Key takeaways
- A quickdraw is two carabiners linked by a sewn sling (dogbone), used to clip the rope to protection.
- The top carabiner goes on the bolt/protection; the bottom, rope-end carabiner is often dedicated to the rope.
- It lets the rope run smoothly through protection while reducing rope drag.
- Clip correctly: avoid back-clipping (gate facing the wrong way) and z-clipping (clipping below your last draw).
Parts of a quickdraw
A quickdraw is two carabiners joined by a sewn sling called the dogbone. The top (bolt-end) carabiner clips into protection; the bottom (rope-end) carabiner takes the rope and is usually held in place by a rubber keeper. Many climbers keep the two ends dedicated — bolt-end always to bolts, rope-end always to the rope — because metal bolts can burr a carabiner that would then damage the rope.
How it’s used
Leading a route, the climber clips a draw’s top carabiner to a bolt, then clips the rope into the bottom carabiner. The rope runs freely through the draw as they climb, and if they fall, that draw and the bolt catch them. Quickdraws also reduce rope drag by letting the rope flow in a straighter line.
Reaching a bolt, a lead climber clips the draw to the hanger, pulls up rope, and clips it into the bottom carabiner with the climber-side strand running out the front — confirming it isn’t back-clipped before moving on.
Clipping safely
Two classic errors to avoid: back-clipping (rope through the gate the wrong way, which can unclip in a fall) and z-clipping (grabbing rope from below your last draw). Clean, deliberate clipping is a core lead-climbing skill.
The bottom line
The quickdraw is the everyday link between rope and protection in lead climbing, simple in design but unforgiving of clipping errors. Keep the bolt-end and rope-end carabiners consistent, and clip cleanly to avoid back-clipping and z-clipping — the small habits that keep the system doing its job in a fall.
Frequently asked questions
What is a quickdraw used for?
A quickdraw connects the climbing rope to protection — most often a bolt — during lead climbing. The climber clips the upper carabiner to the bolt hanger and the rope into the lower carabiner, so the rope runs through it and a fall is caught by that piece of protection.
What is back-clipping?
Back-clipping is a dangerous clipping error where the rope runs through the carabiner the wrong way, so the climber's end comes out behind the gate. In a fall, the rope can press the gate open and unclip itself. The correct clip has the rope's climber-side strand running up and out the front of the carabiner.
Why do quickdraws have two different carabiners?
The two ends often differ on purpose: the bolt-end carabiner can develop sharp grooves from metal-on-metal contact with bolts, so dedicating the other carabiner to the rope keeps a smooth surface against it. Many draws use a stiffer rubber keeper on the rope-end to hold it in position.
Sources
- Connectors & quickdraws — UIAA
- Sport climbing skills — American Alpine Club