Rock Climbing & Gear

I should specify; this blog is about Sports rock climbing gear. Because I've done some sports climbing recently in Belgium, I thought I'd share on what I usually bring on multi-pitch sports climbing (i.e. bolted) routes.

some gear in use on a training wall; an anchor using the climbing rope

Apart from the obvious;

• a harness,
• rock climbing shoes
• and a helmet

I bring the following;

• depending on how many the route requires, I bring a number of quick-draws, varying in length. Made using a Wild Country Astro and a Wild Country Helium.

Quick Draws

• for when I need to make an anchor (belay station, relais, stand), I bring
• a quick draw I keep seperate from the other quick draws. This one is different in that it has a Wild Country Helium to clip to the bolt (I later use this to fix the rope to, so It's nice to have a larger 'biner). On the bottom there's a DMM Revolver wire-gate biner. I'm still experimenting with this, but in theory it should be handy when i need to haul something
• a small screwgate carabiner (Grivel Plume Nut K3N) with a dyneema sling (Mammut Contact 120 8mm)
• a regular sized screwgate carabiner (Petzl Attache 3D)

Gear to make an anchor

•  If I need to attach myself to a bolt or anchor, I use
• an anchor sling (Metolius PAS 22), which I always have girth-hitched to my harness (I also own and use a Grivel Daisy Chain, which is as good as the Metolius)
• a regular sized carabiner (DMM Sentinel)

Metolius PAS 22 & DMM Sentinel

•  To belay another climber, or to abseil (rappel), I use
• a small screwgate carabiner (Grivel Plume Nut K3N)
• a belay device (Petzl Reverso 4)
• a regular sized screwgate carabiner (Petzl Attache 3D)

Grivel Plume Nut K3N, Petzl Reverso 4, Petzl Attache 3D

•  When I do an abseil, I use a back-up, consisting of
• a prusik loop (Edelrid Aramid 6mm sewn prusik sling)
• a screwgate carabiner, in this case a DMM Revolver screwgate, the revolver has a pulley built in to it, which allows it to be used more efficiently in hauling/rescue

Edelrid Aramid 6mm sling (30cm) & DMM Revolver screwgate

•  Finally, I bring a spare screwgate carabiner with some spare odds & ends, such as
• an extra small screwgate carabiner (Grivel Plume Nut K3N)
• 2 small wiregate carabiners (Camp Nano 23) - to hold some gear or if I need to make a Garda hitch
• an extra prusik loop (about 25 cm 5mm cord) - this has various uses, but in any case it's good to have a spare prusik, should you drop one
• a small knife (Spyderco Ladybug) - always handy
• a Petzl TiBloc - good to have in (self-) rescue situations
• an extra Mammut Contact 120 sling - various uses

odds and ends - Grivel Plume Nut K3N, Camp Nano 23, Petzl TiBloc, Mammut sling

When I get more into other styles of climbing (e.g. trad), I'll do another post on gear.

Not all the gear I use can be found easily in the Netherlands (where I live), so here's some tips:

the DMM Revolver is available at Klimwinkel.nl 
the Grivel Plume Nuts I got in the U.K. (not cheap though...) - here
the Camp Nano 23 I also got in the U.K. - here
the Edelrid Aramid sling is available at Klimwinkel.nl
the Metolius Personal Anchor Sling (PAS 22) I got in the U.S., I couldn't find it in europe - the comparable Grivel Daisy Chain is available at Klimwinkel.nl