"These policies are of detrimental impact to the safety and future of American rock climbing ... trad climbing, where the climber has to place their own protective gear – such as nuts, hexes ...

Some climbs require climbers to place removable gear into cracks in rock, in lieu of bolts. That style of climbing, using camming devices or small steel wedges called nuts, is called traditional ...

This era introduced the use of removable protection, like nuts and cams, rather than pitons that scarred the rock. Clean climbing became a guiding principle, influencing both the climbing ...