Climbing protection – bolts, trad climbing gear, slings, quickdraws and belay devices

There are three different types of camming devices: classic nuts, tricams and hexcentrics.

NUTS:

In principle, a nut consists of a metal block and a wire, which is incorporated into it. At the end there is a wire loop to clip a quickdraw, for example. Nuts usually have a trapezoidal shape and clamp in tapered cracks. When placing it, the nut must be placed correctly so that it does not slip when changing the climbing direction. In the event of a fall, the side walls of the crack need to be of solid rock and sturdy enough to resist the extreme forces.

In some regions, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains for example, where the rock is too soft, the use of these devices is even prohibited as they would damage the walls and cracks too much.

On an anchor, make sure that the nut also holds in the opposite direction in case the lead climber falls. Therefore, it must be placed downward or to the side. A single nut should never be used as the only piece to set up an anchor; you always need to create redundancy. It's recommendable to buy a complete set of nuts (8-12 pieces) because, unlike cams, they do not adapt to the crack. You have to check which size fits the respective crack.

What to pay attention to when placing a nut:

1. Solid rock
2. Sufficient constriction of the crack to prevent the nut from slipping
3. As high a contact surface on the rock as possible
4. After placing, tighten the nut downwards a little to block it in the crack. Test after placing.

With the help of a nut removal tool, which is a piece of metal with a hook at the end, the follower can easily remove the nuts again.

TRICAMS:

Tricams are half-round-shaped camming devices with pyramid-shaped tips. They are placed in horizontal or parallel cracks, crevices and holes and are also quite inexpensive. Probably the most famous Tricam hangs in the well-known Dolomite route 'Via Attraverso il Pesce' on the south face of the Marmolada.

HEXENTRICS:

Hexentrics are basically oversized, six-sided nuts that can be placed in larger and even parallel cracks. They are also quite light and inexpensive. Due to their six sides, they have a larger contact surface compared to nuts and therefore have a smaller probability to pop out. They are also popular for mixed climbing (rock with snow and ice) because, when properly placed, they are more reliable than nuts. Nowadays, only a few climbers still use them, as they are more difficult to place and remove.

Active camming devices are defined by their mobility. They are placed in cracks by spring retention. Under load, the lobes spread laterally against the crack walls. Active camming devices hold best in parallel cracks. In cracks that taper sharply or open inward or outward, spring-loaded camming devices could move, even with little rope movement, in the crack and become dislodged from their position. A distinction is made between cams, Gipsys and Ball Nuts.

CAMS:

Cams (or Friends) come in a wide range of sizes, from the truly tiny ones, which cover cracks in the millimeter range, to the giant ones fitting extremely wide cracks. Cams are more expensive than nuts, for example. However, you shouldn't skip on quality. With a basic rack of about seven cams, you are already quite well-set. If you want to climb a lot in clean routes, you should buy the medium sizes twice. The main suppliers are Black Diamond, Wild Country, DMM and Omega Pacific. Depending on the manufacturer, the cam sizes are classified differently, for example, the Black Diamond Camalots Ultralight is available from 0.4 to 4, Wild Country Friends are available from 0.4 to 3, DMM Dragon Cams from 0 to 6 and Omega Pacific Link Cams from 0.5 to 2. They each differ in span, breaking strength and weight.

What to pay attention to when placing a cam:

1. Place the cam in the crack from bottom to top.
2. A cam is perfectly placed when the lobes are approximately half retracted. This means it should be neither completely open nor completely pulled together. In the latter case, the follower probably will have some serious issues getting it out of the crack.
3. Order on the harness is a must so that you have the right size quickly at hand.

GIPSYS:

The Gipsy (frictional anchor device) is an ideal addition to your cam rack, as it can be used to cover large, parallel crack widths. Three support points cramp in the crack. The Kong Gipsy is available in three sizes.

BALL NUTS:

Ball Nuts basically look like nuts, but due to their size adjustability, they are actually active camming devices. Ball nuts can be used above all to secure extremely thin cracks.

Polyamide or nylon slings are very stretchy and sensitive to UV rays. Due to their thickness, they are heavier and slightly wider (usually between 16 and 25 mm) compared to Dyneema and Kevlar slings. 

Usage:

• Anchor sling
• Personal anchor tether

Advantages:

• Elasticity
• Easy to knot

Disadvantages:

• More sensitive to moisture
• High weight
• Low cut resistance

Dyneema or polyethylene slings are particularly light, cut-resistant and narrower (between 6 and 10 mm) than polyamide slings. They are also less sensitive to UV light.

Usage:

• Horn sling
• Rock tunnel sling and bolt extension
• Rope extension

Advantages:

• Low weight
• High edge cut resistance

Disadvantages:

• Poor energy absorption
• Not easy to knot due to low friction surface (can start to slip at 2 kN)

Kevlar or aramid slings are similar to Dyneema slings in many respects. Also lightweight and cut-resistant, but more heat-resistant than Dyneema.

Usage:

• Anchor sling
• Rock tunnel sling

Advantages:

• High edge cut-resistance

Disadvantages:

• Poor energy absorption

These slings are made of polyamide-Dyneema blended fabric providing a combination of functions of both fabrics. This is why, for example, there are often webbing slings made of Kevlar that have a polyamide sheath, since Kevlar is particularly UV-sensitive. Hybrid slings, therefore, offer the advantages of Dyneema in the core (light, high edge cut resistance) and polyamide in the sheath (good to knot, UV-resistant and more robust).

Usage:

• Anchor sling
• Personal anchor tether

Quickdraws are used to link protection points (bolts, trad gear, slings) to the rope. They consist of two carabiners which are connected through loop material. One carabiner is clipped into the protection point, and the rope is clipped into the lower carabiner. In climbing jargon, quickdraws are also called ‘draws’.

A whole set comes usually with at least 10 quickdraws. While alpine climbing, it's often useful to have extendable alpine quickdraws to ensure the best possible line of rope and avoid severe rope drag. For this purpose, two carabiners are connected with a 60 or 90 cm sling.

Belay devices can be roughly divided into tubular (or aperture) belay devices and assisted-braking belay devices. The biggest difference between the two groups is that there is no locking function in the tubular belay devices. If the belayer makes a mistake by losing grip on the rope with the braking hand or is injured by falling rocks, this can have serious consequences because the rope can slip through. Assisted-braking belay devices, on the other hand, give more safety because they lock down on the rope in the event of a fall. Probably the safest devices are the assisted-braking ones which lock down on the rope regardless of the braking hand position. With assisted-braking devices that pinch the rope between them and the carabiner, and with tubular devices, the correct braking hand position is absolutely necessary. The basic rule for ALL belay devices is: Always grab the rope with the braking hand.

TUBULAR BELAY DEVICES:

Today, tubular belay devices are mainly used for extreme weight differences and in alpine terrain. A distinction is made between two types:

• Figure eight (rarely used nowadays)
• Tubular device
  

Advantages:

• Dynamic belaying is possible even without body movement and with extreme weight differences
• Inexpensive
• Can also be used for rapelling (depending on model)

Disadvantages:

• No locking assistance and thus no safety reserve

ASSISTED-BRAKING BELAY DEVICES:

They provide both locking assistance and a more or less large safety reserve, depending on the device. Semi-automatic belay devices can be divided into two categories:

• Passive assisted-braking belay device
  
• Active assisted-braking belay device
  

Passive assisted-braking devices create strong friction during a fall. They pinch the rope between the carabiner and the belay device. This locks the device so that the rope cannot continue to pass through. With this process, the belayer doesn't have to hold the fall with his/her own hand strength alone. Therefore, these devices provide a much higher safety margin than tubular devices. As a comparison, passive assisted-braking devices already brake at an angle of 10° to 45°, whereas tubular devices only do from 90°.

Advantages:

• The locking assistance compensates for possible belaying mistakes.
• Relatively inexpensive

Disadvantages:

• Locking assistance depends on the braking hand position.
• Some devices work optimally and safely only with the appropriate carabiner.
• The rope runs over the carabiner, which leads to wear and tear.

With active assisted-braking devices, the rope is pinched in between the device itself. Unlike passive assisted-braking devices, active assisted-braking devices lock independently of the braking hand position. Thus, they offer the best safety margin and are, therefore, the preferred belay devices for sport climbing.

Advantages:

• The locking function works independently of the brake hand position.
• Largest safety reserve of all belay devices
• No need for a special carabiner
• The rope only passes through the device, so there is no wear and tear on the carabiner.

Disadvantages:

• More expensive
• Require a lot of practice to learn the complex movements.