UKC

Climbing Hardware Report Ispo 2014

© UKC Gear

It's the report everyone has been waiting for... climbing hardware!

UKC and UKH were recently at ISPO; the huge outdoor tradeshow in Munich to check out all the latest shiny gear. We have reported on Mountain Clothing and Footwear already, and now we get to grips with the tough stuff - climbing gear.

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...

Thor Quickdraw from DMM

David Noddings shows us the super strong Thor from DMM. This is DMM doing what they do best, making brilliant carabiners. The Thor looks set to be a huge sucess, and we have some coming in to UKC for a gear review soon.

The quickdraws are £16.50 and will be available in spring / summer 2014.

 

Bouldering Pads from Petzl

Clive Allen introduces these very well thought out bouldering pads from top brand Petzl. As you would expect they are top end, with a great cover feature to keep your back / car clean after a muddy session. These pads are available in autumn / winter 2014.

Rappel Kit from Mammut

The £175 rappel kit from Mammut features a rappel bag (a small bag for the rope), a 6mm rappel cord (a super lightweight rope), a small figure of 8 abseil device called a Nano 8, and a carabiner for the device (a Wall Micro Oval).

This kit is perfect for ski tourers who might need to do a short abseil to pass a cliff. It could also be handy for hiking / scrambling.

Mammut Rappel Kit  © UKC Gear
Mammut Rappel Kit
© UKC Gear

Twin Gate Carabiner from Grivel

This interesting carabiner will cost £11 and is due to come out in autumn / winter 2014. It's a tricky one to explain, but has two gates instead of one, preventing accidental gate opening. To explain further, here is a video from Grivel:

Grivel Twin gate carabiner  © UKC Gear
Grivel Twin gate carabiner
© UKC Gear

The Tech Machine from Grivel

Steve Roberts shows us the Machine series of ice axes from Grivel. Check out that Machine 3.0! Awesome. These beauties will be available next winter. Keep your eye on the UKC Gear Pages for a review.

The Beast Lite from Edelrid

Simon Brown shows us the very nifty Beast Lite Crampons from Edelrid, these crampons won an ISPO award this year. Time and again Edelrid are coming out with great looking products, and it is always interesting to drop by their stand at the tradeshows.

Corbie 8.6mm from Edelrid

Already featured last year on UKC and in our Friedrichshafen 2013 report,  it is worth mentioning the Corbie ropes again from Edelrid, as they are now available. Here Alistair Patrick gives us the low down:

Cassin Warden from CAMP

Isacco Codega shows us something a little bit different. The Warden harness from CAMP is a big wall climbing specific harness, with additional tie in points for daisy chains. It looks comfy, that's for sure!

The Fuel ice tool from Black Diamond

This very sexy ice tool is 40g lighter than the Black Diamond Fusion, it is aimed more at ice climbing than the Fusion. With a redesign in terms of pick angle, and handle, this looked really good, and we are very keen to get this out on the ice ASAP. It will be available next winter. It seems as though UKC are going to have to put together a huge Ice Axe comparison with all these new tools available!

Fuel Ice Tool from Black Diamond  © UKC Gear
Fuel Ice Tool from Black Diamond
© UKC Gear




28 Feb, 2014
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!
28 Feb, 2014
The Thor is impressively strong but if you're generating 28kn at a QD you may have bigger problems than a broken krab :(
28 Feb, 2014
And aren't Mammut selling a bit of rope and a couple of bits of hardware in a stuff sac for £175!?
28 Feb, 2014
I like the twin gate
28 Feb, 2014
I think that's what they said, I had to go and each my ears out ;)
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Product News at UKC presents climbing, walking and mountaineering equipment posts that will be of interest to our readers. Please feel free to comment about the post and products on the associated thread.
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