Climbing Zine

All in all, a great shoe, that’s worth every penny. It’s durable to stand the test of bouldering, multi-pitch climbs, and for the desert climber, difficult cracks. Honestly, I only have a shoe like this in my quiver for the Utah desert, and because I’m a desert fiend, I imagine I’ll be wearing the Addicts for quite a while.go to full review

A good off-width shoe, like the TC Pro needs to be comfortable and stand up to a certain level of abuse. While I feel the Astroman is a little more comfortable than the TC Pro it doesn’t seem to be built to stand up to the same level of abuse. And, at the heart of it, off-width climbing is all about abuse, so a good pair of high tops should be able to withstand more use and abuse than the average shoe. The first generation of the Astroman’s don’t, but if the delamination issues were fixed,..." go to full review

These are a highly specific shoe, designed for climbers who are willing to shell out some dollars and endure some foot pain in order to execute steep, powerful moves that demand razor-precise footwork. If that’s the kind of performance you’re looking for, these shoes will shine. They also have perhaps the most secure heel of any shoe, ever. Their incredible hooking performance comes at some sacrifice of sensitivity; I’ve really enjoyed the Instinct VS for precise power on steep boulders and..." go to full review

This is now my favorite all-around face climbing shoe, and it can venture into jamming terrain too. I took it for a week of limestone climbing in Potrero Chico, Mexico and wore it every day; it performed equally well on overhanging power-endurance routes and delicate sub-vertical smearing and edging problems. If you want one high-performance shoe that is well adapted to all styles face climbing and some crack climbing too, and doesn’t mash you toes, look no further.go to full review

Now with quickdraws, most anything on the market will get the job done. I’ve got a variety on my rack, but the Petzl Ange’s are the ones I reach for when I’m really crux-ing out.

Clipping bolts is rad because it’s so damn simple. The Ange’s make it just a little more refined, with superlight beeners, and a keylock wiregate that is extremely smooth for clipping. The smoothest clip I’ve ever experienced by far. They also come with dyneema slings, in two different sizes, one the normal..." go to full review

The Mega Jul is a cleverly designed belay/rappel device that can do more than any other device and weigh less at the same time. With all its impressive abilities, is this device a game-changer?

It’s tempting to think so. I’m using it at the crag like a GriGri; it not only performs the same functions, but it’s easier to keep it from locking up while feeding slack. And since it weighs 61% less than a GriGri and can be used to rappel as well, I won’t hesitate to use it on a hard..." go to full review

Triple-rated ropes are a game changer. If you climb big routes in places where speed matters, I recommend you invest in one (or a set of) lightweight triple-rated ropes. Edelrid, Beal, and Mammut are currently setting the industry standard for these new ropes. Edelrid offers two top-of-their class ropes: by the numbers, the Corbie is only slightly lighter (1 g/m) than the Swift, with small tradeoffs in elongation and impact force that you’ll probably never notice. Is the Corbie worth the..." go to full review

The rope is also marked with a bi-pattern, half of the rope has a subtle yellow marking in its sheath, and the other half is marked red. All in all, this rope is more clearly marked for its middle and ends than any other cord I’ve used.

Like most of the Mammut ropes I’ve had the Sensor has held up well. The BioCo Sense is what makes it stand apart. Hopefully Mammut can figure out a way to get the price down, over $300 is a big chunk of change to throw down on a rope, but nonetheless..." go to full review

The Beal Opera is a versatile rope that provides alpine enthusiasts with the ability to simply carry less weight without sacrificing the safety margin provided by a UIAA single rating. It can be carried alone for single use on ice and rock climbs, or as a set of burly double ropes on wandering routes or routes that require 60+ meter rappels. The slinky Opera is not designed to take the abuse of repeated sport whipping or excessive top-roping, but you can use it with confidence on redpoint..." go to full review

We had a fundraiser at a local brewery and bought some steel biners, with small pins to keep the biners from shifting, which risks cross loading, but all of these biners had pins you had to hammer in. The problem with these is that once the biner is worn through, it’s difficult to remove it from the chain. Was there a solution to this simple, yet annoying problem?

The answer is the Climb Tech steel biner with captive pin. These biners are basically the same as the previous mentioned..." go to full review