The American outdoor equipment supplier Black Diamond is expanding its range of mobile safety devices and is making a splash with the launch of a giant Camalot size 21.
Black Diamond athlete Alex Honnold has never been a fan of wide cracks. Or as he puts it more bluntly: "Climbing wide cracks is crap." But Alex also has to force his body into deep cracks from time to time.
“Many of the world-famous classics such as the Freerider (VI, 5.13a) on El Cap or the large Desert Towers have pitches with terribly wide cracks that make the way to the summit difficult. I wanted to find a slightly easier way to climb chimneys and wide cracks like this. "
Alex Honnold
When Honnold then went back to Black Diamond to find the solution, the developers immediately got to work.
Alex Honnold with the Camalot C4 # 21
The largest Camalot ever
He crashed open doors at Black Diamond's Climbing Category Director, Kolin "KP" Powick.
“If Honnold has a problem, we have the solution. And this was a particularly challenging project. "
Kolin Powick
The team at KP and Black Diamond, a group of competent engineers and designers with experience in crack climbing, brooded over what Honnold needed. The result of their work was a Camalot covering the largest and largest cracks, a Camalot size # 21.
"After we agreed on the size, the real work began."
Kolin Powick
By redesigning the clamping segments of a traditional Camalot, the team was able to develop a Camalot that not only can secure a fireplace, but is also light enough to carry on a material sling.
“The distance and the diameter of the axes was a challenge. We also had to make sure that the casing around the dock was stiff enough to support the heavier head weight of the giant Camalot. This was achieved through FEA (Finite Element Analysis) 3D printing patterns and iterative field tests. "
Kolin Powick
The finishing touch was of course the integration of our innovative locking function, which was added last year for the new ones C4's was developed. This allows the large clamping segments to be folded in to save space and, despite its size, the Camalot can be hung on the material loop until it is used.
Via the Camalot C4 size 21
- Innovative locking function, saves space on the material loop
- Revised sling for better distinguishability on the material loop
- Dual axis design for the greatest possible scope ever
- C-loop center bar with continuous cable for maximum strength and flexibility
- Color coded for easy distinction
- Neutrino Rackpack for easy organization on the material loop
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Credits: Picture Andy Earl, text Black Diamond Equipment