UK Climbing

The updated QUARK is a superb tool, that will climb equally well on ice, mixed and snow. Petzl seem to have ironed the key durability issues of the previous model. Whether you are an experienced winter climber looking to upgrade your existing tools, or an aspiring mountaineer looking for your first pair, the QUARK would be an excellent choice for a mid-range do-it-all winter tool. Whilst there are other cheaper tools available, the RRP of £210 per axe is comparable with heavier tools from..." go to full review

Warm, supportive and protective, these solid B3 boots are far from lightweight, but thanks to their excellent flexible collar they still feel surprisingly nimble for climbing. Compared to some aggressively techy boots their more generous fit may particularly suit wider-footed users, and personally I've found them really comfy on long walk-ins and snowy Munro days. Quality mountain boots don't come cheap, so I think the £360 price tag for the Vultur Vertical GTX is quite a bargain. I'll be..." go to full review

The Dragonflys are an excellent set of micro cams which cover all the placement sizes you could ask for and offer the benefits of a narrow headwidth, extremely flexible stem and extendable sling. The placement sizes also overlap nicely with the DMM Dragons, which is great if you're double-racking cams. My only criticism (and I'm digging deep here) is that the alloy on the lobes of the Dragonfly isn't quite as soft as it could be, and therefore might not bite as well. Overall, if you're..." go to full review

Overall the Mundaka are a very soft pair of shoes which excel at smearing both indoors and out whilst still performing well - up to a point - on edges. They are too unsupportive to be used for climbing routes but they're great for bouldering. If you're looking for something to get the most out of indoor volumes or to give you as much contact as possible on a smear they are a great choice.go to full review

Both these models are high quality and comparatively durable dry treated triple rated ropes. I would recommend a pair of 50m VOLTAs to any climber regularly climbing routes as a three. 9.2mm is my preferred diameter for a work rope when rock guiding, being both durable and a little easier to handle. I have been very impressed with how the VOLTA has worn compared to other similar ropes, and I think this is largely thanks to its high percentage of sheath. The skinnier VOLTA GUIDE is a more..." go to full review

All in all the Black and Orange Totems are excellent additions to the Totem range. The Black Totem is a personal favourite and I almost always carry it due to its size. The Orange Totem is slightly held back by the non-conventional stem which makes it harder to place, although it still has a place on your rack when climbing rock without much friction or if you need the narrow head width.go to full review

Competitively priced at £110, this is a bargain for an all-rounder that can be used for nearly everything. The build quality is top-notch; the traditional weak points on rock shoes such as the lacing system, the pull tabs and the rubber's edge show very little sign of wear.go to full review

The Giga Jul is a brilliant and versatile device. It is slightly complex to use initially but you quickly get used to it with a little practice. The different modes give you plenty of options depending on the circumstances and this could be the one-stop-shop single belay device for all types of climbing you do from sport, through multi-pitch trad, to alpine. It is great to see Edelrid coming up with new devices that are not just fancy gizmos with a new feature or two that you may or may not..." go to full review

Overall the Trango Tower Extreme GTX are great winter climbing boots carrying on the fine tradition of earlier Trango Extreme models. And while the RRP of £345 is hardly cheap, few other B3 boots cost less. At least within their class, the TTEGs are not expensive. They climb very well, in part due to their lightness - but have we possibly put too much emphasis on light weight and forgotten about durability? It's a bit sad to admit, but I love my old pair of Trango Extremes - in part because..." go to full review

Whilst I really wanted to like the Vapour V, I have found it really hard coming to terms with the two halves. On their own they are both amazing, but combined they just seemed a little mismatched. The front half is spot on for trad/sport, being both stiff and supportive, but the soft midsole just means the power is lost, favouring a bouldering orientation. That said, if you've got a strong set of feet - or have a different set of criteria to us - there's a distinct chance you'll get on well..." go to full review