In conclusion, the new and improved Boreal Joker is an ideal beginner shoe that is more than capable of working with you to improve your grades. They are very comfortable, robust and the rubber offers good friction as well as being hard wearing. All in all, they are excellent value for money and worth a trip to your local independent climbing shop to try a pair on. If you want even more comfort there is the Joker Plus!go to full review

By the end of the review period the Skimmers were grubby but undamaged with no more wear apparent than a more conventional double rope. Overall although somewhat specialist and unlikely to last as long as a thicker heavier rope the Skimmers proved versatile and not as ‘niche’ a product as first expected. I wouldn’t recommend them as a first purchase or your only ropes but they are a great addition for the ice and mixed climber. The light weight also means you could consider this for use as a..." go to full review

After the gym trial I tried the shoes on some local single-pitch granite. The Stealth® C4™ rubber provides that world-class Five Ten friction and the Gambit is certainly well designed for comfort and efficiency on easier terrain. As such, they would be an excellent option for low- to mid-grade grade climbers who value sensation in their toes, or those opting for mileage and who don’t require an aggressive shoe. But I wasn’t ready to confine the Gambit to the category of beginner shoe just..." go to full review

"You figured out that if you go past the panic function, then you're just lowering," Roetzel continues. "When you feel the click you've [partially] activated the anti-panic feature. You over-rode it. Like when rappelling, if you don't have a lot of weight on the rope, you'll keep activating that panic feature so you have to override it." Because of this addition, there's a sweet lowering spot that descends the climber at a controlled rate.go to full review