How to Remove a Camming Device

One of the "second" climber's jobs is to remove the camming device, which the leader placed in a crack and attached to the lead rope to catch his or her fall in case of a mishap.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Camming Devices
• Carabiners
• Climbing Harnesses
• Climbing Ropes
• Climbing Shoes

1. Familiarize yourself with how cams work before you leave the ground: Retractable cams expand in the crack to hold the piece in place.
2. Try to find a good rest stance before you start fiddling with the camming device your partner placed on lead.
3. Remember not to disconnect the cam from the carabiner, the device the leader used to attach the cam to his or her lead rope. That way, you can't drop the cam.
4. Put your fingers on the trigger bar of the cam, and put the thumb of the same hand on the end of the stem.
5. Pull on the trigger bar at the same time you push on the stem. This causes the cam to retract.
6. Remove the piece from the rock if it's easy. (It will be easy if the cam was placed in a parallel-sided crack.)
7. Move the device (with the cam still retracted) up or down in the crack - if the cam is behind a constriction in the crack - until you get it to a spot where the crack widens enough for you to easily remove it.
8. Let the cam dangle from the rope in front of your harness once you've successfully removed it.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't struggle too much with a stubborn cam. Think the cam out of the rock instead of fighting it. If your leader put it in easily, it should come out easily.
• Rock climbing is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity.