Placing Active Protection

Spring Loaded Camming Device (left), Tri Camming Unit (right)

Active Protection consists of Spring-Loaded Camming Devices (cams), active Tri-Cam placements, active hex nut placements, and sliding ball-nuts. This type of gear is active because as force is applied to the device, it applies more force to the rock, creating more friction. In other words, the harder you pull, the tighter it holds.

Active protection is incredibly versatile. You can place it in vertical, horizontal and diagonal cracks and some pockets. Some cams even work in flaring cracks. Active pro is particularly useful because a single piece will fit a range of crack widths.

Conversely, because most active pieces have mechanical moving parts, they are much more fragile than nuts and hexes. They also require maintenance, including cleaning and lubrication.

At a Glance

Your Active Pro Rack:
Spring-Loaded Camming Devices (Cams)
Tri-Cams *placed actively
Sliding Ball-Nuts
Hexes *placed in active orientations

Pros of Active Protection:
Versatile
Easy and quick to use
Fit a range of crack widths
Can work in horizontal cracks

Cons of Active Protection:
Expensive
Fragile parts
Tri-cams require careful placement
Can walk into a cavity
Don't work in every crack
Heavier than passive pro

Cams

Spring Loaded Camming Devices (SLCDs), or Cams, are the most common type of active protection, will make up a large part of your rack (and will drain your paychecks the quickest!). They consist of a shaft or handle, an axle, a trigger, and three or four lobes. When you place them, you pull a trigger and the lobes rotate, giving the cam a lower profile. After inserting the cam into a crack, you release the trigger and the head expands until it makes contact with the rock. Some cams have two axles, such as Black Diamond C-4's, while most others have one axle. The extra axle gives you a slightly larger range in each cam.

Cams work in parallel, constricting and very slightly flaring cracks. If they have a flexible stem (almost any cam except old Wild‐Country Friends), you can place them in horizontal cracks. If you have a rigid stem cam, it is possible to tie it off closer to the lobes and use it in horizontal cracks, but if you don't, you run the risk of breaking the cam if you fall on it.

Our favorite cams are the Black Diamond C-4's because of the double‐axle design and the smooth action. We also like the Metolius TCU's for their action and good feel. For economy, try Rock Empire cams. They are not as nice to use as Black Diamond or Metolius, but they are between $1o an $20 cheaper, and perfectly safe. Beware buying or even using previously owned cams, unless you know their history.

What makes a good cam placement?

The crack should not flare too widely, although it doesn't have to be constricting for a good active placement. This is probably the number one cause of cam placements failing. Parallel cracks are great places for cam placements.
The rock quality is good. Don't place gear in rotten or loose rock. Particularly with cams, if the rock moves even a little bit, the cam can slide out. Check your rock by looking at it and hitting it to look for movement and listen for hollow sounds.
The cam is not under‐cammed, or not retracted enough. Ideally, the cam should contact the rock between 25% and 75% retraction. On an under‐cammed, or "tipped‐out," cam, the spring action isn't pressing the lobes into the rock with enough force, and they can slip. It can also rotate or move to a section of the crack where it is not cammed at all. With single‐axle cams, they can invert if they are not cammed enough and pull out of the rock. Imagine an umbrella pulled through a door frame, and you will get the idea.
The cam is not over‐cammed. Over‐cammed cams are almost always secure, but they can be impossible to remove. Popular routes are littered with cams where each lobe touches both sides of the crack. These are almost always impossible to remove. To not lose gear, don't force it; select a smaller cam.
The stem of the cam is aimed in the direction of any anticipated load. This insures that the cam is in its optimal position if you take a fall, not rotating under force. If you think the cam might rotate as you climb upwards, extend it with a sling. Cams can rotate and still function, but they can change angle or walk deep into a crack, marginalizing your placement or becoming irretrievable.

Example Placements:

Right:
Pros: This Black Diamond C4 is making good contact with all four lobes in a horizontal crack. The lobes do not appear over or under cammed. Also, because it has a flexible stem, it is ready to take a downward load without compromising the placement.
Cons: This crack is flaring and therefore not a solid placement. Look around for anything else.

Left:
Pros: This solid stem Friend is making good contact on all lobes in a parrallel-sided crack.
Cons: The cam appears to be slightly over-cammed, but with some care it looks like it will come out when ready. It seems in the photo that the cam is not placed for a downward application of force. It would be better if it were angled slightly downward.

Tri-Cams

A tri-cam in it's active, camming position.

C.A.M.P. Tri‐Cams are handy pieces of protection that will fit in places no other pro can. They have a runner attached to an axle, two rails and a point. They can be used as passive protection if the axle is lower than the rest of the piece; in this orientation, they make for sharply angled nuts. The real magic begins when you turn the tri‐cam around, set the point in a slight dimple or constriction, and set the rails against the opposite wall, as pictured to the left. The strength of the piece increases substantially, and they become fantastically useful. Tri‐cams work beautifully in small pockets and horizontal cracks. They also work well in vertical cracks, and sometimes give better placements than cams. They do require a slight dimple or shelf in the crack. Tri‐cams are a crucial part of any Gunks rack, because of all the horizontal cracks.

The only drawback of using tri‐cams is that they can be difficult to remove, particularly if they sustain a fall. Some really tricky placements require two hands to extract. First try pushing the piece, then wiggle it side to side. As a last resort, try levering or hitting the tri‐cam with your nut‐tool.

Sliding Ball‐Nuts

We don't have a lot of experience with sliding ball-nuts, as they generally substitute small cams and nuts, and can be difficult to remove. However, we have met climbers who swear by them. Ball‐nuts are a low‐profile form of protection, and are very light. They are composed of two parts: a thin wedge of metal with a grooved track, and a hemisphere attached to a wire. With the pull of a trigger, the ball slides down the groove, making the whole piece thinner. After the ball‐nut is placed in the crack, the climber releases the trigger and pulls, which wedges the ball higher in the groove, against the wall. They can be used with care in very thin parallel and constricting cracks. Currently, C.A.M.P. is the only company manufacturing ball‐nuts.

To remove a ball‐nut, pull the trigger to pull the ball down the groove. If this doesn't work, push or lightly tap the wedge upward into the crack with your nut tool while pulling the trigger.