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

Mountain Leader Assessment

Hi there! it has been quite a while since I last posted as I've been busy getting ready to take my ML (summer) assessment. I took it last week at Blue Peris Mountain Centre in Deiniolen, Snowdonia and passed!!

To tell you the truth, it wasn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It was obviously difficult, but if you have prepared, you will find it easier. It's a 5 day assessment with tests you on your navigation skills, rope work and group work skills. Me and my mates spent the last few months going out most weekends  practicing all of this. The logbook as well is important, you need to ensure you have more than 40 quality days logged or else you will defer.

There is a 3 day expedition, so if you are still using old kit from your D of E years ago, you may struggle. I'm not saying "go out and buy the best kit", but it does help if you do have a decent rucksack, waterproof and sleeping bag. The main emphasis has to be on being comfortable so you can concentrate on navigation and your admin so that you reflect your skills well. If you are flapping about being wet and carrying a heavy bag/not getting any sleep you may find it harder to keep up your concentration. 

Throughout the week you need to remain switched on and concentrated on the task. Always keep an eye on your map and the bearing you're on, as the assessor will randomly ask for your position. This is the same for the night nav, just much harder as it is night time. Which brings me onto the next point, a good head torch. If you just use the one you got free with a tank of diesel from the petrol station, you won't find it as easy as if you had a better one. I used a Petzl Myo RXP, which has a fantastic search beam which comes in handy for finding those cheeky contour features. However, last week the weather was pretty foul and we had a misty night, so the beam just bounced off the mist and we could only see when the wind made a gap. It is for this reason that a good compass (Silva expedition 4) comes in handy for accurate bearings and a definite pacing for 100m allows you to measure distance travelled accurately.

A decent but light tent allows for a comfy night. Me and a friend shared a Vaude Taurus Ultralight and it was really good. Waterproof and sturdy in the wind, which allowed us to get the sleep we needed (during the gaps in snoring). Sharing it out let us keep our packs lighter. 

I carried everything in an Osprey Kestrel 68, including my personal kit and group kit. The equipment you have is pretty comprehensive, but if you have prepared right leading up to the assessment everything has its place and nothing unnecessary is carried. 

This is what I carried:

• Inflatable sleeping matt (Mountain Equipment Helium 3.8)
• Inflatable pillow (poundland's own)
• Sleeping Bag (Marmot Atom)
• Bivvy Bag (Alpkit hunka)
• Group first aid kit
• Group shelter (Terra Nova)
• Poles and pegs from tent
• Spare personal clothing (Ron Hill leggings, Smartwool socks)
• Gloves (Mountain Equipment Guide, Randonee and Touch)
• Hat (hand knitted)
• Spare group clothing (Rab Generator, gloves and hat)
• Food and spare sweets (see earlier post on use of smash)
• Stove and gas (Jetboil PCS)
• Waterproof salopettes (Paramo Aspira)
• Waterproof Jacket (Mountain Equipment Kongur MRT)
• Sweets and energy gels (Go Gel)
• Head Torch (Myo RXP)
• Compass (Silva Exped 4)
• Poles (Black Diamond Contour Eliptic Shock)
• Bottles (Sigg and Nalgene)
• Knife (Edelrid sawtooth - for cutting up food and general camp stuff)
• Water treatment (Iodine tincture and Neutraliser powder) 
• Rope (30m Beal climbing rope)

All of my kit has been tried and tested since ML training a couple of years ago, I have replaced some things for the kit above, like a sleeping bag (see earlier posts). The clothes I wore were softshell trousers and Paramo Velez Adventure light as it is what works for me. The list above is not meant to say what you SHOULD have, it is just how I do things, you should make up your own minds.

My best advice is to concentrate and be confident with your bearings and pacing. Also, brush up on your geology, nature, weather and history knowledge to chat whilst you're on the move - however, don't get caught up talking when you should be pacing, you may lose your distance measurement. 

Good luck to those taking their assessment in the future, and HAVE FUN!

Petzl NAO - the future of head torches?

© Petzl

RRP: £135

Petzl's latest headtorch has been announced; the Petzl NAO will be available from July 2012....but what is it?

Petzl's new NAO headtorch features a heads-up sensor at the front that adapts the light output of the headtorch according to what is required. For example scanning the horizon will result in the headtorch adapting to maximum output and maximum concentration, whilst looking at a map will cause the torch to reduce output and increase beam width. From Petzl's website:

"REACTIVE LIGHTING technology is a revolution in hands-free lighting. A built-in light sensor adapts the headlamp's beam pattern and light output instantly and automatically to suit the user's needs. This means the user gets an ideal amount of light with minimal manual adjustment required. This self-adjusting lighting mode also results in longer burn times, due to more efficient use of the rechargeable battery"

The diagram to the left from the Petzl site illustrates how the torch functions. The light sensor on the torch detects what light level is required, close range wide beams where needed and long range concentrated beams where needed. The result? Minimum adjustment needed, and maximum battery life. The torch weighs a respectable 187g - not the lightest but definitely a good power/weight ratio. The Nao also picks up where the Petzl Core left off - with USB charging (2300mAh Lithium Ion battery), however this can be supplemented with AAA batteries if required. The official Petzl press release is below:


The Petzl NAO is a new-generation head torch that represents a genuine step forward in hands-free lighting.

The NAO uses Petzl's innovative Reactive Lighting technology, providing light that automatically adapts to your environment. A sensor constantly monitors reflected light from your direction of vision and adapts the head torch output accordingly. This means there is no need to manually adjust brightness when switching between close or distant objects. The dual benefit is automatic optimisation of battery output, giving extended burn times. The Petzl Nao gives you the right light when you need it – automatically.

One of the big problems with today's head torches is the relationship between high-performance LED power consumption and battery capacity. The choices are limited; either unregulated light, giving rapidly diminishing light output, or regulated output where maximum power is only available for relatively short periods.

Petzl's Reactive Lighting technology allows your battery to optimise its output, only providing the power you need for the environment you are operating in. The result is that battery life can last at least three times longer than it would do under constant full power*.

The Petzl Nao features a front headset with twin LEDS and sensor, linked to the rear-mounted battery by the new Zephyr cord-lock headband. The battery is a 2300 mAh lithium-ion unit, rechargeable via an integrated USB plug. There is a belt kit version for the battery, plus a detachable top strap for additional stability when running.

Lighting is controlled via a large rotating on/off switch, which can be locked in the 'off' position. The switch allows the user to choose between Reactive Lighting or Static modes, with high/low output options in each. Static lighting gives a fixed output (non-reactive).

In Reactive Lighting mode the headset uses a single high-output LED in a wide-angled beam. In Static mode the headset uses both the wide-angled beam and a second high-output LED configured for a focused beam. Maximum power output is 355 lumens. Performance profiles can be customised via Petzl's OS 2.0 on your computer.

For 'emergency use', the battery pack will accept 2 x conventional AAA batteries. UK RSP will be £135.00.

*Required output will of course depend on ambient light and the pattern of your usage, ie how much you switch between near/far objects.

© Petzl

So what do I think? I think this looks really cool, Petzl have produced a new unique system that really does have potential for being a useful addition to a climbers arsenal. A torch that can adapt to reduce output when looking close to the crag placing gear, then increase output as you look up the route, all without fiddling around with dials and buttons, is a genuinely useful idea! However Petzl have included an override function for those people who prefer to be more in control! The Petzl OS 2.0 software can be used to fine tune the unit making it even more efficient, this is another nice little feature included by Petzl. Lets hope that it lives up to expectations! But thumbs up to Petzl for a unique and innovate idea! 




Petzl also released a short video accompanying the press release, (see below) enjoy!

Source: http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/headlamp/nao

or check out the NA) on Tribevine.com http://www.tribevine.com/product/11824/Petzl/NAO%20headtorch