Climbing Gear Reviews UK

I’ve used the Dart for sport, trad and Scottish winter climbing and it has proved a good all-round harness. There are no areas that it truly excels in but likewise there are no areas where it is really lacking. Comfort is very good whether actually climbing or on a hanging stance and like all good kit it tends to disappear from your mind whilst in use. It was a great harness on ‘mountaineering’ type Scottish days with a fair bit of scrambling and ridge walking the design doesn’t hamper..." go to full review

Thankfully things have moved on in the rock shoe world and the Voltage though undeniably a performance shoe was surprisingly comfortable. I’ve become a little wary of some of the more extreme shoes around with ‘powerful’ heels and severely down toed soles – at the more modest grades at which I climb there is often little or no advantage to such specialisation. However the Voltage proved to be perfectly at home on local grit, vertical limestone and indoor overhanging plastic.go to full review

After three months of use the Tech Machines are holding up brilliantly. I’ve loved climbing with them and my old Nomics have gone into retirement. There are the usual scuffs and scratches but no damage as such. The picks have as always proved bomb proof and required the minimum of touching up with a file. The multilayer handle is holding up equally well. One improvement I’d like to see is the metal of the spike extended to stand proud of the lower finger rest slightly so that when the tool..." go to full review

I’ve been using the Stealth HS exclusively so far this winter and although I have lighter helmets the slight weight penalty has not been noticed. What is noticeable from the outset is the comfort of the Stealth HS. The harness system adjusts easily and gives a secure non-slip fit. Additional foam pads are available to fine tune the fit, I used a couple in the temple area (I must have a narrow head by Italian standards!) and have found the helmet to be one of the most comfortable I have ever..." go to full review

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

In conclusion the Petzl GriGri+ is a good addition to the GriGri range I don’t think it’s designed to replace the GriGri 2 and if you are a climber who likes to climb lightweight then the GriGri 2 is a great choice. If you are a guide/instructor, a beginner; a climber who climbs with children or someone who like to teach beginners then you would definitely benefit from the GriGri+, or if you are looking for a belay device for everything then it will be great.go to full review

In Alpine terrain the North Machines are superb, like any technical tool they are not going to compete or replace a classic piolet on easy snow or glacial terrain but they’ll get by. Once you hit more technical terrain they excel. Their well balanced swing and easy penetration reduced fatigue on route and their light weight helped make the approach sack less of a burden. They have already become my favourite alpine tools (and its not just because of the sexy black and yellow colour scheme..." go to full review

In conclusion, the Grivel Air Tech Evolution ice axe set is a great ‘semi’ technical set of winter tools that will serve you well through many years of use and abuse. They are light, well balanced and the hot forged head is a great bonus for hooking, bullet hard ice or that super crispy neve we all dream of climbing.go to full review

So far this season I have just used the Black Diamond Vipers in an Alpine setting and they have been great to use, they fit easily on the pack, are light and very versatile. They are designed to be used with Android leashes, spring/waist leashes (and work superlatively as leashless tools) and with the large hole on the head clip onto your harness easily too. They have been comfortable in the hand to use as a Piolet and have performed well as general technical tools-simply brilliant!go to full review