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Climbing Magazine - Just Out
Product reviews by the Climbing Magazine Staff. New gear, fresh on the scene that you need to know about.
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 Air Traffic Control: Black Diamond Flight Harness
During four-plus months of use, from the limestone tufas of Spain to the urethane of the gym, we put the Black Diamond Flight harness ($69.95, blackdiamondequipment.com) through its paces, and it came out no worse for the wear. Even sporting it every day of a five-week trip to Spain, followed immediately by another five weeks in the Red River Gorge, didn’t damage this 11-ounce harness in the least. “It was always super comfortable and stylin’,” said our tester, thanks to BD’s new Dual Core XP construction, which distributes pressure without any hotspots.  Pocket Power: Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Mobile Kit
Tablets, electronic readers, cell phones, MP3 players, handheld video games, GPS devices—ultimately, almost no one goes anywhere these days without at least one tech gadget. Even dirtbaggers are rockin’ iPads. With so many gizmos, powering up becomes an issue, and I can almost guarantee that illegal camping spot where you parked your 1988 Westfalia doesn’t have an outlet. Enter the Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Mobile Kit ($129.95, goalzero.com), a nifty way to literally recharge your batteries.  Sweat No More: Outdoor Research Mithrilite Jacket
My biggest issue with most softshell jackets is their all-or-nothing approach to weather protection. Full water- and windproofness usually means I’m sweating like the devil in church on any outing that doesn’t boast single-digit temps. The Outdoor Research Mithrilite Jacket ($199, outdoorresearch.com) spites the trend and presents an extremely lightweight (24 oz.) and versatile softshell with full waterproof capabilities. Perfect for spring alpine conditions, it’s proven its worth through hailstorms and sunless Colorado approaches in temps ranging from the low 20s to low 50s, without the slightest hint of overheating.  No Tip Necessary: Edelrid Caddy
OK, so it’s only a rope bag, but what piece of gear gets more use? The Edelrid Caddy ($44.95; edelridna.com) simply gets everything right. The shoulder strap orients the broad, low-profile bag sveltely under your arm for easy carrying. The generous tarp (it manages even an 80-meter rope) features innovative grab loops on each corner that allow you to transport the rope easily between nearby climbs without folding everything up completely—no more dropping one corner and having the rope spill out into the dirt.  Terrific Toproping: Metolius Anchor Chain
An anchor is something that provides stability in an uncertain situation, and the Metolius Anchor Chain ($49.95; metoliusclimbing.com) does just that. This Dyneema chain makes equalizing simple anchors easier, with 12 full-strength (22kN) loops. Any beginning climber would do well to have this in his or her kit, thanks to how easy it makes setting up toprope anchors, especially on bolted anchors.  Change is Good: Arc’teryx Gamma MX Hoody Jacket
When I heard that Arc’teryx had redesigned its award-winning Gamma MX Hoody Jacket ($349, arcteryx.com), I balked: How could this stellar jacket be improved? But the new Gamma MX is a definite upgrade. The designers gave it new patterning, which means improved fit and range of motion for the shoulders and arms. Arc’teryx also switched from Polartec Powershield to its proprietary Fortius 2.0 fabric, which is blessed with enhanced durability and water resistance without any sacrifice of stretch or breathability.  Hot Steel for Cold Ice: Grivel G22 Crampons
If steep, technical ice flows make you shiver with delight, check out the Griven G22 Crampons ($225, grivel.com). One tester spent four days climbing fresh ice in Cody, Wyoming, and was amazed at how well the G22s (available in one size) penetrated dense water ice. “They sunk in with very little effort, which boosted my confidence and efficiency,” he says. Among the G22’s secrets are its razor-sharp dual frontpoints. By using hot-forged chromolly steel, Grivel is able to strategically shape the points for added performance over a wide variety of conditions and terrain.  Best Friends: Wild Country Helium Friends
The Friend, introduced way back in 1977, has been completely revamped for the third time in its illustrious history to create Wild Country Helium Friends ($65 to $75, wildcountry.co.uk). The new units retain the single-axle design of the Technical Friends they replace, but their hot-forged cam lobes are a bit lighter, and each unit has greater overlap with its neighbors—a full set is nine cams, versus the old 11. In the most notable change, the Helium’s stem has grown by as much as 2.5 to 3 inches, for high or deep placements, and the trigger has been repositioned so it’s easy to reach, even when buried in a crack.  Flap-tastic: Kinetik Newton Crash Pad
A first glance at the Kinetik Newton Crash Pad ($210, kinetikclimbing.com) garnered a serious “WTF?” from this tester: What are these flaps? What’s with all the Velcro? But once I took the pad out bouldering, the true beauty inherent in its unusual design was revealed. The Newton’s flaps wrap around the folded pad’s openings, providing a safe cocoon for your shoes, chalk pot, water, and anything else you’d shove inside—no more dropping essentials on the hike.  Along Came Poly: Stoic Breathe 90 T-shirt
With the onslaught of Merino products (everybody’s doing it!), new developments in synthetic layers have seriously slowed. And understandably so: many of them got stinky quickly, weren’t skin-friendly, and generally wore out quickly. That’s my personal experience, anyway. But the Stoic Breathe 90 T-Shirt ($49, backcountry.com), a 63.5 percent polyester, 36.5 percent nylon base layer, has made me officially break my “no-poly” promise. With a T-shirt cut, it’s incredibly light at 2.5 oz.  In Living Comfort: Mammut Togira Light
The women’s Mammut Togira Light ($79.95, mammut.ch) has a female-friendly high rise and curved waist belt. Though it’s designed as an alpine harness and features two attachments for ice screw biners, it’s also great for sport climbing, which is how I used it. I fell a lot on bolted lines and never felt a pinch. Since it’s not as padded as trad- or big wall–specific harnesses, it saves weight at only 12.1 oz. The leg loops are elasticized, but not adjustable, which might be troublesome when layering for alpine climbs. The leg loops are also designed wider than the men’s version for a woman’s wider thighs (pure muscle, of course).  Well-Rounded: Scarpa Jorasses Pro GTX
I began testing the Scarpa Jorasses Pro GTX ($399, scarpa.com) on vertical ice last winter, and kept wearing them right through summer couloir season on Colorado 13ers. The Jorasses have a dead-rigid sole and minimal rocker for a solid front-pointing platform, yet they remained comfortable during a 12-mile snow climbing and postholing marathon in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Time Flyers: Boreal Flyers '86
Climbing footwear has come a long way in the last 25 years, so when a company re-releases a model from 1986, it’s making a statement. The Flyer was one of the original sticky-rubber approach shoes, and the new Boreal Flyers ’86 ($129, e-boreal.com) have received just one major update: an outsole of Vibram’s Walk Friction rubber.  Storm Shelter: Outdoor Research Paladin Jacket
The new Outdoor Research Paladin Jacket ($250, outdoorresearch.com) hearkens back to the days before complex multi-fabric construction and a pocket for every purpose. Stripped down for alpine climbing, the Paladin has only two external pockets, placed well above the waist belt and designed with two-way zips for easy access under a harness and pack straps. The jacket has no pit zips, but the large pockets with mesh linings can be left open for additional breathability.  A Slicker Slipper - La Sportiva Python
La Sportiva’s classic Cobra slipper, introduced in 1998, has been revamped with a Velcro closure, “cross-band construction,” more heel rubber, and a rubber toe patch. The new LA SPORTIVA PYTHON ($130, sportiva.com) was designed with climbing competitions in mind, but it crushes rock as well as plastic. Its asymmetric shape and downturned toe provide aggressive bite on overhangs. Testers lauded the Python as being “extremely comfortable and sensitive,” yet the cross-band construction—a wide band of rubber that wraps the shoe diagonally from the top of the heel around the arch of the foot—ensures the Python will maintain its shape better than other sensitive slippers. |
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