Does anyone prefer passive pro

Does anyone out there like to keep it old school and climb on only passive pro 

yes

Depends on the rock.

Clearly you have never never placed a nut or tricam and had the overwhelming feeling of confidence flood over you because you knew that that was the very best, most bomber, never wiggle loose gear that the the world had ever experienced.  

Zack s wrote:

Does anyone out there like to keep it old school and climb on only passive pro 

Yes - some do decide to limit their rack that way for different reasons.  More interesting might be the reasons rather than just whether anyone does.

I am not motivated that way.   Instead, I prefer to let the objective and the team's capabilities lead the way to rack choice.   Why not?

In certain situations, absolutely.  There are some nut placements that are absolutely not going anywhere and you can rest assured will hold anything short of an act of God. The equivalent placement doesn't really exist for cams, but then it's much easier to get "good enough" cam placements.

Ever read the story of John Long, garbage rock, and the VW?

There really is nothing like a perfect hex. 

Yeah on a multi pitch where I might need to leave gear during a rap.

Calling passive pro old school is like calling ropes old school.  They are every bit relevant to today as BITD.  There are many routes that you would be hosed without them.

You don't have to go passive to go "old school"

For years I've advocated for a 'National Cam-Free Day' (and very much recommend it if you haven't tried it), but otherwise it's somewhat pointless to climb with just passive pro for the most part. There are a couple of 5-6 pitch climbs I do regularly with eight nuts as my total pro, but I have them wired to the groovy maximum. 

All things being equal at a placement, however, preferring passive pro over a cam is another matter altogether. Bottom line? Cams, by their very nature and design, are inherently less deterministic compared to a bomb passive placement. I always go with a bomb passive placement over a cam every single time.

I know several folks who claim that a good nut gives them more warm-and-fuzzies than a typical cam placement.  I myself will "save the cams" and use nuts (and Tricams) whnever I have a choice.  But does that means any of use leave the cams on the ground?  Hell no.  If you can't appreciate the difference between when to place a nut vs place a cam, well, you've got some serious learning to do before you go any further down the trad leading road.

Greg D wrote:

Calling passive pro old school is like calling ropes old school.  They are every bit relevant to today as BITD.  There are many routes that you would be hosed without them.

I think the idea was more about going ALL passive pro, i.e. no cams.  THAT is old school.

Not too long ago. was playing around, and did initiation crack at the kern slabs on all nuts. 

Define "prefer."

I use what I think is most appropriate for the situation.  This will depend on the placement, how run out I am, where I am in the climb, and what I have left.

That said, I love placing a solid hex, and will place one over a cam when I can.  I tend not to place too many nuts, but I always carry them.  I don't have a problem falling on them, but they tend to take longer to clean, so I am more likely to find a nearby cam placement if I can.

Every question in climbing should be answered "It depends" there are times for passive pro and time for cams -- it depends.  :-) 

Zack s wrote:

Does anyone out there like to keep it old school and climb on only passive pro 

Yes, I do.  I'll definitely head up climbs with only nuts & tricams.  Sometimes, in fact, I'll split my rack -- lend the nuts & cams to someone else, and just climb on my Tricams.  My placement preference is: Tricam, nut, hex, cam, in that order.

Does anyone out there like to keep it old school and climb on only passive pro ?

Henry Barber.  Google him up, grasshopper.

The feeling of complete trust and calm satisfaction you get when a nut fits perfectly on the first try is the closest thing to true love at first sight that any human is likely to experience.

So, yeah.

I'm gonna get flamed for this, but whatever. Modern camming devices are pretty damn amazing and I prefer them over passive pro. Cams are faster to place, bomber, multidirectional, and easy to clean. I only place nuts if the crack demands it, or if the pitch is long and I need to save my cams for later. I haven't racked a hex or tricam in years. Overall, I bet I place 20 cams for every 1 time I place a stopper.