Knowledge

Carabiners and potential rope damage

There is an important reason when using quickdraws, for being consistent in which carabiner of the pair is used for clipping the protection. Failing to do so could mean damaging your rope or worse.

Anodising

Anodising combines nature with science by thickening and toughening the naturally occurring protective oxide layer on the surface of the aluminium alloys used in manufacturing our climbing hardware. One of the key benefits of this process is greatly increasing the life-span of the product.

Happy landings

It might seem like a no-brainer, but landing safely from a boulder problem is not always an easy task.

• bouldering

How to Break Nylon & Dyneema® Slings

Nylon (polyamide) and Dyneema®/Spectra®/Dynatec (polyethylene) are two synthetic raw materials used in the manufacture of slings and quickdraws. Understanding the properties and differences of these man-made fibres will guide us to best practice at the crag for using such products. The accompanying video compares how the elasticity affects the strength of nylon and Dyneema® slings, and the effect if you put a knot in the sling.

The Boa - ideal winter biner

Rocio Siemens is a freelance mountaineering instructor based in North Wales and has recently been accepted on to the British Mountain Guide scheme. She regularly puts our kit through its paces in the course of her work and climbing for herself. Rocio sent us a short piece outlining why her Boa biners are so handy in winter:

• winter