Black Diamond Climbing Hardware

Learn how to choose a belay device for rock climbing. Includes the pros and cons of tubular, assisted braking and Figure 8 devices.

Learn how to choose carabiners for rock climbing, and the benefits of locking, nonlocking, wiregate, bent-gate and straight-gate carabiners.

Learn how to buy quickdraws. This article covers carabiner size, shape and gate, as well as sling length and how many quickdraws to have.

Getting into leading trad routes? Learn how to choose types of passive protection, such as chocks, nuts and hexes.

Learn the basics of rappelling, including preparing at the top of a route, setting up the rappel, using a backup and rappelling down.

This article gives you basic tips on inspecting, cleaning and storing your carabiners for rock climbing.