List of routes that "need" non-standard gear.

I thought I'd see if I can get a list of FREE routes where it makes a big difference in safety to have gear other than regular cams and nuts. I'm thinking ball nuts, tricams, offset cams, and big bros. And by big difference, I mean the use of this gear makes an otherwise "R" rated route a "PG" rated route or something similar, and not "I got a 0.1 offset cam to hold its own weight 1 foot above a bomber #3 camalot". Describe where on the route, what piece, and how much it helped. Did you try a regular cam/nut first? 

I had recently heard that ball nuts significantly improve the pro on the 1st pitch of Pegleg/Ankles Away in the Needles (thanks Erik), which got me thinking about buying a few. 

I believe the classic rack for Chrysler Crack includes a few big chunks of 2x4

Augie Wagnerwrote:

I believe the classic rack for Chrysler Crack includes a few big chunks of 2x4

Yeah, but everybody already carries those, so I'd consider them standard. 

A Little Nukey at Courtright Reservoir has a long 5.5 section of only solution pockets. Totems didn't fit but tricams did.

Rew Exowrote:

A Little Nukey at Courtright Reservoir has a long 5.5 section of only solution pockets. Totems didn't fit but tricams did.

I've heard this about Courtright. I've seen this on a few of the domes in Tuolumne too, usually on the lower angled upper sections of routes. Right side of Daff and Low Profile come to mind. 

Maybe Harding's Chimney up at Sugarloaf? I didn't lead it, but it seemed like with a big bro, you could fall and maybe not get too messed up?

Harding’s can be protected with a #6. You just can’t slide it up with you the whole way.
The first 50ft of Fat Merchants crack on the other hand requires a #12. There is a pin and mediocre cam, but they won’t keep you off the deck from the crux.
Fault Line at Cal Domes requires a RURP. 

There are a lot of basalt climbs out there with cruxes protected largely by ballnuts.  Main Stream, Shadowcasting, Community Pillars, and True Grit at Trout Creek are all examples. I’ve heard of many others in Arizona, but don’t know any firsthand.  There are also a handful in the Lower Gorge.  Edit to add: there are also a handful of routes at Moolack that require ballnuts to protect.

In the mid-80s, the beta for the Vampire on Tahquitz called for a ballnut on the second pitch. Fortunately, I had a bootied ballnut that fit--the one and only time I ever placed it. How is it protected now? Maybe a small cam?

PRRosewrote:

In the mid-80s, the beta for the Vampire on Tahquitz called for a ballnut on the second pitch. Fortunately, I had a bootied ballnut that fit--the one and only time I ever placed it. How is it protected now? Maybe a small cam?

I did the Vampire about 10 years ago and don’t recall any difficulty on the 2nd pitch with tcu’s. The 3rd pitch, after the bolt, felt a little airy though. 

PRRosewrote:

In the mid-80s, the beta for the Vampire on Tahquitz called for a ballnut on the second pitch. Fortunately, I had a bootied ballnut that fit--the one and only time I ever placed it. How is it protected now? Maybe a small cam?

I honestly don't know where you'd get a ball nut it on the second pitch. you do the traverse off the belay on a blank face and hit the jug on the flake and from there its .5-1" to the anchor. The Third pitch has a bolt on the face, and then there is a little seam (after the crux) you could put a ball nut in i guess, nuts fit in it as well. Beta is to run it out over the bolt tho, stopping to place shittty gear in that seem blows.

Brandon Rwrote:

I thought I'd see if I can get a list of FREE routes where it makes a big difference in safety to have gear other than regular cams and nuts. I'm thinking ball nuts, tricams, offset cams, and big bros. And by big difference, I mean the use of this gear makes an otherwise "R" rated route a "PG" rated route or something similar, and not "I got a 0.1 offset cam to hold its own weight 1 foot above a bomber #3 camalot". Describe where on the route, what piece, and how much it helped. Did you try a regular cam/nut first? 

I had recently heard that ball nuts significantly improve the pro on the 1st pitch of Pegleg/Ankles Away in the Needles (thanks Erik), which got me thinking about buying a few. 

I had ballnuts when I lead that 1st pitch and I didn't use them. I remember placing small mastercams, C3s, and then a nest of brass nuts that if a cricket sneezed, they would have come out.

I dont remember that pitch being as R as everyone made it out to be. The stances are pretty generous while you're stemming out. Definitely scary, but not sphincter ripping.

Weizener’s Face at Devil’s Lake would be pretty much unprotected without C3s/TCUs.  The placements are basically all shallow pockets where a 4cam would be too wide (maybe an Alien would fit).

The red ball nut is pretty clutch below the first 5.11 crux on No Man's Land.  The seam is too thin for the smallest micro-cam, but the ball nut seats perfectly behind a constriction.

You get a tippy, shallow #3 to the left, but there are lots of things to hit with the swing.

A lot of thin routes are well protected with DN