Outdoor Prolink

The speed of screw placement is defined by the cutting edge or ‘drill’ bit that starts and bores the hole. Here Petzl has stuck with steel. The approximately 1cm long steel tip is optimized in both tooth angle (making it more aggressive) and increased tooth length, resulting in a super catchy initial bite. They have also incorporated a reservoir at the base of each cutting tooth that aids both ice clearance in the hole and eases future sharpening. All together it’s a pretty potent tip and ‘..." go to full review

Overall I think the Luchador is a very strong entry into the high-end all-around category, offering a versatile shoe that is easy on your feet without sacrificing performance. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a shoe that will perform well on varied terrain and, thanks to the lace-up closure, fit a wide range of feet.go to full review

With long routes comes many different types of climbing techniques and having a shoe that does it all gives you the confidence to ascend and the comfort to stay the course all the way to the top. Having had many opportunities to use different shoes over the years these are still the ones I always make sure I have two of all the time. The Mythos offers dependable comfort and performance and it’s the shoe I recommend most for my clients. I just hope I don’t have to put a call into my “..." go to full review

It’s all about being lightweight nowadays, and Petzl’s new Hirundos is right on cue. When I was handed the harness in its bag, it weighed almost nothing. I work for Movement Climbing + Fitness here in Boulder, CO and after a short work shift, this new harness was the first to come out of my bag for a quick climbing session in the gym. Its bright orange color was super neat, and of course, trendy, and I even liked the white touch for the gear loop and hard points (it actually made me think of..." go to full review

I thought this was a great shoe. Probably best for someone who is looking for a bit of an all-around piece of footwear that performs at a high level — particularly for climbers looking for a Velcro closure shoe that doesn’t break the bank.go to full review

Ropes that are too stiff are always annoying and cumbersome to work with, and ones with a super soft hand never seem to last as long. The GriGri 2 was perfect with the Joker, feeding rope easily when the leader needed it, but also locked up the GriGri to catch falls securely. I used the Joker on several longer routes as both a single rope, and occasionally as a double rope, with the Guide ATC in auto-locking guide mode. Again, the 9.1mm diameter was great in the belay device, easy to reel in..." go to full review

The only down side to the new Tricams are that the slings are fully sewn, unlike the old style that had two clip in points (one closer to the Tricam). Though this wasn’t totally necessary, it did come in handy aid climbing where every inch counts. That being said, since it was rarely used, the new stiffer slings make one handed placements much easier.go to full review

These Fusion Photons are easy to pull when belaying with the Petzl Reverso and CAMP’s Gi-Gi. These lines handle well for such small diameters. The Photons seem a little wiry compared to supple fatter ropes. The wiry feel seems to keep the lines from tying themselves into bites. The colors of our ropes, yellow and purple, were great in contrast and beautifully bright.go to full review

As far as durability, I think this harness is designed more for a sport climbing environment. I spent a day climbing long corners at Indian Creek and the leg loops took a beating that would not last an entire Creek season (without some sort of reinforcement). I have been climbing sport routes in it ever since and it is holding out well and showing very little wear. I am sure in a granite environment (sans the incessant lay-backing and body contact of Indian Creek) this harness would do just..." go to full review

So what’s specific about these Five Ten Anasazi LV’s I’ve been wearing recently? The LV stands for low-volume, and is ideal for women with narrow feet and low insteps. I pretty much have the ultimate average foot, size 7/7.5 and neither wide nor narrow, and my arch is not too high and not too flat. This time around, I wanted to size a bit aggressively with the plan to have them eventually replace my Galileo’s, so I got a size 7, which is interesting because my Galileo’s are a size 6 and are..." go to full review