A Tool, Not a Cheat: Understanding the Panic Draw

A “panic” draw is a long, semi-rigid quickdraw equipped with a self-closing bolt-side carabiner. While it’s possible to rig your own Frankenstein contraption, the obvious go-to is the Kong Panic, and it comes in two lengths: 30 cm and 45 cm. In place of a standard dog bone, the Panic uses a rigid bar enclosed in tubular webbing, allowing a climber to hold the draw high above their head, making reachy clips more manageable. The bar has some flexibility to it, so the shape of the draw can be manipulated if you need to reach for a clip around an arete, for example. The self-closing carabiner is ingeniously designed to remain open until it makes contact with the bolt. Kong also makes the Prog, which has a different closure design than the Panic, but can be used similarly.

Panic draws elicit some strong emotions from climbers, ranging from “I can’t live without mine” to “Never in a million years!” Many climbers who have never used a Panic draw might think of the device as cheating, perhaps something to be reached for in a moment of weakness. Those who experience little fear when they are above their last bolt might not see any value in the device. More fearful climbers might see the Panic draw as something that will make their head game regress.

These thoughts are misguided. Panic draws can actually boost confidence and streamline the projecting progress for just about everyone. If you use them wisely, not as a crutch, they are an incredibly useful tool. Here are a few reasons why you should add a Panic draw to your sport climbing kit:

It is invaluable when projecting

Projecting a route means you are intentionally punching above your weight. There will be sections that, at first, are unclimbable. Instead of wasting energy getting back to your highpoint after each spill, you can simply use the Panic draw like a mini stick-clip to clip into the bolt above, allowing you to work that cruxy section more easily. Of course, sometimes the bolting will be too spaced to allow for this application, but if this little trick works with the route you are projecting, you will save time, energy, and skin.

It can make you a more confident onsight climber

Onsighting a climb can be intimidating. Nothing about the climb is known, and sometimes the route is so long that you can’t see all the sections or spaces between bolts. Even when you can view the climb in its entirety, looks can be deceiving. If you have always been nervous when onsight climbing, a Panic draw can help tame the otherwise seemingly endless distance between bolts as you forge into the unknown. Because the Panic draw allows you to clip from lower positions, you can tie in knowing that your options for clipping holds are greatly expanded, having all of that extra length.

It makes reachy clips fair

There’s nothing worse than a really reachy clip. Some route developers are tall and long-limbed, while some climbers are not. Holds can also break, changing ideal clipping positions. A comfortable clip from a giant ledge for one climber might be a sketchy, cruxy clip for another. Having a Panic draw makes those less-than-ideal clips feel easier. It’s not cheating, it’s levelling the playing field for climbers of all heights.

It makes sketchy clips safer

In general, the closer you are to the quickdraw, the safer the clip because less slack is added to the system while clipping. When a climber is trying to clip from way below the bolt, pulling up arm-length after arm-length of slack, holding unnecessary tension and gripped out of their mind, on tiptoes and outstretched, trying to make a desperate clip with the tips of their fingers, the likelihood of a slip increases and the extra slack in the system makes the whole situation much more risky.

A Panic draw helps mitigate this risk. If the climber is gripped and outstretched while trying to clip their Panic draw, falling while clipping this device does not add any risk—no extra slack is in the system—so falling while clipping is a much more straightforward situation to manage. This makes for a happier climber and a less stressed belayer.

It shows you what you are capable of

Nobody thinks power spotting is cheating. A little assistance when you are bouldering helps you discover what you are capable of climbing, gives you valuable information about body positioning, and allows you to touch holds that are otherwise unknown to you. A panic draw does the same thing—it allows you to clip from a decent hold so you can continue the climb and figure out beta. If you’re struggling with a fear of falling and you don’t feel ready to take a whip, don’t beat yourself up for taking a different step forward. You don’t need to achieve everything at once.

Climbing when you’re completely gripped makes for a good show, but it doesn’t always make for good climbing. While it is interesting and integral to explore pushing your boundaries, both mental and physical, you are not doing your climbing any favours if you only climb in this hyped-up, nail-biting state of mind.

More often than not, you can actually see a climber’s body language relax after they’ve clipped. Clipping from a lower stance means you are, obviously, clipped in sooner, and can therefore relax and perhaps enjoy your climbing experience sooner. Is it cheating to clip from a lower position so that you can essentially be on top-rope through the crux move? Maybe. Maybe not. It’s a whole can of worms, and of course, it depends on context. Is using a Panic draw on an onsight attempt really all that different from using a pre-hung extended quickdraw on a redpoint attempt? As always, climbers need to be open and honest about the style in which they climbed a route.