For over ten years, the Smooth Operator (affectionately nicknamed "The Smoothie") has been a staple for advanced canyoneers practicing Leave No Trace techniques.
Additional Information and Technical Specs
The Smooth Operator is a releasable canyoneering anchor device that allows you to rappel and retrieve your system without leaving gear behind — commonly known as ghosting. It works with natural anchor features like trees, rocks, arches, and other creative placements.
Why the Smooth Operator Anchors can be set 20–30+ feet back from the edge, reducing webbing and rap ring use while cutting down on rope grooves. In many cases it speeds up the anchoring process compared to traditional methods.
Crafted from polycarbonate for a strong, lightweight build. Failure testing across various rope sizes and brands consistently shows the weak link is the stone knot or rope — not the device itself, even under extreme tension.
This is an advanced tool. The last person to rappel bears the highest risk, and the device requires expert judgment and precision. Read all instructions thoroughly and practice in a controlled environment before field use.
Specs Material: Polycarbonate | Dimensions: 7.75 × 1.25 × 0.375 in (197 × 32 × 9.53 mm) | Weight: 1.95 oz / 55.4 g
