UKC

Anyone got advice on best practice for TRi Cam placement on ice routes, thanks
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In reply to drsdave: Look on the camp web site for placing tri cams on mixture of rock and ice

In reply to drsdave:


Yep, don't do it. It's a nuts idea.

Place a screw, or rock gear instead.

In reply to drsdave:

Interesting idea - if you run out of ice screws just stick tri-cams in the old screw holes!

(NOT recommending this!)

In reply to drsdave:

Place them in a bag and send them to me so I can work out the best way to do it.

In reply to drsdave:

Apologies for the confusion, ice routes meaning winter climbing, mixed routes

In reply to drsdave:

Don't waste your money/time fumbling around with tri-cams. I was a marketing victim when they first came out, only ever used them a few times and those being in setting up top ropes when I was comfortable and could use both hands (and they were still a pain in the arse).

In reply to drsdave:

I use them all the time on summer trad, about to try them in winter.

In reply to king_of_gibraltar:

Couldn't disagree more! They can be invaluable!

In reply to Lamb:

Really? Explain why please...

In reply to king_of_gibraltar:

Ice chocked cracks.

In reply to Lamb:

ah and thats the one Im looking to use them on. So whats the crack la with tri's on ice n rock mix

In reply to drsdave:


Ah ok. They're really good. It can be hard to get much else in if the cracks are parallel and icy.

Don't know if there is something on Needlesports website, otherwise the 'brochure' which comes with them should give a basic explanation of how to place them. Placements can be a good bit better if there is an edge inside the crack against which you can set the spiky bit.

In reply to drsdave:

the "marmite" of climbing protection,

I use them , none of my mates will, they, like all pro need to be placed properly to work properly.
Can be placed easily one handed, will work where other rock pro will not, and I don't just mean "shot holes"

2 negative issues i found with them, first they can be "unseated" by moving sideways from placement, if rope goes tight, and second, none of my mates will use them so i end up with them all day, with comments like "if you place one of those things, I might just leave it on the route" helpful,,,very helpful...
Just lack of knowledge etc, stopping people from valuing them

In reply to Michael Gordon:

thank you

In reply to All the Gear, No Idea:

thank you

In reply to All the Gear, No Idea:

I don't find them easy to place one handed. For vertical cracks I often have to hold them in place while pulling the dyneema to make them cam properly.

In reply to Michael Gordon:
ive used them years, they can be placed one handed. But to say they easily place one handed in all placements is not true imo. especially with gloves on.

In reply to king_of_gibraltar:

You were alive when they first came out eh? Comsidering I bought my first one when I was 13 and I'm now 36... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricam

So tricams, yeah they can be marmity but on snowed up rock they can provide secure placements where neither cams not hexs would, they are lighter than cams, they rack better than cams and can be the difference between getting a solid placement or not... yeah so you can't place one handed that easily, but IMO they are worth persisting with. Once you're used to them they are a super useful tool...

In reply to CurlyStevo:


(which of course is just about the only time they are worth using)

In reply to Michael Gordon:

And they are cheaper than cams to replace when you get you get your partner's irretrievably jammed

In reply to drsdave:

I found the ViaMont Tri-Cams on wire to be excellent. I could never get on with the more fiddly Camp Tri-Cams on slings. Cause for one handed placements with the wire cams, it was stiff enough to poke it into a crack until it stops, wiggle around a little, then give a good yank and hope for the best.

But I think marmite describes them perfectly.

In reply to All the Gear, No Idea:

thank you

In reply to GrendeI:

Just looked at these and they look quite nice and possibly easier to place. Do you use the normal ones or the 'combi' ones where the wire can rotate so they can be used as a nut?

In reply to crayefish:

Just the normal ones. I bought them years ago, I think before the combi version came out. But they do look nice, it was always the disadvantage I had over friends who had the camp tricams cause theirs also doubled up as nuts.

On another note about tri-cams, whatever happened to that poem, ode to the pink or something?

and in answer to my own question

http://www.swarpa.net/~danforth/climb/sinkthepink.html

In reply to drsdave:

I'm a big fan of tricams: http://camsclimbingclub.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/picking-shiny-things-that-mo...

In terms of winter placement... clear as much crud/snow/ice out of the placement as possible and take extra care to make sure the 'rails' are well seated and that the fulcrum has bedded properly.

In reply to drsdave:

I love marmite. I also love Tri-Cams. I always carry them on mixed routes, usually 3 small ones, and two large, with poss a couple of mediums as well. The large ones (with the two plated sides arther than the solid construction) are lighter than similar sized large cams.

Yes, they do take some getting used to to place, but on loads and loads of occasions I've placed them (big and small) where nothing else would work. Suggest if you do buy some, spend a fair bit of time practicing placing them before you take em out in anger. Hope this helps.

In reply to Simon Yearsley:

yer nice one thanks