Frostwork Nuts -- Sling length

I didn't find this anywhere else in the forum, so here goes. I'm considering getting a set of Frostwork Nuts. They come with two lengths of slings: 8" or 12". The question is whether or not the extra 4" does much. With most nuts a qd will add some extra length, but with a slightly longer sling, maybe just a biner would be needed. I know that the extra few inches may or may not come in handy aid climbing, but that's not necessary for the near future. Thoughts?

Maybe relevant: mostly I plan on climbing at NRG, maybe Seneca, and the Gunks.

One nice thing about the longer wire is you can reach slightly higher placements. The longer ones can be a little easier to clean as well. They do hang lower on your harness, and if you rack them with regular size nuts it can be a little annoying. Not really a big deal either way.

Cool, I didn't know these were still made. Thanks for the link!

Why do you want the frostwork nuts? I'm just curious, as there seem to be so many better nut options out there. Are the cracks where you climb mostly uniform and straight-sided? If not, then a curved nut definitely seems like a better choice, no?

I really like these.I've been using them in Eldo for years, they've saved my ass a couple of times, and I think the straight sides are a definite advantage. Highly recommended.

Joe Huggins wrote:I really like these.I've been using them in Eldo for years, they've saved my ass a couple of times, and I think the straight sides are a definite advantage. Highly recommended.

Can you describe what makes the straight sides advantageous? Genuine curiosity. Thanks!

Outdoor Gear Lab has a review:

outdoorgearlab.com/Climbing…

They say the straight sides are a disadvantage in heavily textured rocks, so they might not be great for the Shawangunks.

Thanks for all the responses. I appreciate getting a wide array of opinions. One reason I'm looking at these is that I hear they are good to learn placements with. Granted I heard this from people doing a lot of climbing in Utah... I probably won't be climbing on the soft variety desert sandstone or LCC 'granite' rock for a while.

I've never seen someone clip the rope directly to the wire, so to answer your original question, I don't think the extra 4" is useful enough to offset the hassle of having them hang so low. I've never encountered a situation where I wished the nut wire were just a little longer. Perhaps they're more useful for aid climbing; I couldn't say.

I've used frostworks nuts for years and vastly prefer them over any other stoppers I've tried. The straight taper gets better surface contact, makes it easier to see how well the nut is placed, and makes the stoppers far easier to clean (a particular advantage if, like me, you often find yourself climbing with partners who have little experience with climbing on gear).

booger wrote:The straight taper gets better surface contact, makes it easier to see how well the nut is placed, and makes the stoppers far easier to clean (a particular advantage if, like me, you often find yourself climbing with partners who have little experience with climbing on gear).

Ditto that.

For unbeatable coolness factor, use old Chouinard Stoppers on perlon.

I've heard that the longer wires help you get away with a shorter draw on them without walking them out of place from rope drag. I have no personal experience with them, but that's what I heard a friend say.

I use the metolius nuts, which have a similar shape. I personally really like the more straight shaped nuts... they just seem like they fit really well as well as being easy to judge the placement.

I haven't climbed at the Gunks, but at Seneca and the New, the rock is irregular enough that I think straight sided nuts would drive me crazy. I'd rather have curved nuts at either of those places any day...

All good information. Thanks again everyone!

Bowens wrote: Can you describe what makes the straight sides advantageous? Genuine curiosity. Thanks!

Not sure how to say it that won't seem like bs. But, it seems to be more predictable in its' relation to the crack. When curved stoppers came out, everyone was stoked-cool! But, they really seem to be prone to getting stuck hard. And, in most cases, I think the fancy curves and offsets are just gimmicks. Don't get me wrong; there is a place on a complete rack for a lot of different hardware. The stuff you like is good for you, partly because it gives you confidence for happy climbing. I took my first fall onto a stopper in '75...I've used a lot of different gear. My experience with Sentinal nuts is overwhelmingly positive.

Right now I'm leaning more toward a curved nut for the New, Seneca, and the Gunks. I think I'd rather lose a nut in a crack than have it possibly slip out. I'm still thinking the Sentinel nuts may have a place on my rack for certain areas though.

To those of you that love the Frostwork nuts:
(1) How have you liked them on irregular rock like NRG sandstone, or Gunks conglomerate?
(2) Where have you liked them the most?

I haven't seen anybody who has tried them, who doesn't like them. To any who have tried them, but didn't like them:
(1) What didn't you like about them? (probably similar answers to above posts, but if not...)
(2) Where were you climbing that made you not like them?

A friend I climbed with had them when we climbed at the Elephant's Perch, and I remember really liking the longer wires. One scenario I've found sometimes is when I set a nut and the wire end rests on less than vertical rock, and the carabiner that I clip lays at a bad angle to the rock, sometimes over an edge that could put sideways pressure on the spine of the biner. In some of these cases, a longer wire on the nut would've solved the problem. I'm not saying this situation is super common (it isn't), but when it does happen, the longer wires would come in handy.

I don't quite remember how differently I felt about the flat sides, what stood out most to me was the longer wires.

Anyhow, I've interested in getting some of these (if TF is still making them) so I googled and found this post. Kenny Clark, did you end up buying some? If so, what are your thoughts? 

Miguel D wrote:

A friend I climbed with had them when we climbed at the Elephant's Perch, and I remember really liking the longer wires. One scenario I've found sometimes is when I set a nut and the wire end rests on less than vertical rock, and the carabiner that I clip lays at a bad angle to the rock, sometimes over an edge that could put sideways pressure on the spine of the biner. In some of these cases, a longer wire on the nut would've solved the problem. I'm not saying this situation is super common (it isn't), but when it does happen, the longer wires would come in handy.

I don't quite remember how differently I felt about the flat sides, what stood out most to me was the longer wires.

Anyhow, I've interested in getting some of these (if TF is still making them) so I googled and found this post. Kenny Clark, did you end up buying some? If so, what are your thoughts? 

This post is 5 years old. I'm pretty sure Kenny isn't watching the thread anymore. 

I'm sure he's not. But unless he specifically opted out, MP probably still notifies him when someone posts on it.

Edit: Also just wanted to bump this to see if someone knows if these are still made. I called Mountainworks in Provo and they haven't had them in stock for a while. I'm guessing the answer is no....

Miguel D wrote:

I'm sure he's not. But unless he specifically opted out, MP probably still notifies him when someone posts on it.

Edit: Also just wanted to bump this to see if someone knows if these are still made. I called Mountainworks in Provo and they haven't had them in stock for a while. I'm guessing the answer is no....

Funny coincidence that the only person I know with Frost Nuts is an employee of Mountainworks. I used them on Moonlight buttress when he and I climbed it 18 months ago. I don't know where to buy them, but I liked them for Moonlight. I typically prefer offset or curved nuts, but the longer taper seemed to work really well on the nutting pitch. I don't know that the extra length of the wires is useful or not. The ones I used were longer, and it seemed helpful when cleaning them, but I think normal length would be fine. Good lucking finding some.  

Just got a full set of DMM Wallnut and WC Rocks, both of which are favorites. So I'm not in the market for nuts. However, I used the old straight-sided Chouinard Stoppers for years in the 70's and 80's. They set well and cleaned well. If not for my present rack, I'd be tempted to get a set. The Sentinel Nuts are listed at Mountain Tools.