The Zone is a great performance all-rounder, which is hard to fault despite our best efforts. It's an attractive harness on several levels, not least that it's capable of doing a bit of everything, and doing it well, irrespective of whether you're climbing sport or trad, winter or alpine. The fact its fully featured, light and durable makes it even more appealing. In light of this, it feels like it justifies its price tag of £85.go to full review

The La Sportiva TC Pro has a serious fan club, but there are also a few detractors. Some of these detractors are just grumpy contrarians, but criticism about limited sensitivity and poor performance on overhanging terrain seem warranted. Nevertheless, the TC Pro is easily one of the most popular shoes in the granite climbing areas of the American West, and it's easy to understand why. Its excellent balance of comfort, edging performance, and sensitivity remain unmatched by its rivals. To get..." go to full review

The Duetto has proven to be an excellent all round climbing helmet – I can’t really vouch for it’s skiing prowess apart from a brief session on rolerskis when I’d forgotten my bike helmet and luckily had my climbing kit in the van! In terms of overall bulk it is similar to the Grivel Stealth HS and easily fitted beneath a variety of hardshell and belay jacket hoods although it is marginally ‘taller’ than the Petzl Sirocco. The one size fits all harness was extremely stable keeping the helmet..." go to full review

When my partner and I began prepping for a Grand Traverse attempt in the Tetons this summer, he asked if there was any way we could take a 60-meter rope instead of a 70-meter to save on weight and bulk. Maybe we could get away with a carabiner block, or a tagline for the longer rappels, he suggested. No need: I had a Sterling Ion R 9.4 XEROS. Now my alpine rope of choice, the Ion R weighs 57 grams per meter, making it about 0.3 pounds lighter than other 70-meter ropes I've tried in a similar..." go to full review