Site icon Vertical Archaeology

Leeper Anti-piton

Curator
Stacked with an aluminum bong piton
Stacked with an aluminum bong piton
Stacked with an aluminum bong piton
Stacked with an aluminum bong piton
Stacked with an aluminum bong piton. Notice the amount of “free blade length” above the spine of the bong. This allows for slippage of the Anti-Piton when loaded.
Stacked with a steel angle piton.
Stacked with a steel angle piton.
Detail of the steel angle piton stack.
Detail of the aluminum bong stack.
Two pitons stacked spine to spine. Experiment with placements! its fun to figure out how much they will hold.
Anti-Pitons could also be used in constrictions like a chock.
Anti-Pitons could also be used in constrictions like a chock.
Anti-Pitons could also be used in constrictions like a chock.
Stacked along the spine of a steel angle piton. This technique is useful in wide shallow placements. Set both pitons with a tap of the hammer. Tug outward on the Anti-Piton to increase the camming effect. Use a tie-off around both pitons to reduce leverage.
Stacked along the spine of a steel angle piton. This technique is useful in wide shallow placements. Set both pitons with a tap of the hammer. Tug outward on the Anti-Piton to increase the camming effect. Use a tie-off around both pitons to reduce leverage.
Stacked along the spine of a steel angle piton. This technique is useful in wide shallow placements. Set both pitons with a tap of the hammer. Tug outward on the Anti-Piton to increase the camming effect. Use a tie-off around both pitons to reduce leverage.

Ed Leeper designed the “Anti-Piton” by reimagining his very effective Z piton and reversing the taper. They came in two sizes.

The idea was to stack the Anti-Piton roughly perpendicular to another piton or chock. By loading the Anti-Piton downward, the piton was designed to jam and hold.

Unfortunatly, in practical application their holding power wasn’t very inspiring. In tests I have had them hold fairly well when stacked with a Chouinard aluminum bong piton (they tend to “bite” and settle in well) but in most cases I found that lightly “setting” the stack with a hammer was often necessary thus defeating the clean climbing concept. Others may have had better luck but the idea never gained widespread acceptance. Anti-Pitons were introduced at a time when camming unit technology was just emerging and becoming reliable. They are an interesting transitional concept.

Exit mobile version