[a dense loner]

don't worry i'm not going to offer any trad advice. liking the signature paz

[cider nut]

Well I managed to tumbleweed the slab skills thread, although I did post about 2 weeks after the previous last post...

[Houdini]

In accepting risk we assert our will to live. Where's Houdini when you need him?

I'm here Brother.  What can I teach you?

[Will Hunt]

Ive found recently that my choosing of what bit of gear to place comes much much more easily. I think this is crucial to climbing harder stuff as it helps psychologically (you feel better and you make better placements) and of course it keeps you moving instead of hanging around in a strenuous position.
I did The Right Unconquerable on Friday and have rarely felt so good on the rock. Climb the first initial groove and monkey out right to the better footholds. Swing effortlessly into the flake and throw in a bomber hex.
Flow up to where the flake turns right and chuck in a friend 3.5.
Swarm up a few metres and slot in a sinker wire. Emerge at the top break and try a number 4 friend, nope, number 3.5.
Top out.

Best single pitch Ive ever climbed. It was like I wasnt even there, it just happened.

Anyway, reminiscing aside, practice choosing and placing gear and stuff will happen much easier.

[Paz]

Will you're a machine.  The only time I have 2 Cam 3.5s on my rack is if I'm doing a ~30m hand crack or a girdle traverse.

[Will Hunt]

Was also carrying 2 full sets of nuts.

I know its punterish to take your whole (or nearly whole, I ditched the small hexes and tricams before setting off) up 15m of grit but I just like having it there.
 

[Paz]

I dread to think how many sets of wires are on my usual three krabs worth without even including the offsets.  Call it training heavy. 

[Fiend]

Ive found recently that my choosing of what bit of gear to place comes much much more easily. I think this is crucial to climbing harder stuff as it helps psychologically (you feel better and you make better placements) and of course it keeps you moving instead of hanging around in a strenuous position.

...

Anyway, reminiscing aside, practice choosing and placing gear and stuff will happen much easier.

Wise words but bear in mind your example is of a trade route crack/flake line where it is extremely easy to spot what gear is required and, strenuosity aside, slam it in. A useful place to learn maybe but maintaining an efficient gear approach in a more stressful / hard to protect situation is an entirely different kettle of fish. Turbot, maybe.

[Will Hunt]

I must bow to Lord of the daft gear placements. Is it true you found a bomber Hex 9 placement on Indian Face just before the crux?

[SA Chris]

I pride myself on imaginitive gear placements. really stoked when I found two bomber opposing nuts on Gullible's Travels at Stanage in the days before tiny cams. Bits of Spectra draped over crappy bosses of rock and weighed down with cams, Rps placed sideways, you name it, I've tried it.