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Fixe Ultralight Alien Revolution cams: Otherworldly friends to have on your rack
Tad McCrea
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Fixe Hardware's Ultralight Alien Revolution may just be one of the "friendliest" cams to have on your rack. Advancing the possibilities of active climbing protection yet again, these little extraterrestrials continue to push the evolution of clean and forward-thinking climbing.
Spring-loaded camming devices (SLCDs) have contributed much to the progress of modern climbing. The first SLCDs were introduced to climbing in the mid-1970s, allowing climbers to protect more safely and cleanly the parallel-sided cracks that lacked the constrictions necessary for good nut placements. In the 1980s Colorado Custom Hardware began producing a new style of camming unit: the Alien. The Alien featured a revolutionary flexible cable stem and boasted a narrower head than that of other cams, enabling it to protect piton scars and tight placements better. CCH eventually shut down, but the Aliens became a cult classic and Fixe Hardware reintroduced them to the market in 2011. The Alien Revolution is the newest and most streamlined iteration of the Alien design and in my opinion is the best small SLCD on the market.