Investigation, donation, destruction

[Mike_Gauthier]

This may be a long shot... but here goes. Calling anyone with "Chouinard" double stem Camelots.

 

I've been asked to lead an outside analysis of Goran Kropp's accident at Frenchman Coulee. So far, the process is going well, however, our team could use some help. We are looking for old style (double cable) Chouinard Camelots. In particular, we are looking for # 1, 2 and 3 cams. Those are the red, yellow and blue cams respectively.

 

Last Friday, I spent the day with a team of five testing gear, breaking gear and generally seeing what holds and what doesn't with these cams. Unfortunately, we only had a few to work with and would like to do more testing. If you have this style of cam, and would like to help, we’d love to have your gear.

 

Perhaps it’s time to retire your old cams? Maybe they’re collecting dust b/c you've already moved onto better/newer gear? Maybe you know someone who doesn't climb on them anymore??? Whatever the case, any donation will be GREATLY appreciated! We promise to return your gear at the completion of the analysis along with a video showing how we tested it. More than likely, your gear will be crunched… so consider this before donating.

 

After seeing a few of these pieces nearly fail or completely destroyed, we thought we'd ask for help.

 

Please PM me if you have any thoughts or suggestions. Feel free to forward this request to others who may be able to help. I’ve also added this post to the gear section so it will get more exposure on the site.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you are able to offer.

 

Mike

[Terminal_Gravity]

For what it's worth, Mike. I returned ( to REI of course) an old two wire #2 Camalot because I found a hairline fracture on the aluminum block that supports the two cam axles. The cam had not seen that much use & I strongly suspect that it was a casting problem, not a fall induced weakness. Unfortunatly, I did not record the lot number. REI said that they were sure BD would like to see the piece and I assume that they sent it to them. I wonder if this was an anomily or a problem with the whole lot. I know this info is pretty obscure, but I thought I would share it.

 

I have sold off all my old cams so I can't help you directly, sorry. Good Luck.

 

- TG

[rbw1966]

Mike--

 

Have you contacted BDEL directly to see if they have any old stock you could use? I'm sure they would even be willing to help in the investigation.

[Ascending_Path]

Hi Mike-

John Berkaw is your man at BDEL, he should be able to help you out. Tell him I refered you. I can give you his info if you can't track him down.

Have you fallen in any pee holes lately?

Hope all is well-

Matt Szundy