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8-Dec-2022 5:18:47 AM
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Hello,
I'm planning to climb the Bonsai Buttress & Bojangles. They both are low grade climbs (10 & 12 respectively). It's the first time I visit that area.
I got a set of WC nuts and some slings.
Is there anything extra I'd need to allow for a comfy climb. Maybe take some more slings but how many exactly. Maybe an extra set of smaller nuts like DMM peanuts and the like.
Not planning to use any cams as I only use passive pro.
Thanks in advance!
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8-Dec-2022 10:33:12 AM
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Haven't climbed there, but in general lower grade climbs are more wandery so I'd take as many slings as you can find (anywhere up to 7 or 8 - they aren't heavy). It could help you to combine pitches without rope drag forcing you to stop. And extra nuts are always useful.
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8-Dec-2022 5:19:23 PM
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Thanks for the beta. I'll take those slings plus a couple more just in case.
I got a set of Wild Country nuts 1-10.
Maybe I should get a set of DMM offset nuts or better back up what I got with the DMM ones or the Metolius ultralight curved type to allow for a better coverage. What do you think?
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9-Dec-2022 8:54:47 AM
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I absolutely love the Metolius ultralight curved nuts as a second set for the larger sizes. Small wires are very light so I just take all of mine. If you don't have cams then your harness will be light :)
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9-Dec-2022 3:04:02 PM
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I climbed Bojangles two years ago.
I definitely slung more chicken-head type things on the first pitch than I'd done in many other climbs combined. Maybe four or more slung heads?
I also remember thinking the belay position as described on TheCrag didn't seem natural and I maybe belayed lower or higher or something. And I think I used cams on that belay so you might want hexes if you have them?
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9-Dec-2022 9:34:28 PM
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On 8-Dec-2022 gbagua wrote:
> or better back up what I
>got with the DMM ones or the Metolius ultralight >curved type to allow for
>a better coverage. What do you think?
I think curved nuts are an ethical abomination, given that they were invented after cams! Real trad climbers eschew radiused aluminium.
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12-Dec-2022 12:27:11 PM
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On 9-Dec-2022 One Day Hero wrote:
>On 8-Dec-2022 gbagua wrote:
>> or better back up what I
>>got with the DMM ones or the Metolius ultralight >curved type to allow
>for
>>a better coverage. What do you think?
>
>I think curved nuts are an ethical abomination, given that they were invented
>after cams! Real trad climbers eschew radiused aluminium.
Haha nice try :)
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13-Dec-2022 9:29:15 AM
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I'm just curious about a (seemingly pretty green) climber in 2022 claiming that they only use passive pro. What is the deal with that?
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13-Dec-2022 4:31:15 PM
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On 13-Dec-2022 One Day Hero wrote:
>I'm just curious about a (seemingly pretty green) climber in 2022 claiming
>that they only use passive pro. What is the deal with that?
You know more than most that cams are an ethical abomination and cheating. Which is why I only use hemp ropes, plimsolls and drilled machine nuts!
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13-Dec-2022 5:52:32 PM
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On 13-Dec-2022 dalai wrote:
>On 13-Dec-2022 One Day Hero wrote:
>>I'm just curious about a (seemingly pretty green) climber in 2022 claiming
>>that they only use passive pro. What is the deal with that?
>
>You know more than most that cams are an ethical abomination and cheating.
>Which is why I only use hemp ropes, plimsolls and drilled machine nuts!
I reckon the likes of BA, M9, and a couple of others might say about that:
“Luxury!”
“When I were a lad we -“
While my fiend stugang would scoff and say; “Pfft, everybody knows that stacked rp’s are the only real pro”.
And Ev Bro might say “futuristic pro is really rings or U’s. Don’t confuse bumblying with climbing.”
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14-Dec-2022 8:17:30 AM
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On 13-Dec-2022 Duang Daunk wrote:
>I reckon the likes of BA, M9, and a couple of others might say about that:
>“Luxury!”
>“When I were a lad we -“
Oi!!, I resemble that remark! Except for the hemp rope, my first rope was 120 feet of number 4 hawser laid nylon rope manufactured by Kinnears in Footscray. The plimsolls were cheap Chinese made "gym boots" and my five slings were number 2 hawser (as above) and three of them had "nuts". Though they were made by myself as my dad had access to a small workshop with a lathe and some hexagonal brass stock.
But those were the days, where you could climb anywhere, camp anywhere and you knew most of the people that were climbing. Sigh.
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14-Dec-2022 5:27:13 PM
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On 14-Dec-2022 BA wrote:
>But those were the days, where you could climb anywhere, camp anywhere
>and you knew most of the people that were climbing. Sigh.
So true BA!
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15-Dec-2022 7:01:36 AM
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On 14-Dec-2022 BA wrote:
> my first rope
>was 120 feet of number 4 hawser laid nylon rope manufactured by Kinnears
>in Footscray.
Jeepers. I knew you were an old fart, but am impressed that you've been at it since before kernmantles.
> and my
>five slings were number 2 hawser (as above) and three of them had "nuts".
>Though they were made by myself as my dad had access to a small workshop
>with a lathe and some hexagonal brass stock.
>
In some ways I really wish I'd been around for the era of fabricating your own gear. Seems like it would have been properly adventurous. On the other hand I have a strong aversion to vegetation on rock climbs, which looks like it was the main feature of early climbing. Swings and roundabouts, eh?
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15-Dec-2022 7:52:48 AM
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On 15-Dec-2022 One Day Hero wrote:
>In some ways I really wish I'd been around for the era of fabricating
>your own gear. Seems like it would have been properly adventurous.
On the other hand, consider the fact that I had five slings. One for each belay, which means that there were three left for protecting the pitch!
I also made my own bolt brackets in the above mentioned workshop.
If you have been following the John Middendorf articles (Mechanical Advantage) he mentions Sporthaus Schuster in Germany, that is where we did get our first Kernmantel ropes and our first EB climbing boots were ordered from Aux Vieu Campeur (or something) in Paris. The above were shipped out by sea and took 2-3 months to arrive.
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15-Dec-2022 10:49:28 AM
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On 15-Dec-2022 One Day Hero wrote:
>In some ways I really wish I'd been around for the era of fabricating your own gear.
You’ve done okay.
I remember some swish cheapo belay glasses fabricated by a dude who reminded us of the evils of rampant commercialism at the time.
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16-Dec-2022 6:57:08 AM
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On 15-Dec-2022 BA wrote:
>On the other hand, consider the fact that I had five slings. One for each
>belay, which means that there were three left for protecting the pitch!
I've always been curious about that approach. Given that you were fabricating nuts on the cheap, why didn't you rack up with a dozen of them and a bunch of slings? Were carabiners the limiting economic factor, or was it more of a cultural thing to run it out with minimal gear?
Also, did you ever carry a hammer and pins on free climbs, or was that more hassle than it was worth, or ethically unacceptable at the time?
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16-Dec-2022 8:29:48 AM
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On 16-Dec-2022 One Day Hero wrote:
>I've always been curious about that approach. Given that you were fabricating
>nuts on the cheap, why didn't you rack up with a dozen of them and a bunch
>of slings? Were carabiners the limiting economic factor, or was it more
>of a cultural thing to run it out with minimal gear?
Carabiners were the limiting factor. They were purchased locally and was partially dependent on stocks arriving from OS when you had the money. It was DEFINITELY NOT part of a cultural thing to run it out
>Also, did you ever carry a hammer and pins on free climbs, or was that
>more hassle than it was worth, or ethically unacceptable at the time?
Yes. It was not a hassle, it enabled more protection, especially when rope lengths went from 120 feet of number 4 to 45m of 11mm and then to 50m of 11mm. When Ewbank started making his Crackers the slings with nuts became redundant. Nylon tape became available about this time and replaced the slings. When Chouinard released all his passive pro the pegs and hammer only ever saw service at Buffalo before everything was freed. It was also the norm to carry a few pegs for quite some time until a proper appreciation of the qualities of passive pro was fully realised.
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16-Dec-2022 12:08:31 PM
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We need a new topic On belay with BA. I'm enjoying reading your comments about climbing back then!
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24-Dec-2022 2:48:16 PM
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Thanks for that BA. That twenty years from the late fifties to the late seventies is fascinating. So much changed in a short period of time, and not much has changed since.
Happy Christmas everyone.
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25-Dec-2022 7:40:20 AM
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If you don't already, have a look at Common Climber more especially https://www.commonclimber.com/john-brailsford.html
and get a bit more history, not only the history of the MOAC but also of the early "racks of gear".
Have a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.
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