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Introducing the #21 Camalot C4 Gear News

© Black Diamond

Built for Honnold

BD Athlete Alex Honnold has never been a fan of wide cracks.

Or as he puts it a little more bluntly: "Offwidth climbing sucks."

But even Honnold has to thrust his body into deep fissures from time to time.

"Many of the most classic routes in the world, like the Freerider (VI 5.13a) on El Cap, or great desert towers have heinous wide pitches guarding the summit," says Honnold. "I wanted to find a way to make chimneys and wide cracks a little more mellow. Luckily I knew just the folks to talk to."

When Honnold once again came to BD for a solution, we got to work.

The Biggest Camalot Ever Made

Enter Black Diamond's climbing category director Kolin "KP" Powick.

"When Honnold has a problem, we solve it," says the inveterate gear guru. "And this was a particularly challenging project."

KP and BD's crack crew of engineers and designers quickly defined what Honnold needed and came to a conclusion—the perfect size Camalot to protect the BIGGEST, BADDEST cracks out there was a #21.

"Once we settled on a size," says KP, "then the real work began."

By re-engineering the traditional lobes of a Camalot, the team was able to create a cam that not only could protect a chimney pitch but would also be light enough to carry on a rack.

"The spacing and the diameter of the axles was a challenge, as well as ensuring the stem tube was stiff enough to withstand the increased head weight of the monster cam," explains KP. "This was accomplished via FEA (finite element analysis) 3D printing samples, and iterative field testing."

The finishing touch, of course, was integrating our innovative trigger keeper, which was developed last year for the new C4's, to keep the massive #21 retracted until it's time to whip it out.

Use Protection

Here at BD, we've always taken pride in providing protection when you need it most. So, when climbers like BD Athletes Alex Honnold and Babsi Zangerl, and even our own employees would come back from the Valley or desert with horrifying tales of un-protectible chimneys and the dangerous run-outs that ensued, we knew we had to provide a solution.

Now, armed with a #21 Camalot on your rack, you can feel safe knowing you have what it takes to tame the monster.

#21 Camalot C4

Built to help BD Athlete Alex Honnold tame the monster, the #21 Camalot C4 adds a margin of safety to those previously unprotectable chimneys and offwidths guarding the summits of the world's most famous big walls. Featuring our innovative trigger keeper to keep this humungous Camalot retracted until it's deployment time, the #21 completes the rack of offwidth aficionados, desert rats and big wallers.

"I wanted to find a way to make chimneys and wide cracks a little more mellow," says BD Athlete Alex Honnold. "Luckily I knew just the folks to talk to." Now, armed with a gold #21 Camalot C4, there's nothing Honnold can't protect. By re-engineering the lobes of a traditional Camalot, we were able to expand the range exponentially to create the ultimate wide-sending machine. Rest assured, the #21 C4 combines its enormous size with a manageable weight, giving you the confidence needed to rack this bad boy no matter how long the approach. Plus, the final touch is the #21's innovative trigger keeper technology, which holds the cam in a retracted position when racked. And when the cracks get wide, simply whip it out, squeeze the trigger and BOOM … it's time to tame the monster.

  • Innovative trigger keeper for compact racking
  • Sling is updated visually for easier differentiation when racking
  • Double-axle design offers the widest range ever invented
  • C-Loop continuous cable stem design is strong and durable
  • Color-coded for easy identification
  • Neutrino Rackpack available for easy racking (see Carabiners)




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