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ddooddodo
Sep 2, 2010, 3:05 PM
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what gear is recommended for doing trad at smith rocks.
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vegastradguy
Sep 2, 2010, 3:07 PM
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standard rack seems to do nicely- doubles up to 3", single 4" piece, set of stoppers. that'll do you for just about anything you want to do in most places around the world with a few exceptions.
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ddooddodo
Sep 2, 2010, 3:12 PM
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what do you mean by standard trad rack
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vegastradguy
Sep 2, 2010, 3:49 PM
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ddooddodo wrote: what do you mean by standard trad rack
if you keep reading what i wrote above, you'll find out.
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caughtinside
Sep 2, 2010, 3:51 PM
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vegastradguy wrote: ddooddodo wrote: what do you mean by standard trad rack if you keep reading what i wrote above, you'll find out.
No really, what did you mean?
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ddooddodo
Sep 2, 2010, 6:03 PM
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never mind i thought you where telling us to have a standard trad rack plus doubles of certain things. so heres what i understand
set of stoppers 4-13 cams 2x 0.5,0.75,1,2,3 and one #4.
should i get the really small .3 and .4
(This post was edited by ddooddodo on Sep 2, 2010, 6:14 PM)
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wrbill
Sep 2, 2010, 6:14 PM
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I will tell you what I used at Smith and had no problems. The list is what I have on my rack and then pick what I need for each route.
Set on Camlots (old style) .5-3.5 with doubles of 1 & 2
Double set of ABC nuts 4-14
TCU 0-4
Set of Camp Tri-Cams .5-3
With this gear their was nothing that I was not able to do. I will say that a set of Aliens would be nice. Hope this helps. I'm sure you will hear a lot about this rack and that it is the common rack for alot of places and yes it is. I'm just letting you know what I used when I climbed at Smith.
I miss being able to go now that I'm living in the Philippines.
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bigo
Sep 2, 2010, 6:32 PM
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a double set of stoppers is nice at smith.
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rock_fencer
Sep 2, 2010, 7:06 PM
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lower gorge has some parallel cracks which is nice to have doubles on, otherwise you could easily get away with a single set of cams and some nuts. It's not rocket science and there isnt really a specialty piece for smith!
Have fun out there, its a great trad crag, all the sporto's are missing out on some classic lines!!
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patmay81
Sep 2, 2010, 7:29 PM
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most non-gorge routes at smith have very uneven sided cracks. For some of the longer trad classics at smith I carry at least one set of TCU's, metolius power cams red thru silver, C4's 2-4, one set of BD stoppers, one set of wallnuts. TCU's really shine in the uneven cracks outside the gorge.
For the basalt gorge routes I normally carry a full set of aliens, c4's .5-4.
you could easily replace the aliens with c3's or tcu's.
I know a few people who climb smith cracks exclusively with passive gear, and that works great on most of the moderates.
It also helps to have a set of sport draws. There are quite a few climbs that involve some bolt clipping. Pick up a guide book and figure out what you want to climb before you go, this is the best way to determine the rack yo uwill need.
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summerprophet
Sep 2, 2010, 9:55 PM
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If you are doing primarilly easy routes, you can get away with the following for a rack
Stoppers 4-13 (BD sizes)
(doubles in fingers to fat fingers are nice)
Cams from small fingers to hands
(.5 - #2 in BD sizes)
If you venture onto harder terrain smaller cams become more useful, down to 3/8" (Blue metolius)
with doubles of everything up to #1 or #2BD and a single #3 especially if you start getting into the longer stuff
Enjoy Smith..... hopefully it cools down for ya.
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patmay81
Sep 3, 2010, 12:25 AM
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summerprophet wrote: If you are doing primarilly easy routes, you can get away with the following for a rack Stoppers 4-13 (BD sizes) (doubles in fingers to fat fingers are nice) Cams from small fingers to hands (.5 - #2 in BD sizes) If you venture onto harder terrain smaller cams become more useful, down to 3/8" (Blue metolius) with doubles of everything up to #1 or #2BD and a single #3 especially if you start getting into the longer stuff Enjoy Smith..... hopefully it cools down for ya.
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irregularpanda
Sep 3, 2010, 2:27 AM
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ddooddodo wrote: never mind i thought you where telling us to have a standard trad rack plus doubles of certain things. so heres what i understand set of stoppers 4-13 cams 2x 0.5,0.75,1,2,3 and one #4. should i get the really small .3 and .4
No, get the yellow and green aliens. Pretty soon you'll be like a real dodo.
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billcoe_
Sep 3, 2010, 4:06 AM
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You don't say what you will be climbing, and it matters. Some of the wider crack routes at Smith take Hex's better than most places in the country. #7-11 would be nice additions to the gear noted above if you already have them and are planning on getting on that size crack. If you look in the guidebook at the FA data, you'll see a lot of routes to hard 5.11 range that were safely freed with just stoppers and hexes.
Carry on!
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vegastradguy
Sep 3, 2010, 5:21 AM
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so, to sum it up- get a double rack of cams to about 3", and a single 4" piece and you'll be able to do pretty much whatever floats your boat. add in one to two sets of stoppers for good measure.
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backclipped
Oct 9, 2010, 9:26 PM
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I don't recall ever seeing a single Tri-Cam used at Smith. I forgot all about this type of pro until I moved back to New England. I'm not passing judgment, just making an observation. Carry on.
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wrbill
Nov 11, 2010, 10:44 AM
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You may not recall seeing a Tri-Cam used, buy I have use them on a few routes. One route that I can think of is Super Slab, for the anchor at the top of pitch one. If you say that there are bolts at the top of the pitch you are right, but I would set up the anchor after the traverse. I would use a #3.5 Tri-Cam there.
I'm not saying that you are wrong, but I have used Tri-Cams at Smith and know of other that have. Just cause you have not seen them being used does not mean that people don't use them or that you can not use them their.
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backclipped
Nov 11, 2010, 11:49 AM
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wrbill, you are quite right. I'm positive that you could place more than a few tricams in the Smith Rock complex. I didn't think I was implying that because I've never seen a tricam on someones gear rack there couldn't possibly be anyone out there that would place a tricam on welded tuff.
The belay you speak of takes a #3 BD cam quite nicely; but then again, the tricam makes a much nicer weapon. In fact, when the zombie apocalypse shakes down I'm rolling with a #7 tricam in my arsenal. 
I just got back from a Red Rocks trip. My buddy bootied a red tricam off of Purblind Pillar and gave it to me......because apparently people use these things here in New England, but apparently not anywhere near Portland, OR.
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wrbill
Nov 11, 2010, 12:25 PM
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I love the Tri-Cams and will place one any time that I can. I feel that they are better than a nut any day and it allows me to save the cams for other places.
You are right about that spot taking the #3 BD, but I use the #3BD about half way up that pitch. The spot were you have to climb out from under the flake.
I have had people ask me why I have the Tri-Cams cause the had them but never used them so they got rid of them. I asked if they knew how to place them and they would all say yes, but I think they did not know the right way to place them because they all would say that the placements were never good.
The thing with Tri-Cams is that they can be hard to place and to find the right placement is not always easy, but when you do find the right placement they are great and will not move.
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backclipped
Nov 11, 2010, 7:20 PM
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Oh, I wouldn't say that a tricam placement is better than a nut any day. Every piece of gear conspires with some sort of ideal--splitters, flares, pods, "horizontals", etc. A bomber placement can't be any more bomber than another bomber placement. Bomber is bomber.
Good on your practice in gear economics. Building anchors with passive pro and protecting your ascent with cams (when feasible) is my MO as well.
I fall into the had and got rid of them category. They just kinda turned into pack kultch. It's not that I don't think they provide adequate pro, I just always hated cleaning them...or waiting for my second to clean them. You have to admit, they are bitch to get out.
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milesenoell
Nov 11, 2010, 7:36 PM
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backclipped wrote: ... I just always hated cleaning them...or waiting for my second to clean them. You have to admit, they are bitch to get out.
I'll admit it! (but I'm not a tri-cam fanatic)
I carry a big one (blue), and with my limited Franken-rack it makes sense, but I look forward to the day I replace it with a cam.
(This post was edited by milesenoell on Nov 11, 2010, 7:36 PM)
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wrbill
Nov 11, 2010, 8:21 PM
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Ok, your right about bomber is bomber. I guess what I was trying to say was that if I can have a bomber placement with the Tri-Cam then I will use it cause I may come to another spot that the same size nut will work and the Tri-Cam will not, so I have the nut to use, and yes I have doubles on the nuts, but you never know. I guess that I just like to use passive as much as I can!!!!!!
Yes you are right they are a bitch to get out, well that is if they are placed right. If they come out easy then the placement was not bomber, IMO.
In reply to: I carry a big one (blue), and with my limited Franken-rack it makes sense, but I look forward to the day I replace it with a cam.
I will never replace them with cams as I have cams that are the same size, I just like having them, just like having the hexes (AKA, cow bells) I guess it's the old school why that I like the most, but I will use a cam when I have to or need to or oh shit I need gear in now. :)
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