It's the report everyone has been waiting for... climbing hardware!
UKC and UKH were recently at ISPO; the huge outdoor tradeshow in Munich to check out all the latest shiny gear. We have reported on Mountain Clothing and Footwear already, and now we get to grips with the tough stuff - climbing gear.
From the unconventional twin gate carabiner from Grivel to the new ice axes from Black Diamond, with a whole lot in between, if you are looking for some new kit, then look no further...
Thor Quickdraw from DMM
David Noddings shows us the super strong Thor from DMM. This is DMM doing what they do best, making brilliant carabiners. The Thor looks set to be a huge sucess, and we have some coming in to UKC for a gear review soon.
The quickdraws are £16.50 and will be available in spring / summer 2014.
Bouldering Pads from Petzl
Clive Allen introduces these very well thought out bouldering pads from top brand Petzl. As you would expect they are top end, with a great cover feature to keep your back / car clean after a muddy session. These pads are available in autumn / winter 2014.
Rappel Kit from Mammut
The £175 rappel kit from Mammut features a rappel bag (a small bag for the rope), a 6mm rappel cord (a super lightweight rope), a small figure of 8 abseil device called a Nano 8, and a carabiner for the device (a Wall Micro Oval).
This kit is perfect for ski tourers who might need to do a short abseil to pass a cliff. It could also be handy for hiking / scrambling.
Twin Gate Carabiner from Grivel
This interesting carabiner will cost £11 and is due to come out in autumn / winter 2014. It's a tricky one to explain, but has two gates instead of one, preventing accidental gate opening. To explain further, here is a video from Grivel:
The Tech Machine from Grivel
Steve Roberts shows us the Machine series of ice axes from Grivel. Check out that Machine 3.0! Awesome. These beauties will be available next winter. Keep your eye on the UKC Gear Pages for a review.
The Beast Lite from Edelrid
Simon Brown shows us the very nifty Beast Lite Crampons from Edelrid, these crampons won an ISPO award this year. Time and again Edelrid are coming out with great looking products, and it is always interesting to drop by their stand at the tradeshows.
Corbie 8.6mm from Edelrid
Already featured last year on UKC and in our Friedrichshafen 2013 report, it is worth mentioning the Corbie ropes again from Edelrid, as they are now available. Here Alistair Patrick gives us the low down:
Cassin Warden from CAMP
Isacco Codega shows us something a little bit different. The Warden harness from CAMP is a big wall climbing specific harness, with additional tie in points for daisy chains. It looks comfy, that's for sure!
The Fuel ice tool from Black Diamond
This very sexy ice tool is 40g lighter than the Black Diamond Fusion, it is aimed more at ice climbing than the Fusion. With a redesign in terms of pick angle, and handle, this looked really good, and we are very keen to get this out on the ice ASAP. It will be available next winter. It seems as though UKC are going to have to put together a huge Ice Axe comparison with all these new tools available!
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