Rock Climbing Gear: Protection (And "Rope Drag")
Welcome Back, Everybody!
In this entry, I'm going to get deeper into "protection" or just "pro."
I talked a little bit about "pro" in Part 4:
https://akshunkat.com/blogs/find-your-adventure/how-to-get-started-rock-climbing-part-4
"Pro" is the blanket term that refers to the pieces of gear that Climbers use to secure themselves or their rope to the rock (or ice, but I'll do a whole other series on ice climbing later).
Basically, as the Climber goes up, he or she must create secure attachment points as they go. If you attach your rope to that point, so that the rope runs THROUGH it (very important!), then, if you fall at that moment you won't hit the ground. Your Belayer should lock off the rope as quickly as possible, and you'll only fall a tiny distance - usually just whatever slack was in the rope between you and your Belayer PLUS whatever rope stretch there is.
Most ropes stretch at a rate of about 7%, so if you are 100 feet up, you'll get about 7 feet of rope stretch. This is good, though, because the act of stretching absorbs some of the force of the fall, reducing the pulling forces on your pro. That lessens the "shock-load" effect and increases the likelihood that your pro will hold your fall. It also reduces the shock load on your body. It's a little like bungee jumping!
(This is why climbing ropes are called "dynamic" ropes - because they stretch. By contrast, "static" ropes do not stretch, which is why they should NEVER be used for LEADING, but only for RAPPELLING or for stuff like rigging top-rope anchors. If you fell while leading on a static rope, you could very easily rip out your protection; and if you don't, your pelvis might get crushed as your harness catches you. So... I recommend against climbing with static ropes!)
So, there are two basic categories of "Protection": Passive and Active.
[These are metal wedges (passive pro) called "Stoppers," made by Black Diamond]
Passive protection is very simple, non-mechanical gear that you insert into a crack, give a downward yank to "set" it, and then clip. These are wedges, hexes and "tri-cams." They can be very secure, but they require a constriction - a narrowing - of the crack in order to hold. Basically, if you fall on a piece of passive pro, you will pull that chunk of metal downward towards where the crack gets smaller. Because the chunk of metal can't go there, it gets stuck - and holds your fall.
The downside of passive pro is that they are usually not "multi-directional," which means that they will only hold if the pull on the piece is downward. If you climb up past the piece and your rope pulls UPWARDS on it, then it could pop right out. At that point, you are not protected - it's like you never even placed that piece in the first place. If that one piece of pro was protecting you against a fatal ground-fall, then now, all of a sudden, you're right back where you started - facing a fatal ground-fall! This is why it's very important to "set" your passive pro with a good downward yank to sort of lock it in place and make it more unlikely that it will pull out.
It's also VERY important to manage and minimize your "rope drag," which is the real culprit in pulling that piece out. Rope drag is like climbing with a 10 or 20 pound (or sometimes more!) bowling ball hanging off of your harness. It's caused by the friction of your rope zig-zagging through the carabiners on your pro, or around corners or even past overhangs. As you climb up, you need to be aware of the path that your rope is taking as it runs from your harness down to your belayer. For example, if the climb goes straight up, then you are pretty unlikely to experience much rope drag; but if the climb goes left, then right, then left again - and you are placing pro to the left, to the right, then to the left again - then you need to use longer slings (also called "runners") to reduce the drag.
Even if you are climbing straight up, if you have to reach far to the side to place protection, and later will have to reach far to the OTHER side to place more protection, you'll need to use slings to straighten the path of the rope. This is why "quickdraws" are not usually very good for Trad Climbing, because they are too short and can contribute to rope drag. They might be fine for some straight-up climbs where drag isn't a problem, or on certain straight parts of some climbs, but you'll definitely want an assortment of longer slings for Trad.
The main advantages of passive pro is that they are very inexpensive, light and take up very little space. You can carry a whole bunch of them, of different shapes and sizes, and even double or triple up on the sizes that you think you are most likely to use.
One thing that I should also mention is that you will need a "cleaning tool" - also called a "nut tool." This is a metal hook that you or your partner (you should both carry one) will need to get a stuck piece out. For example, if you fall, the force of your weight pulling downward on that wedge might jam it into the crack and really get it stuck. Your partner, as he comes up and "cleans" your pro, might need that tool for getting it "unstuck." Otherwise, you'll have to just leave it.
Believe me, if you climb long enough, you'll leave some gear behind because you just couldn't get it out!
The Leader might also need that tool, though, because sometimes you try to set a piece of pro, but for whatever reason you decide to pull it out, but it doesn't want to come out. Maybe it fell so deep into the crack that you can't reach it without the tool, or maybe you've decided that a different size would be better. Whatever the reason, it's always good to carry a nut tool with you on lead.
[Cams - This picture is of two different brands: On the top is a Black Diamond "Camalot", and on the bottom is a cam made by Metolius]
Active Protection:
These are called "cams." They are much more expensive, more complicated and larger (they take up more space on your rack), but they are an absolute necessity on many climbs. Essentially, they are spring-loaded devices that change their size to fit into cracks of various sizes. While a single piece of passive pro (a metal wedge) can NOT change in size, and therefore can only fit into a crack that is the same size, a cam can fit into a RANGE of different sized cracks.
[In the photo above, the top cam is (obviously) well-suited for a range of larger cracks, while the bottom cam is for tiny cracks. The "trigger" is the bar that runs across the middle, and it is attached to the head of the cam by those little wires. When you pull on the trigger, those wires pull the lobes of the cam downward, reducing the size of the cam's head. The red and blue webbing is what you will clip your rope or sling into, and they are color-coded to help you see the different sizes.]
Cams have a trigger, and when you pull the trigger, the cam's "head" gets smaller. At that point, you insert the cam into a crack, and release the trigger. When you release the trigger, tiny springs (for lack of better word) push the opposing lobes of the cam's head outward - making the cam's head bigger until it "locks" into the crack.
Any outward pull will actually cause the cam to try to get even bigger, which means that it will even more securely lock itself into the crack. It's genius! And when you are in big trouble, fearing for your life and on the verge of falling, there's nothing quite like that secure feeling of putting a cam in, clipping it, and knowing that you are now as safe as a baby in her mother's arms!
Cams are "multi-directional" (unlike passive pro). This means that rope drag is unlikely to pull them out even if you end up pulling straight up on it. Now, they aren't totally foolproof. They CAN wiggle, or "walk" their way out of a crack and fall out, so you still need to be careful and aware of your rope drag, but they are much more unlikely to come out until you want them to come out.
Not only are cams quicker and easier for the Leader to place, they're MUCH easier for your second to clean. Usually, to get the cam out, you just reach in with your fingers, pull the trigger and pull it out. Sometimes, the cam can walk itself deeper into the crack, making the trigger tough to reach - especially if the crack is really skinny. In that case, you can use that trusty nut tool to reach in there and pull the trigger in order to get it back out.
Cams also don't need any kind of constriction - or narrowing - of a crack in order to work. This means that they can be inserted into cracks that have perfectly parallel sides. These are the kinds of cracks where passive pro pieces just won't work at all.
The main downside to cams is expense. Each one can cost $50 or $60 - or even more! If you're climbing a 120 foot route, and you want to put a piece in every 10 feet, then you'll need at least 12 pieces - PLUS a few left over to build your belay station. If you're using nothing but cams, that could mean carrying close to $1,000 worth of cams with you!
Most climbers carry a mixed rack - some passive and some active pro - and use passive pro for the bulk of their placements, saving the cams for when they really need them. Of course, you can - and should - vary your rack according to whatever climb that you are tackling. If you are somewhere like in Utah, climbing lots of straight cracks where passive pro will most likely not work at all, you might want to bring nothing but cams.
By contrast, plenty of climbing areas - like Seneca Rocks in West Virginia - take passive pro almost everywhere. Cams are still certainly nice to have, but they aren't really necessary.
[A Tri-Cam]
No discussion of pro would be complete without mentioning "Tri-Cams". I love these weird, wacky pieces of pro! Now made and sold by a company called "Camp," these were originally designed and sold by the great American company Lowe Alpine, who invented all sorts of cool climbing gear over the decades, like the Lowe Balls, which are now also sold by Camp as "Ball Nuts" (Ball Nuts are a kind of really skinny cam for super thin cracks).
Tri-Cams are sort of a hybrid between passive and active pro. They can be used just like a regular wedge, but they can also be placed in their "active mode." They have a point on one side, and a curved rocker on the other; and, if you place it right, it "cams" itself into place - locking into whatever crack it's in.
They're great for horizontal cracks where regular passive wedges won't work (remember, passive pro needs a downward pull to work). They're also lighter and cheaper than regular cams, and they won't freeze up like cams will. This means that they're well suited for mountaineering in snowy, icy mountains.
They can be a real pain to clean, though - especially the smaller ones. Your partner may hate you, but at least you'll be able to protect yourself in those weird spots where nothing else will really do the job. My opinion is that, if you really take the time to become proficient at using tricams, you'll grow to love them.
Needless to say, I never go anywhere without some tricams!
Ok, so that just about covers rock climbing pro. If you have any questions or comments, let me know below. And if you have any more ideas for blog entries, I'd love to hear them!
I think my next entry will be about building anchors.
'Til next time,
Chris at AkshunKat