Outdoor Gear Lab

All assisted-braking devices (ABDs) must toe the line between providing a secure rope-pinching mechanism when the climber falls, and also allowing the belayer to feed out slack quickly when the lead climber is climbing quickly or clipping pieces of protection. The Petzl Neox finds the sweet spot on this spectrum, using a spinning wheel to reduce friction. This allows belayers to feed slack quickly and still provide a safe belay in the case of a leader fall. It is our preferred device for..." go to full review

This harness is the most versatile one we have ever tested. It has nearly as much hanging comfort as the larger and bulkier harnesses, but it's much lighter and nimble. It packs small, making it perfect for any demanding climb that requires a long approach. Its low weight and mobility also make it a great choice for sport climbing redpoints, and indeed we often see people sport climbing in this harness at the crag, though it is much more suited to climbing on the sharp end than belaying..." go to full review

The Booster is a soft, precise climbing machine. It excels at climbing overhangs, roofs, and small holds in steep terrain. It was a joy to test these shoes on classic European limestone routes, and they even surprised us by performing well on more vertical granite faces. But it's important to point out that the Booster is really a specialized shoe – and a very expensive one, at that – specifically designed for steep climbing. It doesn't edge super well compared to other shoes we've tested,..." go to full review

The Grivel G1 is best for general mountaineering applications and is suitable for early season backpacking or ski mountaineering, but is a little heavy. It has okay steep snow climbing ability for more difficult routes, but if you plan to climb steep snow and ice routes more regularly, we would recommend the Petzl Summit Evo or the Grivel Air Tech Evolution.go to full review

The Neve is a solid ice axe that was very nearly our Best Buy Award winner. It lost to the Black Diamond Raven, which is identical in price and was more comfortable to carry but didn't perform quite as well on steeper snow in firmer conditions. While you can buy a nicer axe, the Neve will provide more than enough performance for basic glacier climbs or more moderate snow routes.go to full review

This axe is best for snow climbs and easy to moderate glacier mountaineering routes. It performs similarly to its closest competition, the Raven and the Raven Ultra, offering a few advantages like better steep snow climbing and adze performance, though it wasn't quite as comfortable to carry in the self-arrest position. It was a strong contender for our Best Buy Award and deserves a note for those scanning the market for a solid all-around model that won't break the bank.go to full review

Don't let this model's "ultralight" label fool you into thinking it's not versatile. Other than its 50cm length, it's equally capable as most other mountaineering-oriented models like the Black Diamond Raven, CAMP Neve, or the Petzl Glacier. It's perfect for folks who want a lightweight axe but still desire something more well-rounded for a cross-section of activities, such as basic glacier climbs or moderate snow routes. It's also ideal for ski mountaineering, alpine rock climbing, or early..." go to full review

We like several of the different ultralight options for specific applications, but if we could only have one weight-conscious model, the Petzl Ride would be it. It's very nearly the lightest in the fleet, and still offers the highest across the board performance of any sub-12 ounce model we tested. It features the best combination of steep snow climbing performance, ability to self-arrest, and weight of any model. We could even pound the occasional snow-picket with it and would..." go to full review

The Black Diamond Venom is a capable model that excels at a broad spectrum of mountaineering objectives. This high-performing all-arounder is most at home on moderate waterfall ice, steep snow routes, and complex glacier climbs, where most of its design will truly shine. It will still perform well for moderate routes but is a bit on the heavy side. It's also friendly on the wallet, and provides similar performance to our favorite modular tool, the Petzl Sum'tec, but for a lower price (and is..." go to full review

While specialized, the Petzl Gully is a rad option for the right types of routes; it's tough to beat for the types of applications that it's designed for. While specialized, it does perform well for WI4 and can disappear inside your pack on an alpine rock climb with a tricky approach or help assist on your descent on techy ski mountaineering endeavors. The Gully is ideal for steep snow or moderate ice routes where weight is of great concern; don't cast aside that this model is super..." go to full review