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How to choose the right piton?

What are Pitons?

A piton (also called a pin or hammer) in climbing is a metal point (usually steel) that is driven into a crack or seam in the climbing surface with a climbing hammer and that acts as an anchor to protect the climber from the consequences of falling or to make progress in climbing. Pitons are equipped with an eyelet or a ring to which a carabiner is attached; the carabiner can then be connected directly or indirectly to a climbing rope.

Classification of Pitons

"S" for standing and anchor belays and "F or P" for intermediate belays.
(S = belay pitons and F or P = runner pitons.)

P

Progression pitons

S

Safety pitons

Pitons were the original form of protection and are still used where there is no alternative. Repeated hammering and pulling out of pitons damages the rock, and climbers who adhere to the clean climbing ethic avoid using them as much as possible. With the popularity of clean climbing in the 1970s, pitons were largely replaced by faster and easier to use clean protection, such as nuts and cams. Pitons are still found in place (as "fixed" pitons) on some established free climbing routes, as fixed belay station anchors, in places where nuts or cams will not work; and are used on some hard climbs.

Most common pitons:

Pitons are custom-made and manufactured to fit a wide variety of cracks. From small to large, the most common are:

  1. Blade Blade - also known as Bugaboos, are thin, straight hooks that work in thin, deep cracks.
  2. Lost Arrow - designed by John Salathé and Yvon Chouinard, is a hot-forged, tapered piton that performs well in medium-sized cracks.
  3. Corner - A piton made of sheet steel bent into a "U", "V" or "Z" shape; works well for larger cracks, where the steel deforms elastically as the piton is set.
  4. Bongs - The largest pitons are corners made of sheet aluminum, called bongs, named for the sound they make when hammered into place, or the sound they make when dropped. Bongs have become rare with the advent of cam units, chocks that protect the same wide cracks more easily, and without causing damage to the rock.
  5. Beaks - hooking hooks with the ability to hook, that can be set without a hammer. Often known as Birdbeaks named after Jim Bridwell whose nickname was "The Bird".
  6. RURP (Realized Ultimate Reality Piton) - a small piton about the size of a postage stamp used in thin, shallow seams. It was designed by Tom Frost and Yvon Chouinard in 1959 and was manufactured by Chouinard Equipment in the 1960s. It is not a strong piece and is mainly used for aid climbing, although it can be used as protection on extremely free routes (e.g. Rurp The Wild Berserk (E6 6b) at The Brand, Leicestershire, UK). More recent versions of the RURP include Bird Beaks and Peckers.

Also based on source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piton

Canyonzone's range see: Anchoring & Accessories \ Pitons

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