I’ve been a long-time fan of Scarpa’s Vapor V shoes, both the original and the 2015 updated version, they fit my feet well and really seemed to have found that Goldilocks zone of comfort and performance. The recently released lace-up version of the shoe, which is simply called the Vapor Lace (or just Vapor), takes the performance of the sport shoe into the realm of crack climbing, all … Continue reading Review: Scarpa Vapor Lace
New to the climbing shoe scene, the Korean company Butora (BOO-TORE-AH) has come out with some great shoes and a unique fitting ideology that is sure to please climbers with hard-to-fit feet. While it would be fun to test the entire line-up we have to start somewhere and so chose the Butora Altura, a laced high-top like the TC Pro, to get us started. Features: High-top … Continue reading Review: Butora Altura Rock Shoe
Exceptionally light and compact, Evolv’s Cruzer Psyche is the way to go when you expect to spend most of the day with your approach shoes in the pack or clipped to your harness. This of course means that they excel on multi-pitch climbs that require a walk-off but they’re also good for the crag and I even as a hut bootie. So what’s the downside with these … Continue reading Review: Evolve Cruzer Psyche Approach Shoe
Every climber needs a robust, all-round go-to rope that they can abuse at the crag. Something to use when working a project, top-roping or teaching a friend how to climb. While all these sleek new triple rated, by-patterned, dry certified, sub 9mm ropes on the market are great, they’re also quite specialized and not really meant for everyday cragging. For that type of service the Edelrid … Continue reading Edelrid Boa Eco (AKA Parrot) Climbing Rope Review
La Sportiva came out with a new line of technical approach shoes this past spring and the lightest of this new trio, the TX2, caught my eye and begged to be looked at in detail. This new shoe was designed to be lightweight and packable with a sticky sole. A great combination of features for a place like Squamish. When first testing them out I was blown … Continue reading La Sportiva TX2 Approach Shoe Review
Mammut’s innovative new helmet, the Wall Rider, features an Expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam body with a smallpolycarbonate cap on the top. This hybrid of exposed foam and hard-shell blends the features of two different helmet designs: the traditional lightweight in-mold helmet design and the super-light exposed foam design of the Sirocco (Petzl is upgrading the Sirocco with a similar composite design but I haven’t gotten my … Continue reading Mammut Wall Rider Helmet Review
A good knife is an essential tool for all types of climbing. It’s used for cleaning manky tat off at a rap anchor, cutting cord for a v-thread, removing tape gloves, cutting a stuck rope out of a crack, slicing up a crag apple or cheese and much more. Despite the obvious importance of a knife in climbing it doesn’t seem to get discussed much … Continue reading Climbing Knife Comparison Review
This ingenious innovation from Mammut is always met with excitement from anyone I show it to and skepticism from anyone I describe it to… “it’s kinda like a rock climbers fanny pack, but really cool!”. All kidding aside, the multi-pitch chalk bag is a very functional piece of equipment that helps reduce harness clutter and fills the gap for multi-pitch climbs that are too long … Continue reading Review: Mammut Multi-Pitch Chalk Bag
So your ice climb is a little off the beaten path. Literally, as no one else has yet beaten a path in! You put your head down and start to post hole through the rotten snow. After a few steps the crust is wearing at your shins, after a few hundred feet you’re starting to bleed. You’ll be down to the bone before getting anywhere … Continue reading Review: G3 Stinger Skis
The 2015 version of the Vapor V has been on the market since the spring giving me the opportunity to really put them to the test. The original Vapor V shoes were my go-to shoes for the gym and outdoor face climbing, both cragging and shorter multi-pitch climbs. They performed like the Muira but fit my foot much better. The only complaint that I had with the … Continue reading Review: Scarpa Vapor V
