Styles and Shapes
Pitons are sized and manufactured to fit a wide range of cracks. From small to large, most common are:
- RURP - for Realized Ultimate Reality Piton, currently made by Black Diamond Equipment - a tiny piton the size of a postage stamp used in thin, shallow seams. It was designed by Tom Frost and Yvon Chouinard in 1959, and manufactured by Chouinard Equipment in the 1960s. It is not a strong piece, and is mainly used for aid climbing, although it can feature as protection on extreme free routes (e.g. Rurp The Wild Berserk (E6 6b) at The Brand, Leicestershire, UK). More recent versions of the RURP include Bird Beaks and Peckers.
- Knifeblade - also known as Bugaboos (made by Black Diamond), are a thin straight piton, that work in thin, deep cracks.
- Lost Arrow - designed by John Salathé and Yvon Chouinard, now made by Black Diamond, are a hot-forged, tapered piton that performs well in medium-size cracks.
- Angle - A piton made of steel sheet bent into a "U", "V", or "Z" shape; work well for larger cracks, where the steel deforms elastically as the piton is placed.
- Bongs - The largest pitons are angles made from aluminium sheet called bongs, named for the sound they produce while being hammered into place, or the sound they make when dropped. Bongs have become rare with the advent of camming units, nuts (chocks) which protect the same wide cracks more easily, and without causing damage to the rock.
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