Aid Climbing - Hooking and Nutting

Big Wall Bible #6 of 14 - www.bigwalls.com
How do you place all that gear you are carrying? Do you need to have a trad climbing background where you already know how to place cams and nuts? It helps, but isn't that necessary since you rarely fall on the gear and therefore don't actually know if what you placed was good or not. Climbers also don't free climb placing the tiniest micro nut, two lobes of a totem, hooks or knife blades, so it's essential we start "from the ground up" on how to place gear.
This specific chapter is at www.hownot2.com/post/bigwalls...
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Clean climbing vs Hammers
00:04:07 Totems
00:09:06 Micro Cams
00:10:42 Link Cams
00:11:59 Fixe Aliens
00:14:09 Black Diamond C4s
00:15:55 Hooks and clean pitons
00:22:18 Kuddos to FAs
00:23:37 Micro Nuts
00:27:40 Nuts
00:32:10 Rivet Hangers
00:36:02 Hammer Aid
00:40:01 Angled Pitons
00:43:13 Lost Arrows
00:45:50 Knife Blades
00:48:03 RURPs
00:49:21 Peckers
00:52:22 Copper Heads
01:00:52 Funkness Bonus Test

[@dankalisz3235]

I am 58 years old. I climbed those areas when I was in my teens. I wish there was a channel like this when I was a kid. The equipment has changed so much since I was a Kid and Older climbers back then did not share information with kids wanting to learn. They expected you to learn by falling. So many pices of Kit today that I would have no idea as how to use them is I was still going up walls. Thank You for helping out the kids who follow. Yes I still go out but Mostly in to Caves and Mines.. I am too Old and Too Fat now.

[@jonathancincala]

The nut jokes in this one are very solid. Thanks for the good content.

[@aurtisanminer2827]

As solid as the pecker.

[@dang8134]

Good stuff guys, I'm gonna have to come back when it's not past bedtime. 1) You've gotta flick the nut tool. Trust me. It's a miracle. Micro vibrations, beat the heck out gashed palms. 2) I almost always tied my knife-blade pins short. Think old-fashioned soft European pins in dolomite. Knife blade flex into the rock. No need to overdrive, but in a corner you can place the tie-off sling and drive the pin next to it to not cut it. 3) Pin removal should always be up the back down until horizontal or less. Same with the funkness. Then you are creating a wedge placement for the future, One guy driving it negative will breakout that wedge. 4) Leapfrogging camhooks is an experience you'll NEVER forget, be ready to commit. That crunch as the corners set.. Leapfrogging sketchy hooks in general... ah--eeeee. All hooks except the tiniest flex and "settle" into place. As you begin to weight the next, the one you are on "lifts." Keep that 50/50 moment brief... commit. 5) heck... bedtime... bring booze that you don't like. It last for more nights 9n the ledge. 6) Be prepared to suffer. 7) Success is won by having EXTRA water and days. I'm telling you. It's the most important advice. Weather, and the head game... The whole 1st half of the journey, especially as a rookie... you and your partner will be longing for the ground. This is where that feeling.. bug... let it alternate between you. Don't let it hit you both at the same time. When you see that look, you need to nut-up. And after the next pitch, when he sees it on your face he needs to say, "Man let's keep going, we've got plenty of water and time. (Set yourself up for success.) My 1st success was on the 3rd wall. And I just did it alone. No one to blame but me. 7) It's okay to talk to yourself on a solo bigwall. It's just happens on day 3 to 12.

[@petewhittington9399]

Bought some rocky talkies a few weeks ago and used them in Banff last week - amazing. Such a perfect device for better communication in the mountains. You can tell they were designed by climbers, for climbing.

[@johns3106]

Glad to hear you giving a shout out to the “old guys” who pioneered SO much with gear that lots of newcomers to the game would sneer at…too heavy, too hard to use, too sketchy etc. Truly, Becky, Robbins, Harding et. al. were hard men!

[@dylanbjug]

Have never done any climbing or have any prior knowledge of the industry. For some reason, I'm super fascinated with what you are showing here. I think I'll follow the rabbit hole lol

[@anotherguy9402]

You must climb!!!

[@javicisro]

Nothing can replace a good hammering!

[@atmourad]

Thank you for the view of the head placement. I've read descriptions of how to do it a million times but actually seeing the entire process was super helpful.

[@enjii]

Cool seeing you use rivet hangers, they're a normal part of sport climbing in a lot of parts of Australia! We call them bolt plates. Carrot bolts are scary...

[@nunniabidnets2471]

Always love the videos! I wanted to say that I have been using a set of Kouba Axel Bi-Axel cams from Czech republic. Double Axel with extendable slings. They have been very good so far. Less expensive than BD, DMM or even Wild Country.

[@tim_sch]

What a great vid. Thank you ryan 😍😍 I really enjoyed it and learned a lot, the way you teach people is awesome 🙏

[@tahotoy]

Great info but maybe add a disclaimer at the end about dislodging anchors towards yourself and certainly dislodging anchors towards yourself without a minimum of eye protection.

[@HowNOT2]

Read this chapter at www.hownot2.com/post/bigwalls-placements. Check out our new store! hownot2.store/

[@rodrigormotta]

you should make a video on how to clean cams... i see way too many people struggling to clean super easy to remove cams because they don't know the technique... and name it: how to clean that overcamed cam your friend place when he was shitting himself!

[@tohnewin5371]

Thanks!

[@intosiberiaadventures1217]

Great content! Great work!

[@peterarrivey6320]

Glad to see you at Index before the smoke. ClimbOn!

[@NoDownTime]

Nothing screams index like dark granite and railroad tracks, ah the sandbagging memories....

[@cmorris7104]

What a wild sense of humor. Not a rock climber just found it entertaining!

[@moonti6820]

Thank you for these videos !

[@amigo25zmy]

lol @ 43:04 "you wanna bring up safety glasses"

[@Govanification]

Hey I recognize that #1 crack with the thin flake in it... Top of Godzilla at index, after the big mantle, amirite?

[@macmurfy2jka]

Very informative. Thanks

[@markstewart9362]

So fun fact while climbing liberty crack on liberty bell. I aid climbed the first aid pitch and my partner led the 2nd aid pitch 11d ish the first 3 pieces of pro he had clipped were smashed in copperheads, one with a Frayed wire. Right when it really hit me what they were Florian says wow this is really cryptic….. luckily he onsighted the pitch and we didn’t factor fall on the anchor, thank god for bolts. the last section of video brought back some good memories with aid gear thanks guys!

[@graydenfast3469]

“let’s get into my crack here” 9:45

[@benjaminbordson7502]

great stuff guyz

[@genkidama7385]

omg i have no idea why i am watching this. slowlydrifted from camping, alcohol stoves, stumbled upon portaledge cooking, and now this nightmare fuel : randomly breaking climbing gear. there is just no end to madness. i'll probably jump to eva walks, then underwater ship wrecks and go to sleep.

[@charleshultquist9233]

Hammering malleable metals makes them harder, not softer.

[@vasiltodorovski188]

At 6:00 you are using the wrong side of the Totem, than what is recommended by the user manual. The outer lobe should touch the rock on the right in order to keep it from rotating out of the placement when loaded

[@sogekihei9585]

Agreed, stance wise are more stable in a wider stance or narrow stance. That's a good way to remember I'm glad you weren't the only one that noticed

[@RocheeBoy]

I love the dead pan in this video.

[@thepengwn77]

Do you think you'll ever test offset cams in real rock? I've had some surprising failures with them where the edges of the lobe metal-sheared. I used to think they were so good! My gut instinct is that they don't work in true tapers, but only work in stepped tapers (so that you get full-lobe contact and not just corners of each lobe) Something similar to your placement at 13:37 pulled on me with a fall from 2 feet above the placement (0.2/0.3 z4 in a flat-walled granite taper where the back lobe was nutted).

[@utahshu]

Great info. FYI: TCU means three cam unit. A tri cam is a different thing.

[@alandoak5146]

I recommend eye protection when aid climbing, when gear pops out it can easily fly towards the face.

[@Youtubehandlesaresilly]

Never look at a piece you’re testing - I always looked down, so my helmet covered my face. Safety glasses alone won’t protect your teeth or smooth skin 😂

[@KrokodylVlog]

Could you test the Lost Arrow Pitons and Knife blades placed between the bricks in the wall?

[@pentachronic]

Has anyone considered making a small bar (like a metal punch with a flat end) and then putting that in the piton head hole and then hammering upwards (opposite way of the piton insertion). That would save you smashing your face. You could also use it as a lever and smack the lever end if you have a fulcrum point.

[@pentachronic]

Also you could use the head of the hammer (pointy end) as a fulcrum lever too.

[@exspertgames7784]

I was gonna ask what the rope on the pistons is rated for but as I was typing u said don't use the rope it's just for atchacing to harness thanks for good info

[@hiddetenberg893]

This is such an awesome video! I keep getting surprised by the quality of your content, really amazing. One question; how thick is the cord you put through the Cliffhanger/Talon? Is it 4mm or 5mm?

[@adwardosa5575]

I don't usually try to place cams passively but sometimes the outside of the crack is narrow and it gets wider in farther so if the cam walks in it opens up sometimes. I don't love it but sometimes that is what I'm working with.

[@grassmonki]

Im pretty good at the second one

[@RobertSzasz]

I'm wondering if you could use dyneema instead of the steel cable. Probably wouldn't work, but it would be interesting

[@NPC-fl3gq]

Would a Kong Kisa be a good way to mitigate falling on very sketchy placements!? You could try different rope diameters to find the perfect one, whereas screamers are usually about 5kN aren't they!? That ain't really gonna help.

[@davehughes7332]

A trick with bolt plates (Moses plates) is to clip up from underneath. That way any wear that the steel puts into your aluminium carabiners is in the same spot they're getting wear from standard hangers and wires, and you're not leaving nice little sharp edges to rub on your nylon slings. Also worth mentioning that chunky carabiners are safer because they'll block the large hole and stop the plate lifting off. Wire gates and skinny lightweight carabiners can allow the plate to flick upside down and come off. This can (and has!) happen just from the lifting force that a rope puts on the quickdraw as you climb through. Plugging my own video on that topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2ivqKCrf5Vjq68

[@joesides18]

There's a shirt design for you "Pulled out at 4.54kN"

[@angelvis9]

27:05 "Size doesn't always matter" 😂

[@CowboybubPercussion]

Somebody needs to make a compilation of this video of every time he says “nutting” and take it all out of context

[@tommuhlemanjr.3871]

What is the name of that route where you demonstrated hammering the pitons. Looks like it should be called ‘Poison Ivy’ after all that I saw growing nearby. Hope you saw and avoided it as well, lol…

[@mrorganic13]

What’s the weight you’re using with the drop tower?

[@JoBianco]

"I've used my grigri before" to hit this piece of metal to remove a nut.... 🤔

[@mohawksniper79]

I dont go anywhere without my hammer and nuts 👍🏼🤠🇨🇦

[@brianrodman1033]

What double gear sling is that?

[@PotooBurd]

The puns were too good

[@markstewart9362]

Y’all are almost giving away the start of the via

[@Melanie-Shea]

Pitons are kinda ideally 1/2 to 2/3 the way in before hammering

[@hefoxed]

This auto played while I was in a different room and thought my cat had caught a mouse with the squeaks 😅 (not a climber but sometimes watch climber content cause seeing people sass purely made climbing gear and such is hilarious)

[@mowgliadventuresnet303]

28:53 😆 🥜 😂

[@tr1k716]

Is It Difficult to Nut while climbing? that's some multitasking.

[@kennethduncan4643]

I want a gif of the packer joke.

[@Wtfinc]

IS THAT EVEN OKAY? heating up the nut by repeatedly beating it cant be okay. Maybe its an alloy that's really sticky but pure aluminum will crumble eventually. I feel like beating it into shape and no more than you have to is good enough, then beat it in place. The sharp chisel was a bit wild too, I think it needs a bit blunter profile. Still tho, I think the placement helps it get another star. After all that, it looks super solid. I would give 2/3 stars, maybe 3/5.

[@allyn9485]

Agree. I haven't placed a copperhead or alumahead in decades but pre hammering it is work hardening. That's making it less likely to mold to the rock. We cleaned them with a funkness and they're good for 1-3 body weight level placements before throwing them away. Never thought to hook a broken one with a pecker, but also only ran into maybe one or two broken ones ever.

[@dillonlamb2011]

is that a sheffield accent I hear?

[@richardsmith9918]

🗿, like the nut trick. Petons lead the way

[@John-hx8so]

"dont look at it" - looks at it and almost loses an eye..

[@flashclimber]

Hanging at Index?

[@user-ju9hg9er8w]

🍀🍀

[@ChungusDongus]

I wear eye protection.

[@ski4life9]

Why don’t you like dmm dragons?

[@jeremiahletourneau9951]

The dmm dragons do not have a thumb loop so when you connect your ladders to them you lose extra distance where after doing thousands of connections that distance adds up to lost ground.

[@spencerson7516]

11:25 *That's what she said*

[@spencerson7516]

After three weeks I've obtained 0 appreciation for this comment. How dare you

[@lightsdarkness111]

It’s not the size, it’s how you use it

[@kotaisoutside]

Who know Kill Tony was a trad climber

[@jaydenimes8060]

showing my gf the the video at 26:40

[@martinthrone7012]

Cams are alternatives to nuts when the biggest nut you have isn't enough & then obviously you attach a quickdraw to it

[@semjonborzutzki9907]

Super micro nuts? I'd call these quite average

[@kd5nrh]

Carrying four radios is taking talking to yourself a bit too far.

[@matthiasbowie3844]

dude just no. i mean yes. but also hell no

[@P90Puma]

I am extremely triggered as quint rack owner by the intro. Especially since you keep pushing these "aliens" which I do not own. :awkward:

[@shawnington]

Not sure if you noticed, but the fact that extreme gear and your logo are basically the same design suggested that you own both, but you don't disclose your ownership of extreme gear. I think not disclosing your ownership make people feel like your content is disingenuous. Stop pretending the company you own is sponsoring you, just say you are only selling stuff thats super good enough. I love the content, but the lack of transparency is off putting at times. I have no problems with you promoting things you own, but pretend what you own sponsors you does rub in a way that induces chafing.

[@beaniebobh1]

If you had spent a 1/10 of the time on a google search as writing your nonsense you would have answered your own question. Front page of extremegear. He also talks about the relationship in so many videos it's annoying. The chaffing is a you problem.

[@youtubebandme4382]

They are good till they fail

[@chrism5514]

Thanks!

[@omribornstein8329]

Thanks!