Why do carabiners break?
Several reasons. • A carabiner of the quickdraw might be forced against the rock during a leader fall. In general, 2 scenarios can play out: 1) The carabiner gate opens and greatly reduces the overall strength of the carabiner, causing it to break under the force of a fall. 2) Or, even if the gate does not open, the carabiner might be loaded “over an edge” or against the rock so that the middle of the ‘biner is being “bent” over and could snap. Mini ‘biners are particularly susceptible to this. Solutions: 1) If you are worried about the gate being forced open by its contact against the rock, replace the offending ‘biner with a locking one. 2) If you are worried about a sideways-loaded carabiner, use a longer quickdraw to clear the area around the rock where the carabiner is being loaded. Or, use an open circular sling and clip in the rope with 2 carabiners, reversed and opposed. • The top carabiner might become stuck in a sideways position in a small piton hole or on an old bolt hanger
