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longest fall on a micronut?

Original Post
Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450

Just curious: what's the longest fall you've taken or witnessed personally on a micronut that didn't fail? Are micros mostly just for body weight or can they hold an actual fall IF the rock around them is good?

Benjamin Chapman · · Small Town, USA · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 18,818

Todd Skinner and Paul Piana took some monster falls on small RPs while doing the FFA of "The Stigma" at Cookie Cliff in Yosemite back in the day.

Todd Skinner on The Stigma (5.13), Yosemite Valley Photo: Bill Hatcher

Jason Antin · · Golden, CO · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,375
Optimistic wrote:Just curious: what's the longest fall you've taken or witnessed personally on a micronut that didn't fail? Are micros mostly just for body weight or can they hold an actual fall IF the rock around them is good?
I've caught a 20+ footer on a BD Micro Nut. We weren't able to clean the nut.
Vanilla Drilla From Manila · · Goiter, CO · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 50

20 feet. Largest bd micro nut

Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450

Hm, that's encouraging... Hopefully it won't come up too soon, but still good to know!

csproul · · Pittsboro...sort of, NC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 330

It helps if you're higher up on a pitch and have more rope out.

Patrick Shyvers · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 10

The largest DMM Peenut is 8kN, just as strong as a 0.3 C4 Camalot. Few pieces of gear are rated for more than 14kN.

The smallest DMM Peenut is only 4kN though. I know the 000 C3 Camalot is 4kN, and BD says "for direct aid only"

Tom Nyce · · Flagstaff, AZ · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 45

I fell, on overhanging rock (Josh granite), with the last piece being a smallish HB well below my feet. So, my fall was close to 16-18 feet, with little friction of other pieces involved. The HB held fine. My partner was pulled a few feet off the ground until his "leash" came tight (he was anchored down). I was still suspended in the air after the fall, and had to be lowered some to get back onto the rock.
We finished the (single pitch) climb. My partner couldn't clean the piece without hanging on the rope, so left it. I cleaned it (easily) on rappel. The wires weren't damaged, and I'm still using the piece. The partner (who previously didn't trust micronuts) immediately bought a set of HB's when he got back home from the trip.
I believe that an aluminum nut of equal size (very small) would have deformed, and pulled through that placement.

Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450
Patrick Shyvers wrote:The largest DMM Peenut is 8kN, just as strong as a 0.3 C4 Camalot.
The C4 spreads the load over a lot more rock, though, and the rock I think is often the weak link.
Chad F · · Costa Mesa, CA · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 75

About 40 ft, #5 DMM Brass. Ripped 2 other brass pieces before this one held. Over 100 feet of rope out, so fall was cushy but pants filling. It was all air and I bailed directly after. Sandstone aiding is scary!

Derrick W · · Golden, CO · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 868

Never taken a big ride onto a micronut, but I took a 20 footer onto a 00 TCU. It held fine. I was using doubles and there was 80-90 feet of rope out, so that helped decrease the force on the piece.

Bill Kirby · · Keene New York · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 480
Derrick W wrote:Never taken a big ride onto a micronut, but I took a 20 footer onto a 00 TCU. It held fine. I was using doubles and there was 80-90 feet of rope out, so that helped decrease the force on the piece.
I witnessed a guy fall on a 0 C3, not reset the cam, fall again, rip the 0 and get caught by a 00! The dude never placed gear before and the gear wasn't his. I remember the rack's owner being pissed that the beginner didn't replace the broken C3... Until I reminded him dudes new for Gods sake.
john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

You mean not breaking or ripping any ? I broke 2 #1 Rp's and pulled a #2 in what became a 80' or so.

True air balls onto a #3 RP on good NH granite 20-25'..MUCH farther on #4 & #5

Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450

I can't decide if you guys are building my confidence here or making me want to take up golf! Chad F's "cushy but pants filling" description was particularly vivid.

I'm going to try to get more tuned in to placements in this range and get some practice with them... I feel like around here (Gunks) a lot of times if the placement is that small, it's a very shallow groove leaving the nut flush with the face of the stone and only good for a perfect downward pull, so I'm thinking, "screw it, I've got a #1 C4 in good rock 10 feet below me and can get the same 10 feet above me, so why mess around with this tiny stuff that's just going to blow anyway?" But I think I need to look harder so I can get fast with these little guys for when I actually don't have a choice.

Patrick Shyvers · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 10
Tom Nyce wrote:I believe that an aluminum nut of equal size (very small) would have deformed, and pulled through that placement.
I thought brass nuts were softer than aluminum nuts? Google yields no answers, it looks like aluminum can be either softer or harder, depending on the alloy.

Optimistic wrote: The C4 spreads the load over a lot more rock, though, and the rock I think is often the weak link.
Good point especially on sedimentary rocks. I usually find myself on granite, so I'm not usually as worried about rock failure as I am when I visit sandstone!
john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640
Optimistic wrote:I can't decide if you guys are building my confidence here or making me want to take up golf! Chad F's "cushy but pants filling" description was particularly vivid. I'm going to try to get more tuned in to placements in this range and get some practice with them... I feel like around here (Gunks) a lot of times if the placement is that small, it's a very shallow groove leaving the nut flush with the face of the stone and only good for a perfect downward pull, so I'm thinking, "screw it, I've got a #1 C4 in good rock 10 feet below me and can get the same 10 feet above me, so why mess around with this tiny stuff that's just going to blow anyway?" But I think I need to look harder so I can get fast with these little guys for when I actually don't have a choice.
I think small curved nuts work better in the Gunks than brass.That said, there is a climb at a certain Gunks closed area called Sticky Bun Power an awesome 5.12 that gears with several Rp's in a horizontal,,the crux is above..I doubt any other gear would hold a fall in this instance.

In a place like the Gunks, place gear at any chance you get IMO

NH has a million opportunities for RP work !
john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640
Benjamin Chapman wrote:Todd Skinner and Paul Piana took some monster falls on small RPs while doing the FFA of "The Stigma" at Cookie Cliff in Yosemite back in the day.
I don't recall Todd going THAT far on Rp's...He then decided a few pins might help out.
Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450

What about steel micros? A lot of brass featured in these stories... I have several BD steel micro nuts that I place fairly frequently, but have never weighted...

Eli Buzzell · · noco · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 5,507

Based on these posts I often wonder if rock climbers, similar to how fisherman exaggerate fish stores, exaggerate whipper stories.

Beean · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 0

Around FF 1.5, my climber fell to just above the ground, maybe around 5-6 metres.

The nut was stuck for good. A 1/2 DMM micronut if I recall correctly.

After my guinea pig took the first fall I proceeded to take the same one.

Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450
Eli Buzzell wrote:Based on these posts I often wonder if rock climbers, similar to how fisherman exaggerate fish stores, exaggerate whipper stories.
Well, even "the piece was below my feet" already exceeded my expectations for this type of gear, so anything more than that is just gravy.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Trad Climbing
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