In traditional rock or mixed climbing, the climber's rack is one of the most crucial choices in regard to type and number of pieces of gear.    The ideal arrangement is one which adequately protects the pitch while keeping to a minimum extra weight.  In the most demanding rock environments:  the multi-pitch alpine or big-wall endeavor, the best range of protection pieces and having the "crucial piece" available when necessary can be the key to success or injury.

       The climbing rack that I carry for all of my cragging and alpine rock adventures.

I have chosen to use Black Diamond cams, nuts, carabiners and slings primarily for my free climbing rack as their more than 20 years of design innovation and unparalleled quality control give me the confidence to climb at my best.  I find that a double set of most cams from #1 C3 through a #2 camalot plus a single 0-C3 and a single #3 camalot usually rounds out my rack for most routes.  If I am climbing something extra thin, I will add on another 0 C# and an extra double set of small nuts for protection and if there are some wide sections anticipated, the #4 camalot will join us for the day. 

Since I primarily do long single pitch routes or multi-pitch alpine routes, I use a 60 meter rope and often stretch it to it's maximum length on a lead.  With this in mind, I carry about 6 "quick-draw" type runners along with a dozen shoulder-length (24") sewn slings which I carry "tripled-up" so that they carry short on my harness loops.  For anchoring I carry two 48" sewn slings and a couple of locking carabiners. 

By using just one manufacturer of cams, I can more easily discern which piece is going to fit best in a given section of rock due to the consistent colors and cam range.  The wiregate carabiners are lighter and the D-shape the strongest.

The carabiner in the middle of the photo which contains red and blue slings plus a Tiblock, is my "rescue kit" and with these few items I can escape a belay, climb a rope, and create a raising or hauling system.  This kit plus a few slings and carabiners off the rack allow me to do most everything involved in climber self-rescue.

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