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brent_e
Mar 21, 2006, 4:26 AM
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I hear so many suggestions of people saying "get midsized cams." As in, get stuff that fits hand and fist cracks. I find myself leaving these cams on the ground almost all the time and finding that I place predominately smaller cams (#2 friend and under to ballnut sizes). I am wondering if it's just me and the style that I climb or if more people are in the same boat? It seems that the rock that I climb most (limestone in souther ontario and some granite in eastern ontario) just doesn't have a lot of spots for big cams. So, I find it strange that the first cams people suggest are "midsized." Is everyone other than me climbing handcracks? Can you shed some light on this? Am I a complete and utter idiot?
Thanks in advance for any replies/discussion.
:D
Brent
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sspssp
Mar 21, 2006, 6:43 PM
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Hand sized cracks are, at most trad areas, the easiest climbs. Futhermore, when the crack gets smaller, it becomes more possible to place stoppers.
If the trad area you climb at doesn't have hand sized cracks, that is the exception.
Most of the granite and sandstone out west has lots of different sizes so beginners gravitate to the hand sized ones.
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brent_e
Mar 21, 2006, 6:54 PM
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In reply to: Hand sized cracks are, at most trad areas, the easiest climbs. Futhermore, when the crack gets smaller, it becomes more possible to place stoppers. If the trad area you climb at doesn't have hand sized cracks, that is the exception. Most of the granite and sandstone out west has lots of different sizes so beginners gravitate to the hand sized ones.
thanks for the reply, sspssp,
maybe i'm just "looking" for small cam placements? There just doesn't seem to be the splitters around here that there are other places.
Brent
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petsfed
Mar 21, 2006, 7:12 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Hand sized cracks are, at most trad areas, the easiest climbs. Futhermore, when the crack gets smaller, it becomes more possible to place stoppers. If the trad area you climb at doesn't have hand sized cracks, that is the exception. Most of the granite and sandstone out west has lots of different sizes so beginners gravitate to the hand sized ones. thanks for the reply, sspssp, maybe i'm just "looking" for small cam placements? There just doesn't seem to be the splitters around here that there are other places. Brent
Don't need a splitter to place a hand sized cam. In addition to being the easiest, I've found hand sized cracks to be some of the most enjoyable, if only because they are cruiser.
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brent_e
Mar 21, 2006, 7:35 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: In reply to: Hand sized cracks are, at most trad areas, the easiest climbs. Futhermore, when the crack gets smaller, it becomes more possible to place stoppers. If the trad area you climb at doesn't have hand sized cracks, that is the exception. Most of the granite and sandstone out west has lots of different sizes so beginners gravitate to the hand sized ones. thanks for the reply, sspssp, maybe i'm just "looking" for small cam placements? There just doesn't seem to be the splitters around here that there are other places. Brent Don't need a splitter to place a hand sized cam. In addition to being the easiest, I've found hand sized cracks to be some of the most enjoyable, if only because they are cruiser.
thanks, Petsfed,
Do you find yourself on face climbs with thin gear much???
Brent
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buckyllama
Mar 21, 2006, 11:10 PM
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In reply to: I hear so many suggestions of people saying "get midsized cams." As in, get stuff that fits hand and fist cracks. I find myself leaving these cams on the ground almost all the time and finding that I place predominately smaller cams (#2 friend and under to ballnut sizes). I am wondering if it's just me and the style that I climb or if more people are in the same boat? It seems that the rock that I climb most (limestone in souther ontario and some granite in eastern ontario) just doesn't have a lot of spots for big cams. So, I find it strange that the first cams people suggest are "midsized." Is everyone other than me climbing handcracks? Can you shed some light on this? Am I a complete and utter idiot?
I'm in the same boat. There just aren't a ton of crack climbs near me so a lot of my climbing is face climbs with the odd pocket, horizontal, etc. Thin hands through thin tips sizes get placed most. I usually just carry a singe set from blue alien through offhands/small fist sized. If I double up it's on little stuff first. On any given pitch I'd say I place 2/3 of my small cams and maybe one or 2 larger ones. A lot of the vertical cracks that do exist are flaring so nuts just don't sit well even if the size is right in theory.
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petsfed
Mar 21, 2006, 11:32 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Don't need a splitter to place a hand sized cam. In addition to being the easiest, I've found hand sized cracks to be some of the most enjoyable, if only because they are cruiser. thanks, Petsfed, Do you find yourself on face climbs with thin gear much??? Brent
Not this season. A lot of the stuff in the Snowies that I've done desperately wanted thin gear (down to knife blades) but since we lacked, we ran it out. Given that, any time I could find a #1 (or much more rarely a #2) camalot placement, it was a god send. That is, I could rest my fingers by jamming. But we still packed 'em, since my partner and I are hardwired to look for the big placements and save the little stuff. Its a lot easier to call a shady 2" cam good enough in a too big crack, than to run it out because all of your units are too big. So we'd avoid the little placements for as long as possible. But yeah, doubles would've been useful.
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brent_e
Mar 22, 2006, 3:38 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: In reply to: Don't need a splitter to place a hand sized cam. In addition to being the easiest, I've found hand sized cracks to be some of the most enjoyable, if only because they are cruiser. thanks, Petsfed, Do you find yourself on face climbs with thin gear much??? Brent Not this season. A lot of the stuff in the Snowies that I've done desperately wanted thin gear (down to knife blades) but since we lacked, we ran it out. Given that, any time I could find a #1 (or much more rarely a #2) camalot placement, it was a god send. That is, I could rest my fingers by jamming. But we still packed 'em, since my partner and I are hardwired to look for the big placements and save the little stuff. Its a lot easier to call a shady 2" cam good enough in a too big crack, than to run it out because all of your units are too big. So we'd avoid the little placements for as long as possible. But yeah, doubles would've been useful.
man, you should look into ballnuts if you haven't already. For around that black alien size, they just seem to work marvelously (although I have yet to wing on them...yet).
Thanks for the discussion!
Brent
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granite_grrl
Mar 27, 2006, 12:28 AM
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In reply to: Am I a complete and utter idiot?
Yes
:lol:
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brent_e
Mar 27, 2006, 2:16 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: Am I a complete and utter idiot? Yes :lol:
eat it, ball and chain.
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vegastradguy
Mar 27, 2006, 2:52 AM
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hrm, thats odd. i usually run doubles of small stuff, but i never leave the ground without my #1-#3 camalots, and oftentimes i carry the #4 as well. i honestly cant think of a single lead i've done in recent memory where i didnt use these cams....
weird.
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brent_e
Mar 27, 2006, 12:44 PM
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In reply to: hrm, thats odd. i usually run doubles of small stuff, but i never leave the ground without my #1-#3 camalots, and oftentimes i carry the #4 as well. i honestly cant think of a single lead i've done in recent memory where i didnt use these cams.... weird.
I conclude that it's A) the rock up here. I think it just takes smaller pro
B) I look for small placements. maybe it's stupid to carry ballnutz all the time and place them on nearly every route, but, to quote tradman, "i'm happy...don't ruin it." I've fallen on this gear, too, and been fairly unscathed!
Brent
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granite_grrl
Mar 27, 2006, 3:51 PM
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Time for my serious answer: it is the rock/grades that you've been climbing around here Brent. Now, I'll admit that last summer I kept as far away from the escarpment as I could, but if I did end up on the slimestone climbing 5.7 and under there were many times I would just leave the #3 and #4 camalots on the ground and opt for a set of hexes instead (I think I may have even left the #2 on the ground a couple of times even).
But at other places like at the Gunks (esp places that I don't bother brinigng my hexes) there have been quite a few times I've been very very happy that I've had that #4 camalot on me, and the #3 gets used all the time.
Keep a few bigger cams if you have them, when you get the time to travel a little bit more you'll be glad you have them.
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brent_e
Mar 27, 2006, 10:00 PM
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In reply to: Time for my serious answer: it is the rock/grades that you've been climbing around here Brent. Now, I'll admit that last summer I kept as far away from the escarpment as I could, but if I did end up on the slimestone climbing 5.7 and under there were many times I would just leave the #3 and #4 camalots on the ground and opt for a set of hexes instead (I think I may have even left the #2 on the ground a couple of times even). But at other places like at the Gunks (esp places that I don't bother brinigng my hexes) there have been quite a few times I've been very very happy that I've had that #4 camalot on me, and the #3 gets used all the time. Keep a few bigger cams if you have them, when you get the time to travel a little bit more you'll be glad you have them.
you're right about hex's. Thinking back I can remember placing big hex's instead of big cams in the limestone. It seems to have the kind of irregular crack that would take big passive pro, instead of a big cam.
thanks for pointing that out!
Brent
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chossmonkey
Mar 27, 2006, 10:50 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Am I a complete and utter idiot? Yes :lol:
I'll second that so you can up your post count. :twisted:
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brent_e
Mar 27, 2006, 10:55 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: In reply to: Am I a complete and utter idiot? Yes :lol: I'll second that so you can up your post count. :twisted:
it is getting up there, eh? ahhwell. I can hijack my own thread, can't i??? well, screw it....
post count ++
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chossmonkey
Mar 27, 2006, 11:07 PM
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In reply to: it is getting up there, eh? ahhwell. I can hijack my own thread, can't i??? well, screw it.... post count ++
Yes, you've left us in the dust! :shock:
If you aren't careful though this will end up in community.
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chossmonkey
Mar 31, 2006, 8:21 PM
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In reply to: I hear so many suggestions of people saying "get midsized cams." As in, get stuff that fits hand and fist cracks. I find myself leaving these cams on the ground almost all the time and finding that I place predominately smaller cams (#2 friend and under to ballnut sizes).
I would consider from fingers to fist mid-sized. Stuff bigger and sometimes smaller tend to get labeled as specialty sizes.
Like most people have said, it depends on the area. I find that I use sizes from Blue Metolius to #2 Camalot on most routes. I usually always take down to a #0 Metolius and up to a #3 Camalot unless it is completely obvious there is no need. I also normally bring a #00 Metolius and a #4 Camalot with to the crag.
The sizes I tend to like extras of are in the #1.5 and #2 WC size because it is a tough size fro me. I also like to have extra of the smaller stuff because those placements are not always as reliable as the bigger sizes.
It all varies on the area, the route, and how much of an idiot you are! :lol:
++
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tradrenn
Apr 3, 2006, 1:23 AM
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Posting many times to the same thread only counts as one post.
Brent: for Ontario climbs all you will need is two sets of stoppers and 6 biggest hexes, that will protect all the climbs from 5.0 to 5.7 and some 5.8
For Gunks leave your hexes at home and take your cams with you, make sure you have Gunks tie-off on those Forged friends of yours.
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tradrenn
Apr 3, 2006, 1:25 AM
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Posting many times to the same thread only counts as one post.
Here is the proove.
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brent_e
Apr 3, 2006, 2:23 AM
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In reply to: Posting many times to the same thread only counts as one post. Brent: for Ontario climbs all you will need is two sets of stoppers and 6 biggest hexes, that will protect all the climbs from 5.0 to 5.7 and some 5.8 For Gunks leave your hexes at home and take your cams with you, make sure you have Gunks tie-off on those Forged friends of yours.
welcome back, Wojtek.
I didn't even bring the FF's to the rock when I went to the gunks. Rebecca had camalots, so they weren't needed. I have gunks tie offs on a few of the smaller sizes, but ended up leaving them, too! Used TCU's and some of the smaller 4CU dmm units.
I know you started with a couple sets of nuts and hex's. I also know that some routes you can leave everything else on the ground. But, it seems, i am not one to run it out! :D
Brent
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chossmonkey
Apr 4, 2006, 9:17 PM
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Of the six routes we did Sunday at Rattle Snake, I think we used the #4 Camalot none, #3 once, #2 a few times, and the #1 a few times.
I could have used the #4 on at least one anchor, but I conveniently left it on the ground.
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brent_e
Apr 5, 2006, 1:31 AM
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In reply to: Of the six routes we did Sunday at Rattle Snake, I think we used the #4 Camalot none, #3 once, #2 a few times, and the #1 a few times. I could have used the #4 on at least one anchor, but I conveniently left it on the ground.
I guess that supports my point. :lol: you're info is rather....vaugue!!!
:D
Brent
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chossmonkey
Apr 5, 2006, 9:41 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: Of the six routes we did Sunday at Rattle Snake, I think we used the #4 Camalot none, #3 once, #2 a few times, and the #1 a few times. I could have used the #4 on at least one anchor, but I conveniently left it on the ground. I guess that supports my point. :lol: you're info is rather....vaugue!!! :D Brent
What are you talking about? Vague?
The #1 were used on half the routes we did. Which is about as much or more than any other sized piece was used. We did use quite a few mid to large sized nuts to.
The smallest cam I used was a #1 Metoliuos and the smallest nut I used was a #3 Rock. I guess I did place a #2, but it was probably junk.
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