Testing Deadman Anchors

Summary:

This video explores dead man anchor testing with multiple variables to help you understand what affects holding power—without claiming any single configuration guarantees safety. Key findings include:

Buried Dead Man Tests:

• In solid earth with a clean edge, a 9.5" rock buried 8.5" deep held 238-250 kg of force consistently—even with zero mass on top

• In loose, uncompacted sand, the same setup with 85 kg on top failed at only 202 kg of force

• Soil quality matters more than added mass when conditions are good

Surface Rock Tests:

• Two rocks (65 kg total) on flat ground moved at 123 kg force

• Simply rotating the orientation of the same rocks dropped holding power to 92 kg—wedge shapes and mass distribution create significant differences

Cairn Anchor Tests:

• "Advanced inspectable" configuration: failed at 124 kg (pulled horizontally)

• "Inspectable" configuration with pinched webbing: failed at 140 kg

• 42 kg cairn pulled downward over a cliff edge: moved at 190 kg force

Friction Bonus:

• Lifting a 45 kg rock over a friction point required 144 kg of force—demonstrating how terrain features multiply holding power

Critical Reminders:

Build anchors solid for the task, use soft rappel starts to reduce loads, and always back up with meat anchoring, sequencing, and testing.