Climbing Gear Reviews UK

All in all, the Moon Pluto Crash Pad is a great, compact bouldering pad. I’ve enjoyed using it and it has quickly become a favourite due to its lightness, portability and ease of use. Especially for zipping around a bouldering circuit – which is a lot of what I am doing these days or those longer moorland days. It is also useful as an extra to use in conjunction with a larger pad for when you are needed extra padding for that highball where its lightness will pay dividends. I reckon that the..." go to full review

So, two years later and I’m still recommending it. For the price it’s a great helmet and it will last you many seasons. Of course, it’s not the lightest helmet in the Black Diamond range but is probably the most versatile. A five star helmet!go to full review

The clever construction of the Vapor Helmet allows the lightness to be achieved. A combination of Kevlar, carbon rods and EPS foam all covered in a polycarbonate shell, means that the helmet is strong but actually fairly robust for a helmet of this type. I’ve actually cracked other similar lightweight EPS/polycarbonate designs dropping my pack on the ground (careless I know)! The only downside of this clever construction is that it hikes up the RRP and at £120, the Vapor Helmet is not cheap..." go to full review

there have been some subtle but good improvements to what has become an iconic climbing harness. The Arc’teryx AR-395A is a fantastic all round climbing and mountaineering harness and I’ve worn it for all my personal climbing activities all season. I have found it light, compact and very comfortable to wear.go to full review

The Air-Tech additionally offer something different to the mega classic G12. First off it’s lighter and cheaper which has got to be a win win situation. I would have to assume that some of this lightness would come at the expense of durability and rigidity but to be honest over the review period I found it hard to tell. What you do notice is the Air Tech has noticeably shorter walking points (that may help with the lightness) which are also serrated. These are excellent on mixed ground as..." go to full review

So if the Laser Speed Light screws are the easiest to place and the lightest by a long way, then why would you buy anything else? Well, the only downside I can really see is durability with the aluminium tubes and threads being less durable than steel ones. And I have definitely noticed that they ding and mark easier than stainless screws. Being careful when packing and using a fabric tube style protector whilst they’re in your pack, is a good idea as is not throwing them down on rocks or..." go to full review

I have used the Raven Ultra mainly for ski touring and ski mountaineering and it’s lightweight simplicity, makes it perfect for this. It has a stainless steel head and pick which actually work on proper ice, unlike some of the lightweight aluminium axes I have used. The shaft of the axe is aluminium, has no rubberised grip or handle and can feel a bit slippery when you actually need to pull on it on steeper ground but you could add some self amalgamating plumbers tape for extra stickiness if..." go to full review

All in all I love the DMM Switch ice tools and they are my current tools of choice. They’ve been with me on many routes over the last few months, from classic alpine traverses, big north faces such as the Eiger and Matterhorn and moderate ridges and gullies. They tick the boxes as an all round tool, particularly if you want something that performs well on the harder stuff but can tackle everything else as well. The grip is brilliant and incredibly comfortable, and the whole construction..." go to full review

I feel the DMM Pivot is not a gimmick but a great innovation. If you are using a guide plate a lot you are going to notice these changes and if you think about it, if you are lowing something it’s because there is a problem. When there is a problem you want things to run smoothly, the DMM Pivot will really help.go to full review

I wore the shoes all day in comfort and found them easy to pull on and off. I have pretty slim feet and found myself tightening the laces to the max to make them fit, so if your feet are any slim you may have to try on several pairs to get just the right fit.go to full review