multi-pitch climbing with 100% passive gear

Hi I'm fairly new to trad climbing. I have climbed with others trad racks and want to put together my own. I am getting in to multi-pitch climbing in NC I climbed at stone depot in NC last and it was fully bolted so I want to put together a rack that would be good to multi-pitch with in NC so I can advance in big wall climbing a bit more. I climb 5.7-5.10a on multi-pitch climbs but I can climb 5.11c on sport routes. So I was thinking I could get 2 sets of hexes 1 set of tricams and 1 set of nuts. Would this rack be ok for what I'm climbing? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Climb on

cams. but you'll figure that out sooner or later.

Buy cams with the money u would use for hexes! U won't regret it!!

Buy some stoppers, but instead of the hexes and tri-cams, buy some larger cams to cover the ranges that your stoppers won't. This will ensure that you won't skimp on the "nutcraft," as Locker pointed out.

Have you climbed any multi pitch routes without placing/cleaning any cams?

I know nothing about NC but I never leave the ground without a single rack of cams

When I started climbing I had no cams for a year or so I lead on nothing but passive pro... Helped me a ton with placements and what not as locker said... Go for it man you don't need cams by any means though it's nice....

Unless there is something wierd in NC then dump the hexes and tricams, a standard set of nuts, set of offsets and a few cams does it for most people.

Thanks for the reply's. I am thinking passive gear will work out great. Considering I'm a 5.11c climber and will be doing 5.8-5.9 multi-pitch routes. All I will ever do is climb the easiest and highest routes. I was thinking this would be the same as having 2 sets of cams on a multi-pitch route. Is that somewhat accurate?

The great arch at stone mountain can go on all passive. Have done some routes at table rock with a lot of nuts. At the same time, I do agree with the nudge towards buying cams. They're too easy not to use.

William Turner wrote:Is that somewhat accurate?

Not even close, what's wrong with cams anyway?

Generic Response to Generic Question: Climb on friends racks and see what you like. Don't have any friends that climb trad? Go hang out at a popular trad area and ask other parties if you can clean their routes. Bring good beer and vibes and people will be stoked to show you how it's done. Other good advice here:

mountainproject.com/scripts…

Cams just cost too much

I bought all my cams for 160$. #1 tcu all the way through #4 camalot. Keep an eye out and buy used.

NC is one of those areas where tricams will fit where other things--including SLCDs--will not. While they are not a requirement, a lot of climbers find them to be a versatile, inexpensive addition to their rack.

Look at the dates the routes were put up. There is a lot of multi-pitch stuff in NC that was established with only passive pro.

William Turner wrote:Cams just cost too much

Prices are approximate (via backcountry.com):

2 sets of hexes: $178
One set of stoppers: $70
One set of tricams: $119

Total cost: $367

One set of stoppers ($70) + C4s from .5 to #3 ($292) = $362

You're likely to find a better deal on gear here on MP.

a lot of stuff can be done with hexes in NC...that being said i would take cams over hexes any day here in NC...Tricams will help with horizontal placements if you dont have cams.

For easy stuff like rats ass at the glass, or north ridge of table rock, or even mummy/daddy type stuff a single set of hexes, nuts, and tricams is sufficient. I would spend the money of the second set on a .75,1,2 C4 or equivalent (can be had for around 100-120 if you find a sale). I used to carry a #11 hex for a long time before i finally bought a #3.

I wouldn't get on some of the water grooves though with just a passive rack...too many little horizontal placements or strange flared placements.

I would also hesitate to jump on 5.9 multi-pitch here in NC. There are some very hard routes when you combine the lack of gear, route finding, and runouts and you're wondering if that hex is really good or not in that flared eyebrow. Also i would hate to be climbing dopey duck and having to struggle to throw a small hex in a horizontal while pumping out for example. Work your way up the grades and get a feel for your skills on non sport terrain.

any other questions feel free to hit me up.

Scott Phil wrote:There is a lot of multi-pitch stuff in NC that was established with only passive pro.

Yes... by climbers much more badass than us.

Ryan Nevius wrote:One set of stoppers ($70) + C4s from .5 to #3 ($292) = $362

I would absolutely do this. Do learn to place nuts, but you just aren't going to get very far on only passive gear. It will be scary and dangerous and limiting.

That's the way we climbed before Friends were invented. . .

'just sayin.

We're long past the days of only having access to passive pro.

I belong to that cohort of now old-timers who climbed a whole lot of trad with only passive gear because, at first, that's all there was and later, we either thought cams were cheating or didn't trust the entire concept of "faith-based" protection.

Nowadays, my rack has a set of nuts and a double set of cams. I still use nuts more than almost all my younger partners, but I can assure you that most climbs are far better and more easily protected if you have a good selection of cams along, and this is especially true if the available cracks tend to be horizontal and/or parallel-sided.

The result is that, based on a real-world evaluation of the actual difficulty of leading---rather than the hypothetical grading system more and more based on the assumption that the leader already knows the moves---many climbs are considerably harder in addition to being less well-protected if done with only passive gear. The trad grades assigned may not take the difficulties of getting in gear into account, but even if they do, those grades are certainly not based on having nothing but passive pro. Ditto the protection grades. A route graded PG could be R or X if you don't have the small cams the guidebook author carries.

I'm not saying not to head out with only passive gear. As I said, some of us did that for years, and with gear less sophisticated and versatile than what is available now. Just be aware that the climb could feel considerably harder than its difficulty grade and considerably less protected than its protection grade. In other words, it could be much more of an adventure (which used to be the point).

John Wilder wrote: no. but you can do what you like. I would wager that most of your partners will have cams and insist on bringing them along. virtually no one runs solely passive gear these days unless it's a one off day for fun. also, if you really get into trad, you'll climb harder and harder stuff, eventually needing cams for practical purposes. never say never. finally, a 5.11 sport climber doesn't automatically mean 5.9 trad is super easy. fwiw.

what John said. When I first started trad climbing I was starting to RP few 12a. First trad route I did was 5.7 and I had a HARD time on it. Went to Indian Creek and could barely make it up a 5.9 hang dogging it. Tahquitz is a local spot that even 5.9 for me sometimes gets pretty hard. Totally different style of climbing. Don't automatically assume 5.9 will be easy

multi-pitch climbing with 100% passive gear
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