Rock and Ice
A good car won’t fix a bad driver, but it’ll certainly make it harder for the bad driver to mess up. Likewise, the La Sportiva Testarossas will arguably improve your footwork. Their Goldilock construction makes them top-notch at edging, while still managing a soft, responsive feel. They’re branded as best on steep routes and hard bouldering, but I’d argue they’ll be your go-to pair for hard sport climbing on any route that requires precision, with a few exceptions.go to full review
I wore the Eiger XT EVO in just about every condition down to zero, and my feet were never cold or wet even when water gushed over the boots without my permission. I’ll qualify, I used the Eiger mostly on routes where I was either in constant motion, or the belay sessions were short. I would hesitate to lace on the Eiger for very cold, long routes where you spend significant time immobile at belays, or it’s just really damn cold. For those conditions, I’d opt for a more insulated boot, and..." go to full review
Beal says the Ghost is for “expert climbing and mountaineering,” which I’m not so sure of. If by expert you mean a thoughtful, well-designed harness, then yes, but the Ghost is a fine entry-level harness as well as a project harness, when weight really matters. At 8.8 ounces, it is in the lightweight category, and yet after all the whips I’ve taken on it, it ranks high on my durability scale. There are less expensive harnesses out there, but there are more expensive ones. At $110, Ghost is..." go to full review
Despite being marketed for indoor bouldering, the La Sportiva Theory is excellent for sport climbing on slippery limestone, and to some extent, pockety sandstone. After six or so pitches, you’ll be psyched to take these puppies off, especially if it’s hot and your feet swell.go to full review
The Darts come with four Lynx front points, which have one adjustable option to lengthen or shorten their extension. Anti-snow plates come with the package. The heel lock mounting is nonadjustable and the thumb tab is a tad small: with bulky gloves it’s hard to release. The Dart mono protrudes slightly right of your big toe and straight out, which is ideal for all pure ice-related matters; but when you are getting real scratchy on the mixed, I prefer a slight angle.go to full review
Kailas has done several things with the Selma II to address frequent issues climbers have with clunkier helmets. Firstly, the brim arches across the forehead—roughly contouring one’s hairline—which removes any visibility issues. Even looking up while belaying, the helmet stays out of view. The Selma II also has great breathability. In addition to holes on the side of the head to allow airflow, the Selma II has small ports in the top, which are protected by a steel mesh, just in case stray..." go to full review
The action on the Reaction (see what I did there?) carabiners is remarkably smooth and responsive. The straight-gate Reaction carabiner—used on the bolt-end of the draw—has a small divot on the outside of the gate, which functions as a thumb catch would on any less-than-ideal hold on a route. It’s almost like those little raised bumps on the “F” and “J” on your keyboard, helping you to sightlessly orient the quickdraw perfectly in your hand based on the feel of it.go to full review
After over 50 pitches of use, the Zone’s molded rubber still looks crisp and edges well. The printed rubber accents across the top of the shoe have also survived nicely and continue to add confidence for hard toe-hooking moves. The knit upper and the Velcro straps are in better-than-expected condition. The only real wear to the straps occurred when testing the shoes in sandstone cracks, which is, admittedly, a big ask for these shoes. Not what they’re designed for.go to full review
The BOA dialing system on the Lowa Ice Rocket is as easy to adjust as a boot can get. The toe box felt a tad airy, and that roominess is accentuated because the lacing system ratchets at the top, so much of the squeezing goes on up there and not so much down by the toes. For a snug fit, I downsized a half size, not worrying about getting cold, as I only wear the Rockets for sending and don’t stand around in them to belay.go to full review
When you have to overcome the camming device to feed out several arm lengths of slack quickly, you press on the camming unit with your thumb. I found myself wishing there was some sort of finger catch on the side of the device for my index finger, so that I could more easily maintain my grip on the brake strand with a couple fingers and also apply apply counter pressure to steady my hand. Since there isn’t such a feature, the Birdie requires a bit more dexterity than other devices, but it..." go to full review