Check your cams!

Posted by Dan Middleton on 16/09/2008
Broken camming device

A recent BMC technical report investigated an incident, where a Rock Empire camming device failed. The climber fell 16m and was lucky not to be badly injured. Take the time to check the wire stems of your flexible cams every now and again...it may save your life.

Flexible camming devices have helped revolutionise modern climbing. It isn't very common, but the flexible wire stems can become damaged by repeated use. Checking for damage isn't always easy with some modern designs, but is worth the effort because damaged wire stems can fail when loaded in a fall. Check for broken wires or signs of corrosion every now and again. If you do spot anything, retire the unit or contact the manufacturer for advice.

You can read the full technical report here 



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