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Posted

TEX HAVE YOU DONE THE ROUTE ALEX IS TALKING ABOUT? I HAVE AND THE CRACK IS A PARALLEL FINGER CRACK THAT STARTS KINDA HANDS AND THEN MOVES INTO FINGERS AND TIGHT FINGERS INTO A LAY BACK INTO 4TH CLASS MOVES.

 

ALIENS FAIL MORE OFTEN AND THAT IS THAT, THEY BOTH HAVE THEIR PLACE BUT TIME AND TIME AGAIN I WOULD RATHER TAKE A FALL ON A TCU THEN AN ALIEN, DURABILTY BEING A HUGE FACTOR IN THE FAILURE OF THE CAM.

 

ALSO I DONT THINK ALEX WAS IN DURESS AT THE TIME OF THE LEAD, ATLEAST HE DID NOT SAY SO....

 

AND WOULDNT YOU SAY THAT 80% OF THE TIME WHY WOULD YOU MAKE A PLACEMENT IF IT IS BAD? WHY WASTE THE ENERGY FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW IS BAD?? FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY? I DUNNO I ATTEMPT TO ONLY MAKE GOOD PLACEMENTS...

 

WHO KNOWS!?

bigdrink.gif

 

 

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Posted

Yes Erik, in fact I soloed the route about a month ago. I did no liebacking on the route either. It takes bigger stuff down low and then is the quintessential alien country as you approach the crux. Aliens are made for parallel sided finger cracks. The crux is a long reach to a fingerlock with kind of small feet that you can only get your toes into. I found the most insecure stuff actually above the "crux" with some rattleyfingers but with the angle kicked back.

Posted
texplorer said:

Yes Erik, in fact I soloed the route about a month ago. I did no liebacking on the route either. It takes bigger stuff down low and then is the quintessential alien country as you approach the crux. Aliens are made for parallel sided finger cracks. The crux is a long reach to a fingerlock with kind of small feet that you can only get your toes into. I found the most insecure stuff actually above the "crux" with some rattleyfingers but with the angle kicked back.

 

Aren't Aliens made for pods, pockets, and pin-scars, i.e. places where other cams don't fit so good?

Posted
texplorer said:

Its granite and takes super gear. If you pop a piece on that thing you don't know how to place gear. Oh, and in lab tests, aliens have more holding power than any other cam.

 

I'd like to see your source on this one. I find it hard to believe that an alien has more holding power than a camalot, friend, of metolius fat cam.

Posted

They fit better into pods, pockets, and pin scars than tcu's because their flexible cables and narrow design. In doing so they have not compromised strength however and are as strong as tcu's.

I like tcu's too. In many situations they work just as well as aliens but they are just less versatile in my opinion.

Posted
texplorer said:

Yes Erik, in fact I soloed the route about a month ago. I did no liebacking on the route either. It takes bigger stuff down low and then is the quintessential alien country as you approach the crux. Aliens are made for parallel sided finger cracks. The crux is a long reach to a fingerlock with kind of small feet that you can only get your toes into. I found the most insecure stuff actually above the "crux" with some rattleyfingers but with the angle kicked back.

 

You did no liebacking - did you climb the lower half of Even Steven to the top half of Toxic Shock, not the classic lieback that is the crux of Toxic Shock? Even Steven takes larger pro down low - to #1 camalot, but Toxic Shock takes pretty much small cams for the first 20 feet. I'd be pretty interested to see you do the bottom of TS without liebacking.

 

As far as aliens vs TCUs, its all good, I like both and will continue to buy and use both.

Posted

My bad, I haven't soloed the routes your talking about Alex. I read erik's post and thought he was talking about the Zip I have never been on Toxic Shock or Even Steven. I misread Eriks post. Sorry Erik.

Posted
erik said:

TEX HAVE YOU DONE THE ROUTE ALEX IS TALKING ABOUT? I HAVE AND THE CRACK IS A PARALLEL FINGER CRACK THAT STARTS KINDA HANDS AND THEN MOVES INTO FINGERS AND TIGHT FINGERS INTO blah blah blah...

 

Sounds like a good Hex placement! thumbs_up.gif

Posted
Dru said:

one time i was trying to lead da zip and i got my hand in the pod and threw in a #2 flexy friend and grabbed the biner to clip, and clipped with the rope over my finger, and yelled Take and my finger got caught between the biner and the rope and i had a fingertip with no feeling for 3 months. hangdog epic rolleyes.gifwave.gif

 

Dude same thing with me. I placed a small camalot and my foot slid and my finger was stuck. God that hurt! I couldn't finish the damn thing. cry.gif

Posted

I lieback the start to Toxic shock every time.

 

But it would never surprise me that some people could climb "with real skill" not doing so.

 

Broken aliens are not nice.

 

Another note: I wouldnt doubt Texplorer would solo it.......

Posted

Two unanswered questions remain:

 

1) Where is the lab data supporting Tex's claim regarding Alien's strength vs. Met. TCUs?

 

2) Alex, Why do you think the lack of cam stops cause your unit to become damaged?

 

PP bigdrink.gif

Posted
Peter_Puget said:

2) Alex, Why do you think the lack of cam stops cause your unit to become damaged?

 

Oh sorry, because when the cam ripped, the reason the wires got caught between the cams in the first place was that the cams on one side (2 lobes) overextended so competely, pulling the wires "forward" into the small gaps between the cams. I don't know if this would have happened with other cams or not, but the lobes being able to overextend way beyond their "resting" position wasnt helpful

Posted

I think w/ that much force, you would have ripped cam stops off...they are just tiny little chunks...basically to withsand the springs is all they are good for...

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