Showing posts with label Climbing Gear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Climbing Gear. Show all posts

12/20/16

Valandre Shocking Blue Tested by Alpinist Magazine

Photo: Alpinist.com

Over the past few months, Drew Thayer, a reviewer for Alpinist magazine has had the opportunity to put the Valandre Shocking Blue Neo sleeping bag to the test in some extreme conditions. The Shocking Blue is engineered with one of the most advanced draft collar systems on the market and is designed to eliminate drafts, even when used as a high alpine bivy. The entire bag is designed to fit an expedition weight suit and thus provides plenty of room for finding a comfortable sleep position. 

In his review, Thayer calls the bag "a heavy hitter in its weight class" and adds that "it really does seal in warmth and keep every breath of wind out."

Read the full review here
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12/16/16

Gear Review: Cypher Vesta Sport





The Cypher Vesta Sport quickdraw was recently reviewed by Gif over at Rock Climber Life. Comparing it to the previous version of the Vesta Sport, he says "The dogbone is totally different and a huge improvement.  It’s super stiff and perfect for hard sport climbing."

Check out the full lineup of Cypher products here.

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11/1/16

Gear Review: Edelweiss Curve 9.8mm


Sean Smith, a climbing guide at Denver Mountain Guiding was able to test out the Edelweiss Curve 9.8mm rope on a few recent trips to Eldorado Canyon and the Flatirons. The Curve is a versatile rope suitable for many styles of climbing in a variety of environments. The 9.8mm diameter allows for a skinny-rope feel without compromising safety.

From Sean's review: "The Curve offers great handling and knotting, and runs through gear like a dream, while not being a significant weight at the end of long pitches."

Read the full review here

10/17/16

Gear Review: Edelweiss Curve ARC


Photo: Gearographer Review

Shannon Sollitt and the gear team at Gearographer recently had the chance to try out one of the most versatile ropes from Edelweiss, the Curve 9.8mm. The Curve is part of the Perform3 family (meaning that is has been engineered with the ideal balance of durability, handling, and performance) and is a great option for climbers of all skill levels. The 9.8mm diameter is light enough that it can be carried with ease on long approaches, but also durable enough to handle 8 UIAA falls and abuse for years to come.

The rope reviewed by Shannon was the ARC model featuring a bi-pattern weave to help easily identify the rope's middle and a bright green color that looks great in photos. She says that the rope is "easy to handle, light to carry, and feels mighty trustworthy to climbing partners on either end of it" and calls it the "perfect single-rope companion for sport and trad climbers of all abilities."


8/29/16

Penta Helmet Named "Best in Class"


The Singing Rock Penta helmet recently received the Best in Class award for best climbing helmets of 2016. The award, given by Gear Institute, came after months of testing and comparison among competitive helmets.

In the review, the Gear Institute testers called the helmet a "well-rounded and versatile helmet for rock and ice climbers." They raved over its functionality in all disciplines of climbing, and the helmet's simple and comfortable webbing harness system. 

Read the full review here

8/23/16

2016 Summer Outdoor Retailer Recap



Another Outdoor Retailer show has come and gone, the streets of downtown Salt Lake City are now a bit less crowded, and all who attended the show are looking forward to new gear hitting the market over the coming months. For those who weren’t able to attend, we’ll give a recap of the “coming soon” products from some of the brands that we distribute.


Peregrine Camping Equipment

Peregrine introduced a new line of sleeping bags, the Altai series. The Altai bags are unique in that they are the first sleeping bag to use a Primaloft down blend as insulation. The blend combines the best qualities of both types of insulation and makes for an extremely compressible and warm fill. The series features 3 bags, with zero degree, twenty degree, and Evo summer bag options. The two warmer bags feature YKK locking zippers and draft collars, while the Evo bag features a non-locking zipper allowing it to quickly convert into a blanket. The Evo summer bag also includes a drawstring closure at the bottom of the bag that can be completely sealed off, and a hood pocket at the top to be used with the bag in blanket mode. All three bags are made with a durable and smooth nylon fabric and feature double zipper protectors to prevent zipper snags.

Peregrine has also released a line of sleeping pads with four models. The inflatable pads come in various widths, thicknesses, and price points to fit almost any camper’s needs.



Cypher Climbing

While there weren't any new shoes or quickdraws from Cypher, the company did show off an all new line of chalk bags. The bags feature unique and playful designs that will stand out at the crag and allow climbers to spice up the look of their harness.



Beal

Beal continues to build on its line of Web-Core harnesses with the introduction of three new lines. The Progress line features non-laminated web core technology and leg loop adjustability in a lightweight package. The new Soft line of harnesses focuses on comfort above all else (except safety of course), and its three harnesses are lined with foam padding for a cloud like fit. The last new line, the Compact, have a wide belt and pack down small. The Mirage harness in this line also features a Recco reflector, making it perfect for mountaineering and ice climbing.



Grivel

Grivel adds to its streak of innovation with loads of new gear. The Clepsydra small will soon be available and was designed as the ultimate belay carabiner. The Tau Twin Lock features an innovative new locking mechanism and is a light and versatile fully locking biner. Grivel’s new Ghost ice axe is ultralight and perfect for ski tours and fast and light mountaineering. The company also introduced a line of trekking poles that are stable, ultralight, fold down very easily, and make a great option for hikers and trail runners. The Airtek 28 backpack is a lightweight climbing pack that features a curved bottom panel to allow easy access to the gear on the back of a climbers harness. As if this all wasn’t enough, Grivel also introduced two new ice carrybiners for racking ice screws, an ultralight model made of plastic, and a full strength aluminum carabiner.



Vaude
The folks at Vaude have also been coming out with some rad new gear. Building off of the lightweight daypacks introduced last year, the company introduced the Zerum line of ultralight trekking packs. They feature a supportive and breathable mesh back panel and weight in at just under two or three pounds depending on the size. Also new for 2017 is the Brentour line of backpacks. These packs are ventilated, made for heavier loads than the Zerum, and feature outer mesh pockets, making a perfect place for stashing stinky or wet clothing. As with all Vaude packs, the new lines are manufactured with the highest commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.



Signings and Events

Liberty Mountain was able to host a number of professional climbers in the booth for poster signings and athlete meet and greets. We partnered with ClimbOn products for signings with Tommy Caldwell, Beth Rodden, and Jonathan Siegrist. A few athletes representing brands distributed by Liberty Mountain were there as well including Stevie Haston, Angela VanWiemeersch, and Pamela Pack.


We were also excited to host a signing for copies of a new Salt Lake City climbing guide “The Granite Guide” authored by Liberty Mountain’s own Nathan Smith, along with Andrew Burr and Tyler Phillips. As there was a limited number of copies available, we had climbers lining up more than 30 minutes before the signing began to make sure they got their own copy.

Overall the show was very successful and as always, a chance to mingle with friends from the industry that we love. We're excited for the upcoming launches of these new products and look forward to the innovation that will come about before the next show.

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8/17/16

Grivel Tau Carabiner Recognized as "Innovative Climbing Product"


Each time the Outdoor Retailer show rolls into Salt Lake City, we can be sure of two things: that loads of new and innovative gear will be on display, and that the folks at weighmyrack.com will be around to document all of it. After spending days checking out new products, the weigh my rack gear gurus have compiled their list of the "8 Most Innovative Climbing Products Coming in 2017." The gear making the list represents companies creating safer, greener, and more simple ways to get out and enjoy the mountains.

One of the products included in the list is the all new and completely revolutionary Grivel Tau wire lock carabiner. For the last few years, Grivel has come out with new and innovative locking carabiners and the Tau is another welcome addition to the club. Rather than having two opposed gates like many of the recent products from Grivel, the Tau wire lock features two gates (one key lock and one wire) that open in the same direction. When closed, the wire gate holds the keylock gate in place and creates a simple and easy to open auto locking carabiner that will easily slide into even the smallest chains and anchors. The carabiner will make it easy for climbers to lower the weight of their rack without sacrificing any safety. 

Check out all 8 products here.

The Tau wire lock carabiner will be available through Liberty Mountain later this year.

6/8/16

Gear Review: Edelweiss Curve 9.8MM



The folks over at Climbing Zine recently reviewed the Edelweiss Curve 9.8MM rope, a high performance and dependable rope perfect for sport or trad climbing. The Curve comes in three different lengths (50M, 60M, and 70M) and is available with Unicore technology, an ARC bipattern option, and Supereverdry treatment for top level water repellency. This rope is ideal for progressing climbers looking to improve their skills and climb harder.

Reviewer Drew Thayer describes his criteria in looking for a new cragging rope "It doesn’t have to be fancy, or particularly light, just something durable that my partners and I can take a thousand falls on and never worry about it. There are lots of options out there, and the Curve 9.8 mm rope stands out as a good one."

Thayer goes on to say "I don’t know how Edelweiss pulled this off, but they managed to build a durable, 9.8 mm rope with a high fall rating that catches as softly as Beal’s super slinky Opera rope…that’s 8.5 mm thick. If you like soft falls, but are looking for a long-wearing workhorse, cragging with this rope is like cheating: you get both."


5/18/16

Gear Review: Singing Rock Penta Helmet


The folks over at thealpinestart.com recently published a review of Singing Rock's super light Penta Helmet, calling it one of "the most comfortable helmets" that they've used. They also added "the Penta is a superb, low-profile and lightweight helmet for all-around use. With it's low price-tag, there is no excuse not to take it climbing everywhere, all the time."

Read the full review here
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5/6/15

The Most Innovative Carabiners - Grivel, Kong, Stubai, Omega Pacific




Climbing Magazine recently published an online article listing a collection of carabiners that are constructed with innovative designs. Not only are these carabiners cool to look at and fiddle with, they each provide their own unique benefits to make climbing safer, easier, or quicker.


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4/7/15

Cypher Echo Quickdraw - Featured on ClimbingReport.com




The folks over at ClimbingReport.com spent this last winter doing a bunch of ice climbing with the Cypher Echo quickdraws.


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