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Messages 1 - 30 of total 30 in this topic |
Barto
climber
Minneapolis, MN
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 15, 2007 - 12:45pm PT
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My partner is pushing for a Tangerine Trip attempt in 2008. What would people suggest as an alternative to the hard-to-get Alien Hybrids? Or, do I just start bidding high on Ebay when they show up?
Thanks
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Oct 15, 2007 - 12:48pm PT
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Metolius Offset TCU's
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Matt M
Trad climber
Tacoma, WA (Temp in San Antonio for Yr)
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Oct 15, 2007 - 12:49pm PT
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tradrack.com almost always has them in stock. Why ebay them used when you can get them new.
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P.Kingsbury
Trad climber
Bozeman
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Oct 15, 2007 - 12:58pm PT
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tkingsbury has both the aliens and the metolious, and i prefer the aliens, although the metolious seem pretty nice to. his are dimple free though!
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Oct 15, 2007 - 02:16pm PT
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The Metolius offset TCU's are very good units.
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WallMan
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Oct 15, 2007 - 02:34pm PT
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For clean aid - offset Aliens are the standard - the best camming devices out there.
I ordered mine from MountainTools.com - it took a month or two to get them - put your order in now, and MountainTools will ship them to you as soon as they get them.
Climb Ohn. Wally
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Irisharehere
Trad climber
Gunks
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Oct 15, 2007 - 03:07pm PT
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Rock and Snow in New Paltz generally has them in stock, if they're availible anywhere.
Irish
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Barto
climber
Minneapolis, MN
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 15, 2007 - 03:24pm PT
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Thank you, all.
The (small) consensus seems to be Aliens over Metolius. Since I'm already using Aliens, it is off to market for them I will go.
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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Oct 15, 2007 - 03:28pm PT
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Hey, I hear if you buy Aliens this year you get one of those free "Turning C2 into A4" t-shirts... Just have to send at least one of the broken pieces in to CCH.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Oct 15, 2007 - 03:28pm PT
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there is none
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Oct 15, 2007 - 03:44pm PT
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The fact that there wasn't a sudden rush of (cheap) aliens on the market, when people started trying to trash their reputation, should be an indicator to you that Lambone is correct. There are no replacements for the Aliens. If you're that concerned about them, after you get them, send them out and have them tested.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Oct 15, 2007 - 03:47pm PT
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Heads...Maybe pins, or two cams of some other unit if you're lucky
So just buck up and get some Hybrids
Peace
Karl
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ricardo
Gym climber
San Francisco, CA
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Oct 15, 2007 - 06:00pm PT
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they still hold body weight right ..
good enuf for aid then! ..
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Oct 15, 2007 - 06:07pm PT
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"good enuf for aid then! .. "
if you don't have dependants.
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clustiere
Trad climber
Rock Ridge/ Oakland CA
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Oct 15, 2007 - 06:18pm PT
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I wonder about the diversity of the tcu fourcu s as they don't seem to bend into spots like the aliens do. Any body use the units on an aid route recently. Or better yet compare them to the aliens on an aid route. Ok free routes might count.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Oct 15, 2007 - 07:34pm PT
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Free routes won't count. Look, using a cam for aid and free, in pin scars (in general, really) are two entirely different things. Both of these cams are going to have placements where one works better than the other. The key is that the number of times that happens is going to be with the Alien fitting better about 99% of the time. Double stems can be a problem on aid placements, for sure.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Oct 15, 2007 - 07:58pm PT
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I've had Metolius Offsets since prototypes and two sets of Alien Hybrids, 80% of the time it's tweedleDee-tweedleDum, but then there is 20% of the time where I want more bending or want to hang just one side of the Alien in a notch and for those placements Alien's still have their place. That said, Metolius is coming out with Metolius Master Cams next year and no doubt Offsets will be part of the mix. My Alien Hybrids - which I only use when absolutely necessary at this point, will never be used again once I get my hands on the new Metolius units.
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P.Kingsbury
Trad climber
Bozeman
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Oct 15, 2007 - 08:03pm PT
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gonna sell em' cheap??
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Oct 15, 2007 - 08:18pm PT
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Nope, won't be selling them. Will probably ship one set to Stephane for his Nut Museum and will just keep the others well-retired which, otherwise, I never do to gear.
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hollyclimber
Big Wall climber
Yosemite, CA
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Oct 17, 2007 - 11:41pm PT
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Hammer in a sawed angle.
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Shack
Big Wall climber
Reno NV
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Oct 17, 2007 - 11:47pm PT
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Just met one of the owners of http://www.tradrack.com the other day,
as I mentioned in another thread, and he said that they usually do have them in stock.
They're good people too.
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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It seemed appropriate to resurrect this thread to find out what folks are using now that aliens are no more.
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kiwi
Trad climber
Olympia, WA
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trying to save up for mastercams. the 2 aliens I have now I love however.
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squishy
Mountain climber
sacramento
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Someone has to buy CCH, or already has, aliens are obviously required...
Mastercams for now I guess...
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just_one
Mountain climber
CA
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Are they really out of business now? Their site is still up.
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Prod
Trad climber
Dodge Sprinter Dreaming
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I recall reading that Kate almost exclusively uses Link cams for aid. She gets quite a bit done too.
Prod.
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Prod
Trad climber
Dodge Sprinter Dreaming
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Here is her quote from this thread
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1044196&msg=1044347#msg1044347
I don't carry anything else on my rack except for some nuts, a blue alien and a green alien. Once in a while a red.
The design flaw has been fixed. The trigger wires used to be just a pin stuck 1/2 inch into plastic, what were they thinking? Now its a metal rod through a plastic housing/trigger and its the bomb.
I have a set of tripples and hardly even use offset aliens or aliens on walls anymore in pin scars or wobbly small cracks. Just jam a link cam in and go. Which is why I am so wicked fast, I'm sure.
Back when I free climbed more I went up two letter grades in a weekend because they turn crack climbing into sport climbing. When it is impossible to pull the wrong piece of gear off the rack and rudimentarily knowledge of gear placement is enough to get a good placement anywhere, all the time you used to spend futzing, choosing, and worrying about gear can be used on getting the hell out of there and to a rest or the top.
Link cams are beyond awesome. If you want to get one for a starter piece, get the one with the size you're weakest in...thin hands? get red. fingers and smaller? get purple. Rattly fingers? Get green. You will love it.
-Kate.
Prod.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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I saw it coming and just stocked up on Aliens. 29 hybrids, 35 regular, mostly black through Red and a few larger.
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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metolius off sets now come in master cams as well as TCU's..
made in america!
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