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amikros
Jan 12, 2008, 2:00 AM
Post #126 of 157
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oh man...im so glad someone else likes hexes...people always give me a weird look
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cchas
Jan 15, 2008, 7:58 PM
Post #127 of 157
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dingus wrote: wanderlustmd wrote: I think it's because some people are afraid of reaching their potential. By staying at a "respectable" level (say solid 5.10), they still have the safe cocoon of knowing they could climb harder, but don't have to. If they pushed it an maxed out at 11b, game over. They've lost the "what's my potential aspect of climbing." Nevermind that everyone can surpass a given plateau. But you see what I'm getting at. Others might be a afraid of the mental commitments to climbing harder. Less security, falling more, etc. I was in that category myself for a while. It's a journey. Maybe the folks you speak of will eventually get bored enough to try something harder. You can always get better. I love thread drift! I wanted to comment on this line of thinking. At points in my climbing career I've been in this head space. At other times I've rejected it. I prefectly understand your and angry's points and agree with them to a large extent. But I also encourage you both to take a broader view. This notion - that the sole measure of success in climbing is to climb ever harder routes? I have come to understand the total BULLSHIT this line of thinking represents. Who tells us this? Why the folks who push ever harder. In part it is a competitive statement. Pushing ever harder may be about new ground and personal achievement.... and it may be naked lust for competition, or most likely both..... DMT
Angry can answer for himself, but its not a "numbers thing" but more of pushing your body and mind thing for me. Right now for me it means the numbers are getting harder, but in say 20-25 yrs when I am in in mid 60's, the numbers may not be as high, but if I am still pushing myself for what I can do, at that time in my life, its still all good. If you aren't pushing past what is comfortable for you at any one time, what do you learn about yourself.
As for cowbells, for rock climbing I don't use them. For me, they are a limited tool in that arena for the routes that I'm doing. As for ice climbs I will since you can pound them into iced up cracks
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evanwish
Jan 25, 2008, 4:01 AM
Post #128 of 157
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brutusofwyde wrote: What you said: notch wrote: evanwish wrote: i llike them because if i'm in a semi-good stance and there's a good placement for the hex i'll use the hex first to save the cams for later at the crux when i need to place-clip-and-go quickly. i hate that feeling of placing one when all pumped out and thinking i really should have placed the hex first and saved the cam. pretty much as a rule for me on most of my routes is that the bottom is mainly passive and the top is usually all cams. ditto that. Hmmmm. What I hear: "Cams work better, but since I don't carry enough cams, I'll dump the junky hexes into the crack when I can get just about anything to work, and save the cams, which are far better pieces, for when I really need something that works well." But maybe my hearing aid needs adjustment.
haaa close...
love both just the same, they both stop falls, and i use them the same amount.
but yes, i would usually rather place a cam than a hex when i'm pumped out
[that's asuming it's a good placement]
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greatgarbanzo
Feb 29, 2008, 6:34 PM
Post #129 of 157
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Registered: Oct 13, 2001
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C`mon dude! cheapest ligthest way to protect certain things! Period.
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fearlessclimber
Mar 25, 2008, 6:30 AM
Post #130 of 157
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larryd wrote: Hey Dingus, no flames necessary. Just that everyone knows what's good about cams, so I thought I'd mention what's good about hexes. I'm sure it's not news to an old-timer such as yourself, but a lot of the younger guys have never learned the "Way of the Hex." I'm one of the lucky young ones that loves to use hexes, good for alpine placements and granite usually sucks them up depending.
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Fenst
Mar 25, 2008, 8:22 AM
Post #131 of 157
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Which would you rather fall on in a similiar/favorable placement, a hex or a cam? Personally I would like something passive to protect a big fall.
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greatgarbanzo
Mar 25, 2008, 2:53 PM
Post #132 of 157
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I trust them equally. I would rather fall on the best placement possible...
(Allthough, now that I think about it... I only had 4 gear placement failures in my life: 3 of them were cam placement and the other one a hex... maybe is just related to my way more extensive use of cams)
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fearlessclimber
Mar 25, 2008, 7:09 PM
Post #133 of 157
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I had 12 gear placement failures in one fall. Aid still scares the %^&* outta me.
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evanwish
Mar 25, 2008, 7:20 PM
Post #134 of 157
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if you have a lip where the crack levels out a bit an endwise hex is like a rope guide... it doesnt' run accros the top of the cam lobes and risk flipping the cam or something..
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EvilMonkey
Mar 26, 2008, 1:19 AM
Post #135 of 157
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when i first bought my lead rack, i was carrying hexes #6-10. my climbing partner told me that i'd never use the #10 and that it's only use is as a beer tap handle. so, i decided i'd prove him wrong. i lugged that piece of junk up every route i lead for two years, always looking for a placement. i never found one. now i rack #6,7, and sometimes 8 hexes. although, i ink some smaller ones would work well in a lot of situations. i'm still keeping the #10 just in case i ever find a route that'll take it.
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donald949
Mar 26, 2008, 6:06 PM
Post #136 of 157
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Its been a few years, well OK probably like 13 years. But I believe the last full pitch of Sahara Terror at Tahq took the #10 hex.
Don
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ClimbinBob
Mar 26, 2008, 8:28 PM
Post #137 of 157
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 Bee Sting Corner at Seneca in WV takes a #10 hex at the crux. Actually, it was my 1st lead using nothing but passive gear. Cams were then, and still are IMHO, too expensive.
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no_email_entered
Mar 26, 2008, 9:02 PM
Post #138 of 157
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EvilMonkey wrote: i'm still keeping the #10 just in case i ever find a route that'll take it.
if you ever take up goat herding, it will make a nice bell for billy.
i have three hexes, old Camp #3, 4, 5 and dam if i dont slot at least one of them everytime i'm out. they are like children----
---you can beat the shit out of them and they may be funny lookin but dam if they aint useful for doin chores.
----i prolly should never have kids huh
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fresh
Mar 27, 2008, 3:50 PM
Post #139 of 157
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fearlessclimber wrote: I had 12 gear placement failures in one fall. Aid still scares the %^&* outta me.
so what that's only like a 20 foot fall
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vterinme
Mar 29, 2008, 2:33 PM
Post #140 of 157
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Registered: May 3, 2007
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I still use most of my hexes. There are plenty of places in the Northeast where the 11 can find a home. I learned to climb from someone who bucked local trends and went all passive. I followed in his footsteps for five or six years. I prefer passive pro mentally, but love the plug and chug of cams.
Hexes are always on my alpine rack. No springs, sit better in iced cracks, lighter, and way cheaper as leavers.
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evanwish
Mar 30, 2008, 6:47 AM
Post #141 of 157
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Registered: May 23, 2007
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anybody here ever actually have to stack them??
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sky7high
Mar 30, 2008, 7:15 AM
Post #142 of 157
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EvilMonkey wrote: when i first bought my lead rack, i was carrying hexes #6-10. my climbing partner told me that i'd never use the #10 and that it's only use is as a beer tap handle. so, i decided i'd prove him wrong. i lugged that piece of junk up every route i lead for two years, always looking for a placement. i never found one. now i rack #6,7, and sometimes 8 hexes. although, i ink some smaller ones would work well in a lot of situations. i'm still keeping the #10 just in case i ever find a route that'll take it.
Really?
I've only bought a #6 CAMP hex and a #11 BD hex. Both were bought with the sole intent of seeing for myself wether or not hexes really suck when you have cams available (I do).
So far, the verdict is:
#6: Used it one time, and I didn't even place it.
#11: Used it the first time out, and many times since then; I keep finding bomber placements for it nearly every time.
I guess it depends on your eye.
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fearlessclimber
Mar 31, 2008, 7:38 AM
Post #143 of 157
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Registered: Oct 27, 2005
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donald949 wrote: Its been a few years, well OK probably like 13 years. But I believe the last full pitch of Sahara Terror at Tahq took the #10 hex. Don
Haha thats funny, i climbed that route last spring along with The Souvineer and The vampire and remember placing that #10 in that big crack, but it useless because the climbing eases up so much at the top.
Tahquitz is amazing, I bet the weather is amazing there right now
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donald949
Mar 31, 2008, 10:44 PM
Post #144 of 157
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Registered: May 24, 2007
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fearlessclimber wrote: donald949 wrote: Its been a few years, well OK probably like 13 years. But I believe the last full pitch of Sahara Terror at Tahq took the #10 hex. Don Haha thats funny, i climbed that route last spring along with The Souvineer and The vampire and remember placing that #10 in that big crack, but it useless because the climbing eases up so much at the top. Tahquitz is amazing, I bet the weather is amazing there right now
Well I lead the last short/easy pitch, not the one before. But I thought the one before, the last steep/full pitch took the 10 as well. But like I said, that was 13 years ago so I could very likely be mistaken.
What I remember most about that climb was how high it was above town. Longest and highest climb I have done by far. But thats off topic...
Don
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freerangequark
Apr 11, 2008, 10:21 AM
Post #145 of 157
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Registered: Jul 23, 2006
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I'm new to trad and still building up a rack. I only have 5 cams so far. I have hexes on my rack. They're nice to have when I have an easy placement that I don't have to use up one of my cams on. The larger hexes have been especially helpful. Plus the large ones make a nice hammer for tapping on a cleaning tool on a stubborn piece of pro.
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fatoomchk
Apr 15, 2008, 6:43 PM
Post #146 of 157
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Registered: May 18, 2007
Posts: 172
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When I find myself under scutiny from any of the following:
a) mugger
b) rage virus infected neo-zombies
c) republicans
d) ravening wolves
e) daleks
f) democrats
or g) religious groups,
...I prefer to use a #11 hex for self defence. They tend to be faster to deploy than cams, have a greater range (when flung), and make a satisfying "clung" sound (which is much better than the "thwack" made by a cam).
Plus when two of them are clipped together, with a little practice, you can bring down your foe bola style as they run away.
And finally, I firmly believe that Hexes would be Chuck Norris' choice.
----
Seriously... I'm with the guys that have both cams and hexes. Horses for courses kids....
EDIT: clarification of technique
(This post was edited by fatoomchk on Apr 15, 2008, 7:00 PM)
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guangzhou
Apr 24, 2008, 7:31 AM
Post #148 of 157
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Registered: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: 3389
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Hexes still have thereplace today. Here in Asia, I often do first ascent on trad protected face climbs on tropical limestone.. I almost always carry one each of the 6 to 11 hex. Work beautifully.
The limestone placement tend to be irregaular and Hexes are often more stabble then cams.
Climbing on the west coast, I used hexes for years. Yes, I was climbing route harder than 5.10 and into the 5.11 range and still placed hexes.
Last summer I did Reeds Direct in Yosemite. A moderate. I had cams on my rack, but ended up placing mostly nuts and hexes on the route. Quick, easy, and versitile.
Look at the placement and decide what gear is best.
Eman
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kimsismour
Apr 24, 2008, 12:08 PM
Post #149 of 157
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Registered: May 12, 2005
Posts: 87
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I LOVE MY HEXES -- Not only do you sound like a one man band when you are climbing, but there is nothing like hucking a hex up, and knowing that you can drop a truck on it with out it moving. Although I use both cams and hexes, somthing always freaks me out about putting a number 5 cam in a crack that looks all contouted and twisted, when I can use a solid piece of metal that is not going to walk.
viva la cowbell!!
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forkliftdaddy
Apr 24, 2008, 2:21 PM
Post #150 of 157
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Registered: Jun 3, 2003
Posts: 408
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IMO this is the best reason for using hexes:
kimsismour wrote: I LOVE MY HEXES
AKA personal preference, but ya'd think we're all a bunch of spell-casting, demon-invoking, neuromancers.
"I put a spell on you." -- John Fogerty
"I put a hex in you." -- Some fool some where, I'm sure
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