 2 kN (500lbf or 227 kg), a load that can be easily generated in even the smallest of climbing falls or even just a light bounce test.
Why is the carabiner's breaking strength so low when loaded in this manner? It's a combination of an open gate scenario coupled with the fact that the carabiner basket is being cantilevered off of the bolt hanger/sling/Stopper wire, meaning the load is not in line with major axis (i.e., the carabiner's spine). This off-axis loading causes the carabiner to be excessively torqued and break at an extremely low load.
Black Diamond manufactures a lot of carabiners, and therefore Black Diamond tests a lot of carabiners. We not only understand the loads at which carabiners break, but also the modes (i.e., location of breakages), depending on the way it was loaded. So it's possible to look at where a carabiner is broken and have a good idea of how it was loaded.
The photos below show typical failure locations for one style of carabiner tested in four different configurations. As you can see, a nose-hooked carabiner will most often break at the top of the spine, while open and closed gate failures typically occur at the bottom of the spine, and minor axis failures almost always occur at the gate.
[Disclaimer: All carabiners are different, and detailed analysis of the particular carabiner's geometry and failure modes is necessary in order to be able to estimate the particular loading scenario with any level of confidence.]
When a carabiner is loaded while the nose is hung-up on a bolt hanger, a leveraging open-gate scenario occurs. Carabiners are significantly weaker in this configuration—less than 10% of closed-gate strength.
How to avoid this? Always ensure that the carabiner's gate is closed and the carabiner is correctly seated.
Climb safe -
KP
Kolin Powick (KP) is a Mechanical Engineer hailing from Calgary, Canada. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the engineering field and has been Black Diamond's Director of Global Quality since 2002. Kolin oversees the testing of all of Black Diamond's gear from the prototype phase through continual final production random sample testing. If you have a technical question for KP, please email him at askkp@bdel.com and he will try to respond.
Watch and learn as our Field Test Coordinator runs you through a step by step...
Watch and learn as our Field Test Coordinator runs you through a step by step process of trimming and setting up any STS-style Black Diamond skin.
Every climber has a few lines they dream about. Whether inspired or haunted—or sometimes both—these...
Every climber has a few lines they dream about. Whether inspired or haunted—or sometimes both—these lines can push us beyond what we thought we were capable of, in turn teaching us who we really are. BD Ambassador Ethan Salvo recently restructured his entire life to focus on two climbs that pulled him into the void with only one way out … getting to the top. This is his story of sending Dreamcatcher and becoming the first Canadian to climb V16 in the same week.
BD Athlete Connor Herson spent as many weekends as possible in the Valley this spring...
BD Athlete Connor Herson spent as many weekends as possible in the Valley this spring during a grueling quarter at Stanford. The objective? Ground up, in-a-day ascents.
Follow Hillary in this documentary film capturing her record-breaking ascent of Europe’s tallest peak.
BD Athlete Seb Bouin takes us back to his home crag of Pic Saint-Loup where...
BD Athlete Seb Bouin takes us back to his home crag of Pic Saint-Loup where he establishes the true king line of the cliff—Wolf Kingdom.
A film documenting the often-overshadowed bouldering of Yosemite climbing, where jedis like BD Athlete Carlo...
A film documenting the often-overshadowed bouldering of Yosemite climbing, where jedis like BD Athlete Carlo Traversi have spent years learning to harness the force.
BD Athlete Hazel Findlay shares her tips for returning to the climbing life for new...
BD Athlete Hazel Findlay shares her tips for returning to the climbing life for new mothers.
A film documenting the first flash ascent of El Capitan by BD Athletes Babsi Zangerl...
A film documenting the first flash ascent of El Capitan by BD Athletes Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher.
BD Athletes Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher share their story of climbing one of the...
BD Athletes Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher share their story of climbing one of the world’s most mythical trad routes.
BD Athletes Aaron Mulkey and Yannick Glatthard take the new Hydra into the backcountry of...
BD Athletes Aaron Mulkey and Yannick Glatthard take the new Hydra into the backcountry of Montana in search of steep ice and mixed climbing.
Follow Dorian Densmore and Mya Akins for a month-long, exploratory mission in the Chugach Mountains.
Two BD legends walk into the Valley. What happens next? Watch and see.
With ski season kicking off, the QA Lab crew dives deep into the world of...
With ski season kicking off, the QA Lab crew dives deep into the world of electromagnetic interference and how it can affect backcountry safety.