How to use nuts for climbing gear. In this article, we'll focus on active pro.

How to use nuts for climbing gear I then put them on three carabiners painted with the same colours. In this video, Julie Ellison, Climbing gear editor, shows how to place and clean nuts. Neil Gresham gives us a masterclass in the basics of placing nuts as Trad climbing protection. Everything wears off/falls off over time. Friends climbing gear has a wealth of climbing equipment available to use when you're climbing through trickier spots and need that extra power and safety. May 19, 2023 · Check out our picks in our best climbing harness review. A. At GearLab, we've tested a wide variety of climbing gear over the past decade+ and have recommendations for every climber, from beginner to expert. Personally I use nail polish. May 29, 2020 · New to trad climbing? Our Beginner's Guide to Trad Climbing breaks down everything you need to know to get started trad climbing today. Jul 28, 2022 · The Gear You Need for Trad Climbing That’s a lot of gear! Traditional or “Trad” climbing involves placing your own protection as you climb. Learn how to place hexes; how to use them passively (like a nut) or actively so they cam into cracks. Remember to check out our selection Learning how to place trad gear is an essential skill as you progress as a climber. Also see some examples of gear-racking options. I then use electrical tape to colour code the nut: red=big; yellow=medium; blue=small. This includes passive pro (gear without moving parts) and active pro (gear with moving parts). Instead of clipping bolts, you are looking for natural features, cracks, or constrictions to place traditional climbing equipment like nuts and cams. Build bomber anchors, boost confidence & climb safer. Read the best ways to personalize your gear with nail polish, tape, and more. Aug 3, 2023 · Explore the inner workings of a ball nut and understand its role in climbing. This will teach you far more about trad climbing strategy, placing gear and the intricacies of placements on different rock types and routes, than The workhorse of all your climbing gear. This article explains all. As early as the 1920s, British climbers had carried pebbles in the pockets of their knickers, slotting these stones into wide spots in cracks and tying them off—with scary-looking hemp cord—for pro. The term climbing protection, or simply “protection,” generally refers to any type of gear that prevents a climber from falling and being injured. Feb 25, 2015 · Due to their moving parts, cams fall into a classification of climbing gear known as “active protection,” as opposed to “passive protection,” which would be pro such as nuts, which contain no moving parts. Aug 8, 2022 · Here's what you need to know about using nuts. Nov 22, 2021 · How do you mark climbing nuts? I paint the base of the nut “my” colour. Nuts are fit into cracks to offer anchorage and protection in case a person falls and they are never used as supports to rely on for climbing. Jan 29, 2013 · Climbing magazine is producing a series of how-to videos to demonstrate a number of basic skills and techniques. P. Get tips on what cams, nuts and other gear to take rock climbing and how to organize it all. Before the nut there was… Climbing nutcraft evolved in Great Britain about a half century ago, but its roots go back even further. climbing protection: when to use cams vs. From what I’ve been hearing, don’t place nuts in horizontal cracks and place cams instead. By curating expert opinion and crowd-sourcing preferences, we have come up with the best climbing nuts for trad climbing. Mar 26, 2013 · The Mark – An official climbing specific “permanent” gear marking solution. We really hope you find it useful. This is pieces of climbing gear, that a climber will use to protect the climb. TriCams are passive camming devices that use camming action to achieve great holding power. Oct 15, 2021 · In aid climbing, rock climbers use nuts, cam hooks, pulleys, and other gear to support themselves as they ascend a vertical wall. In this article, we discuss when to use a climbing nut versus a cam, plus how to place climbing nuts for your safety and confidence on the crag. A beginners guide to different climbing protection, here we cover nuts, rocks and wires. Feb 25, 2024 · As climbing technology evolves, climbers benefit from lighter yet stronger nuts, contributing to a safer and more efficient climbing experience. I touch up pieces that need it about once a year while marking new gear. Climbing Disciplines and Styles Traditional (Trad) Climbing Trad Nuts 101: AMGA Tips + Pocket Card for Beginners In this article Imagine wedging a simple pebble into a crack on a windswept Welsh cliff in 1926, your life depending on its grip. Nuts come in a variety of sizes and styles How do climbers protect a fall with our little wired pieces of metal? In this episode I cover the complete basics of nut placement and the thought process behind it. But for those that have used them for free climbing, especially on less traveled granite, and in the alpine, they tend to become an invaluable addition to the rack for many climbs. Getting into leading trad routes? Learn how to choose types of passive protection, such as chocks, nuts and hexes. But if you’re new to trad climbing, how do you make sure that you’re getting the best climbing nuts? With climbing experience, you build your own personal preference. ” This works great if you already have a huge rack and you want to mark everything at once (the Mark will coat about 250 pieces of gear). Here are our in-depth reviews! In addition to the gear you use in an indoor wall or at a sport crag, you'll need some more specialist kit to climb a trad route. Jan 24, 2023 · Trad climbing involves a wide array of gear, including nuts, hexes, cams, Big Bros, and more, to ensure climbers stay safe. It's obviously true that a piece of gear is only as good as the rock you place it in, but for those of us who have been climbing trad for decades, we know there is often a subtle difference between seemingly similar bits of kit. Learn the skills to stay safe and have confidence when climbing. Follow these 10 tips to place better and more effective passive nuts when you climb. We’ve put together a quick guide to help you get to grips with the right gear. But in aid climbing, the climbers literally pull themselves up using these fixed devices. So which of the current crop of nuts / wires / stoppers did we prefer? How Should You Place Gear For The Safest Results The way you place gear is the biggest factor in regards to the safety of using cams and nutts/stoppers while trad climbing. Learn Mastering Gear Placements: Cams, Nuts, and Slings in Trad Climbing. ly/3vhJwabOr buy a Sling Mountain T Shirt?! http://bit. Learn how to place, remove and rack climbing hexes. We give you lots of tips on how NOT to use cams and a few tips on how to do it. c Feb 2, 2024 · Often times, the gear that you start with is the gear that you will recommend as the best. It’s a solvent free two-component epoxy creating the “longest lasting and most durable gear mark ever. Jun 6, 2021 · Rigging two opposed stoppers/nuts in a vertical crack it's kind of an old-school trick, which dates back to the Paleolithic era before cams were invented. You use carabiners for almost everything — belaying, rappelling, clipping into safety anchors and securing ropes to protection points. Climbing Nuts 101 will help you make that decision when you're getting your first gear for trad climbing. Nuts can wiggle out, slings can lift off and cams can walk out of position. In this article, we'll focus on active pro. We break our first cam at the end!👉 Learn and SHOP at https://www. Our Friends, including the climbing rock set, are built to make sure your climbing experience is safe and enjoyable. Ball nuts are a seldom used type of climbing gear which offer protection in thin cracks, filling the void where even the smallest cams are too big to fit. Oct 29, 2021 · We field tested 7 of the best climbing nut tools in 2025 from top brands like Metolius and Black Diamond. Different styles of climbing use different kinds of protection devices. Nuts are usually sold in sets of around ten. 5 and 5. Nov 18, 2016 · The trickiest—and most important—parts of multi-pitch trad climbing are placing solid gear and building safe anchors fast. Recently, we also covered the best cam set for trad climbing, which you can read about here. Jul 24, 2025 · They're an essential part of any climber's trad rack, but what makes the best climbing nuts? There's many different styles and brands to choose from when deciding on which ones you're going to buy. When the gear is placed safely, it is more likely that webbing or carabiners are to give out on you, Which is usually comforting to new trad climbers because they have already learned to trust webbing and carabiners earlier Ball Nuts? For those that have heard of them but have never tried them, they are thought of as a piece of aid climbing pro or a relic from a bygone climbing era. Invented by Greg Lowe in the 70s, TriCams are a niche piece of climbing protection, well-loved by those who learn to place them well, but ignored by many climbers who find them difficult to use. If you're using climbing nuts, you'll probably want to purchase a nut tool to help retrieve wedged nuts and stuck cams. The evolution of rock climbing nuts reflects a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation, where the fundamental purpose remains unchanged, but the means of achieving it continue to progress. hownot2. My question is, if I’ve used all my cams earlier on a climb. Two sets of nuts with a removal tool between them In rock climbing, a nut (or chock or chockstone or wire for the smallest versions) is a metal wedge threaded on a wire that climbers use for protection by wedging it into a crack in the rock. Oct 31, 2023 · Get rock climbing gear recommendations from NOLS instructors! Learn what gear we use and our tips for caring for our equipment. 2-3 thin coats are much better than one thick one just like painting a wall. In Choosing Climbing Nuts, Paul offers some useful advice on what type to choose and how to rack them. All my draws are on a shoulder sling. TriCams can be placed passively as nuts OR can be Here are some things to consider: Trad Gear is Less Reliable than Sport Climbing Bolts It's generally safe to fall at any time on a bolted sport route, whether indoors or at the crag. What’s so great about cams is how easy they are to place—and remove—with just one hand. Inspect your wires for kinks or abrasions and inspect the heads of your nuts for abrasions or cracks. If you're worried about a partner ending up with one of your Sep 9, 2022 · By mid-1973, most of the leading free climbers had converted to clean climbing, and by mid-1974, almost all American free climbers (unfortunately not many aid climbers) had evolved to exclusive nut use. 7). Nuts Buying Guide Double Cap Read Time - 9 minutes May 2020 Standard nuts are the backbone of any traditional climbers rack. Pick one and expect to have to redo it every so often. Now, many different climbing brands offer a set of nuts with steel cables that fit cracks all the way from a laser-cut seam to a full on hand crack. Discover how a ball nut functions to provide secure placements and increase efficiency during rock climbing and mountaineering activities. This article explains everything about using climbing nuts: placing, racking and removing them. If you enjoyed this Hit that Expert Advice / Climbing / Rock Climbing How to Choose Cams and Wedges (Active Pro) If you have your sights set on becoming a trad climber, you'll need to get a wide range of protection gear (aka: "pro"). This is a pretty gear-intensive endeavor, and some of what you carry comes down to personal choice Jun 23, 2024 · Having a good understanding of these key components of traditional climbing gear is crucial for any climber looking to explore the world of traditional climbing. This article teaches you how to place stoppers and cams. Looking to get into trad climbing? To get started, you’ll need to learn the Tools of the Trad, what kit you need, and how to use it. Apr 27, 2022 · This article originally appeared in Climbing in 2013. There's no doubt that In other styles of climbing, these devices are fixed in several places on the rock to offer protection. Learn how to place climbing cams. Click to advance! Climbing gear is not made to last forever. Oct 28, 2016 · From cams to nuts to hexes, learn the basics of trad gear with tips for buying your first rack. Quickdraws are clipped to the nut wire by the ascending climber and the rope threads through the quickdraw. Trad placements So I’ve recently started trad climbing and have only led 2 very easy ones (5. “Passive pro” is a subcategory that includes climbing nuts or stoppers, hexes, and Tricams—basically anything designed to catch you by wedging itself in place in the event of a fall. Jun 21, 2024 · It can seem like the barriers to getting into rock climbing can be more daunting than scaling a crag itself. What Is Passive Climbing Protection? Climbing protection, or “pro” for short, is any kind of removable gear that you slot into the rock to catch a fall. But even today, it can be a good tool for those times when you need a multi directional placement and are low on cams, or want to preserve them for further up the pitch. A beginners guide to the placement of Nuts, Rocks and Wires for protecting trad rock climbing. However, if the same attitude is applied to trad climbing, you'll soon get injured. Nov 19, 2025 · Climbing nuts are one of the first pieces of trad protection climbers will purchase. M. A lot of gear is needed for trad climbing: cams, nuts Get tips and tricks for your first trad climbing equipment! Sep 28, 2024 · Learn the importance of using the right rock climbing gear with this comprehensive guide to harness, ropes, protection, and more. We have been climbing for a while, guiding professionally Oct 31, 2024 · Our recommendations are here to help you find the best nuts and stoppers while saving time at the computer and keeping more money in your wallet. This May 31, 2020 · Want to buy me a coffee or the boy a dog treat?! http://bit. This makes re-racking much faster, especially for a partner who doesn’t know your nut or how you like to rack them. This is caused by movements in the rope as you climb . If you need to add some new climbing protection to your rack, check out our comprehensive climbing nuts review and climbing cam review. The nuts are inserted into cracks in the rock, a carabiner is attached to the nut and the rope is then pased through the carabiner (Photo: boesgaard / getty images) Nuts are an essential for every trad climber. In the beginning of your trad climbing career you should focus on building a solid nut rack and learning to place them well. Basically, it can make one good placement out of two lousy ones! Ball nuts are a seldom used type of climbing gear which offer protection in thin cracks, filling the void where even the smallest cams are too big to fit. They are comprised of two halves: one half is a paddle and the other is a flat ball which tracks up and down a central groove on the paddle when the trigger is pulled or released. The key is to put it in recesses where the rope won't rub. As well finding a partner and learning the various techniques, there's all the kit you need to acquire, from helmets and protective gear to ropes and climbing shoes. For a more in-depth discussion of what makes a good passive placement, we recommend John Long's book Climbing Anchors. Cleaning routes is the only safe way to learn how to climb trad Find yourself a patient teacher Know before you go. nuts TRADITIONAL CLIMBING, ALSO CALLED TRAD CLIMBING OR JUST “TRAD,” is a particular style of roped climbing that involves placing your own protective equipment as you move up a climb, then removing it when you’re done. Feb 16, 2014 · There are many ways to mark your climbing gear. 3 - Racking for climbing I have all my smaller cams on my right first gear loop (gates out because anything else is heresy) usually up to a c4 number 1, with nuts and c4 size 2+ on my left first gear loop, and anchor/belay gear on the back two gear loops. This article explains the physics of how climbing cams work, and also how to place, remove and rack them. Dec 19, 2012 · TriCams Perhaps the trickiest gear on this list, C. Sep 8, 2022 · Knowing how to place climbing nuts for the best protection allows you to save your pricey cams for when you really need them, getting more mileage out of your climbing gear. Trying to master my gear placement though. These will give you a good range of sizes. Placing nuts are intuitive, they are inexpensive, and will last you a long time. He goes into great depth about what makes for good protection. Learn more about the gear you’ll need and other tips for aid climbing. By investing in the right gear and knowing how to use it effectively, climbers can enjoy the challenges and rewards that traditional climbing has to offer. Four nuts. While cams are often easier to place and clean, nuts are much cheaper and will vastly increase your total possible gear placements. ly/3clZ1pcAt last! I’ve been waiting to do May 24, 2019 · Learn how to use your climbing equipment like nuts and you will increase your safety margin on the rock. Don't get stuck in the "Hero Worship" trap Carry a nut tool, and learn how to use it well Learn the tricks for removing stuck nuts and cams Don't drop any gear! Nov 22, 2021 · How much gear do I need for trad climbing? You can use any climbing harness to trad climb, but you’ll benefit from having a comfortable harness with at least 5 gear loops. True Oct 25, 2022 · If you don’t use proper gear, or that gear fails, you may experience a ground fall and risk serious injury or death.