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
Welcome to Black Sheep Adventure Sports’ annual gift guide for climbers of all styles and creeds. This is the fifth annual Black Sheep Adventure Sports Gift Guide for Climbers! And as always, we’ve found a bunch of great gear that the climber in your life is sure love. This year we start off with some kit for ice climbers before moving on to more rock … Continue reading Climbers’ Gift Guide 2019
Black Sheep Adventure Sports Annual Christmas Special – Stocking Stuffers Well, it’s that time of year again. The warm and sunny fall rock climbing trip is over and the cold winter ice climbing season is just beginning… if you’re into that kinda thing. I have a love-hate relationship with ice climbing personally, I love the climbing and hate the barfies. Anyway, if you have a … Continue reading Climbers’ Stocking Stuffers 2019
The New & Improved Petzl DART Crampons Petzl is replacing the old DART (mono-point) and DARTWIN (dual-point) crampons with a fantastic new ice climbing weapon. While they’re just calling it the DART, don’t be mistaken, it’s an entirely new design. The new DART blends design features from the old DART & DARTWIN along with the LYNX into a lightweight package that climbs exceptionally well. And, … Continue reading First Look Review: New Petzl DART Crampons
Surprisingly, in a very good way, there was a lot of winter-focused gear at this year’s Summer OR show. Enough to justify a winter specific article anyway! So, as an avid ice climber I just had to start this summer’s series of OR reports by covering winter climbing kit. Asolo Boots: Asolo has given a few of their alpine boots a serious upgrade and the … Continue reading Summer OR 2019: Winter Climbing Gear
Not to be left behind in the light-weight ice screw game, Black Diamond has released their own version of a composite, aluminum-steel, screw that they’re calling the Ultralight Ice Screw. Constructed from the ground up these screws feature a new aluminum hanger and aluminum tube that’s attached to a hardened steel cutting surface. They’re now the lightest screws on the market and, even better, have … Continue reading Review: BD Ultralight Ice Screws
The last few years have delivered a whole new quiver of ice screws from various manufacturers. Ten years ago, Black Diamond took the market by storm with the introduction of the fully stainless steel Express ice screw. This new screw featured aggressive teeth and the infamous express knob. For the next ~8 years, it became the new standard (evident by the fact no one actually … Continue reading Review: Kailas Swift Aluminium Ice Screw
Most of us buy or acquire our climbing gear slowly over time. When you first get into the sport there’s a lot of expense associated with getting kitted out so gear is bought a little at a time. Once you’ve been climbing for a while, equipment is replaced as it gets worn out or newer, shinier and possibly better gear. Of course this leads to … Continue reading Building the Ideal Ice Climbing Kit:
There were a bunch of goodies at this year’s Winter OR / Snow Show when it comes to ice climbing gear! Of course I’ve already published an article specifically about climbing footwear so won’t include anything of that nature here. Rather we’ll be looking at more technical equipment such as ice axes, helmets, harnesses and the like. Black Diamond Spinner & Slinger Leash – Update: … Continue reading Winter OR 2019: Climbing Gear
PROTON FL HOODY Arcteryx recently released the Proton FL, a soft-shell hoody that moves with you, sweats with you and packs away when you don’t need it. It uses a Fortius Air 20 fabric which gives it light air permeability and has good breathability from the Octa Loft, the 100% polyester breathable insulation. This good looking hoody will make a great addition to a mountain … Continue reading Review: Arc’teryx Proton FL
