Vintage Climbing Gear Stories
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lynne, im thinking its a pin holder for racking...?
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@johntp said in Vintage Climbing Gear Stories:
In the event any inquiring minds are curious....
Just talked w/a bud who still sports some of these tri-cams rigs on their rack: Confirmed that they are made by Camp.
Kind of suspected as much.
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SMC (Seattle Manufacturing Co.) mad a similar, but more simple triangular chock starting in the mid-1970's. I bought a few & did not consider them as stable as Chouinard Hexcentrics. I soon quit using them., especially after Friends came out in 1978.
I note that triangles are not all that stable
SMC Camlocks.
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@FritzRay Yep. But I have seen where tri-cam units came in handy for "pockety" type placements in the days before TCU's were invented.
I'd seen those SMC rigs utilized before, bitd, but never placed one. One thing I do recall is how folks enjoyed removing them w/a flair - yank opposite and then watch out you don't biff yourself in the head!
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@FritzRay said in Vintage Climbing Gear Stories:
I bought a few & did not consider them as stable as Chouinard Hexcentrics. I soon quit using them., especially after Friends came out in 1978.
True, they were no substitute for hexes in most placements, but there was the odd spot where they were solid and hexes were useless. But, as you say, once Friends were available, the SMC Camlocks were irrelevant.
So, for that matter, were hexes, but somehow they clung on.
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@David-Harris said in Vintage Climbing Gear Stories:
So, for that matter, were hexes, but somehow they clung on.
Yes! After Jim Donini brought me into this century of climbing, in 2010, I bought Black Diamond Camalots & stopped carrying both my old Hexes, & my much-loved Friends.
Finally, about 2012, I bought a "pre-pack" of 12 Black Diamond curved stoppers, that were also anodized in various colors.
Sigh --------
I never replaced my early 1970's Chouinard wired stoppers with those new & vastly superior curved stoppers. I finally sold that new unused stopper "pre-pack" on EBay this winter.
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Just saw this shot from a few winters ago. one of the last times i took her for a hike..
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@NickG Yeah, the tools we once used to climb frozen waterfalls sure look primitive today. And terrifying.
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that thing climbs pretty good its just that the leash is a total PINTA and the grip is too slippery to go leashless... It has a ton of reach.
