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Aspiring Enterprises supplies bolts, bolt hangers, and climbing holds from Fixe Climbing Equipment in Spain. Fixe (pronounced "Fix-ay") is the world leader in climbing anchors, with a wide range of bolts, bolt hangers, and anchor stations, of which we are able to stock only a few of the most popular.
Standard bolt hangers
Ring hangers
Super shuts
Glue-in bolts
Climbing holds 
The standard Fixe hangers for outdoor use are made from grade 304 stainless steel. They come in two versions with different sizes holes for the anchor bolt - 10 mm and 12 mm.
There is also a zinc-plated carbon steel version of the standard bolt hanger, which is intended only for indoor use in climbing gyms.
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The Fixe ring hanger system meets all the requirements for a fully redundant anchor system. Both anchors are independent and excessively strong. and in the event of failure of one, there would be minimal additional loading from impact on the other.
The standard Fixe ring hangers have a single welded ring, which is adequate for most purposes. We also stock the double ring hanger, which has two interlinked 9 mm welded rings. These provide more space for connections to be made at anchor stations.
Ring hangers are ideal for anchors which are used as abseil stations. In fact, there is no suitable alternative available for abseil stations.
In New Zealand chain and shackle systems have long been used at anchor stations. These should be replaced as they do not meet modern standards for climbing anchors. Both the chain and the shackle are usually unrated and not corrosion-resistant (although rated shackles are available).
The concept of bringing the two chains to a single point is seriously flawed, as it does not retain the independence of the two anchors, so failure at this single point would be catastrophic. Even worse, a failure is relatively likely because the shackle pin is usually not secured. It has happened that the shackle reversed so the the rope was running over the pin, thereby loosening it and creating an extremely hazardous situation.
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The Fixe Amerika Super Shut is a unique anchor system design for high-use sport climbs. The Super Shut is essentially a lowering hook with a safety catch, so that on reaching the top of a climb a climber can pull the rope into the device without retying or threading the rope, thus improving both speed and safety.
"Cold shuts" such as the Amerika must always be used in pairs (placed about 25 cm apart), and must only be used for lowering, but never for a conventional anchor station. To prevent this they must not be placed above a ledge. The placement must also be below the cliff top, so that a "clean" lower can be achieved, without the rope running over edges. They are not suitable for use on every climb.
It is particularly important to never climb above a cold shut, as the rope will release from the anchor if a fall occurs on the wrong side - a 50/50 chance.
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Fixe glue-in bolts meet European standards EN 959 and 12572. The axial strength is 30 kN and perpendicular (shear) strength is 40 kN. Glue-in bolts are suitable for use in all types of rock, for protection as well as for anchor stations (in pairs). They are also widely used for industrial anchors, for rope access and fall protection.
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The small, medium, and large holds have the standard allen bolt fitting, using a T-nut mounting, whereas the micro holds are held by two screws.
A feature of the Fixe large holds is that many of them incorporate "pockets" to simulate limestone features. The micros are obviously very small, but unlike many holds in this size range have one very positive facet that can provide a key hold even on a steep route.
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Copyright Aspiring Enterprises, revised 15 October 2004.
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