| There are two types of anchors or protection used in Rock Climbing and Mountaineering: Active and Passive Protection. In general, Active Protection has moving parts, spring-loaded features, and it expands to fit a crack. On the other hand, Passive Protection has no moving portions and is usually connected to a wire or Sling for Climbing.
A very good example of Active Protection is the Spring-Loaded Camming Device (SLCD). Also called cams, SLCDs are probably one of the most versatile Active Protection you can imagine. Cams are also often called Friends, the name given to them by their American inventor Ray Jardine, a former aerospace engineer.
Here are some things worth-knowing about SLCDs:
* To use cams, just pull on the handle which makes the head narrow, and then place it into the crack. When the friend is in place, you release the pressure on the handle and the head cams back out to fill the crack, therefore securing itself to the rock.
* There are units with double axles, double stems, triple cams, and even dual cams, all claiming advantages over the original single stem, single axle, and four cam designs.
* SLCDs can differ depending on the number of cams and type of stem. They are easy to use and suitable to many Climbing situations. One SLCD can have two, three, or four cams which are connected to one or two axles.
* Decrease in friction lessens the ability of the cams to hold on to the rock.
The Active Climbing Protection may be more expensive and bulky than the Passive Pro, but it also has qualities that make it convenient to use. Here are some of its advantages over Passive Pros:
* Active Pros are more versatile. Cams have broader working ranges, handling various types of rocks and routes than hexes and tapers. Its spring-loaded feature enables cams to retract and expand depending on the crack it needs to fit into.
* Active Pros can also hold in wide or straight sided-cracks.
* Active Pros have larger expansion ranges, giving it more placement rages than Passive Pros.
Camming Devices are crucial protection equipment both in Rock Climbing and Mountaineering. Get familiar with the different types, know the features of each one, and then identify what kind is appropriate to the kind of Climbing that you do.
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