HMS Carabiner
What Does HMS Mean?
HMS is an acronym for the german phrase "Halbmastwurf sicherung”, which loosely translates as “Munter hitch belay carabiner.” So an “HMS” carabiner is, basically, the “half clove hitch belay” carabiner, a large, locking pear-shaped carabiner, suitable for belaying with a Munter hitch.
- One of the advantages of using a pear-shaped carabiner like this is that the bottom edge is wide and relatively flat.
- You can easily belay off of this with a Munter hitch, because the wide gap in the bottom allows the knot to flip back and forth as you take in or let out rope.
- The wide and flat bottom allows you to clip other carabiners onto it, and add them and remove them fairly easily, even if one carabiner is loaded. This can be especially helpful on big wall climbing, when the first step to build an anchor is usually clipping a large pearabiner into each of the bolts, and locking the gates. Everything else you add to the anchor typically gets clipped into those primary carabiners.
Edelrid HMS Strike Slider 5 Pack$119.70Innovative HMS carabiner with automatic locking mechanism. Learn More
