Climbing cams and attachment systems

A climbing cam comprising:

• a stem comprising a first end and a second end, the first end comprising a clip point;
• an attachment aperture disposed on the stem between the first end and the second end of the stem, the attachment aperture comprising a fixed hook that is formed stationary relative to the stem and a moveable latch that is moveable relative to the stem, the moveable latch operable to move adjacent to and in contact with the fixed hook to close the attachment aperture and to move away from the fixed hook to open the attachment aperture, and the moveable latch being biased into contact with the fixed hook;
• a sling comprising a first connection point that attaches to the clip point at the first end of the stem and comprising a second connection point that attaches to the attachment aperture, the sling being operable to tether the stem to a climbing harness of a climber;
• a plurality of spring-loaded cam lobes disposed on the second end of the stem, the plurality of cam lobes being movable from an expanded position to a retracted position, and the plurality of cam lobes being biased toward the expanded position;
• and
• a trigger connected to the cam lobes by at least one trigger cable, the trigger being actuatable to retract the cam lobes from the expanded position to the retracted position via the trigger cable, and the trigger being operable to actuate the moveable latch to move away from the fixed hook to open the attachment aperture allowing the stem to untether from the climbing harness while the cam lobes are in the retracted position.

An attachment system for a climbing cam, comprising:

• a hook for attachment to a stem of the climbing cam such that the hook is stationary relative to the stem;
• a sleeve sized and shaped to surround the stem and slide relative to the stem, wherein the sleeve comprises a latch positioned to contact the hook when the latch is in a closed position;
• a spring positioned to bias the sleeve such that the latch is biased against the hook to form an aperture;
• and
• a sling having a first end and a second end, the first end being releasably attachable to the latch and the second end being attachable to the stem,
• wherein when the latch is in the closed position, the sleeve is positioned to engage with a trigger of the climbing cam when the trigger is pulled by a user to move the latch away from the hook to open the aperture.