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Passive protection is simply gear that
wedges itself into a crack. It doesn't move or do anything
exciting, it just sits there. But it is the most common, and
possibly most useful piece of gear. A good placement can be bomb
proof. But as usual the smaller the size, the less contact it has
with the rock, so the less holding power.
Nuts were originally smooth pebbles that
had been gathered from a beach or where ever. These were wedged
into cracks and threaded or wedged tight with knotted a sling. A
steel krab would have been used to clip the rope to the sling.
From this, simple machine nuts that had their thread removed were
used. The thread was removed to reduce wear on the cord they were threaded on.
These were to say the least, crap. The first commercially designed
nut was the MOAC, which was simply a wedge tied onto some rope.
Originally designed by John Brailsford. Now nuts tend to be
threaded onto wire, which allows more precise placement and
removal. The other difference between modern and the Moac is that
todays nuts often have curved sides.
The other developments were hexagonal nuts,
probably devised from the original machined nuts. These hex's
were offset so they would twist and expand into the cracks.
| Wild
Country Rocks These
are a fairly close descendent to the MOAC. The only
modifications are the concave sides, allowing a little
amount of camming. All sides are tapered, to allow
multiple orientations. Also they are threaded onto wire,
which allows them to be placed a lot easier. But it does
increase the movement transferred from the rope to the
nut. So it has to be extended. It used to be possible to
get them unthreaded, so you could put them on cord. This
was only possible on the larger sizes.
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DMM Wallnuts
Very similar to the rocks. The main
difference being that large chunks on either face have been
removed, allowing it to catch on nodules in cracks, and give a
little better protection. The wire is concealed on the nut,
protecting it from damage. The sizing are slightly different from
rocks so they make a good half set. The most useful size seems to
be 3, 4, and 5. Also due to the removal of non-essential metal
the set is slightly lighter than a set of rocks.
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HB
Brass Offsets These
are the smallest nuts I own. They are extremely tough
brass welded to the wire. All sided are offset and
tapered, allowing a very diverse range of possible
placements. I wouldn't like to take a large fall on
these, mostly due to the fact that the wire has quite a
small diameter. But they are a great mental help when
the wall looks blank.
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Camp
Hexcentrics Although
not strictly a passive piece of gear, they can act in a
passive way. They are basically a hollow, hexagonal nut,
that is threaded with rope. The hexagonal profile has all
sides offset. So when the rope pulls, it twists the nut,
pushing the sides into the rock. You can get bomb-proof
placements in parallel sided cracks. The ends are tapered
so they can act as a nut if needed, which I find very
useful. The smaller sizes have such a small size of
expansion, and the rope needed to thread them is of such
a small diameter, that they are not really practical. But
the larger sizes have lots of uses, not least to get sea
gulls away from you on sea cliffs. The picture is of the
Black Diamond Hex on wire.
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| Wild
Country Rockentrics I actually designed this a couple of months
before it was released, as part of my design-technology
A-level. I came to the conclusion that it wasn't much, if
any, of an improvement over what is currently available
(I can provide documentation). But having used them I do
see that there is a need for them. They work best as
purely passive nuts in large cracks, they work better
than a hex. They go much larger than wallnuts
and rocks. Different from hexes they use spectra, and are
thus pre threaded.
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Courtesy of UKCrags.com
Kouba (Prague) do a good selection of wires
from about 30 to 50 Crowns or put another way less than a quid each. Size
4 shows 10KN through to size 1 at 6 KN. Available from most climbing shops
in the Czech Republic for which there is a couple in Prague within easy
walking distance from that famous bridge. Again in use these wires proved
as good as any. Verdict:- Could not afford to leave them in the
shop.
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