Rock-climbing equipment
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Rock-climbing equipment varies with the specific type of climbing that is being undertaken by the climber(s). Bouldering needs the least equipment: climbing shoes, climbing chalk and optional crash pads. Sport climbing adds ropes, harnesses, belay devices, and quickdraws which clip into pre-drilled permanently-fixed bolts on the rock face. Traditional climbing adds the need to carry a "rack" of temporary and removable passive and active protection devices. Multi-pitch climbing, and the related big wall climbing, adds devices to assist in ascending and descending static fixed ropes. Finally, aid climbing uses unique equipment to give mechanical assistance to the climber in their upward movement (e.g. aiders).
Advances in rock-climbing equipment design and manufacture are a key part of the rock climbing history, starting with the climbing rope. Modern rock-climbing devices enable climbers to perform tasks that were previously done manually, but with greater control – in all conditions – and with less effort. Examples of such replacements include the harness (replaced tying the rope around the waist), the carabiner (replaced many knots), the descender/abseil device (replaced the dülfersitz), the ascender (replaced the prusik knot), the belay device (replaced the body belay), and nuts/hexes (replaced chockstones).
Modern rock-climbing equipment includes dynamic ropes, plyometric training tools, advanced spring-loaded camming devices (SLCDs) for protection, and advanced rope control devices such as self-locking devices (SLDs), progress capture devices (PCDs), and assisted braking devices (ABDs). Modern equipment uses advanced materials that are increasingly more durable, stronger, and weigh less (e.g. spectra/dyneema and aluminum alloys) than traditional equipment. The equipment must meet specific quantitative standards (e.g. the UIAA standards) for strength, durability, and reliability, and must be certified and tested against such standards with individual pieces of equipment carrying such certification marks.