Belay glasses seem to be all the rage at the moment. They’re a save-all for your neck, according to the manufacturers and thankfully the cost of a pair has reduced dramatically in recent times. Today we review the Climbing Frog brand of belay glasses, which come in at less than half the price of some premium brands (with 10% off for 10 of our readers, so get in quick). But… do you get less bang for your buck or are these a winning pair of neck-saving specs? Beth and Emily from Womenclimb both tried them out independently; it’s time to find out their verdict:
FrictionLabs is a US based climbing chalk company currently boasting to have manufactured the highest purity of magnesium carbonate chalk on the market. “Why is this so great?!”I hear you ask. Well, chalk is a combination of magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate. The former traps moisture, leaving surfaces dry and the latter attaches water to the outside of the molecule, leaving surfaces moist. It is claimed by the team at FrictionLabs that this makes their chalk last longer, safer to inhale and is less likely to dry out the skin.
Very soon the UK is getting Friction Labs' new chalk products. We've got our hands on some to test out and give you the lowdown. Our tester, Beth gives her fully tested review of the chalk ball, followed here by her review of the full fantastical selection of loose chalk. It's true, there are many types of chalk. We never knew, but we do now and so can you:
A trad rack of assorted anodised and non-anodised nuts, cams, slings, carabiners and more!
Is there a difference between anodised and non-anodised climbing gear? If you've been into a climbing shop recently or been trad climbing you will probably have seen loads of nuts hanging around - some just silver and others in bright shiny colours. The coloured ones may look very nice, but why would you spend extra money on anodised climbing nuts or anodised friends/ camming devices?
Photo: Paramo I'm only a recent convert to Paramo clothing - let's face it many of their jackets look like they're better suited to bird watching than mountaineering, even if they are technically capable of the latter. Less fashionable, more older-ramblers attire. However,...
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Love: The colour!What it’s best at: Lightweight waterproof for spring, summer and autumn - cragging and scrambling.
What could be better: Zips
In 2011, I went to South Africa for two months (in their summer), and I knew I would be outside all day so when looking for a suntan lotion I knew I would have to get something heavy duty. If you're planning on In the past...
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