Pegs
Pitons (or pegs as they are often known in Britain) are, since the advent of modern wires, nuts and camming devices, seldom used in the UK for summer rock-climbing any more. However they are an important tool in winter and alpine climbing where narrow cracks may be choked with ice and other protection hard to find. They are also much used in big wall aid climbing.
Pitons are either Chrome-Molybdenum Hard Steel (made for repeated use) or Mild Steel that deforms to the rock (made for permanent placements). All the pegs we sell are Hard Steel except where clearly indicated otherwise.
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Pegs: the four major types |
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Knifeblades |
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Thin blade pegs for fine cracks (1 - 3mm) and are the most useful and lightest to carry. |
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Kingpins |
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Also known as Lost Arrows. Fat blades made for wider cracks (4 - 7mm). They are rather heavy. |
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Channels |
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Also known as Angles. U or V-shaped pitons made from formed steel sheet for wide cracks (15mm - 25mm). |
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Leepers |
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Designed and made by American climber Ed Leeper. The term has become generic. They are like channels but with a double U shape, making them suitable for crack sizes in between Kingpins and Channels ( 8 - 15mm). We are currently unable to find anyone still making these. |
Knowing what pitons (and indeed what gear in general) to carry for aid climbing is something that comes with experience, or perhaps from the list of gear required in your Supertopo or similar guidebook. In any case the emphasis is very much on clean aid these days (ie aiding on nuts and cams), so that pegs should only be placed as a last resort.