Rock and Ice
Probably the biggest update, again per Edelrid, is that the Jay/Jayne 3 harnesses are all bluesign products, aligned with the company’s sustainability efforts. Christopher Terrell, a rep for Edelrid, says the process “involves 89% less water, 62% less carbon emissions, 63% less energy, and 63% less chemicals in the process of dyeing the textiles.”go to full review
The two loops on the end of BD’s Rabbit Runner are different sizes, similar to how a quickdraw is set up: one loop is tighter, meant to hold the carabiner that you would clip the rope to, while the other is looser. Personally, I would prefer two looser loops—the tighter one just seems more of a hassle for racking and un-racking the runner than anything—but this is a minor note.go to full review
The General is built on the same last as the Evolv Supra—a classicly, if not overly aggressive, downturned shoe that excels in technical face climbing. The shape already puts The General in fairly unusual territory for a high-top trad shoe. But the slight camber, combined with a super-stiff sole, works wonders. Aiding edging is the shoe’s slingshot-style heel rand, which wraps all the way around your foot and helps power up your toes. The General edges phenomenally, and the firmness through..." go to full review
I used the Raptor on 50+ pitches of ice last year, from alpine multi-pitch to ice cragging, and it held up to the beating just fine. The Raptors are neither light nor heavy, clocking in at around 20 ounces without the pick weights, which is industry average for a tool in their class. The pick weights come stock with the tool, though I removed them and never put them back on, mainly because the tool’s weight was distributed evenly without them.go to full review
The Focus is a shoe built for edging. Its slight downturn and stiff platform allows the wearer to toe in hard and stand on dime edges with relative ease thanks to what Black Diamond calls the“Stiff-Flex” midsole. The toe is roomy yet still slim enough to fit into pockets when need be. The heel fits well and I find myself trusting smaller and smaller heel hooks with these on my feet, but still there is some side-bagginess in the heel that will make precision heel hooking difficult. For all..." go to full review
Some other nice features include a color scheme that correlates to Metolius brand cams, and color-coded “collars” that make identifying and choosing the right nut quicker. The price point is pretty high—more than similar offerings—but you get your money’s worth, and I’d say the price is justified.These nuts, what with their light weight and versatility in different shaped cracks, would be a good choice for long alpine routes, but are great for any trad or aid outing. And if you happen to get..." go to full review
After all the wear, I don’t have any unnecessary hot spots or wear patterns. The shoe retails for $165, which is average or just a tad lower than shoes competing in the high-end performance market. Overall, another shoe from Evolv that they should be proud of.go to full review
When taking the Instinct VSRs outside, I found that they performed well on both super steep and slightly overhanging, off-vertical terrain. As mentioned, the soft rubber proved to be ideal on more technical routes, where proper weight placement on small footholds is critical. I noticed this particularly while climbing polished limestone in Rifle. The downturned angle of the shoe is perfect for the really steep stuff though too, as it helps you to to really “grab” footholds in an overhang...." go to full review
As for the front bail I’ve used them with three different types of ice and alpine boots, and had no problem with fit. Always, the bail slides right in. As a rock climber, I appreciated the asymetrical shape and position of the front point over (roughly) the big toe. This positioning gives power to your front toe and feels natural. Because the front point only has a small accompanying point—a horizontal and much shorter mini-point—the main point is able to dig deep into seams and picked out..." go to full review
The weight savings come from the construction: the screw’s body is made of a green-tinted, forged aluminum, while the tip is stainless steel. The tip is essentially a sleeve that overlaps with aluminum body by about a centimeter. So feel free to bring an extra couple of stubbies or one long V-thread-specific screw without worrying that you’re packing on the gear pounds.go to full review