Climbing gifts

We’re a family of climbers.
Well, my kids are climbers; I climb.
Well, I used to climb but have not done so for a while due to injury and the pursuit of other obsessions.
Nonetheless, I made a silver key ring for my son’s 18th birthday. It’s nut.
I know that it doesn’t look like what most people think of as a nut, so let me explain.
This little wedge shaped piece of metal is designed to be wiggled into a crack in the rock. You then attach your rope to it and then trust your life to it, should you fall.
They’re called nuts because, in the past, climbers had nothing so sophisticated as this but would take up a pocketful of nuts of pebbles and then fold the rope into a crack and hammer the nut in after it to hold it in place.
These were known as ‘The good old days’.

Climbers love their gear and they’ll love these little miniatures as well. There’s something of a dearth of gifts for climbers and climbing accessories which is what prompted me to make one of these for my son.

The solid silver nuts measure 26 X 16mm and weigh 15 grams. They are, therefore, a substantial chunk of silver. The whole thing is between 10 and 13cm depending on whether you choose the silver split ring or the black carabina key loop.

There are various options:
The All Silver version is mounted on a silver cable with a silver key loop.
The Hybrid is a silver nut and key loop joined by 3mm accessory cord in various colours.
The Corded version has a black steel carabina key loop and, again, various colour options for the cord.

If you’re struggling to find a gift for a climber in your life or if you just fancy replacing your old, worn out key fob for something stylish that represents your passions then this is probably what you’re looking for.