Friends and nuts

Friends and Nuts: the art of clean protection on rock

Trad climbing and traditional mountaineering require intuition, experience, and above all, gear you can trust blindly. The friends and nuts section at Alternativa Sport, available online and at our Sistiana retail shop, is entirely dedicated to removable protection systems (also known as "clean pro" because they do not damage the rock). We select only the finest active and passive mechanical devices on the market to guarantee quick, stable, and secure placements in any crack.

Active and passive protection for every type of crack

• Friends (Camming Devices): The revolution of active protection. Thanks to their expanding cam design, they adapt perfectly to cracks of varying widths. Our catalog features single or double-axle models, ideal for ensuring exceptional holding power even in flared cracks, alongside micro-friends for thin seams and marginal placements.

• Nuts (Chocks): The historic passive protection par excellence. Simple, lightweight, and indestructible, nuts wedge into the natural constrictions of the rock, offering extraordinary holding power with minimal weight on your harness.

• Essential accessories: We also stock nut tools (essential for the second climber to clean stubborn placements) and replacement slings to keep your rack in top condition.

Technology from the pioneers of trad climbing

When protecting yourself on virgin cracks, the quality of your gear makes the difference between a safe fall and an objective hazard. That is why Alternativa Sport exclusively offers brands that have shaped the history of trad climbing, such as the famous Camalots by Black Diamond, original Friends by Climbing Techcnology, and the geometric precision of nuts and cams by Totem and Camp. Find the missing pieces to complete your rack and get ready to climb in absolute freedom!