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Alternative Current "Angel"

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Alternative Current "Angel"

Alternative Current "Angel"

Image from: alternativecurrent.it

Written in July 2022.

The relevance of information might change over time.

Written in July 2022.

The relevance of information might change over time.

Once upon 2015, a small and barely known Spanish company Totem hits the world of climbing camming devices with their “Totem Cams” or simply “totems”.

Totem Cam

Totem’s flexible stem design, narrow head and effective force distribution among the 4 lobes made for the better usability as well as simple and reliable positioning. Being such Totems left behind most common friends and camalots on the market. With only one piece of gear (well, in different sizes) Totem acquired a good number of fans and users – a great example of a small startup doing a big thing.

But since then, silence… Same well-known companies, same minor upgrades of the popular and long existing models. All in all, boring.

But it only seemed so! As it turns out since 2017, before our backs, a small and (again) unheard team from Italy was working on a unique protection piece of gear.

The company was named Alternative Current and the camming device – Angel.

Here is the presentation video on Youtube

Until the year 2022, AC registered a number of patents, obtained CE-certification in accordance with the European Standard EN-12276 (Frictional anchors), and ended up with a modest price of 270€ per piece.

So, what have we received?
- Range: 26-100 mm;
- Weight: 276 g;
- Strength: 11 KN (for 27-95 mm);
- Max lifespan: 10 years from the date of manufacture;
- Made in Italy;
- Manual in pdf.

What does it mean to us?

Pros:

No torment of choice: the device is made in one and only size.
Versatility: unprecedently wide range makes it real to use the same device for very different types of cracks.
Speed of use: no more wasting time for choosing the right cam size.
Angel works in vertical, horizontal and diagonal (up to 20°) cracks. In case of cross-loading the force is held by the flexible accessory cord which is easily interchangeable in case of damage.

Cons:

You won’t afford to build your rack only with Angels due to their impressive weight, size, and price.
No models (for now?) for really big and really small cracks.
The design complexity leads to poor maintainability and state diagnostics.
Climbing conservatism and high price might scare away the potential buyer even for “just to try”.

Images from: alternativecurrent.it

It’s hard to make any serious conclusions in mid-2022 since there are no real reviews from climbers, and no Angel could be found and touched in Russia. However, based on video presentations and tutorials, the device appears quite promising. It has already obtained a European safety certificate, and the creators assure that it is crafted and tested by climbers for climbers. In the real world, across various terrains, under different conditions, and over time, myriad details and nuances may emerge.

As of now, the most likely scenario is that Angel won't entirely replace the classic set of friends or cams (oh, really!? :), but rather serve as a good addition, expanding its functionality. Because on one hand, you may carry a bunch of different-sized spare cams not being sure if you’ll really need them, while on the other hand you may have a couple of universal Angels that could be placed practically anywhere.

Plus, Angel is definitely a thing to entertain your climbing buddies with, much like the way Link Cams from Omega Pacific once did :)