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<p>Clipping pro on your way up a climb might seem easy at first,
but once you get pumped, twelve feet above your last piece, with
sweaty hands, it gets just a little tougher to pull it off.</p>

<p>Once you reach the first piece of protection on your climb,
whether it is a hangar or a piece of traditional pro you have
set, you have to clip into it. Take the <a
href="../../cgi-bin/glossary/glossary.cgi?word=quickdraw">quickdraw</a>
off of your <a href="../../equipment/desc/harness.shtml">harness</a>,
and clip the anchor end to your anchor. Keep in mind that the
carabeiners on a quickdraw have their gates facing opposite
directions. When clipping the anchor end of a quickdraw to the
anchor, clip the anchor carabeiner so the gate is facing the
direction you will be going. For example, if you will be staying
mainly to the left of that piece of protection, clip the pro so
that the carabeiner's gate that you clip it with is facing left.</p>

<p>This will force the rope's carabeiner to have it's gate facing
right.</p>

<p>Why is it important that you clip this way? It is very
important, because if it is not clipped properly, the rope tracks
across it's carabeiner and it could come unclipped in a fall.
Examine the pictures below:</p>
<div align="center"><center>

<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3">
    <tr>
        <td><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
        width="109">
            <tr>
                <td><img src="clip_good.JPG" alt="Good."
                width="109" height="255"></td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
                <td><font size="2">This is good. The lead can
                fall safely. </font><a
                href="../../misc/permissions.shtml#climbing"><font
                size="2">Picture Credit.</font></a></td>
            </tr>
        </table>
        </td>
        <td valign="top"><table border="1" cellpadding="0"
        cellspacing="0" width="103">
            <tr>
                <td><img src="clip_bad.JPG" alt="Bad!"
                width="103" height="208"></td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
                <td><font size="2">This is bad! If the leader
                fell now, the rope could unclip! </font><a
                href="../../misc/permissions.shtml#climbing"><font
                size="2">Picture Credit.</font></a></td>
            </tr>
        </table>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table>
</center></div>

<p>Before climbing, the leader should arrange the quickdraws on
their gear loops so that the anchor carabeiners on the quickdraws
have their gates facing towards the leader. This makes it easier
for the leader to take the quickdraws off of the gear loops.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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