In
climbing, a
piton (; also called a
pin or
peg) is a metal spike (usually steel) that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a
hammer, and which acts as an anchor to
protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in
aid climbing. Pitons are equipped with an eye hole or a ring to which a
carabiner is attached; the carabiner can then be directly or indirectly attached to a climbing rope.