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NEW REVIEW: ISPO 2014: Climbing Hardware Report

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 UKC Gear 28 Feb 2014
Fuel Ice Tool from Black Diamond, 3 kbIt's the report everyone has been waiting for... climbing hardware!

From the unconventional twin gate carabiner from Grivel to the new ice axes from Black Diamond, with a whole lot in between, if you are looking for some new kit, then look no further...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=6164

 JayPee630 28 Feb 2014
In reply to UKC Gear:

Ha, the Thor extra strong krab, Mammut abseil thing, and the Grivel double gate krab all look like solutions looking to solve a problem that never existed!
 timjones 28 Feb 2014
In reply to JayPee630:

> Ha, the Thor extra strong krab, Mammut abseil thing, and the Grivel double gate krab all look like solutions looking to solve a problem that never existed!

The Thor is impressively strong but if you're generating 28kn at a QD you may have bigger problems than a broken krab
 JayPee630 28 Feb 2014
In reply to timjones:

And aren't Mammut selling a bit of rope and a couple of bits of hardware in a stuff sac for £175!?
 franksnb 28 Feb 2014
In reply to UKC Gear:

I like the twin gate
 timjones 28 Feb 2014
In reply to JayPee630:

> And aren't Mammut selling a bit of rope and a couple of bits of hardware in a stuff sac for £175!?

I think that's what they said, I had to go and each my ears out
 timjones 28 Feb 2014
In reply to franksnb:

> I like the twin gate

It looks like an answer that is in desperate need of a problem IMO
 dutybooty 28 Feb 2014
In reply to UKC Gear:

Does the format of lots of videos bother anyone? Rather than an actual article you can read?
 gethin_allen 28 Feb 2014
In reply to dutybooty:

A short something to tie everything together would be good but it doesn't really bother me.I would however like to have sound on all the vids.
 TobyA 28 Feb 2014
In reply to timjones:

Don't think closed gate strength is ever very important in krabs, its all about gate open. When BD first brought the Hotwires out in the mid-90s they were totally amazing krabs - I still think they are one of the best all-rounders http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.fi/2010/05/stuff-that-works-black-diamond... but I think now if you wanted one set of krabs to do everything - sport, trad, winter, ice - something like the Thors would be the ones to go for. I haven't tried one yet, but I suspect they'll probably clip well like most full size wire gates, then you have totally dependable strength and not ridiculous weight.
 franksnb 28 Feb 2014
In reply to timjones:

I would say a refinement of a solution that already existed. I know what you mean but I can't help but like the engineering. I wonder what a bit of ice or snow would do to one.
 timjones 28 Feb 2014
In reply to TobyA:

> Don't think closed gate strength is ever very important in krabs, its all about gate open. When BD first brought the Hotwires out in the mid-90s they were totally amazing krabs - I still think they are one of the best all-rounders http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.fi/2010/05/stuff-that-works-black-diamond... but I think now if you wanted one set of krabs to do everything - sport, trad, winter, ice - something like the Thors would be the ones to go for. I haven't tried one yet, but I suspect they'll probably clip well like most full size wire gates, then you have totally dependable strength and not ridiculous weight.

You'r probably right that they will be great all-rounders, just like the prowires which I won't be changing for quite some time

 timjones 28 Feb 2014
In reply to franksnb:

> I would say a refinement of a solution that already existed. I know what you mean but I can't help but like the engineering. I wonder what a bit of ice or snow would do to one.

Given that a lot of climbing is about your head and your trust in your gear then there can probably be a lot of mileage in gear that you "can't help but like"
 TobyA 28 Feb 2014
In reply to timjones:

Yep - prowires are a bit of a classic. My hands never got on with them was much as some krabs (same with WC Wild Wires) although I still have a few on my 'England rack' (which resides in my parents' attic for when I'm in the UK) and actually they work perfectly well - perhaps I'm just getting better at clipping with old age.
 timjones 28 Feb 2014
In reply to TobyA:

> Yep - prowires are a bit of a classic. My hands never got on with them was much as some krabs (same with WC Wild Wires) although I still have a few on my 'England rack' (which resides in my parents' attic for when I'm in the UK) and actually they work perfectly well - perhaps I'm just getting better at clipping with old age.

They suit my chubby fingers really well
 gethin_allen 28 Feb 2014
In reply to timjones:

> They suit my chubby fingers really well

They suited my wallet really well when I was buying my rack, £8 a QuickDraw can't be bad.
 timjones 28 Feb 2014
In reply to gethin_allen:

> They suited my wallet really well when I was buying my rack, £8 a QuickDraw can't be bad.

I was going to highlight that advantage but didn't want to sound too tight
In reply to dutybooty:

> Does the format of lots of videos bother anyone? Rather than an actual article you can read?

It is sooo easy to shoot a video, just have a look at youtube...
In reply to gethin_allen:

> A short something to tie everything together would be good but it doesn't really bother me.I would however like to have sound on all the vids.

There is a sound problem on some of the videos (the ones I edited!) since they have only one channel and I think this might be giving a few people problems in playback. They do have sound though but it may be that some people can't hear it.

Regarding the video format: the big thing about trade shows for us is getting product designers and developers talking about their products. These people are far more knowledgeable about the products than your average shop staff and the videos are a great way of getting the conversations we share with these people, out to the buying public. I don't think we could do this as effectively with text although it would probably be easier for us in terms of actual workload.

Alan
 petellis 03 Mar 2014
In reply to UKC Gear:
I just love Steve Haston's grivel videos, the wooden screen persona just seems to work. I can see it being useful in those "one quickdraw from a nasty injury" moments.

I don't like all these reviews being as videos, what happened to some nice pictures and text? I know its catering for short attention spans but it would take much longer to watch all the vids. You can actually have a good look at how it works with a nice hi-res picture.
Post edited at 11:31
 JayPee630 03 Mar 2014
In reply to petellis:

Agree, I much rather text and pictures. I don't watch the videos usually.
 Tom F Harding 04 Mar 2014
In reply to UKC Gear:

Few more interesting products from companies that don't advertise through UKC

Beal Water resistant/proof ropes;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hendrikmorkel/12477828124/

CASSIN Bladerunner crampons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hendrikmorkel/12477859064/

Petzl DJINN quickdraws
http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/non-locking-carabiners/djinn-axess

weird Austrialpine fifty:fifty autolock karabiner
http://www.austrialpin.at/klettern/autolock-karabiner/fifty-fifty.aspx

ISPO award winning MSR Revo snowshoes
http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2014/02/01/msr-revo-explore-snowshoes-gain...

Hydrogen fuel cell charger from MyFC
www.powertrekk.com



 Jack Geldard 04 Mar 2014
In reply to The_flying_climber:

Yes, a few interesting links there Flying Climber. Just to put you right though:

> Few more interesting products from companies that don't advertise through UKC

> Beal Water resistant/proof ropes;

Beal Advertise on UKC

> CASSIN Bladerunner crampons

Cassin Advertise on UKC

> Petzl DJINN quickdraws

> weird Austrialpine fifty:fifty autolock karabiner

Austria Alpin advertise on UKC and we already covered that product last year: http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=5646

> ISPO award winning MSR Revo snowshoes

MSR advertise on UKC

> Hydrogen fuel cell charger from MyFC

This looks interesting, thanks for linking it. I am afraid we didn't spot it at the show. There is only around 6 football pitches worth of stands...! They are amazing these shows, so huge. The skateboarding section at ISPO is one of the most mental things I have seen for a while.

Cheers,

Jack
 TobyA 04 Mar 2014
In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor:

> Austria Alpin advertise on UKC and we already covered that product last year: http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=5646

I had a go on Sunday with a mate's pair of Austri Alpin's top of the range ice tools - slightly bizarre (or at least very funky) looking but climbed very well. A novel one to include if you do a review of super-tech ice tools next winter like you suggested with the BDs.
 Jack Geldard 04 Mar 2014
In reply to TobyA:

Yes, could be a good idea Toby, we will need to do another ice axe review next year by the look of all the new products!

I have just reviewed the Cassin Blade Runner crampons (mentioned above by Flying Climber) as part of a big crampon comparison. Looking forward to publishing that soon.

Jack

 jimtitt 04 Mar 2014
In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

I don´t watch videos either so the message doesn´t get over no matter how knowledgeable the people are.
Pictures and text tell us what expert, independent journalists think of a product in a few well chosen sentences as their professional training allows them to sift out the grains of truth in an objective manner from the umms, errs and bullshit.
 Tom F Harding 04 Mar 2014
In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor:

Genuine apologies Jack I should have done a proper search on UKC first. I love the outdoor shows and seeing the new gear so always have a good trawl around other websites to find it all. I can understand why UKC doesn't put it all in the article. Particularly stuff like snowshoes as they seem to be very rarely used in the UK.
In reply to jimtitt:

> I don´t watch videos either so the message doesn´t get over no matter how knowledgeable the people are.

> Pictures and text tell us what expert, independent journalists think of a product in a few well chosen sentences as their professional training allows them to sift out the grains of truth in an objective manner from the umms, errs and bullshit.

That would be gear reviews you are talking about. These show articles are just snapshots of some of the best stuff that we see in the 6 football pitches (actually Jack it is 10 at ISPO) of hangars. Many of the items we cover will feature again on UKC in short advertorial pieces, and others will also be given full reviews.

Alan
 dutybooty 04 Mar 2014
In reply to JayPee630:

> Agree, I much rather text and pictures. I don't watch the videos usually.

Thats basically what I was trying to say
 dutybooty 04 Mar 2014
In reply to UKC Gear:

And as for the difference between a review and an introduction, I agree exactly. But I'd rather read the manufacturers bumph in text form rather than in a video. For example instead of video on Thor Biners, it could be:

Thor Biners, snapgates with 30 odd kN breaking strength (like I say, haven't watch the video) perfect for blah blah blah and throw in a few pretty pictures.

Takes up less bandwith, less server space and gives us the snapshot without having to trawl through 1:38 of video.

In reply to dutybooty:

> And as for the difference between a review and an introduction, I agree exactly. But I'd rather read the manufacturers bumph in text form rather than in a video. For example instead of video on Thor Biners, it could be:

> Thor Biners, snapgates with 30 odd kN breaking strength (like I say, haven't watch the video) perfect for blah blah blah and throw in a few pretty pictures.

> Takes up less bandwith, less server space and gives us the snapshot without having to trawl through 1:38 of video.

Actually photos would take up much more of our bandwidth since the videos are on Vimeo. I accept the feedback that we could add some more text around videos to enable people to assess whether they want to watch them or not. We can try and do more of that in future.

We will not be dropping the videos though. They are one of the most successful things that UKC has ever done in terms of helping our advertisers communicate with their public and virtually all other web sites are following our lead now. We used to be the only ones with cameras at the big trade shows.

Our videos get embedded all over the place and build up many thousands of views over time. As I have said above, they are incredibly effective at letting people hear the people who design and make the gear, talk about their gear.

Alan

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