Trad rack advice for a new Albuquerque climber

I'll be moving shortly to ABQ from Hawaii, and am super excited to explore the climbing in the state! I'm also excited to build my first trad rack and start placing more gear. I was leaning toward a largely BD camalot rack with possibly Metolius master cams for smaller stuff, but wondered if anyone could offer local advice on what gear works or doesn't work well.

I'll be in residency in Albuquerque, so the bulk of my climbing will probably be in the Sandias, but I'd love to make some trips to El Rito, and the Organs look like a fun adventure some day!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

I would say to go for the BD C4's is a great way to go. It's nice to have doubles from .5-3 camalots. You don't really need a number 4 for the Sandias but as a new trad climber it does come in handy on some routes. Mastercams and tcu's come in very handy in the sandias. I would say if you can spring for it go with grey to orange. If you are short on money blue to orange works. I would suggest doubles at some point. As for nuts a nice selection of DMM RP's on up to a selection of some of the larger juts work well.

The climbing in the sandias works great and will give you lots of opportunity to learn how to place various types of gear. I really love the area. It's always a good idea to remember that it is remote in nature and that caution must be used when climbing up there because of that. Have a great one and I'll see you out there.

In the ABQ area variety is the key as you'll discover that most of the cracks are inconsistent. As always, your preferences may vary so don't get stuck on brands. That said, most everyone I know prefers Camalot/C4s for larger sizes and Metolius for fingers.

You didn't mention White Rock or Diablo canyon, but they're close enough to ABQ to consider for regular climbing, and they should influence your rack. There you'll find that finger sizes dominate, but there are hands/fists there, too.

In summary, here's what works well for me and should continue to work well anywhere your future travels may take you.

-Variety of nuts, start with the standard set and then mix in some offsets and RPs.

-Doubles in fingers. Try mixing TCU, 4CU/mastercam, or offsets for variety. I also echo gray(00) to orange(3) metolius. In the metolius Red(4) size, make sure you get a 4CU or mastercam. The TCU in that size tends to move and do weird things. I got my TCUs as a set and the red one pretty much goes unused.

-BD doubles in purple(0.5) to blue(#3). With one 0.4 you'll have some nice overlap in the fingers and thin hands when you factor in the Metolius. Add one #4 camalot for the occasional fist crack/belay.

-Optional specialty items for certain climbs include ballnuts and red/pink tricams.

-Don't forget you'll need 6-8 shoulder length slings, a couple double length slings, and a handful of quickdraws. Lots of ledges, roofs, and wandering in these parts.

Now - the above is an example of the long-term goal, to try and start there would cost a fortune. Standard nuts and 0.5-#3 camalot will get you off the ground in lots of places, but you may find that you need more finger sizes quickly thereafter. But, don't forget that your partner will most likely have stuff too.

That said, ping me when you get here. It never hurts to have another eager climber on the roster of potential partners.

Thanks Matt and Mike for the replies, you've been super helpful! One more question, any experience using BD C3s? I keep hearing people recommend Metolius cams for the small sizes, but I've also seen alot of good reviews of the C3s, I just don't know anyone who has them.

Anyway, I'm definitely going to do .5 to 3 Camalots, with a couple of doubles to start, and debating between C3s and MasterCams for my first smaller cams. And then a set of nuts of course.

Lisa and I will hit town around June 1st to 2nd, and will send you message then. Thanks for the Diablo Canyon advice, it looks nice! I was definitely thinking that White Rock and El Rito would be good places to cut our teeth on accessible moderates before adventuring in the Sandias. I'll have about three weeks before starting work in late June, so hope to see you out on the rock!

I use mastercams from 0-6, Some tcu's for doubles, 1-4 c4's (sometimes carry a 5) set of nuts, BD 7-10 HEX, and tri-cams. I would like a double 2,3 c4. The tricams are great here (my oppion) lots of Horizontals and pockets around NM and they make good anchors to save me cams. I carry 1 white (smallest) 2 black's , pink through brown and sometimes carry a blue. Have long slings routes here wander (or maybe I just can't stay on a line) The bouldering is also good in the lower sandias.

Luke,

The single best piece for the Sandias is a yellow Alien, followed closely by the green Alien. The Metolius Master Cam is a poor equivalent to the Alien and now that two different companies are making the Alien safely I would recommend a yellow, green, red (and maybe blue) Alien. The shallow horizontal cracks in the Sandias swallow the Aliens and their flexibility means they lever out less when climbing above them, which can be an issue with C3s or other stiffer small gear. I would go with the Aliens, a nice set of nuts (whatever brand works fine)and a single set of C4s up to a 3. You almost never need doubles of the #3 Camalot and rarely need doubles of anything above a #1 Camalot. Save money on the big stuff and get doubles from .75 and below.

Have fun out there, the Sandias rule.

W

LukeDunk wrote:One more question, any experience using BD C3s? I keep hearing people recommend Metolius cams for the small sizes, but I've also seen alot of good reviews of the C3s, I just don't know anyone who has them...

I have used my friend's C3s climbing in Washington and in Red Rocks, they are fine and I like them. The stiff stem is a bit awkward at times, but the narrow head and nice strength ratings balance that out. The high price and current lack of 'need' have prevented me from getting them, but if I need to add finger sizes in the future, C3s would definitely be on my list.

~Mike

The Sandias are somewhat unique in terms of pro.
I'd listen to what William and Eric have to say as you're hearing from a couple of guys with years of experience in the Dias on both established and new routes.

OTOH, any gear is better than no gear.

Williampenner wrote:Luke, The single best piece for the Sandias is a yellow Alien, followed closely by the green Alien..... I would recommend a yellow, green, red (and maybe blue) Alien. The shallow horizontal cracks in the Sandias swallow the Aliens and their flexibility means they lever out less when climbing above them, which can be an issue with C3s or other stiffer small gear. I would go with the Aliens, a nice set of nuts (whatever brand works fine)and a single set of C4s up to a 3. You almost never need doubles of the #3 Camalot and rarely need doubles of anything above a #1 Camalot. Save money on the big stuff and get doubles from .75 and below. Have fun out there, the Sandias rule. W

I would have said the yellow and red, but whatever. I would agree that you don't need much bigger stuff, I typically carry doubles to a #1 camalot and only the #2 and #3 if I know I need them or they are recommended and I don't know better. Off-set nuts can be useful as well.