Tugging on Cams Rant

Why do nubs tug test on their cams? I swear to the ghosts of Bachar and Bridwell that it's an accident waiting to happen and does nothing to test them.

Yet the noobosity persists!

Eh it's a decent sanity check to see that the lobes engage as expected.
Also, I know the cam could rip under a pull, so I am holding onto the wall with that in mind.
At the very least it gives me a little mental bacon, which is worth something

Tristan Pwrote:

Eh it's a decent sanity check to see that the lobes engage as expected.
Also, I know the cam could rip under a pull, so I am holding onto the wall with that in mind.
At the very least it gives me a little mental bacon, which is worth something

It is not testing anything other than the cam's ability to resist your little tug.

When aiding we bounce test with full body weight plus. Yet any aid climber will tell you that doesn't mean the cam will hold a leader fall.

It's inefficient. On a hard trad lead you waste energy in this pointless tugging. Learn to know from feel when you release the trigger and visual inspection.

When they’re hard to see, I tug, wiggle and push cams.  Whatever it takes to see how they set and how they might move.  But I could see how it could just be a nervous habit that wastes energy.  

The noob mistake that irks me is putting an alpine draw on every, or nearly every piece.

In reality it does help me identify fairly quick if someone is less experienced than they advertise.  Like all things in life, it serves a purpose, just not the intended one.  Someone will do this all day but not extend properly which will and can make the placement fail.  These two habits seem to go hand in hand.

Hamster Boondogglewrote:

It is not testing anything other than the cam's ability to resist your little tug.

When aiding we bounce test with full body weight plus. Yet any aid climber will tell you that doesn't mean the cam will hold a leader fall.

It's inefficient. On a hard trad lead you waste energy in this pointless tugging. Learn to know from feel when you release the trigger and visual inspection.

All of this is true, but when are noobs taking on a hard trad lead where the difference between sending or not is a couple seconds to tug a cam?

I Fwrote:

All of this is true, but when are noobs taking on a hard trad lead where the difference between sending or not is a couple seconds to tug a cam?

5.10…or 9+

There is actually some basis for it. The outward frictional force a cam applies is proportional to the downward force applied to it. So if a cam can hold a tug, it mathematically should hold a whip (assuming ideal conditions). But of course conditions are rarely ideal, and a tug doesn’t test for rock quality, proper extension, etc

The same reason people chalk up even though their hands aren’t sweaty. It’s a physical ritual to convince your body that it’s ok to try hard and potentially fail. If taking the 1 additional second is what it takes to mentally unlock the extra 10% of try hard, seems like it’s probably a worthy trade off

The only times I've ever tugged on a cam were when or if the teeth happen to be resting against a nub or micro-flake of rock or similarly questionable weakness, which looks like it might flake off if the cam pivots or slides downward. If I hear or see the grinding or releasing of granules, then I'll reposition the cam away from that potentially weak placement. 

I'll bite. 

Helps to set them. Not always necessary, imo, but it's in the instructions for most brands AFAIK.

It’s micro resting, and it negates the possibility for a free ascent. Aid is aid.

You must be a blast at parties if tugging on cams sets you off

Julian Rwrote:

There is actually some basis for it. The outward frictional force a cam applies is proportional to the downward force applied to it. So if a cam can hold a tug, it mathematically should hold a whip (assuming ideal conditions). But of course conditions are rarely ideal, and a tug doesn’t test for rock quality, proper extension, etc

This presumes that the rock is always ideal and will not contribute to the cam's potential failure to hold higher loads and that also the force applied during a leader fall will be precisely (and only) in the direction that the leader tests.

None of which are true IRL.

Rock crumbles, lichen/crystals shear, flakes flex and cams often rotate quite a bit during a leader fall.

All of which points to the leader's judgment and visual inspection being far more important than a little tug that could cause a fall.

Hamster Boondogglewrote:

It's inefficient. On a hard trad lead you waste energy in this pointless tugging. Learn to know from feel when you release the trigger and visual inspection.

And isn't it embarrassing that I can still flash your proj while wasting all that energy?

Kevin Mokracekwrote:

You must be a blast at parties if tugging on cams sets you off

if "tugging on cams" is a euphemism and OP goes to the right kind of party, they very well may be a blast!

I'm making some real reaches here for the sake of my joke. It's monday, let me live and make bad jokes.

Better off tugging your nutz

Couldn't help it, just passing through

Come to think of it, I did notice that rank n00b Connor Herson tugging on a cam in the film of him leading a .15a crack on bullet granite. Kids these days!

They take my trad dad card away if I don't and then I would be sad. 

What, you're just gonna place a cam, NOT tug on it, and say "bomber!"? That's just part of the ritual bro. 

Let they who has never tugged, cast forth the first [WC] rock.

Also, I think if OP tugged a bit more they wouldn't be so uptight about other people's tugging.