Vertical caving terminology and methods > Rigging methods and equipment
A natural feature such as a hole/eyehole, stalagmite, rock flake/spike/bollard, rock bridge/column/pillar, chockstone (a rock wedged in a fissure), boulder or tree, which is used instead of an anchor. Usually requires a sling to make it safe, and avoid friction damage to the rope. Thread may be used to refer to any kind of natural that the rope has to be fed through, including an eyehole or gap between boulders, or an Abalakov thread. Bollard may also refer to a large natural or artificial mound of a relatively soft substance such as mud or even grass tussocks, which the rope can then be placed around. A horseshoe-shaped trench may be dug in a natural deposit of a soft substance to leave a mound, ideally with an edge shaped so that it prevents the rope from slipping off, with the size of the mound being larger for softer substances. This approach may be used with snow, to create a snow bollard. This type of bollard is reserved for emergencies, and is not considered a standard technique, since it is highly prone to failure when done badly, and damages cave sediment deposits.
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