I was surprised to see someone sling a tree root and two pieces on the same tree. The not pictured 3rd anchor was solid in rock. What are your thoughts?
I was surprised to see someone sling a tree root and two pieces on the same tree. The not pictured 3rd anchor was solid in rock. What are your thoughts?
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.