aid Archives - VDiff Climbing https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/tag/aid/ Safe Rock Climbing Skills Explained Tue, 26 May 2026 19:24:22 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/wp-content/uploads/vdiff-logo-Header-36x36.png aid Archives - VDiff Climbing https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/tag/aid/ 32 32 Aid Climbing Gear > Rivets https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/rivets/ Tue, 30 Dec 2025 17:00:34 +0000 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/staging.vdiffclimbing.com/?p=5438 Aid Climbing Gear > Rivets A rivet is basically a smaller, weaker version of a bolt. It’s common for first ascentionists to place rivets to bypass blank sections when establishing a new route. You’ll find...

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]]> Aid Climbing Gear > Copperheads https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/copperhead/ Tue, 30 Dec 2025 16:00:54 +0000 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/staging.vdiffclimbing.com/?p=561 Aid Climbing Gear > Copperheads Heads are single-use malleable lumps of copper (copperheads) or aluminium (alumi-heads) that can be shaped with a hammer and chisel for a custom fit into a weird slot where nothing...

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]]> Aid Climbing Gear > Beaks https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/beaks/ Tue, 30 Dec 2025 15:00:24 +0000 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/staging.vdiffclimbing.com/?p=2714 Aid Climbing Gear > Beaks Beaks are an ingenious type of piton which offer protection in super thin cracks, where even micro nuts are too big to fit. They are available in three common sizes....

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]]> Aid Climbing Gear > Pitons https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/pitons/ Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:00:58 +0000 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/staging.vdiffclimbing.com/?p=5432 Aid Climbing Gear > Pitons The dark art of smashing pitons into rock with a hammer has been frowned upon by climbers since the 1970’s when less destructive protection (cams and nuts) was developed. Advancements...

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]]> Aid Climbing Gear > Cam Hooks https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/cam-hooks/ Tue, 30 Dec 2025 13:00:43 +0000 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/staging.vdiffclimbing.com/?p=5430 Aid Climbing Gear > Cam Hooks Available in four common sizes, cam hooks greatly reduce the need to hammer a piton. They fit into small cracks from the size of a thin lost arrow to...

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]]> Aid Climbing Gear > Skyhooks https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/hook/ https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/hook/#comments Tue, 30 Dec 2025 12:00:43 +0000 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/staging.vdiffclimbing.com/?p=564 Aid Climbing Gear > Skyhooks Skyhooks come in many different sizes, with each brand being shaped slightly differently. However, for most aid routes, you’ll only need the three common types:– Bat/talon (small)– Cliffhanger (medium)– Grappling...

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]]> https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/hook/feed/ 4 How To Climb a Big Wall > Leading https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/bigwall-leading/ Tue, 30 Dec 2025 04:00:13 +0000 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/staging.vdiffclimbing.com/?p=496 How to Climb a Big Wall: Leading The Lead Climbing Setup Step 1 – On Belay Before you leave the belay (or ground), you’ll need to get set up for the lead. Both climbers tie...

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]]> Aid Climbing and Big Wall Gear https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/bigwall-gear/ Tue, 30 Dec 2025 03:00:16 +0000 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/staging.vdiffclimbing.com/?p=494 Big wall gear: In addition to regular trad gear, you'll need some specialist stuff to aid climb. Here is a full description of everything you need.

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]]> Aid Climbing Ratings https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/bigwall-grades/ https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/bigwall-grades/#comments Tue, 30 Dec 2025 02:00:09 +0000 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/staging.vdiffclimbing.com/?p=492 Aid Climbing Ratings The Aid Climbing Grading System Every climb receives a grade which determines the length of time and commitment required to climb it, with big wall routes covering grades V to VII. With...

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]]> https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/bigwall-grades/feed/ 10 The Alpine Butterfly Knot https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/alpine-butterfly/ https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/alpine-butterfly/#comments Tue, 23 Dec 2025 20:30:18 +0000 https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/staging.vdiffclimbing.com/?p=405 This article explains different ways to tie an alpine butterfly knot and how to use the alpine butterfly in different rock climbing situations.

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