Equipment for Single Pitch Award – Making the right choices

This is the second in my series of “Making the right choices” articles on what equipment you should take for your assessment in a range of qualifications. This segment is for the Mountain Training Single Pitch Award (SPA).

After I completed my Mountain Leader, my SPA was the next qualification I wanted to work towards. I love climbing, I love the thrill of it, but what I love more is getting young people out on the crag. In my work with the Air Cadets I have been privileged to work with some truly talented young climbers, taking them out and getting them interested in climbing was only possible through doing my SPA. Whilst (in my opinion) easier than Mountain Leader, SPA still demands a huge amount of work and effort to prepare for your assessment, and in no other area is that more crucial than getting the right equipment. This article focuses on the equipment required for your SPA assessment:

Your rack

For your SPA assessment you will to take a full climbing rack including everything you will need to lead and set up climbs (with the exception of ropes). Below is a summary of what I would recommend for your SPA assessment, and what got me comfortably through my assessment.

Protection

Nuts – 2 sets 1-11, also consider taking a set of DMM offset nuts too.

Hexes – 1 set, hexcentrics or similar depending on personal preference.

Cams – optional, range of sizes.

120cm sling – 3, each with a screwgate karabiner

240cm sling – 2, each with a screwgate karabiner

Other

Quickdraws – around 8

Slingdraws (quickdraws with a 60cm sling instead of a standard quickdraw sling) - 3

Small screwgate karabiners – at least 3 for building belays.

Large HMS screwgate karabiners – 3, use for building belays, releasable abseils, and setting bottom ropes.

Prussik loops – 2, 1.5m of 5-6mm cord tied with a double fisherman’s  knot, with a screwgate.

Belay plate – 2, each with a screwgate.

Nut key – You will get stuff stuck.

Harness/Helmet/Rock boots – obviously

Whilst the above may seem straight forward, it represents a substantial investment of money, so getting it right is crucial. As with any equipment lists, this is my recommendation, that isn’t to say I am the foremost authority on this matter and you shouldn’t diverge from what I list, quite the opposite, I would encourage you to build you rack the way you want! I will now discuss a few of the items above….

DMM Alloy Offsets

Nuts/Wires

Wallnuts vs Rocks vs Stoppers vs Curve nuts vs Spectrum Wires vs ProNuts….this debate is not new in the climbing community. But which ones are best? Simply? They are all good, and you need to decide which are best for you, based on cost, range of sizes, weight etc. However some facts for you:

Biggest range of sizes: Wild Country rocks are available in sizes 1-14 making them the biggest range available on the market, however you will need to buy these in 2 sets (1-8 and 9-14) costing you at least £60 a set (if you find an offer!). Black Diamond’s Stopper pro set is 1-13 and costs less at around £100.

Cheapest Nuts: The cheapest set of wires on the market are Zero G’s Spectrum Wires at £49. I have a set of this and really like them, the shapes are nice, and for the price you really can’t argue!

Lightest nuts: The lightest nuts on the market are Metolius’s Ultralight Curve nuts which come out at 360g for a set of 10. However there is not a massive saving on weight when compared to DMM Wallnuts for example, which come out at 429g for a set of 11, so whilst being 69g heavier, you do get an extra nut for that weight.

Strongest nuts: All similar really….most honest opinion I could give! There isn’t much point me discussing minor differences in operational limits.

Best nuts: Each to their own, I love DMM wallnuts and have 2 sets of them. I also have a set of Zero G spectrum wires which have never let me down!

DMM alloy offset in action

Anything else worth knowing: Yes, buy a set of DMM alloy offsets! They are the most incredible set of nuts you will ever buy. Buy them as a supplement to your full sets of nuts not instead of. They are a set of 5 wires that fit in places where other nuts simply can’t. The unique shape (based on the original HB design) fits into offset and odd sizes cracks, and are simply fantastic. I used these more on my SPA than ever before, and was so glad for having them with me! I actually own 2 sets now, which I have combined into 1 set, simply because I place them so much!

Cams

One piece of advice, if you take them, know how to place them, and certainly don’t use them for rigging. One lad on my assessment got a slating for placing them incorrectly, and was fighting against that negative comment in his head the whole assessment. Cams are useful we all know that, I am not going to go into detail on cams since I believe they are something people should make their own mind up on. Your options are wide in terms of brands and types. Personally I use DMM 4CU’s, they are cheap, and work well.

Hexes

Hexes are very useful, and should always be carried. The larger range of sizes fit in bigger cracks and gaps, and learning how to place them to take full advantage of the camming action they provide is a crucial tool to the aspirant SPA holder. In terms of advice, again there isn’t much to offer here. You have 2 choices; Black Diamond Hexcentrics, and Wild Country Rockcentrics. The Hexcentrics are on wire, whilst the Rockcentrics are on sling. Decide whether you would rather have hexes on wire or sling, and buy accordingly. I own Hexcentrics since I have always felt the durability of wire outweighs the benefits of the flexibility of sling.

A word on slingdraws

Carry a few slingdraws. For those of you who have a blank expression on your face when reading this term; a slingdraw is a quickdraw made up of a 60cm sling and 2 snapgate karabiners. The sling is attached to each karabiner and doubled up,  which leaves the slingdraws at 15cm, they can be used in this format as normal. However they provide a 60cm extension where you need to extend a gear placement out to counter rope drag (for example when moving up an overhang). Slingdraws are very versatile and many climbers exclusively use slingdraws for the flexibility they offer.

A final word on kit

By the time you attend your SPA assessment you should have done at least 40 leads, therefore you will already have a good idea of what kit you need. Make sure that you can justify every choice of kit, your assessor will scrutinise anything out of the norm. This may include GriGri’s, quicklock karabiners (particularly Magnetrons), safety lanyards etc. In addition to all this kit, it is definately worth getting a couple of books on the subject, I would recommend "Rock Climbing" by MLTE. I did a post on my SPA assessment back when I did it if you are interested in reading what SPA assessment is like click here

Gucci Karabiners: Black Diamond Magnetron vs Grivel TwinGate

Black Diamond Rocklock (top)
Grivel TwinGate (bottom)

Back in 2011 I posted about the  up and coming releases shown at OutDoor 2011. Amongst these was the Black Diamond Magentron karabiner; a locking karabiner with a magnet to keep the gate closed. Emma got me one for Christmas and I have to say it's pretty cool. At the same time I noticed the Grivel TwinGate karabiners on the market at a decent price, and so I decided it was time to revive my gear reviewing with a head to head karabiner competition between these 2 bad boys!


First up then, the Black Diamond Magnetron.The Magnetron karabiners come in 3 different versions; the Gridlock from (£27), the Vaporlock (From £24) and the Rocklock (From £21). The gridlock is a magnetron version of Black Diamonds Gridlock karabiner, the Vaporlock is a small pear shaped karabiner, and the Rocklock is a larger HMS karabiner, all are available with different colour gates and all 3 feature the Magnetron locking system; meaning all you have to do is to gently apply pressure on either side of the karabiner gate to unclip the magnet system allowing the gate to open. On releasing the gate the magnet re- engages and the karabiner locks closed automatically. This is incredibly easy to do, and allows for

Bent spine shape allows for maximum gate opening

easy one handed operation. Applying pressure only one side will not open the lock, meaning the chance of accidental opening is limited. For the purpose of this review my comments will be based on the Rocklock version only. At 87g the karabiner feels light in the hand, with the usual high build quality you would expect from Black Diamond. The shape of the karabiner maximises the gate opening meaning you could easily sneak 2 clove hitches on (I tried this with 10mm rope!). I used a Rocklock on my belay device on a recent climbing trip, and I can honestly say they feel very secure, coupled with an ease of use I haven't experienced with a quicklock karabiner before. I would definitely recommend these karabiners to anyone who wants to use a quicklock karabiner but has never got along with other models.

Now onto the Grivel TwinGate series. There are 2 versions of the TwinGate karabiner; the Sigma and the Mega. The Sigma is a smaller snap gate style karabiner, whilst the Mega is a slightly larger HMS karabiner. To save me having to explain the TwinGate system, please see this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPdSBA6Fjig which explains the various ways you can use the karabiner. Personally I have found the TwinGate system a little fiddly compared to other karabiners, the idea of having to fiddle one gate up, whilst holding the other open also, is exactly as annoying as it sounds! At 79g it is lighter that the Magnetron, however it is worth bearing in mind that the TwinGate is is smaller than the Magnetron, which would account for the extra weight. I would also add at this point that the TwinGate has a much smaller gate opening, owing to its double gate system, so don't rely on being able to easily clip multiple clove hitches, large knots etc onto the TwinGates. One massive plus for the TwinGate however is the cost, at £11 each for the Mega or Sigma, you can buy 2 TwinGates for each Magnetron. The question is, would you want to? For me, no, no I wouldn't. I just don't like the TwinGate system, it's fiddly, and goes against the reflexes I have built  up over 10 years of climbing, my reflex isn't to open 2 gates at once, my reflex is to do **something** which opens the gate, however that **something** is a single action, and doesn't involve doing 2 seperate things! Perhaps it is just me, at £11 it's worth you trying it for yourself and not taking my word for it. I will persist with the TwinGate system, perhaps in time it will grow on me.....

Return to duty! Birchen Edge trip Jan 2015

Emma gearing up!

Well it's been a long time since I wrote anything on here, in fact May 2012 was the last time I took the time to write anything on my blog. Why the long absence? I suppose in part it was due to going into teaching, the long 60 hour weeks, endless marking, and copious amounts of planning left little time for a social life, or even anything resembling fun, I lost interest in climbing, mountains, gear and many other things I had previously loved. Recently however I have rekindled my love of the outdoors, due in no small part to meeting Emma, who is not only the most incredible person I have ever met, but also the source of my current outdoors revival. Me and Emma made an agreement; I would learn to ski, and she would learn to lead climb. So to that end we set out to Birchen Edge in the Peak District, in search of Emma's first lead climb. Despite the snow in the Peak District the conditions weren't too bad, if a little cold! After arriving, me and Emma did some last minute gear placement practice, before Emma decided on climbing "Stokers Wall" a VD located on Stokers Wall. Em geared up and

Concentrating face!

zipped up the initial part of the climb, placing a couple of pieces of gear as she did. Towards the top it appeared there were a couple of tricky moves, but despite this Emma climbed up the final part of the climb and finished. It was only later that we discovered the reason for the tricky crux moves towards the top was that she had in fact climbed onto "Stoked" an S 4a climb, oops! But I was incredibly proud to see Em almost effortlessly climb a Severe for her first ever lead, Emma was naturally very happy to have her first lead out of the way, and we can now work towards getting all the leads she requires for her SPA training in April, something which we will both look forward to. For those of you who are interested in reading more about Emma's adventures, she now has a website/blog which can be found at www.Mountaingirl.org.uk . We are heading out with a group of cadets on Sunday 8th Feb, so

Stoked S 4a

hopefully we will be able to squeeze a few leads in during that trip too! So Emma has been working hard on her leading what have I been doing on my side of the deal? Well I've had a few ski lessons, and aside from the fact I'm terrible I'm doing ok! I managed to zip across the entire slope, and the ski lift and wind up crashing on the tubing range however, but I will keep trying and we shall see how I go. Me and Emma have a number of trips this year, through the cadets and on our own, including both America and Morocco (Toubkal), so expect to see a fair bit more action on here than you have for the last 2 years. For those of you who have continued to visit, thank you very much. I haven't forgotten about the gear believe me! I will be reviewing the Black Diamond Magnetron, Grivel TwinGate karabiners, and SPOT GPS tracker system over the course of February so stay tuned!

BD Ice clipper problems

Well I've read/written quite a bit about these, and I think it's only fair/right that I explain the circumstances under which I have become part of the "Ice clippers broke on me" club.

Today I was climbing at the Roaches, while rigging the belay I heard the depressed clink clink of gear falling. I looked down to see my trusty reverso3 had fallen down to a lower ledge of the climb I had been on (only about 2 metres). Confused I looked down at my Ice clipper (where I always rack my belay plate) only to see the gate had fallen completely off onto the floor. I looked around and eventually found the gate. I am confused as to how this happened, the route had been a techical slab climb, no trutching or scraping involved, so how did it come off?! Luckily in this case I didnt lose anything important, and nothing was damaged. Would I trust these with a full rack of £40+ ice screws....Probably not.

I fixed the ice clipper no problem, and then belayed with an italian hitch, however if I had been climbing something longer and dropped something more important this would have been an issue!


.......Disapointed and confused.....

Black Diamond Ice Clipper problems??

Following my review of Black Diamond Blizzard accessories, it has been drawn to my attention that with moderate use the ice clipper experiences a terminal issue whereby the clip malfunctions and stays open outside the clip. (See pic). A number of users have complained about these on UKC, indicating a common problem resulting in the loss of ice screws.

Comments taken direct from UKC:

"The screws were nowhere around and the wire gate on my little plastic Black Diamond ice clipper krab was on the wrong side of the gate. One to watch out for."

"I threw my ice clippers away because of this happening, though I did it before I lost any screws. The petzl caritool is better."

"lost a screw for the very same reason! The worst BD product ever!"

So for those of us who use Ice clippers, just be aware of this issue! I myself still love the ice clippers, but will keep a close eye on them from now on! However I should point out I have been using these for 2 years and had no issues.... Mr Reynolds has similar opinions of the ice clippers, so until one of us has this issue, I'll continue to place my faith in these!

Black diamond Blizzard accessories

RRP £5.99 (Clipper) & £8.00 (holster)
I have a black diamond blizzard harness, and I've always loved it for it's comfort, good fit and quality build. Black diamond also do 2 accessories for this harness to aid the budding winter climber. I now have both of these;









Black Diamond Blizzard Holster:
This small webbing holster attaches to the blizzard (or any other harness) and allows the user to holster one or both of their ice tools whilst placing gear etc. I would say its a nifty little accessory, but can be a little bit fiddly holstering 2 tools, however to holster one tool at a time is very easy! Overall, nice addition to my harness and easy to use.











Black diamond ice clipper:
This is the best few quid ive ever spent! It is such a great bit of kit. It allows you not only to rack your ice screws easily, but also when trad climbing its very easy to stow gear when seconding, or clip you belay device to avoid fannying around at the top of route finding it. The ice clipper will fit to any harness, however the BD blizzard has custom slots to slide these in, making them even more secure! My friend Matt Reynolds also loves these:

"BD ice clippers. These little plastic 'biners are simply like the most innovative idea ever (not just BD ones, I mean the whole concept). For those that don't know then they are little plastic 'biners that are held sort of poking out from your harness so you can rack screws (or anything you want) on them. I brought 2 initially as I was trying to expand my summer harness with more gear loops (I just brought a DMM Renegade in the end, another quality piece of kit)."

Taken from http://www.lifeattheendofarope.blogspot.com/ (worth a read for some of Matts Crazy Stories!)

Overall Black Diamonds 2 cheap accessories make a good harness even better, and for the few quid involved its very worth investing! I now have a holster for my axes AND an ice clipper on the left and right of my harness for ice screws and anything else!