An auto belay is an automated belay device installed at the top of a climbing-gym wall that takes in slack as you climb and lowers you smoothly if you let go or fall. It lets climbers practice roped climbing alone, without a human belayer — though clipping in correctly every single time is essential.
A figure-eight device is a metal '8'-shaped descender used mainly for rappelling, where the rope threads through the large ring to create friction. Once common for belaying too, it is now largely a rappel and rescue tool, valued for dissipating heat on long descents but prone to twisting the rope.
A plaquette is a tube-style belay device with extra slots that allow 'guide mode' — belaying one or two following climbers directly off the anchor, with the device automatically locking if a follower falls. This makes plaquettes the standard choice for multi-pitch climbing, where they free the leader's hands at the belay.
An assisted-braking device (ABD) is a belay device with a mechanism — usually a camming lever — that helps pinch and lock the rope when it's loaded suddenly, adding a margin of safety in a fall. The GriGri is the best-known example. Crucially, ABDs still require a hand on the brake at all times; they are not hands-free.
An offset nut is a wedge-shaped passive protection piece with one face larger than the other, designed to fit flaring or piton-scarred cracks where parallel-sided nuts won't seat. Their asymmetric taper makes them especially useful on aid routes and old trade routes pocked with pin scars.
A micro cam is a very small spring-loaded camming device built to protect thin cracks too narrow for standard cams. Their tiny lobes hold in finger-width and smaller cracks, but they have a narrower holding range and lower strength than larger cams, so placement precision and good rock are critical.
A Tricam is a piece of climbing protection that can be placed passively, like a nut, or set in a camming mode where it pivots on a point and grips when loaded. This versatility lets Tricams protect pockets and shallow placements where other gear struggles, making them a niche but valued addition to a trad rack.
An oval carabiner is a symmetrical, oval-shaped carabiner whose even curves let gear and slings sit centred and reduce shifting. Slightly weaker and heavier than D-shaped carabiners, ovals are favoured for aid climbing, racking gear, and use with pulleys, where smooth, balanced loading matters more than peak strength.
A screwgate carabiner is a locking carabiner secured by a threaded sleeve you screw closed by hand over the gate. Simple, light, and easy to inspect at a glance, screwgates are a popular locker for belaying, anchors, and tethers — with the one caveat that you must remember to do the gate up.
An HMS carabiner is a large, pear-shaped locking carabiner designed for belaying and rappelling. Its wide, symmetrical top accommodates a Munter hitch and lets a belay device move freely, while the locking gate keeps it secure. HMS stands for the German Halbmastwurfsicherung, meaning Munter-hitch belay.