Hello hello,

I'm now getting really addicted to climbing for 2 years. I snow-ice-rock-tree climb almost 2-3 times a week and now it's time to buy some gears! Already got an ice rack!

There is so much stuff out there to buy (nuts, cams, tri-cams, hex, pitons ...). I want to know what could be a nice start for a beginning trad-alpine leader to have on his rack?

Should I buy used or new? and what is OK to buy used?

Lot of questions here ...



--From a guy who wants to climb something else than bolted routes--

You just need 1-2 sets of nuts (e.g. WC rocks #1-8), ATC guide, 20-30 of the lightest biners you're comfortable clipping (I like the WC astros), some skinny slings (BD dyneema seems to be the favorite b/c it has some nylon on the edges and is therefore more durable), a couple longer skinny slings for anchors, 60m skinny double ropes, WC friends 0.5 - 3.5 (these are lighter than BD cams and cheaper--you can skip 1.25 and 1.75). If you do mixed, get some pitons (bugaboos mostly) and larger nuts/hexes for bashing into icy cracks.

Thanks Hamik,

you seems to like Wc a lot! For mixed, I've heard that tri-cams are nicer than hexes or nuts for icy placements? What do you think from your experience.

Next thing after racking all those?? Double up on some cams ...

WC is cheaper than BD is really the only reason. Tricams are useful in pockets, and since I don't generally climb on that kind of rock I don't have much experience with them.

I seem to always find a use for tricams. I love the .5-2 package. I don't know your experience, but since you have ice gear, maybe you follow some trad on rock, figure out what you like, then build a rock rack. When you climb alpine, you can just thin out the rack as necessary.

0.5-2 tricams
1 set nuts
0.3-3 camelots
lotta slings

that'll actually give you doubles in big nuts or finger-hands cams with the tricams ...

well done Spers!

I think that the biggest amount of money will be on cams. What do you think about cam package like Power cam-TCU of Metolius? Looks like cams are a personnal choice cause it doesn't seems to have a lot of bad product in outdoor shop.

Tricams creates a lot of discussion ... can't wait to see if I'll like them or not !

IMO What you need for your first rack is a gear for the widest range of rock climbing situations. Here is my take on a starter rack for backcountry. Make it simple. Set of stoppers, set of cams from about 1/2 inch up to (equiv.) #4 (Wild Country Friend), three additional cams from less than 1/2 inch on down, 10 over the shoulder draws, biners on everything and about 10 biners extra, locking biner and your belay/rap device. Buy the lightest full strength biners you can afford. Good, simple harness, helmet, shoulder sling, 50 or 60m non-dry, 10mm rope if you climb in the drier regions of the US (it is also cheaper). That would do it for me for reasonable backcountry climbing up to about easy 10. If you are sure about sticking with climbing, gear lasts a long time, especialy the rack, so a little expense today, will let you keep using the protection for years. BTW Tricams are great, but I would not buy them as a part of my first rack. I would not buy anything too specialized, you can always buy single purpose gear later.

Tricams are cheap and work very well on icy, dirty cracks. The pink and red should be on any alpine rack.

I like Metolius TCUs for smaller sizes. They are exceptionally light and affordable.

I also like Metolius Curve Nuts - lighter than stoppers, and harder to clean, but generally more secure.

My alpine rack is the smaller half of a Curve Nut set, TCUs 1-4, Pink and Red Tricams, and BD C4s to whatever size I think I'll need. Usually singles of .5, .75, 1, and 2.

If I know there's thin cracks I'll double up on the small nuts with BD Stoppers if it's easy climbing, or C3s if it's harder.

If you have to ask...

IMHO, you need to log many days at different crags on different types of rock plugging gear before venturing into the backcountry.

welle wrote:If you have to ask...

IMHO, you need to log many days at different crags on different types of rock plugging gear before venturing into the backcountry.

+ 1

It's the Journey not the destination. Pretty easy to learn how to do something when things go right. It's when they go wrong, you'll need to pull from a depth of experience.

Have used something like this for over 40 years throughout the world and still works just fine
today on all my B/C Sierra adventures.

So nice to have such numbers of posts! WOW .. really helpful to have some ideas of gear.

Lot of shopping those days... Hopefully rock season if at the end and ice will not be in for 2-3 months...

Can't wait to tryout gears on routes in our local crags in Quebec and New Hamp!

-StbOo-

mach wrote:The Chief,
I am afraid that after more then forty years of climbing, you do need an extreme makeover of your gear!
Here's the advise for you: sell all that crappy stuff, you are showing on that pic and get yourself the real thing!

"REAL THING", that is funny.

It is obvious that you and your advise have never spent much time doing any BC Alpine lines. Retreat due to many different reasons means leaving gear in place in order to stay alive. Those that know exactly what I mean know not to take their new stuff back there with the very good chance that you will never see it again.

If the gear is still safe and functional yet won't be missed if needed to save your ass, use it I say.

Save the NEW stuff for local lines.

Stboo wrote:So nice to have such numbers of posts! WOW .. really helpful to have some ideas of gear.

Lot of shopping those days... Hopefully rock season if at the end and ice will not be in for 2-3 months...

Can't wait to tryout gears on routes in our local crags in Quebec and New Hamp!

-StbOo-

as someone said ... use yr old stuff for alpine and bring a lot of passive gear ... ie nuts and tricams

as you will likely be bailing at some time or another eventually