A while back I left a top roping rig at the top of my local crag.  It was stupid to forget it up there but it was starting to rain and I thought Ben had grabbed it and Ben thought I had grabbed it.  All in all I lost four lockers and some nice Sterling 6 mil PowerCord, which by the way is pretty awesome.  Not exactly the end of the world but not exactly cheap either.  Since then, every time I’ve been climbing I’ve felt like I was short a locker or two, which is easily remedied by two opposing regular ‘biners, but it still would have been nice to have the extra locking carabiners.

So I finally got off my rear and went to REI to pick up a few lockers.  Picking out locking carabiners is actually a non-trivial event for a climber because by virtue of having to use a locking carabiner you are signifying that what you are doing is especially important and it needs to be more secure than what a regular ‘biner can provide.  Whether that is building a top roping anchor, belaying a partner or tying into a glacier rig, you are using a locking carabiner because the extra security of locker is important.

Having said that, here are a few things to keep in mind when you are picking out new locking carabiners.

Not all screwgates are created equal, some are a lot smoother than others.  I play around with the actual ‘biner I’m going to buy to make sure it is easy to lock/unlock with one hand and to make sure the screwgate doesn’t get easily stuck at the top or bottom.

Check the diameter of the ’biner.  A rope will run smoother around a fatter ’biner but in general fatter ’biners weigh more and an ounce here, an ounce there and all of sudden your overnight pack is 65 lbs.

Look at the basket of the ‘biner and see if it is wide enough to properly hold a clove hitch with your rope.  Remember a clove hitch requires a flat surface to be full strength.  So for a clove hitch, this is a good ‘biner (link) while this is “less good”  ‘biner (link).  If you don’t know the parts of a carabiner the American Alpine Institute has good article. (link)

What about auto-locking carabiners (link) to use with our belay device?  The simple answer is don’t event think about getting them.  Not only are they are a pain in the butt to use once they get “in the real world” but what is a dealbreaker for me is that even the slightest bit of ice will render these absolutely useless.  While on the topic of ice and ‘biners, my quick tip of the day is, in cold weather with screwgate locking carabiners, tighten the screwgate and then back it off half a turn.  This should help prevent the ‘biner from freezing shut.

Well, I think that is all I’ve got to say about locking carabiners.  If you have any questions or if I’ve missed something feel free to drop a comment.

This is a follow up to my Rock Climbing Christmas Gifts list.  Even though I am a full grown adult I still love window shopping at REI and making a Christmas wish list.  So here are my top 7 ice climbing Christmas gifts.

1. Black Diamond Crampon Bag – Crampons are sharp and I once had one rip my puffy jacket.  I was so incredibly pissed that I immediately went out and bought this bag, ‘nuf said.  If your special someone has an Osprey pack then this Osprey specific one is much better. (link
2. Jetboil - Can someone say hot cocoa while taking a break from ice climbing?  This is the perfect ice climbing gift to make him all warm on the inside. (Hardy har har, I made a funny)
3. BD Express Ice Screws – I like the 16mm ones but that is just me.  Some say diamonds are forever… I say Black Diamond’s ice screws are forever and he’ll thank you when he’s at the top of a super long pitch and has that one extra peice of gear.
4. Petzl Charlet Caritool – These things are awesome.  They make carrying ice screws a helluva lot easier and in my opinion anything that makes ice climbing easier is a good gift.
5. Arc’Teryx R320 Harness – I mentioned this on my rock climbing gift list and I mention it here because it is just that good.
6. Smartwool Mountaineer Socks – As a kid my parents would joke about getting me socks as a Christmas present.  Now I would love to get these socks as a stocking stuffer. (Hardy har har, I made another funny)  Also silk liners are great.
7. OR Crocodile Gaiters – Gaiters get torn up pretty easily.  Mine are literally held together by duct tape and superglue.  Be a pal and give him a new set of gaiters.

I’m a climber and I know I would love any of these Christmas gifts.  If you have any other great ideas for ice climbing gifts feel free to drop a comment ’cause I’d love to hear them.

So you want to get the perfect Christmas gift for that special rock climber?  You have to be careful with rock climbing gear because some of it is intensely personal and shouldn’t be bought by anyone but the climber.  Here are 7 surefire hits under the tree

1. Petzl Reverso 3 Belay Device – I won’t retire a perfectly good belay device to upgrade to the latest greatest toy even though I really want it.  This is a pure luxury gift and he will absolutely love it.
2. Climb On Handbar – This stuff heals all the nicks and cuts that are inevitable with climbing.  It’s perfect stocking stuffer.
3. Metolius PAS Daisy Chain – This is by far the safest daisy chain out there.  If he has any other type, be a pal and replace it with this one.
4. Arc’Teryx R320 Harness or Black Diamond Momentum Harness – If you really want to make a climber happy then this Arc’Teryx harness will be sure to put on a smile on his face and a bulge in his pants.  Then again the BD Momentum harness is a great gift for those without buckets of money to blow.
5. Metolius Stomp Crash Pad – Crash pads wear out but it’s really hard to justify replacing them.  If I found a new crash pad under the tree I’d be stoked.
6. Petzl e+LITE Headlamp – Dude, it sucks to get lost in the woods in the dark.  After one such “adventure” I bought the e+LITE, threw it in my bag and vowed it would never happen again.  This is the perfect rock climbing gift for the “worrying” type of mother!
7. Dyna-Flex Hand Strengthener – It’s just flat out cool.  Check it out.

I’m a climber and I know I would love any of these Christmas gifts.  If you have any other great ideas for rock climbing gifts feel free to drop a comment ’cause I’d love to hear them.

Also, check out my ice climbing Christmas gift list.

Today the world’s financials markets blew up.  I should know because I had a front row seat.  Tomorrow may be worse but we’ll take it a day at a time.

Coincidentally another major company blew up recently, or more specifically threw in the towel.  Grivel North America is no more. (link) They cited this reason:

Grivel North America ceased distributing Grivel products on September 1st, 2008. We did our best over the last few years to keep the company alive but the flagging US economy and the Euro’s strength against the dollar prevented us from doing so.

While my wallet is hurting from the financials markets blowing up, my heart is hurting because Grivel is no more.  I really do love my Grivel G12 crampons.

I recently had the opportunity to test a pair of CU belay glasses made by a German company called Power’n Play.  The general idea behind the belay glasses is to be able to watch the climber without craning your neck for extended periods.  Power’n Play did this using prisms that bend the light and allow you to see ‘up’ without looking ‘up’.  It is actually quite ingenious to use prisms because the image is not flipped like it is when you use a mirror.

I’ll be honest, at first I thought the CU belay glasses were a little gimmicky but Power’n Play wanted me to give them a review so with an open mind I took them to Shortoff Mountain to give them a go.

My feelings on the glasses are mixed.  These glasses are not toys or cheaply made.  When I first put them on I laughed out loud because the optics were so clean and crisp.  It was kind of cool to be able to see the rock face without craning my neck.  I was also very impressed by the construction of the glasses which is absolutely bomber and they can without a doubt stand up to the rigors of climbing.  I’ll give it to the Germans, they certainly know how to engineer some spectacular stuff.

I belayed my partner on the first pitch which gave me a good opportunity to try the glasses in action.  The field of view is such that they aren’t particularly helpful until the climber is maybe 30 feet off the deck.  After that I popped on the glasses and relaxed while comfortably watching my partner thrash & dangle his way up the line.  Because the optics are so clear and there is no mirroring effect, once you get used to them you forget you’re wearing them at all.

About halfway through the pitch the sun came around corner and created some pretty nasty glare on the shiny metal frames.  It was really kind of aggravating because the sun was shining on my right side and it wouldn’t have been in my eyes if I wasn’t wearing the glasses.  On the plus side the glasses didn’t magnify the sun’s rays and blind me, so I guess I had that going for me.

Besides the glare, the only other downside that I noticed while wearing the CU belay glasses was that I had trouble determining how much slack was in the rope.  Normally I look at the droop in the rope to know whether I need to give or take.  While wearing the glasses I couldn’t do that.  I often found myself with too little or too much rope out which was bad for me and my partner.

After testing the CU belay glasses I would give these a strong recommendation but only in certain situations.  If you are going to be working a hard route on top rope for hours while your belay slave is holding your hang dogging bones between thrashes & dangles, I would highly recommend these glasses for the comfort of the belayer.  If you are going trad climbing where you will be climbing up and down and need your belayer to manage the rope as much as possible, then I would leave the glasses at home.

Pros:

• Bomber construction
• Sharp optics
• Really comfortable
• Perfect for gym climbers

Cons:

• Glare from the sun
• Trouble judging rope slack

Power’n Play