A three-cam SLCD manufactured by Metolius.

Spring loaded camming device in a parallel crack

A spring loaded camming device (also SLCD or just cam) is a piece of rock climbing or mountaineering protection equipment. It consists of two, three, or four cams mounted on a common axle or two adjacent axles, so that pulling on the axle forces the cams to spread further apart. The SLCD is used by pushing on the cam via a pull "trigger" (a small handle) so the cams move together, then inserting it into a crack or pocket in the rock and pulling on the "stem", a rod attached to the axle. This makes the cams expand and hold onto the rock face, and it is held lightly in position by small springs. At this point the climbing rope can be attached to a sling and carabiner at the end of the stem. Download high resolution version (929x256, 40 KB)A camming device. ... Download high resolution version (929x256, 40 KB)A camming device. ... Metolius is a company that produces climbing equipment and training products. ... A typical spring-loaded camming device, placed in a parallel crack. ... Climbers on Valkyrie at the Roaches. ... If you were looking for the car, please see Mercury Mountaineer. ... To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection to prevent injury to themselves and others. ... A wide range of equipment is used during climbing. ... The word sling may refer to one of the following: A sling (weapon) is a device used to hurl projectiles A sling is one of any sort of mixed alcoholic drink, also known as a cocktail. ... A carabiner or karabiner (colloquially, crab, krab, or biner) is a gated connector: a metal loop with a usually sprung gate designed as a connector that can quickly and reversibly join together components in safety-critical systems; for example, a common use is to attach a rope to a fixed...

SLCDs were invented by Ray Jardine in 1978 (US patent 4,184,657) and sold under the brand name of "Friends". ("Friend" is now widely used by climbers to refer to SLCDs in general, but properly speaking it refers to the brand now manufactured by Wild Country.) Other popular brands include Camalots, and Aliens. Ray Jardine (b. ... Events January January 1 - The Copyright Act of 1976 takes effect, making sweeping changes to United States copyright law. ...

SLCDs are sold in various sizes to fit a diverse range of cracks from about 1 cm to 15 cm wide. CM or cm may stand for: Cameroon (ISO country code) centimetre (cm) Championship Manager - an association football computer game circular mil - a USA unit for the cross-sectional area of electrical wires (always CM, in capitals) Computer Modern - the standard font set that ships with the TeX computer typesetting system... CM or cm may stand for: Cameroon (ISO country code) centimetre (cm) Championship Manager - an association football computer game circular mil - a USA unit for the cross-sectional area of electrical wires (always CM, in capitals) Computer Modern - the standard font set that ships with the TeX computer typesetting system...

The invention of SLCDs revolutionised rock climbing because it meant that climbs with parallel cracks could be protected. Furthermore, unlike pitons, SLCDs can be removed easily without causing damage to the rock, and made clean climbing (climbing without damaging the rock) practical on almost all climbs. In climbing, a piton is a steel spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing. ... Clean climbing is a style of rock climbing that avoids damage to the rock by eschewing the drilling of bolts and the hammering of pitons. ...