Light, right and loved by all

"The Superlight Rocks are going into the review this issue. I liked them so much I had to get them in. They are the best nuts I've ever used. Having just the one wire lets them seat much better than standard nuts. I was very surprised by the difference. I thought it would be slight, but it was massive.

Even in regular, deep slots they are less problematic to fire in, and then they seat better. I did notice that the Superlights were roughly a regular Rock, cut down the middle. For my uses, I place Rocks (and all nuts) in their narrow profile probably 99% or more of the time ... I can't actually recall ever placing a nut, aside from a hex, in a placement along its wide axis. So, for me, the Superlights are ideal ... I don't give up a thing, except weight".

Duane Raleigh, Group Publisher, Rock and Ice, USA

Superlight set 1-6

As can be gathered from these exceptional reviews, Superlight Rocks are another breakthrough innovation by Wild Country. These brilliantly versatile nuts utilise two existing technologies: the extrusion from the bestselling Rock with the soldered sleeve from the Zeros, to create a light hybrid unit. Designed to complement any rack by combining extreme light weight with a wide range of placements; their reduced width means they will fit in places where current wider nuts won’t and grab shallow placements and pinscars brilliantly.

A skinny cabled Superlight Rock 1 shows why they're so light - this ones only 10grams / 0.35oz. That's nearly 40% lighter than a Rock 1.

The designer of Superlight Rocks, Richie Patterson takes up the story:
“I designed Superlight Rocks to try and fullfill what I saw as a genuine gap in the market which was between:

A. Small brass nuts - which are obviously very good but they're not curved enough for seating and sometimes therefore, especially in the big sizes, they're often difficult to place well e.g. big RPs

B. The smaller end of normal nuts - these were often too wide and wobbly for pin scars and not double tapered so their sideways placements limited.

The most difficult part of the design process was creating this 'compromise' size within the limitations of the technology available and this was only possible when Zeros technology came along. This provided the perfect solution - a soldered single cable with a stainless steel sleeve soldered on. This allowed an aluminium head to be used for the first time on nuts this small, which is easier to shape and therefore a curved unit could be used and added bite gained.

The rest was fairly easy: keep the original and proven 'Rock' curve front to back for perfect seating then apply a tried and tested 5% side taper for extra sideways bite, and decide the optimum headwidth by testing. There were then three reasons for choosing the size range we ended up with and not going too big:

1. Because any other nuts I looked at in the past with a single cable - especially in larger sizes - tended to look and act strangely. Their weight was wrong and the head drooped badly.
2. As nut size increases the centre can be hollowed out, making the weight saving much less dramatic per size even with a single cable.
3. Once you get to a certain size crack a current Rock will fit sideways anyway, lessening the need.

One important thing not to be overlooked is that front to back these Superlights are exactly the same shape as standard Rocks and so in extremis are a direct, but very light replacement, and can be carried as such - or they make a second set. So for big wallers / alpinists / speed freaks and those pushing the trad limits the potential is enormous.

So although at first glance Superlights may look very specialist or a little peripheral, Superlight Rocks can be seen as an essential 'addition' to a rack the kit bridging the gap between ones rack of 'tinies' and standard wires.”

Summary

Aimed at - all climbers who wish to extend their rack with some versatile light nuts. But may appeal most to big wallers, Alpinists and hardcore ‘trad’ climbers more desperate than anyone else to shave weight.

Placements - Superlight Rocks have a big advantage over many other small nuts in that as they are cut from 'Rock' extrusion they are ideal to be placed exactly as you would place a normal Rock,. This takes advantage of the curved sides for grip OR their side tapers make them ideal for getting extra hold in pinscars and other shallow slots.

Weight Saving - For those who want to shave lbs from their rack the Superlights weigh in at 3.22oz or 90grams for 6 instead of 5.72oz or 164 grams for a normal Rock 1 -6 a saving of around 45% - not to be sniffed at in this day and age.

Superlight Rocks are in all good retailers and are available individually as well as in a set of six.

And finally if you don't take my word for it check out these very nice words from Andy Kirkpatrick, he seemed to like them.....

"Hi Mr Patter, Just come down from an attempt on the Messner Pillar on the North Face of the Droites (we climb 13 pitches then traversed over to another route to finish), where we used the new Superlight Rocks and giant rocks. F#*%ing awesome! The best thing about the big rocks is that they’re a no brainer, as you can just go up in size from your normal rocks, rather then trying to work out what will fit after a rock 10.

As for the Superlights they worked really well, and even though we tried to keep the weight to a minimum (a full set of Rocks) again you could take a full set of Superlights without much thought as you are basically getting twice the number of nuts for half the weight.

The nuts where hammered in, hammered out, stamped on, twisted and generally abused, and although neither of us ever lopped onto them they looked fine after the climb – and I can see why people have raved about them. Best off all they went where rocks wouldn’t, replacing heavier and more costly RP style nuts. Know you said that it wasn’t worth making anything bigger, but I think people will want bigger sizes and it would be great it you could extend the sizes further (I can understand that there would be problem with the cut out sectioned nuts, but I really think that people would buy into the idea of doubling (or more like trebling up) on their full rock sizes. Anyway well done".

Andy Kirkpatrick, All round Loony and Gear Correspondent for Climb Magazine UK

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