The Petzl Nao+ is my lighting tool of choice for any mountain missions that start or end in the dim hours of the day. With 750 lumens, it’s so bright that Petzl had to include a warning label not to shine it in someone’s eyes up close! Using Reactive Lighting or Constant Lighting the burn time will vary from 6.5hrs (at 750 lumens) all the … Continue reading Review: Petzl Nao+ Headlamp
There were quite a few new and updated helmets and harnesses to check out at the Outdoor Retailer show this year. And while the changes mainly followed innovations in materials and technology there’s also a new player in the market that has some really nice equipment. Lets start with helmets and move on from there. If you haven’t checked out the other OR Reports from this … Continue reading Summer OR 2018: Harnesses & Helmets
VIDEO In this first installment of our educational series on Carabiners we look at different types of carabiner actions: Non-Locking, Screw-Gate and Triple Action. In the video we discuss the differences and where the different carabiners are best used. Special thanks to our friends at Climb On Squamish for providing the space and gear for the video and Nic Vissers for editing. Continue reading Climbing Basics 2: Types of Carabiner Actions & Uses
A climbing helmet becomes a critical piece of safety gear when transitioning outdoors. Some cragging areas can be prone to rock fall while in other areas your main concern might be protecting your head in a fall. However not all helmets are created equal. To help you pick the right one for you this article will outline the main types of helmets, features to consider … Continue reading From Gym to Crag Pt. 4: How to Pick a Climbing Helmet
Unlike the fairly uniform and well maintained anchors provided at climbing gyms, outdoor crags can offer a wide variety of anchor points, or nothing at all. And of course different situations will require different gear. That being said, most areas are set-up with a pair of bolts that can be used to build either a top-rope or lead anchor. This article will review different equipment … Continue reading From Gym to Crag Pt. 3: Anchor Kits
Many new climbers are looking to transition from the gym to pulling on real rock. But to go outside some new toys are needed. This series of articles focuses on helping climbers select the right equipment to get out cragging. This first of the series will examine quickdraws. If you simply want to go top-roping you can skip this purchase for now. There’s a huge … Continue reading From Gym to Crag Pt. 1: Choosing Quickdraws
Petzl first announced the new, upgraded Tibloc at the Outdoor Retailer show in 2015. I was impressed and so after the show I tried to get my hands on one to test out. Unfortunately Petzl had ran into some manufacturing issues and, as time went by, it was starting to look like upgraded Tibloc would never make it to market. But that’s not where the … Continue reading First Look Review: New Petzl Tibloc 2
Well this is the last of the series of Winter 2018 Outdoor Retailer show reports but one of the more fun to research and write. The show sure had a lot of winter climbing eye candy this year with new ice tools, boots, screws, helmets, harnesses, etc. to check out. Given all the cool new technical climbing gear coming out this year you can expect … Continue reading Winter OR 2018: Winter Climbing Gear
Looking for some ideas on what to get that avid backcountry skier on your list? We’ve got you covered! While in past we’ve only issued Christmas gift guides for climbers. This year we decided to include some ideas on what to get the avid skier on your list as well. So, in no particular order, here are 5 great gift ideas followed by a bonus … Continue reading Backcountry Skiers Christmas Gift Guide 2017
In this second installment of the 2017 Christmas Gift guide for climbers we’ll look at 5 great ideas for larger or more expensive gifts. If none of the ideas work for you there’s one last bonus gift idea that should work for almost any outdoor sports enthusiast. Of course you could also check out the first installment, Stocking Stuffers, for more ideas as well. So, … Continue reading Climbers Christmas Guide 2017: Gift Ideas
