Ok, so they're perfect on indoor terrain but, it's outside where I've been most surprised by the Souped UP. Performing terrifically on coarser rock types like grit, granite and sandstone with their unrivalled smearing ability, the Souped UP thrives through overhanging terrain too, making the most of a decent downturn and tonnes of flexibility to claw through steeper terrain. Although a pretty limp edger, the sensitivity on nuanced footholds is an understated super power of the Souped UP's,..." go to full review
So, how come they are so light? Simply put, the Aero has thinner tube wall thickness. It's the thin wall design that allows for a lot of the weight saving. When you look down the barrel of a Blue Ice Aero and for example a Petzl Laser Speed and the difference in wall thickness is noticeable. On top of this they have a wider diameter than other screws on the market. At first this isn't really that noticeable but I certainly found I get used to placing the Blue Ice screws and then pulling..." go to full review
For climbers, the main plus is the stiffened midsole and climbing-specific toe profile. Although the Konseal FL 2 isn’t super narrow in fit they do have a precision feel to them, the fit can be adjusted using the climbing shoe style lacing and the Vibram Megagrip sole offers high friction on rocky terrain; which further places them in the approach shoe category. Arc’teryx has designed the shoe for fast and light rocky Alpine terrain and I would agree, that they will excel in these situations..." go to full review
After a few days of cragging, I put the Neo 3R to the test in Yosemite Valley on a one-day ascent of Mt. Watkins via the South Face (VI 5.9 C2+). Ropes seem to sustain significantly more wear and tear on these kinds of big pushes because the second is following with toothed ascenders and the rope is frequently pulled tight over edges. After the 14-hour push, I was pleasantly surprised to find almost no significant fuzzy spots on the Neo 3R despite a few big pendulums on the C2+ pitches...." go to full review