Hardest route a hex has been up?

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 PaulJepson 28 May 2023

I was watching a video a while back ( youtube.com/watch?v=nwjz-QiUXuo&) and something struck me as a bit odd. Someone climbing something that must weigh in at about E8, jangling away.

Since the emergence of cams and head pointing, hexs just don't seem to be a thing which make it on to 'proper' climbers harnesses. 

I'm sure there are a few hard routes where the crucial piece is a twisted hex in a pocket or similar. 

What are your contenders for hardest route a hex has been taken up? And what a proud hex it must be!

16
 Schmiken 28 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

I love a hex, nothing ever feels quite as bomber as a well placed one! Quite curious to find the answer to this.

 nikoid 28 May 2023
In reply to Schmiken:

Good for hanging off slings on flakes to hold them down too.

 Lankyman 28 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

There is/was an in-situ hex on Death Wish (E7 6b) so someone either carried up or pre-placed it.

 kevin stephens 28 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson: Hexes (Rockcentrics) can be a lot more secure than cams in polished limestone placements. They also work amazingly well in places like Fairhead

 Cameron94 28 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

XII, 13?

 Robert Durran 28 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

I am sure that hexes have been employed for specific placements on very hard routes but what I find really impressive is that Ed Webster made the first ascent of Supercrack of the Desert (5.10b) on hexes alone.

 Maggot 28 May 2023
In reply to Schmiken:

> I love a hex, nothing ever feels quite as bomber as a well placed one! Quite curious to find the answer to this.

Err hum, there's nowt more bomber than a well sat MOAC Original.

1
 kevin stephens 28 May 2023
In reply to Maggot: my first ever rack comprised two Moac originals, Chouinard Stopper 6 and a Hex 7. Probably enough to get up many routes nowadays

2
 AlanLittle 28 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

Mark Hudon & Max Jones did the second ascent of Phoenix - first 5.13 in Yosemite? - on hexes. After Jardine‘s FA on then secret prototype Friends

 Holdtickler 29 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

People who shun hexes are like those kids who only wear their rucksack on one shoulder because they are worried about not looking cool

I still love them and the jingle jangle of them! 

1
 Martin Hore 29 May 2023
In reply to kevin stephens:

> my first ever rack comprised two Moac originals, Chouinard Stopper 6 and a Hex 7. Probably enough to get up many routes nowadays

Not sure about that. But I guess no gear at all is enough to get up most routes if you're happy to solo at the grade.

I carry hexes green, red and gold. Not sure I understand those who reject hexes and instead carry Rocks or Wallnuts of the same size. They're just as heavy and clanky, offer only two placement aspects as opposed to three for hexes, and wires need more extension than a hex on tape or dyneema. 

Martin

 kylos8048 29 May 2023
In reply to kevin stephens:

To be fair. There isn't much gear that doesn't work at Fairhead. It eats the stuff. 

 French Erick 29 May 2023
In reply to Cameron94:

> XII, 13?

Was thinking the same: winter surely?

but the new paradigm shift for winter are wire tricams: they truly seem the dog’s Bol£&&@s!

I only ever get the hexes out for full on rigs these days. So there are probably sad lumps of metal in my climbing cupboard ! Reminds me of that article a while back written from the point of view a rock 6 I think

 mark s 29 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

Think I've only ever used one twice. A route at almscliffe where it fitted in a hole and Juan cur at ramshaw rocks. 

The almscliffe one was absolute bomber 

 Dave Musgrove 29 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

Rectum Rift E3 6b at Almscliff.  With a hex 9 in a pocket in the roof the crux is perfectly protected. Without it a fall from the crux could be fatal. Nothing else fits.

 Robert Durran 29 May 2023
In reply to Holdtickler:

> People who shun hexes are like those kids who only wear their rucksack on one shoulder because they are worried about not looking cool

Simply not true. The reason most people's default rack has a set of cams rather than hexes is that they are more versatile making it more likely a route can be better protected. And I think most people would double up on cams rather than carry a set of each. 

6
 Holdtickler 29 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

Away with you! This thread is about hex appreciation! Let us have our moment!

 kevin stephens 29 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

> Simply not true. The reason most people's default rack has a set of cams rather than hexes is that they are more versatile making it more likely that some routes can be better protected, but others worse protected.

FIFY

In reply to Robert Durran:

> I think most people would double up on cams rather than carry a set of each. 

That is indeed my default because they are more versatile but there are a couple of circumstances in which I prefer Torq Nuts: slippery cracks and long pitches. I did one trad route on slate (Don't Get Fooled Again (E2 5c)) where I chose to use a red Torq Nut rather than a red cam because the crack sides were extremely slippery but slightly converging. The torq nut gave a rigid placement that mechanically could not come out. The adjustability of cams here could have been their downfall if the sides were so slippery that they compressed the lobes inwards rather than locking (a known problem on limestone, smooth slate is worse). On long pitches, if you know the size you need and placing is easy, a modern hex equivalent is lighter than a similar sized cam so if several larger sizes are needed the hex equivalents have a weight advantage.

 Robert Durran 29 May 2023
In reply to kevin stephens:

Of course there are exceptions, but if you had to chose cams or hexes for a random route you would choose cams.

I suspect serious climbers would probably only ever carry hexes for specific placements they know about in advance.

1
 pec 29 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

> I'm sure there are a few hard routes where the crucial piece is a twisted hex in a pocket or similar. 

Didn't Ron fawcett place one in a "crozzly pocket" on Lord of the Flies? I seem to recall that from the Rock Athlete film.

 Sam Beaton 29 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

I use hexes all the time on grit but hardly at all on other rock types

 Robert Durran 29 May 2023
In reply to Sam Beaton:

> I use hexes all the time on grit but hardly at all on other rock types

I presume you also carry cams on grit? Grit is, I would have thought, pretty much made for cams.

 Robert Durran 29 May 2023
In reply to pec:

> Didn't Ron fawcett place one in a "crozzly pocket" on Lord of the Flies? I seem to recall that from the Rock Athlete film.

Possibly the last time I placed a hex in summer was in the crozzly pocket of Right Wall in 1984! Is it shared with Lord?

I have actually climbed with one or two people since who climb with them and they have come in handy to abandon hammered in to escape a dodgy situation.

 HappyTrundler 29 May 2023
In reply to Maggot:

Absolutely right, a bomber Moac is the ultimate gear !.....

 Misha 29 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

Yeah, you just don’t see people climbing anything remotely hard with hexes, which speaks for itself. Although I keep wondering if it’s worth the second carrying a medium hex to help with hammering out gear, especially in situ wires. 

1
 Sam Beaton 30 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

Yes, I usually carry 5 or 6 cams and 4 or 5 hexes on most grit routes. Cams are perfect for the numerous horizontal breaks but I feel much safer with a good hex than a cam in a vertical crack. If it's obvious from the ground there are no wider vertical cracks I won't bother with the hexes but might double up on a couple of cam sizes.

 Sam Beaton 30 May 2023
In reply to Misha:

In the photo of Trilogy (E5) in the 2003 FRCC selected guide to the Lakes the leader is carrying hexes

 Ian Parsons 30 May 2023
In reply to Sam Beaton:

My recollection of Trilogy - which may be flawed as it was a long time ago - is that there were so many pegs that you barely needed to place anything. 1990. Happy to be corrected if memory is awry.

In reply to Holdtickler:

The hexes were slotting in everywhere at Pembroke last weekend..

 Ian Parsons 30 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

> Possibly the last time I placed a hex in summer was in the crozzly pocket of Right Wall in 1984! Is it shared with Lord?

Hah, Robert. I was just thinking of Right Wall in this context. I don't know whether it was the same crozzly pocket [don't you just love words with a double 'z' in them?] but I protected the mid-height crux with a [#8?] Chouinard hex twisted vertically and engaging endwise [if that makes any sense] prior to the ensuing slightly runout pockety section. Took a couple of falls onto it after getting myself into a blind alley, wrong-handed etc - but QED bombproof. A Friend 2.5 became standard here, I think. This wasn't on Lord; it was probably a couple of metres to the right of that route's first 'porthole' - or is it 'pothole'? - where the peg used to be, and likely a bit lower.

Coincidentally 1984, too!

 Robert Durran 30 May 2023
In reply to Ian Parsons:

> Hah, Robert. I was just thinking of Right Wall in this context. I don't know whether it was the same crozzly pocket [don't you just love words with a double 'z' in them?] but I protected the mid-height crux with a [#8?] Chouinard hex twisted vertically and engaging endwise.

Yes, it was a well known bit of beta then I think.

> Coincidentally 1984, too!

A scarily long time ago🙄

 Misha 30 May 2023
In reply to Sam Beaton:

So a photo that’s over 20 years old…

1
 Misha 30 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

And now the beta is two gold cams for the route… guess things move on!

Post edited at 10:00
 Macleod 30 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

Pretty sure Tim Emmett used one on Muy Caliente

 65 30 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

> I am sure that hexes have been employed for specific placements on very hard routes but what I find really impressive is that Ed Webster made the first ascent of Supercrack of the Desert (5.10b) on hexes alone.

I assume you've seen this rather cracking (sorry for pun) little film?
youtube.com/watch?v=lg3wbv_uT1c&

OP PaulJepson 30 May 2023
In reply to Macleod:

Just watched the video and can't see one? Just threads, a wire and some cams. Real shame, I thought we might have a winner for hardest hex ascent there!

 Sam Beaton 30 May 2023
In reply to Misha:

Fair point 😊 Neil still uses hexes but I'm not sure when he last led E5......

Post edited at 13:02
 Macleod 30 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

ah yes - you're right, it's a wire - I misremembered that one

 Brass Nipples 30 May 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

In the 90s I was climbing an obscure multi pitch in the Lakes. On one of the alternate leads my partner placed a hex but the crack was too wide. Thus he proceeded to use some fairly flat rocks to help cam it in place. The placement was shit, aka a psychological one to enable him to make the next moves. 

 mike barnard 30 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

> I have actually climbed with one or two people since who climb with them and they have come in handy to abandon hammered in to escape a dodgy situation.

Yes, I'm planning on bringing some on the next trip.

 Robert Durran 30 May 2023
In reply to mike barnard:

> Yes, I'm planning on bringing some on the next trip.

I still shudder at the thought of that attempt😱

 uniquechill 31 May 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

Ed Webster was there but Earl Wiggins lead it.  They had one primitive Lowe camming device.  I don't know if Earl used the cam, I do know he used hexes.  It is a very parallel crack, I doubt if a hex would hold.

 Robert Durran 31 May 2023
In reply to uniquechill:

> Ed Webster was there but Earl Wiggins lead it. 

Oops. Thanks for the correction.

 donie 01 Jun 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

Mark Hudon’s second ascent of the phoenix  5.13a  in yosemite springs to mind.

Iconic photo of him and his hexes is worth googling for .[Couldn’t manage to link the shot]

In reply to Holdtickler:

I remember Hexcentrics as being absolutely brilliant on grit, and very light. 

1
 Darkinbad 03 Jun 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

> I have actually climbed with one or two people since who climb with them and they have come in handy to abandon hammered in to escape a dodgy situation.

Indeed. When we retreated after the first pitch of Sticil Face, it was from a bomber hex I placed as the belay.

 ChrisBrooke 03 Jun 2023
In reply to PaulJepson:

It’s only E4 but you can get a nice sideways hex in to protect the move to the slot on Wings of Unreason (E4 6a) if I remember correctly. Spoiler alert. 

 Robert Durran 04 Jun 2023
In reply to Darkinbad:

> Indeed. When we retreated after the first pitch of Sticil Face, it was from a bomber hex I placed as the belay.

I think I was too busy trying not to black out and thinking I might be dying of hypothermia to notice your belay! About 1988? Anyway, nothing like a wellied in winter hex.

 Darkinbad 04 Jun 2023
In reply to Robert Durran:

1986, I think. British Rail had a promotion weekend return to anywhere for a tenner on a student railcard, so I came up overnight from Cambridge to Aviemore.


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