A guide to passive protection

Posted by Daniel Middleton on 15/12/2017
The nuts and bolts of passive protection

Passive protection forms a key component in the equipment used by the traditional rock climber, the alpinist and the winter climber. If you'd like to find out more about nuts, hexentrics and the other varieties of passive protection on offer, then read on and download our free, handy guide.

Passive protection is a term used to cover the many different types and names given to leader placed protection which has no moving parts but which is more than just a sling.

Climbers of yesteryear realised that pebbles could be jammed into cracks with a cord tied around them for protection. Soon it was discovered that metal nuts fitted even better and could be permanently slung with cord, and we now have a wide variety of equipment to choose from which will fit cracks from the very big to the very small.

For most traditional rock climbing venues, a good selection of passive protection will form the most useful part of your rack of gear. At one end of the spectrum, for easy scrambles you might take half a dozen pieces to fit medium to large cracks. In contrast, for the long pitches at somewhere like Pembroke, you might take a triple set to fit small to medium cracks and still have to be careful not to run out in particular sizes!

Find out more and download our free guide here.

Want to print a copy? Link to a hi-res download here.

 

WATCH: How to place a nut on BMC TV

 


Courses for indoor climbers making their first moves onto rock

Who are they for?

These courses are ideal for novice climbing club members, students, parents and individuals who may have had the odd taster of climbing outdoors and wish to gain key safety skills at an excellent price. They may also be a good precursor for people contemplating the Single Pitch Award training. You should already know how to put on a harness and belay. These courses are for people aged 18 or older.

Under 18?: Check out our rock climbing courses for climbers aged 11-17 

What do the courses cover?

A variety of topics will be covered during the day as well as offering a fun taster to outdoor climbing. Topics may include:

  • Types of trad climbing equipment
  • Placing good protection
  • Building good belays
  • Using guidebooks
  • Seconding/top roping 

FIND OUT MORE: Ready to Rock Courses 2022

FIND OUT MORE: Women Ready To Rock Courses 2022

FIND OUT MORE: Outdoor Sport Climbing Courses for 11-17 year olds

FIND OUT MORE: Outdoor Trad Courses for 11-17 year olds


« Back

Post a comment Print this article

This article has been read 2795 times

TAGS

Click on the tags to explore more

RELATED ARTICLES

Ready to Rock Climbing Course
0
Ready to Rock Climbing Course

The Ready to Rock course is designed to help indoor climbers to make their first moves onto rock by having a fun day out, as well as covering the use of some key skills and equipment.
Read more »

Youth Ready to Rock Trad Climbing Course
0
Youth Ready to Rock Trad Climbing Course

The Youth Ready to Rock Trad climbing course is designed to help young climbers (11-17 year olds) make their first moves onto rock by having a fun day out, as well as covering the use of some key skills and equipment, for both the participant and the parent/carer. Trad climbing is the most popular style of climbing on British crags.
Read more »

Best of BMC TV: Top five trad climbing films for lockdown
0
Best of BMC TV: Top five trad climbing films for lockdown

Do you hear that? Nuts, cams and hexes chinking together to create the tune of tradventures out on rock. Okay, so the gear jingles may be faint echoes these days, but fear not, we're bringing them back. We've headed down into the BMC TV archives and pulled out our favourite trad climbing films to make up for this temporary trad absence. Sit back, relax and watch our top five picks:
Read more »

Post a Comment

Posting as Anonymous Community Standards
3000 characters remaining
Submit
Your comment has been posted below, click here to view it
Comments are currently on | Turn off comments
4

RELATED ARTICLES

Ready to Rock Climbing Course
0

The Ready to Rock course is designed to help indoor climbers to make their first moves onto rock by having a fun day out, as well as covering the use of some key skills and equipment.
Read more »

Youth Ready to Rock Trad Climbing Course
0

The Youth Ready to Rock Trad climbing course is designed to help young climbers (11-17 year olds) make their first moves onto rock by having a fun day out, as well as covering the use of some key skills and equipment, for both the participant and the parent/carer. Trad climbing is the most popular style of climbing on British crags.
Read more »

Best of BMC TV: Top five trad climbing films for lockdown
0

Do you hear that? Nuts, cams and hexes chinking together to create the tune of tradventures out on rock. Okay, so the gear jingles may be faint echoes these days, but fear not, we're bringing them back. We've headed down into the BMC TV archives and pulled out our favourite trad climbing films to make up for this temporary trad absence. Sit back, relax and watch our top five picks:
Read more »

BMC MEMBERSHIP
Join 82,000 BMC members and support British climbing, walking and mountaineering. Membership only £16.97.
Read more »
BMC SHOP
Great range of guidebooks, DVDs, books, calendars and maps.
All with discounts for members.
Read more »
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Get covered with BMC Insurance. Our five policies take you from the beach to Everest.
Read more »