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Omega Pacific Alpha Ti
The Alpha Ti’s titanium shaft makes it the lightest tool in the review, and concentrates the weight in the head for a nice balance. Here’s another potentially excellent tool that needs some work on the details. The Spitfire has a radical curve that offers great clearance. The Tech Wing has a comfortable, ergonomic grip and pinky shelf. The shaft’s radical curve offers good clearance but adapting your swing takes some practice. The Xeno is a solid tool that could move up in the rankings with some minor modifications. The shaft has a radical bend that delivers excellent clearance and a smooth swing. Charlet Moser Quark The hyper-curved Quark shaft offers a great grip and big clearance, and was the favorite at Quebec’s raucous Festiglace ice climbing festival. The Mirage has decent clearance and its pick is versatile, requiring only minor modification for dry-tooling or use in cold conditions. The surprise of the review, the primeval-looking Tiburon pick penetrates with minimal effort and little ice disturbance, and was our favorite in cold, brittle conditions. The Viper shaft’s 90-degree-rotated major axis adds space between the shaft and the tip of the pick for extra clearance. At a slim 60 grams per meter, Sterling’s Nitro is light enough for limit-pushing redpoints, yet also stood up to route-working abuse with aplomb, thanks to its durable sheath. If you’re looking for a skinny rope that can take a beating on abrasive multi-pitch granite or sandstone, the Roca Minus is an ideal candidate. Weighing in at a scant 57 grams per meter, the PMI Elite was one of the lightest ropes in the test. It also provided the cushiest catch due to its 35-percent dynamic elongation. The Maxim Whippet handled like a charm and absorbed plenty of route-working punishment. The cord’s smooth sheath and moderately stiff core made clipping and belaying a breeze. Mammut’s Infinity strikes a balance between light weight, durability, and handling. Virtually kink-free right out of the factory coil, this cord clipped well, held up to extended working sessions, and fed smoothly through all belay devices. While many testers considered the Edelweiss Laser to be too stiff, one individual took advantage of that stiffness for rodeo-clipping (swinging a loop of rope to clip into a sport route’s first draw), describing the action as “full-on gaucho. For those looking to make their first sub-10mm rope purchase, the Edelrid Livewire fits the bill well, without that bill being too high. |
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