In my five years of ice climbing I have climbed with my own first set of straight shaft tools, borrowed friends new state of the art tools, and demoed a handful of different brands and styles. When I got the Carbon North Machines for an upcoming ice climbing trip to Norway I assumed that they would be good tools and left it at that. Upon my first time swinging them, however, my opinion quickly changed. They genuinely made ice climbing easier by making solid placements with ease on the first..." go to full review

The Black Diamond Offset Micro isn't durable enough for every day trad climbing because they aren't as durable due to the soft metal of their heads and their wires being more prone to kinking. For a smaller everyday nut, we'd recommend the still offset but aluminum DMM Peenut coupled along with the DMM Alloy Offsets. However, for thinly protected routes that require tiny protection along with any big wall or aid route, these things are undoubtedly the ticket. After extensive side-by-side..." go to full review

The Cypher Huevos are the winner of our Best Buy Award because they are the best nut you can buy for the price. They are solidly designed and perform equally as well as the Black Diamond Stoppers and the CAMP Pro Nuts but for significantly less money. We still like models like the DMM Alloy Offsets, Black Diamond Offset Stoppers, and DMM Peenuts better for all-around and particularly harder trad climbing. But we really appreciate the utility of the Huevos, and their price means you are less..." go to full review

The CAMP Pro Nuts are produced in the most commonly used sizes that, because of their greater-than-average curve and rounded edges, give them excellent bite, stability, and makes them easy to clean compared to most others. While their size run means they aren't quite a stand-alone set, they offer enough advantages for use as an alpine set or to complement other nuts already on your rack.go to full review

The versatility, durability, and weight of the Canary 8.6 is almost unmatched which allows it to excel as an alpine rope. With a triple certification, this rope is also highly versatile and can be used in many different ways.  Since I tested this rope over the summer months I was only able to get miles of rock climbing out of it, but come winter and spring I will be pushing the Canary 8.6 into mixed, ice, and snow climbing.  With my experience with the rope up to this point, I predict the..." go to full review

All in all, the Zone has proven to be a great climbing shoe. If you are looking at a shoe for steep and hard climbing that won’t break the bank, the Zone is the shoe for you. My only reservation would be for any of my flat-footed friends out there, as downturned shoes are rough on flat feet. Regardless of the shoe you buy, make sure you try it on to get the right size and fit for your feet. Happy sending!go to full review

All in all, this was a perfect shoe for my intro to the climbing world. I am so stoked to push my Kiras to the limit as I improve my skill. Whether you’re starting from zero prior knowledge (like myself) or already know what you’re doing, give the Evolv Kiras a shot!go to full review

So, where do I stand on the Taiss Light Mid GORE-TEX?  Well, I can’t overstate how much I love them.  They are a really great performer and their super light weight is simply fantastic.  Oh, and they are so comfortable.  There is nothing at all that I don’t like about them and everything I do!go to full review

The initial fit of the heel was an early concern, as my heel didn’t fall super snug into the bottom of the shoe. That sensation did change a bit after the shoe wore in, but the feeling that the heelcup is a tad shallow remains. Though I have to say, I purposely tried to get the shoe to pop off my heel on multiple occasions by trying aggressive heelhooks, but I wasn’t able to succeed. A thick band of rubber at the back of your heel, however, pays off with precision, as you can dial it in to..." go to full review

The Kronos is a nice all arounder, for use in the gym or outdoor climbing. It’s a simple, clean design. Asymmetrical, it has a pointed toe, just slightly down cambered, and a variable-thickness rand, meaning it is thinner at pressure points and thicker around the toe areas, which get a lot of traffic. It edges well, and I found the bendy midsole and TRAX high-friction rubber feel to be solid on slick, slabby blobs. Good solid heel cup.go to full review