offset cams question

I have been climbing for years. Most of my leads on trad have been in AZ. I'm just curious what locations are known for needing offset cams?

Thanks

up here in CO (Lumpy, alpine, Eldo) there are multiple spots on every pitch where an offset cam turns a crappy cam placement into a bomber gear placement.

Nice. i have heard a little about that in that area and Yosemite

Lumpy, J-Tree, Yosemite all pop out.

I used them a metric ton in the PNW and Squamish but they're not as needed there.

Since having bought them I always carry B/G, G/Y, Y/R now. Well Worth It

yea i am on the fence at the moment about buying a set. i noticed one placement here in AZ and a few in Yosemite last week while i was there. good info guys

I've taken offsets to thumb butte and found them to be worthwhile. I also remember placing some offset nuts in jtree but probably wouldn't bother carrying the cams. They were awesome in Zion and I suspect they would be equally useful for any routes that started as aid routes.

If your on the fence about buying some then you might look into some totem cams, they work about as well but are a lot more versatile

true that on the totem cams. i have checked them out online. i watched a few british climbers carry some up routes on the valley

I've been using Metolius offsets for three years, on a wide variety of rocks type. Type of rock is not important, shape of crack is. Great for flares and tapered cracks.

i just got back from red rock canyon. deff could of use the hell out of some offsets there.

I love the small Metolius offsets. The 0/1 and 1/2 get placed the most, but 00/0 is also important because small placements are finicky and unforgiving; a perfectly fit offset is much better than a less-than-perfect symmetric cam. The larger offsets get used less. New England granite, gneiss, conglomerate. I think that there are relatively few areas where I would prefer a double set of symmetric small cams to one set of symmetric and one of offset.

+1 for Red Rock

really? I don't climb a lot in RR, but it is one of the last places I would think of when I reach for my offsets. I certainly didn't bring them last time I was there and didn't miss them one bit. They really shine in flaring cracks and pin scars. Some climbs in Yosemite, especially in Tuolumne. I'd think they'd be nice in JT, although I didn't own offsets the last time I was there. Same with Lumpy. Interestingly, I thought they were awesome in the horizontal eyebrow features on Looking Glass, NC. I do have a coupe of the Totems too and they are awesome.

yea i climbed up Cat In The Hat with a new follower and found myself wanting some smaller offsets in .3/.4 and .4/.5.

I climb in AZ as well. Hardly ever come across pin scars or flaring cracks. Offset stoppers seem to be useful though.

They are absolutely mandatory for tricky clean aid, especially when dealing with pin scars.

For free trad climbing, they're totally unnecessary. There may be one in a thousand poorly protected routes where there happens to be one key placement to protect the crux, and it happens to be an offset cam.

I've climbed plenty in Lumpy, J-Tree and Yosemite, and never brought offset cams (for free climbing - different story for aid).

But use whatever gear you like, so long as you're not altering the rock. Hey, I knew a guy who carried a bajillion Link Cams up every route, because he liked the flexibility the massive range allows.

GO

GabeO wrote:They are absolutely mandatory for tricky clean aid, especially when dealing with pin scars. For free trad climbing, they're totally unnecessary. There may be one in a thousand poorly protected routes where there happens to be one key placement to protect the crux, and it happens to be an offset cam. I've climbed plenty in Lumpy, J-Tree and Yosemite, and never brought offset cams (for free climbing - different story for aid). But use whatever gear you like, so long as you're not altering the rock. Hey, I knew a guy who carried a bajillion Link Cams up every route, because he liked the flexibility the massive range allows. GO

This has mostly been my experience as well. I only take them if I know ahead of time that I'll need them. It has been a rarity that I've regretted leaving them on the ground. I take them every time I'm aiding or if I know I'll be climbing pin scars/flares, but these are the exceptions and not the rule.

Devil's Tower in Wyo is a good spot for them. Although not absolutely necessary I could see them being placed a lot.

Well, to add to the fray. I climb mostly in Sierra granite. Offset cams and DMM offset nuts are essential for my piece of mind. Add in peanuts and brassies and the world rocks. I just sold my Mastercam offsets and bought offset C4's, they are so superior IMHO.

I carry doubles of the Metolius 1/2. They're usually my MVP in the Valley.

Seems like Metolius 0/1, 1/2, 2/3 are very useful on many routes. Certainly if pin scars are abundant. Muscrat, how have you found x4s superior to metolius. I'm in the market for some new ones.

SRB25 wrote:Seems like Metolius 0/1, 1/2, 2/3 are very useful on many routes. Certainly if pin scars are abundant. Muscrat, how have you found x4s superior to metolius. I'm in the market for some new ones.

yea i would like to hear this too... i have personal use with some regular x4 and cleaning some x4 offsets while in Yosemite. yea they seem nice and the flexible stem is a plus.