Quickdraw
Encyclopedia
- For the Apple graphics software library, see QuickDrawQuickDrawQuickDraw is the 2D graphics library and associated Application Programming Interface which is a core part of the classic Apple Macintosh operating system. It was initially written by Bill Atkinson and Andy Hertzfeld. QuickDraw still exists as part of the libraries of Mac OS X, but has been...
.
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
to connect the climbing rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
to bolt anchors or other protection
Protection (climbing)
To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection, a term used to describe the equipment used to prevent injury to themselves and others.-Types of climbing:...
, while lead climbing
Lead climbing
Lead climbing is a climbing technique used to ascend a route. This technique is predominantly used in rock climbing and involves a lead climber attaching themselves to a length of dynamic climbing rope and ascending a route while periodically attaching protection to the face of the route and...
. Outdoors or indoors, the top, straight carabiner is clipped to an anchor on the wall, leaving the bottom, bent gate carabiner for the climber's rope, allowing the rope to run freely.
A quickdraw consists of two carabiner
Carabiner
A carabiner or karabiner is a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate that is used to quickly and reversibly connect components in safety-critical systems. The word comes from "Karabinerhaken", meaning "hook for a carbine" in German.-Use:...
s connected by a sewn loop of webbing
Webbing
Webbing is a strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres often used in place of rope. The name webbing comes from the meshed material frequently used in its construction, which resembles a web...
referred to as a dogbone. The dogbones differ from the slings used in traditional climbing in that they are sewn through, providing both greater rigidity which assists rapid clipping and geometric protection from the carabiner clipping itself out of the sling loop. The webbing can be of any length, but is usually 12 cm (5") to 30 cm (12") in length. As a general trend traditional climbers
Traditional climbing
Traditional climbing, or trad climbing, is a style of rock climbing in which a climber or group of climbers places all gear required to protect against falls , and removes it when a passage is complete...
opt for longer quickdraws constructed from lengthier sections of webbing as this allows for greater rope movement, and reduces the chances of protection becoming dislodged. Shorter, stiffer quickdraws, which are quicker and easier to use, are preferred by sport climbers
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
as they do not have the same concerns about dislodgement. Quickdraws can be assembled from carabiners and slings, or are available pre-assembled from many manufacturers. Quickdraws are available with a wide variety to carabiner styles and sling lengths, to suit different applications and tastes. To see different types of carabiners available, see carabiner
Carabiner
A carabiner or karabiner is a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate that is used to quickly and reversibly connect components in safety-critical systems. The word comes from "Karabinerhaken", meaning "hook for a carbine" in German.-Use:...
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, quickdraws are often abbreviated to draws.