Rock and Ice
My first impressions of the harness were that it was going to be a bit clunky: at 420 grams this thing is at least a middleweight in any head-to-head match-up. But the more I wore it, the more I liked it. The waistbelt is wide and soft. The upper lip of the waist belt is rounded and cushioned—it dug into my hips perhaps less than any harness I’ve worn. This is the harness you want if you know you’re going to be doing a lot of hanging, but not necessarily climbing at your limit when weight is..." go to full review
The new Phantom Tech’s drawbacks are few. I thought they were a smidge less warm than their predecessors, but to such a minor extent that the weight savings and comfort were worth that sacrifice. Additionally, while the spiral zipper has been improved, the actual zipper pull-loop could still use some work. It was a notorious weakness of the last version—the pull loop would break if you yarded too hard on a snagged zipper—and has carried over into the new boot as well. It seems the hope is..." 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
The only complaint in testing these shoes was that they required two or three sessions to break in. The heel cup fits beautifully, but is definitely tight on the Achilles at first. And as with any slipper, you’ll have to pull hard the first few times you put them on. But La Sportiva avoids any real hassle with a touch of extra leather under the ankle bones that expands just enough to get the Skwama on without toppling your chair. A single strap of Velcro tightens across the top of the foot..." go to full review
About the helmet itself, it is very good. It’s so lightweight you barely notice it, it has copious ventilation, holds a headlamp, and is easy to adjust. The only detail I don’t like is the magnetic buckle. It’s fiddliness was tough to cope with when I was wearing gloves, and was almost as tricky barehanded. Impatient, I sometimes let the chin strap all the way out and pulled it off overhead like a T-shirt. A minor glitch in an otherwise excellent and versatile helmet.go to full review
I’ve tested these new Camalots on hard sandstone—like that of Eldorado Canyon— and some Colorado granite of less-than-Yosemite quality, and they bite just as reliably as my old C4s. The action is also smoother, and the four fully-colored cam lobes (versus only two colored ones on the older versions) help you more readily visually ID the sizes.go to full review
“Kevlar” was the word that jumped to my mind the first time I handled Black Diamond’s new Solution Guide Harness—the outer fabric, dubbed Super Fabric by BD, felt like it would be damn-near bulletproof. It isn’t, to be sure; but after putting it through the wringer on real rock, my first impressions proved correct: this thing is pretty dang granite-proof, sandstone-proof, limestone-proof, etc. There’s no rock that’s going to tear or abrade this thing. go to full review
This is actually the first Boreal shoe I’ve ever worn, and thus far I’ve quite enjoyed it. Built on the same last as the Boreal Satori, the Ninja shoe is exactly what you want out of a slipper—easy to put on while still snug and soft, with a nice contoured fit. The tongue’s elasticity allows for a quick break-in, and you don’t need to worry about throwing out your back while getting it on for the first few sessions.go to full review
I took the Tendon Master Pro 9.2 to Wyoming for some good old-fashioned summer-time sport climbing. Out of the “box,” the Master Pro never kinked or twisted in annoying ways, even when lowering through drop-ins and quick links. Even better, the bold and wide black middle marker is hard to miss.go to full review