| Type | Passive protection |
| Holds by | Wedging in a constriction |
| Removed with | A nut tool |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
A nut, also called a stopper or chock, is a passive piece of trad protection — a tapered metal wedge on a wire cable that a climber slots into a constriction in a crack so it jams when pulled downward. Nuts are light, cheap, and reliable in tapering cracks, forming the foundation of a traditional rack.
How to place one
Seat the wedge above a downward pinch in the crack and tug it firmly so it locks into the constriction, loading in the direction a fall would pull.
Nuts vs cams
Nuts are passive and need a constriction; cams grip parallel cracks. See cams vs nuts.
Cleaning them
Well-weighted nuts often stick; the follower frees them with a nut tool. Bigger passive pieces are hexes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you place a nut?
Find a spot where the crack narrows downward, choose a nut that fits the wider part above the pinch, and seat it with a firm downward tug so it wedges into the constriction. A good placement has solid rock contact on both faces and pulls in the expected direction of load.
What's the difference between a nut and a cam?
A nut is passive — it only holds where a crack pinches down to wedge it — while a cam is active and grips parallel cracks with spring-loaded lobes. Nuts are lighter, cheaper, and very reliable in tapering cracks; cams cover more crack shapes.
What is a nut tool used for?
A nut tool is a thin metal pick used to push out and free nuts that have become stuck after being weighted — which good placements often do. The following climber uses it to clean the gear from the rock.
Sources
- Placing trad gear — American Alpine Club