La Sportiva TX Guide, if the shoe fits you’re going to like them. But you better have a narrow foot! Whether you climb big walls, boulders, or something in between, one thing all climbers can agree on is that we need reliable approach shoes. You want a good fit, grippy soles, durability, comfort, not bulky or heavy, and the list goes on. To say this … Continue reading Review: La Sportiva TX Guide
Very lightweight, windproof and warm, the Nuclei FL makes an amazing 3-season puffy jacket for just about any activity. I’ve been testing mine for about a year now and it’s definitely found a place in my pack for those summer alpine missions and just about anywhere else I need a lightweight but warm jacket. A few years ago I wrote an article about the various … Continue reading Review: Arc’teryx Nuclei FL Hoody
There are crack climbing gloves and Crack Climbing Gloves, the new G7 Hand Jam are the latter. G7, a brand that’s known for innovation, rethought the entire idea of a crack glove. They ditched the rubber or other similar materials altogether and made them from leather. Real leather. Really nice leather actually. These things feel great to wear. But how do they perform and stack … Continue reading First Look Review: G7 Hand Jam
In what’s one of the coolest innovations in the world of climbing ropes for some time, Edelrid’s new Swift Protect has aramid fibers woven into the sheath. What is aramid you ask? Well, it’s a very strong synthetic fiber that’s in the same family as Kevlar. From a functional point of view, aramid fibers have good tensile strength, are lightweight, tough and heat resistant. That … Continue reading Review: Edelrid Swift Protect 8.9
A head-to-head review of the most common high-top climbing shoes on the market. High-top climbing shoes have seen a huge resurgence in popularity over the past few years. This has of course prompted more brands to jump back into the high-top shoe game. Now, where there was once only a few high-top options around, every major shoe manufacturer seems to make a pair. To determine … Continue reading Comparison Review: High-Top Climbing Shoes
Mammut 9.0 Alpine Sender Dry (or Crag Sender Dry) Mammut has given their dynamic climbing rope organization / naming structure a complete overhaul for 2020. Hidden in this naming change is a brand new rope called the 9.0 Alpine Sender Dry. Or is the 9.0 Crag Sender Dry? As per the new naming scheme, it’s the same rope under a different moniker, but more on … Continue reading Review: Mammut 9.0 Alpine Sender Dry
The G7 POD is a really light and durable portaledge. But more than that, it’s a fully insulated sleeping system too! Walls, walls and more walls… “Walls are meant for Climbing” reads The North Face t-shirt on the guy climbing a few routes away from me at the local sport crag. This was a couple of years ago, and a few weeks before I climbed … Continue reading First Look: The G7 POD – The World’s Lightest Climbing Ledge
An in-depth review of the new Gregory Alpinisto 38 LT This new addition to Gregory’s popular line of Alpinisto alpine climbing packs isn’t just a lighter version of the Alpinisto 35 so much as a redesign. With different fabrics, panels, features and pack volume the new Alpinisto 38 LT has a very different feel though there are still a lot of similarities between the two. … Continue reading Review: Gregory Alpinisto 38 LT
Slip on and go. Introducing Scarpa’s newest shoe to the Instinct line. The Scarpa Instinct SR is a performance shoe designed for the gym, but I did not limit it to indoor climbing. I tested this shoe on routes ranging from steep overhanging tufas to slippery Squamish granite slabs and boulders. Having a shoe that is quick to get on and off that doesn’t cut … Continue reading Review: Scarpa Instinct SR
