17 September, 2019
Emma Twyford has become the first British female to attain the magic 9a grade with the third ascent of The Big Bang at Pen Trwyn in north Wales.
06 January, 2019
In August 2018, Robbie Phillips, Calum Cunningham and Alan Carne established a new route on Tsaranoro Atsimo in Madagascar. Attempting the free ascent things didn’t go according to plan.
30 November, 2018
Before his accident, Paul Pritchard lived for establishing difficult and adventurous new routes. This August he rediscovered that first ascent feeling.
12 September, 2018
For Angus Kille his ascent of Trauma is the realisation of an ambition that began with a formative climbing experience on that same crag.
25 July, 2018
DMM iD continues to evolve and we are now pleased to announce that the first patent on our system has been granted.
20 June, 2018
It’s not every day that a professor calls you up and asks you to set-up some ropes on an unclimbed mountain in Mozambique.
15 June, 2018
At the traditional outdoor industry gathering that is the OutDoor show in Friedrichshafen DMM will be announcing several exciting new products and updates.
13 April, 2018
Glenmore Lodge and DMM are pleased to announce a new partnership.
26 January, 2018
DMM will be exhibiting its latest products and developments from Jan 28 - 31.
Exiting Lexington Airport from the UK we were greeted by clinging humidity and the white noise of cicadas. It felt more exotic than I expected.
DMM will be taking ownership of the Stal Climbing brand.
11 July, 2017
Ben Bransby has set himself the challenge of being the first person to climb every route on Stanage, about 1417 by his reckoning. This extensive gritstone edge is arguably the UK’s most popular crag. He has only got another 339 routes to go but it includes two E8s.
18 June, 2017
DMM is at the 24th OutDoor Friedrichshafen trade show introducing its latest products and developments. Highlights include large sized Dragon Cams, the Ceros directional belay carabiner and a new clothing range.
15 May, 2017
James McHaffie and Dan Varian establish a major new multi-pitch route on Skye’s Coir’-Uisg Buttress. Initially attempted onsight, Moonrise Kingdom (E9 6b, 6c, 6a/b), turned out to be a far more difficult proposition than anticipated.
26 March, 2017
DMM's new dynamic rope range includes single and half ropes with optimised features to match their intended use, covering indoor, sport, trad and winter climbing.
23 March, 2017
A study that was part of an expedition to Dhaulagiri (8167m) last May, has shown that climbing above 4,000m can provoke abnormal heart rhythms in otherwise healthy mountaineers, with the abnormalities increasing with altitude.
22 March, 2017
Alex Luger and Hanno Schluge add two new winter routes to Switzerland's Val Ferrera: The Winners Lose it All Some Day (WI5 M6) and Piece of Mind (WI5+ M6). The latter in particular comes recommended.
13 February, 2017
Previously Angus Kille had sent us a dispatch from Yangshuo but unusually chilly and damp weather meant it wasn't long before he was heading to Laos.
23 January, 2017
On his return from a month sport climbing in Spain, McHaffie wasted no time in switching to adventurous trad mode, with the first ascent of Nightmare Inauguration (E8 6b), at Porth Dafarch South on Anglesey.
16 January, 2017
Ahead of the new North Wales Bouldering guidebook, Pete Robins has waged a prolific campaign of first ascents. Last week he added two grade 8’s to his already impressive tally of over a 100 new problems in the past two years alone.
21 December, 2016
Angus Kille (pronounced with a silent 'e') is currently taking a couple of months out from life in north Wales to climb in South East Asia. He began his tour with a visit to China's best-known sport climbing destination, Yangshuo, and shares his impressions.
08 December, 2016
The charity, Climbing for All Sheffield, was established this summer to provide the opportunity for people with disabilities to try climbing. Based at The Foundry indoor climbing wall, the activity has the benefits of improving strength, coordination and self-esteem.
28 October, 2016
DMM is proud to have attained the Investors in People (IIP) gold standard, joining the top seven percent of accredited organisations across the UK.
24 September, 2016
James McHaffie has climbed a striking highball arete, that is up there with the best of north Wales’ boulder problems. The Devil’s Blade (8A/+), is situated in a fine mountain setting, on an isolated block at the back of Cwm Idwal.
09 August, 2016
Earlier this year Pete Robins visited South Africa as part of the BMC/Mountain Club of South Africa trad climbing exchange. Having spent the last five years mainly sport climbing and bouldering it was a trad renaissance for Pete. In this long-read he shares his experience of the exchange and perspective on UK and South African trad climbing.
04 August, 2016
After repeated visits over three seasons to Gimmelwald in Switzerland, Andy Winterleitner climbs his first 9a with a redpoint of Jungfrau Marathon.
02 August, 2016
Anna Wells decided that California and Yosemite's granite big walls would be the perfect way to spend a month between the end of university and graduation. However, she'd never been big walling before.
08 July, 2016
Following the discovery of missing structural sewing on a DMM harness we are issuing this Request for User Inspection.
15 June, 2016
Gareth 'Gaz' Leah and Mexican big wall veteran, Sergio 'Tiny' Almada, have established a 15 pitch route, Nubivagant 5.13d/A0 (F8b), up the striking Pico Cão Grande on the African island of São Tomé and Príncipe.
14 June, 2016
Ben Silvestre, Pete Graham and Will Harris make the first British ascent of the committing Infinite Spur on the South Face of Sultana (Mount Foraker) in Alaska. This aesthetic line rises as an arete for around 2700 metres from the bergschrund to the South Summit (5124 m) of Sultana.
12 June, 2016
Over two afternoons in north Wales, Alex Megos left local Parisella Cave dwellers standing in awe as he climbed five 8B's, and a new 8B+ link-up with Louis Armstrong into Halfway House.
23 May, 2016
James McHaffie and Ryan Pasquill's first route on the Isle of Arran is one they'll be sure to remember, with an onsight of The Great Escape (E8 6b, 6c, 6b) on The Bastion, just below the summit of Cioch na h-Oighe.
16 May, 2016
James McHaffie has made the first ascent of the well-eyed line up the slabby face between the top pitch of Direct Route and Crosstie, on The Nose of Dinas Mot, to give what is likely to be the hardest pitch of climbing in the Llanberis Pass.
04 May, 2016
British alpinists, Ben Silvestre, Will Harris and Peter Graham have embarked on a six week trip to the Central Alaska Range with new route objectives and an attempt on Mount Foraker's Infinite Spur in mind.
25 April, 2016
McHaffie continues his new route spree in north Wales with House of Talons (E9 6c) on Dinas Cromlech in the Llanberis Pass. Aside from the big grade the protection is also notable in that 12 skyhooks were used to protect the insecure climbing.
10 April, 2016
Eighteen years after the accident that left Paul Pritchard partially paralysed he returned to climb the Totem Pole and close a chapter on his life.
29 March, 2016
A British services expedition will conduct pioneering medical research into the effects of altitude on the human body as they attempt to climb the world's 7th highest peak, Dhaulagiri (8167 m).
25 March, 2016
James 'Caff' McHaffie clearly has new routes on his mind at the moment. Following on from his recent first ascent of The Gravity Wave (E8 6c) at Trearddur Bay, he has established two more hard trad routes.
02 March, 2016
The Dragon Cam now has increased holding power thanks to TripleGrip lobes and greater contact area. All based on the original concept of the dual axle, single stem design with 13.75° cam angle and extendable sling.
15 February, 2016
James McHaffie climbs a striking new line, The Gravity Wave (E8 6c), at Trearddur Bay, Anglesey. A counter diagonal to Chicama on the 'Face of Adversity'.
22 January, 2016
Nick Bullock is on a DMM tour of north-east USA ice-festivals. Starting in Adirondack he picked his way up Ice Storm (NEI 5+ M6) on his second day out.
10 December, 2015
Tying-in with the 50th anniversary of the much-loved book, Rock Climbers in Action in Snowdonia, together with a recently published new edition, John Cleare will be giving a presentation at LLAMFF 2016.
18 November, 2015
Over twelve days Alexandra Schweikart and Christopher Igel fulfilled a dream with their free ascent of the 35-pitch El Corazón (5.13b) on El Capitan in Yosemite.
10 November, 2015
DMM recently demonstrated RFID (radio frequency identification) technology integrated into metal products as small as carabiners, with one of the benefits being enhanced traceability.
06 November, 2015
Sam Bendroth and Bayard Russell returned to the remote 1,300-foot Blow Me Down sea cliff in Newfoundland to complete a 12-pitch new route; Betrayer of Hope (5.12a).
11 October, 2015
A highlight of Andrew Cherry and Stefan Morris' Scandinavian road-trip was an ascent of the 600 metre Storpillaren (N7/E5 6a, 600 m) on Vågakallen's north face, Lofoten Islands, Norway.
24 September, 2015
Further to our carabiner recall notice and returns procedure, here is some information that reflects our knowledge of the current situation.
18 September, 2015
Further to our September 14th 2015 Product Recall Notice please find additional information on how customers can return any potentially faulty carabiners in their possession to DMM.
17 September, 2015
Chris Igel versus the Legoland splitter roof crack in Valle Dell'Orco. A route dubbed the little sister of Yosemite's famous Separate Reality.
14 September, 2015
DMM are issuing a product recall, subject to user inspection.
11 September, 2015
DMM Product Recall 14/09/2015 – We are issuing a recall, subject to user inspection on certain locking carabiners
21 August, 2015
Fired up from a family trip to the Frankenjura in June, it wasn't long after getting home before the 12 year-old American climber, Jonathan Hörst, sent his third 8b+/5.14a.
31 July, 2015
Lucy Creamer fights her way up Point Blank (E8 6c). It’d been five years since she’d last visited Pembroke and done very little trad climbing since then. Read her account.
15 July, 2015
DMM's state-of-the-art belay device, the Pivot, wins an Industry Award at OutDoor Friedrichshafen. It was judged to be outstanding in its degree of innovation, functionality, design and workmanship.
DMM is showcasing its latest range of products at the OutDoor 2015 trade show. The eye-catching next generation Dragon Cams are on show for the first time, along with the Vault for racking ice-screws and tools, plus the new rope range.
01 July, 2015
Charlie Woodburn has been making the most of his move from Bristol to the Lake District. At the weekend he headpointed Birkett's Impact Day, nowadays considered E8 6c, on Pavey Ark.
27 June, 2015
James McHaffie's week in the Mournes has finished on a high with a no-falls ground-up second ascent of Ricky Bell's The Peace Line (E8 6c) at the Buzzard's Roost. Plus Ricky has updated us with details of his new E8 at the crag from a few days earlier.
24 June, 2015
Even by Alex Megos' standards he has had an amazing 2015 and we're only half-way through it. Kicking off in late January with Lucid Dreaming (V15/8C), he continued to make the headlines as he visited Japan and Australia. Now back home in the Frankenjura, and having had time to catch his breath, we asked Alex a few questions.
23 June, 2015
James McHaffie and Ryan Pasquill have repeated Divided Years (E8 7a) ground-up. Established by John Dunne in 1995 the route is one of the UK's most striking and famous hard trad routes.
01 June, 2015
Mike ‘Twid’ Turner and Tim Blakemore have reported climbing a significant new line on North Triple Peak (2560 m) in the Kichatna Range, Alaska. The 800 metre No Country for Old Men (ED AI6) was climbed in a 24-hour push up and down the mountain.
26 May, 2015
Felix Neumärker repeats To tu ještě nebylo (9a) in the Czech Republic followed two days later by the legendary Frankenjura route, Action Direct (9a).
28 April, 2015
In spring 2013, a group of climbers from Austria, Switzerland and Germany, visited DMM to experience north Wales' trad climbing ethic and enjoy the wide variety of crags. Here are their thoughts on the trip.
10 April, 2015
James McHaffie and Pete Robins, have made the second ascent of the remarkable Coeur de Lion E8 7a on the Quarryman Wall, 28 years after it was established by Johnny Dawes.
08 April, 2015
Archie Ball, who turned thirteen in January has headpointed the bold Dinorwig Quarry route, My Halo (E7 6b). A route that sees very few onsights, Archie happily acknowledges that headpointed with the gear pre-placed makes it more akin to E5/6 climbing.
31 March, 2015
Having made the third ascent of Megalopa (8c+), at Lower Pen Trwyn, James McHaffie can cross off one of his goals for 2015. Megalopa breaks out right of The Walking Mussel (8b+). The new North Wales Limestone guidebook describes the 2011 route as turning: "…an already brilliant tussle into another stratosphere of quality and difficulty."
17 March, 2015
Guntram Jörg was recently over in the UK for a few days . He made the most of his first visit competing at CWIF, climbing on the grit and in north Wales.
25 January, 2015
Pete Harrison and Si Frost's new Clogwyn Du route The Charlatan (IX 9), didn't have to wait long for a second ascent. Dave Garry was given a day off work at DMM - advantage of working for a climbing company that understands you have to grab Welsh winter conditions when you can - and headed up to the crag with Dave Almond early on Friday morning.
09 January, 2015
Albert Wenk has seen huge changes in the outdoor trade during his 40 years of working in the business. While at Mammut he introduced the forerunner of 'soft shell' fabric to climbing and Duodess ropes. Since leaving there in 2009 he has worked as DMM's Swiss agent.
30 December, 2014
As ambassadors for Escalando Fronteras, Tiffany Hensley and Gareth Leah, packed their van nicknamed Wall-E and headed south to Mexico to help with the initiative and develop climbing in Monterrey.
29 December, 2014
Jemma Powell rounded off her Christmas nicely with an ascent of the Llanberis Pass 8A problem, Stoned Temple Pilots. This puts Jemma firmly in a select group of women who have climbed Font 8A or above in the UK.
20 November, 2014
Video by Petra and Heiko Queitsch of bouldering in the high-alpine setting around the Susten and Grimsel Pass in central Switzerland.
04 November, 2014
Dave Garry and Dave Almond have recently climbed what they believe to be two new mixed lines on the south-east face of the Aiguille du Midi above the Cunningham Couloir. Although short, they are similar in character to the routes across the couloir on the north-west face.
30 October, 2014
Lovely video by Keith Ball featuring his ascent of the Grand Pilier d'Angle (4243 m), on the south side of Mont Blanc, with Nick Bullock and Tim Neill this summer.
20 October, 2014
For the past few years Lucy Creamer has been struggling to climb because of a shoulder injury that in the end needed surgery. But it looks like those days are finally behind her with a recent 8a onsight in Kalymnos.
13 October, 2014
DMM has taken delivery of a new Mazak Nexus 4000-III CNC machine that will dramatically increase its capacity for the precision machining of forged components.
03 October, 2014
Emma Twyford has continued her run of good form with an ascent of Strawberries (E7 6b) at Tremadog's Craig Bwlch y Moch but it wasn't without a battle.
02 October, 2014
In May this year, Alex Luger added the bold and technical Psychogramm (8b+) to the Bürser Platte (Vorarlberg); in a similar trad style to its famous right-hand neighbour, Prinzip Hoffnung (8b/+, E9/10) - Alex repeated that route at the end of 2009. A video of the lead-up to the route and Alex's first ascent is now online.
29 September, 2014
Four of the 2014 BMC Youth Climbing Series (YCS) Final winners at Ratho enjoyed a day in north Wales with climbing coach and top climber, James McHaffie.
25 September, 2014
Olly Sanders and Liam Fleming have recently returned from a successful expedition and fantastic adventure, combining kayaking around the southernmost tip of Greenland with climbing two new alpine style rock routes.
24 September, 2014
Previously thwarted by the weather, Charlie Woodburn's perseverance in trying to repeat Dave Birkett's impressive Skye Wall (E8 6b), finally paid off, coming away with the second ascent.
15 September, 2014
Skiing may seem a long way removed from climbing equipment but the same technical skills in working with metal are necessary for bespoke products such as the DMM manufactured components used in these new Marker Kingpin tech ski bindings.
04 September, 2014
DMM are partnering with safety management software specialists, Papertrail, to easily record inspections of climbing and fall protection equipment.
01 September, 2014
Twelve year-old Archie Ball headpoints the Burbage South E6 6b, Life Assurance: an ambition of Archie's ever since watching an online video of 13 year-old Jim Pope's 2012 headpoint ascent. But it had its dramatic moments.
28 August, 2014
As part of their prize from DMM, three of the BMC Youth Climbing Series (YCS) 2014 Grand Final winners at EICA Ratho, got to enjoy a day at Pen Trwyn (Great Orme) with climbing coach and top climber, James McHaffie.
11 August, 2014
Emma Twyford becomes the first female to climb a British 8c with her ascent of Unjustified at Malham. It was a battle that began in 2011 with a two year break before her eventual success.
10 August, 2014
Pete Robins has opened his 'Diamond account' for this season in fine style; with the first ascent of The Pink Star (8c+). The route climbs probably the most obvious feature at the crag: a rising left-to-right crack through the arching steepness at the right hand-side of the cliff.
04 August, 2014
Charlie Woodburnis back from a fruitful couple of weeks enjoying some Irish trad climbing at Fairhead and the mini-Pembroke that is Ailladie (Burren), coming away with several classic E6's onsight, an E7 ground-up and a quick headpoint ascent of the Dark Side (E8 6c).
15 July, 2014
Pete Robins has added a new Font 8B to the Llanberis Pass, only the second at that grade in the valley, by climbing the obvious start from a sit-down at the foot of the hanging rib leading into Stoned Temple Pilots (8A) and finishing as for that problem.
10 July, 2014
DMM proudly showcases its latest products for 2014/15 at the OutDoor Friedrichshafen trade show. These new additions include three belay devices, a lightweight harness range, the Chimera biner and the eagerly awaited towable rope adjustment device, the Catch.
24 June, 2014
In an extraordinary effort, James McHaffie, has soloed 100 Lakeland extreme routes, up to E4, in a day. Starting with Central Buttress (E1) by headtorch at 3.40 a.m. he finished his hundredth route less than 20 hours later at Castle Rock.
20 June, 2014
Alex Megos' free ascent of the twenty-pitch Fly in the Lauterbrunnen valley, Switzerland, makes it one of the most difficult multi-pitch routes in the world.
27 May, 2014
Top German sport climber, Felix Neumärker, recently completed a long-standing project with the first redpoint ascent of Strandcafé (XIb/c), in his home area of Elbsandstein.
22 May, 2014
Nick Bullock made the most of this week's promised one day of good weather by getting even with Leigh McGinley's Box of Blood (E7 6b) at Craig Dorys on the Lleyn Peninsula.
15 May, 2014
Alex Luger has added his own bold and highly technical trad route to the Bürser Platte, Psychogramm (8b+), having previously made the second ascent of Prinzip Hofnung (8b/+) just over four years ago.
08 May, 2014
Gimme Kraft is a climbing training book that'll fire up the psych of even the most jaded wall rat. Its focus is "a well-balanced and long term performance gain" through a creative set of exercises. Alex Megos is one of the world-class climbers coached by the book's authors, Patrick Matros and Ludwig 'Dicki' Korb. Watch Alex putting his training to good use in the video of Alex's recent visit to the UK, taking part at CWIF and climbing at Malham and Raven Tor.
07 May, 2014
Esoteric but accessible might be the best way to describe the location of a new 7c slate groove climbed by Pete Robins...
26 April, 2014
When The Rock Bottom Line in Dinorwig Quarry was climbed it was tagged as Britain's longest sport route. But Ian Lloyd-Jones and his eleven year-old son's new six pitch addition to Twll Mawr can now lay claim to that title and with no climbing on it harder than F6c.
24 April, 2014
While on a recent family holiday in north Wales, Timo Zheng took the opportunity to call-in to DMM and claim his prize for winning the 2013 BMC Youth Climbing Series (Youth B category - born in 1998).
10 April, 2014
Thirty-five staff from the well-known outdoor retailer, Cotswold Outdoor, have been with us for a couple of days this week; for the first of two courses we're running along with Lyon Outdoor.
04 April, 2014
The pared down simplicity of bouldering is a world apart from winter climbing and not a transition that you'd imagine would be an easy one to make. But this past season, former GB bouldering squad member, Katy Forrester, swapped her crash pad for a pair of ice tools and crampons.
01 April, 2014
A short film about a boulderer completing a V3/4 traverse wouldn't normally draw much attention. But it becomes the exception when a paraclimber does it with literally only one leg and no prosthetic limb.
25 March, 2014
Ben Bransby has made the 2nd ascent of Pete Whittaker's Baron Greenback at Wimberry Rocks in the Peak District. The stunning line, up the arete of the narrow and overhanging prow in the middle of the crag, is protected by three very old (probably from the sixties) aid bolts close together on the steepest section.
20 March, 2014
Pete Robins undoubtedly deserves a campaign medal of some sorts for his continued efforts in adding new routes to the Ormes. This time it's two top-quality routes, an 8a+ and an 8b, both involving some burly roof climbing.
02 March, 2014
Drinking Port wine, surfing and deep water soloing may well be on your list of Portugese activities but ice climbing? Nah… they don't have ice climbing in Portugal or do they? Conditions can be fickle but Paulo Roxo proves that persistence pays dividends when it comes to Serra da Estrela winter climbing.
11 February, 2014
Nick Bullock reports that he has climbed his best route so far this winter… by mistake. In the process, Nick writes that himself and Tim Neill added two new pitches as a direct on the established climb Bruised Violet.
31 January, 2014
Peter Würth reports on his New Year trip to the granite bouldering area of Prilep in Macedonia.
25 January, 2014
Tim Neill and James McHaffie are back after a little over a month spent enjoying (?) the southern summer in Patagonia.
17 January, 2014
Alex Megos' trip reports always leave you a little bit in awe when you read how quickly he sends so many hard routes.
14 January, 2014
Writer and journalist, Ed Douglas, recently returned from an attempt to follow Shackleton's crossing of South Georgia's glaciers and mountains.
19 November, 2013
In 2011 Will Stanhope broke off part of the flake on the gritstone prow of Parthian Shot (E9). Ben Bransby was one of a number of top climbers who thought it had become unclimbable. But Ben Bransby has proved himself wrong.
18 November, 2013
After successfully overcoming the big wall difficulties of the South Tower of Paine's unclimbed southeast face, a storm on the final day prevented British climbers Mike ‘Twid’ Turner, Jerry Gore, Calum Muskett and French cameraman Raphael Jochaud from standing on the summit, only 100 metres of easy climbing away.
If you haven't picked up on it yet, Nick Bullock and Greg Boswell are making quite an impression out in the Canadian Rockies.
15 November, 2013
Two pegs in an obvious thin crack on The Promontory below Red Walls, marked an old Gogarth project that hadn't seen much attention for over twenty years, until James McHaffie's successful ascent of Satan's Scream (E8 6c).
05 November, 2013
Katy Whittaker is one of the newest members of the DMM Climbing Team and she recently sent us this update on her grit season
31 October, 2013
Alex Megos' plan for his Kalymnos trip was a relaxing vacation after a busy year, but that didn't seem to get in the way of him completing seventeen projects up to 8c+ and winning the North Face Festival PROject Competition.
24 October, 2013
Here are a couple of videos from Alex Megos' trip down-under… and lets just say he doesn't look weak.
11 October, 2013
DMM staff have been looking pretty in pink supporting our fund raising efforts for the charity, Against Breast Cancer, by buying a DMM Professional pink 'ribbon' t-shirt, with all proceeds going to the charity.
08 October, 2013
Big George Smith has been synonymous with exploring Anglesey's cliffs it feels like since the end of the Precambrian period; leaving a legacy of adventurous routes often through uncompromising territory. George's brief description of his newest addition, The Complete Works (E5 5b/c 90 ft), at the northern end of The Range probably says it all.
02 October, 2013
Also in the Ogwen and a couple of days before Emma Twyford's ascent of Rare Lichen hit the news, James McHaffie climbed the three-star Milestone Buttress project on the Central Block. Caff went back with Pete Robins a few days later who gave it a flash attempt with the gear pre-placed.
26 September, 2013
One of DMM's Polish distributors, Camper, along with four climbers they support in Poland, visited us in north Wales for a three-day 'behind the scenes' look at our prouducts, that of course included going climbing.
24 September, 2013
Emma Twyford's ascent of the bold Rare Lichen (E9 6c), on Clogwyn y Tarw (Gribin Facet) in the Ogwen Valley, means she joins a very select group of women who have climbed routes at this level of seriousness.
12 August, 2013
Back in July Alex Megos was making headlines again, this time with the fastest ascent to date of the world-famous problem, Wheel of Life V15, in Hollow Mountain Cave, Australia.
31 July, 2013
Pete Robins continues his campaign of hard new routes on north Wales limestone. His latest addition, Dark Energy 8c+, takes a spectacular line across the huge roof of Pigeon's Cave roof at its widest point.
12 July, 2013
The iconic and dangerous Indian Face (E9 6b/c) on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu gets three ascents in as many days. First up was James McHaffie on Tuesday and then Calum Muskett and George Ullrich in quick succession two days later. "There's not a runner on it I would trust to lower-off from," says McHaffie.
10 July, 2013
It's that time of year again for the OutDoor Friedrichshafen trade show and the chance for us to proudly show you the new 2013/14 products that we've been busy developing.
09 July, 2013
Pete Robins continues his long-standing affair with the Ormes, completing the Pigeon's Cave 'crack in the sky' project, to give Pump up the Jam 8c.
27 May, 2013
Visiting German climbing prodigy, Alex Megos, sends the acclaimed Porth Ysgo project, known locally as the 'Fred Nicole Roof', to give a contender for the hardest and one of the finest problems in Wales.
18 April, 2013
Pete Robin's recently added a second top-quality 8B problem to the Ogwen Valley with his first ascent of Madame Allure. It takes the full-arete on the left edge of the Lily Savage block as a low-extension to what was originally climbed as Danny La Rue 7C+/8a.
05 April, 2013
An avalanche in the Peak District and warnings to walkers about cornices can only mean a lot of snow. Ben Bransby has been making the most of the exceptional late winter conditions with his snowball ascent of Superstition at Burbage North. He sent us this report with some background on the novelty of snowballing.
26 March, 2013
Alex Megos is a name that has been under the radar on the international climbing scene but all that has now changed with his ground-breaking ascent of what is widely accepted as the world's first 9a onsight.
14 March, 2013
Described as "the ascent of the winter" by Simon Richardson, Nick Bullock's and Guy Robertson's first ascent of Nevermore (X,10) raises the bar for Scottish onsight winter climbing.
01 March, 2013
Alex Megos and Peter Würth's USA road trip wound up in Hueco Tanks. In one memorable day Alex sent two V11's, a V12 and two V13's.
14 February, 2013
Morocco isn't exactly the first place that springs to mind when you think of ice-climbing but Mike 'Twid' Turner recently returned to the Toubkal massif with his axes for the second year running.
06 February, 2013
Mina's ascent of Mecca (8b+) last year set a new standard for female climbers in the UK. Having also climbed V12, flashed 8a and looking to improve her performance in this year's Bouldering World Cup comps she is a breath of fresh air when it comes to telling you exactly how much effort is required to succeed at the top level of the sport.
29 January, 2013
On the same day in Siurana, the Spanish winter gathering ground for hard sport climbing, Ryan Pasquill redpointed his first 9a and Mina Leslie-Wujastyk flashed her first 8a.
25 January, 2013
Alex Megos and Peter Würth have continued their USA road trip in fine style with Alex flashing a Font 8b and another F8c while Peter tied-on for the stunning roof crack of Desert Gold (5.13a).
05 December, 2012
DMM Team climbers, Alex Megos and Peter Würth, are enjoying a three-and-a-half month American road trip. So far Alex has repeated The Fly (9a) and flashed Pure Imagination (8c+). Here's a round-up of all the highlights so far.
29 November, 2012
Mike 'Twid' Turner has sent us a report on his recent visit to the walls of Taghia in Morocco's Atlas Mountains, where his team added an eight pitch 300 metre sport route, Fat Guides 7b+. A rack of 15 quickdraws is all you'll need to repeat it.
07 November, 2012
DMM has been busy over the summer and autumn reinvesting in the company to improve efficiency and support product development. “In engineering, as with any other business, it's important to keep up with and take advantage of technological change."
13 October, 2012
Pete Robins was mightily relieved to be able to find the reserves of energy to complete his F8c+ project on the Little Orme as climbing conditions at the Diamond become increasingly unreliable with the approach of winter.
06 September, 2012
Video of Pete Robins' first ascent of Isles of Wonder, Font 8b, in the Ogwen Valley.
06 August, 2012
Pete Robins' perseverance paid off, when a brief easing of the rain let him snatch the first ascent of the Font 8b, Isles of Wonder, in the Ogwen Valley.
21 July, 2012
Nick Bullock has had three weeks since getting back from Alaska to reflect on his and Andy Houseman's ascent of the Slovak Direct. Looking back how does he feel about the experience?
16 July, 2012
Think of the Frankenjura and sport climbing comes to mind. It's where the term redpointing originated. But over the last few years there has been a growing interest in greenpointing and establishing new trad protected routes on the area's limestone crags. In the video, Heiko Queitsch, one of the new movement of Franken climbers to embrace trad, explains why he finds it so appealing.
05 July, 2012
Charlie Woodburn gives us some background to his impressive new Pembroke E9, Something's Burning. His fifth route at this grade, he describes it as: "Physically way harder than any of the other E9's I've done and somewhere in the middle for boldness."
01 June, 2012
Mike 'Twid' Turner and Dave Gladwin, combining forces with another team, endured an eight day 'suffer-fest' to make the first ascent of the NW Pillar of Triple Middle Peak in Alaska.
24 April, 2012
The North Wales Limestone guidebook should be with us by the end of the year. In the meantime there is a taster app and we've added a topo download for the recently developed Creigiau Heulog.
03 April, 2012
Life goes from one extreme to another for Leo Houlding. He called in at DMM the other day with a shopping list for some new kit for his forthcoming trip to Greenland having not long returned from a successful climbing adventure deep in the Amazon jungle. We took the chance to put a few questions to Leo about the first ascent the team made of Yopo Wall (E6 6b, A1) on Cerro Autana.
18 March, 2012
Nick Bullock and DMM's Rob Greenwood are out in the Canadian Rockies putting the new top-of-the-range Switch ice axe through its paces, on routes such as the sustained and impressive No Use in Crying (IV M7) from 2008. Product development is grounded in good research and design but you'll only know if you've got it right after extensive field-testing and feedback.
05 February, 2012
All the materials used in climbing equipment have to be carefully considered. The collaborative efforts of Distrupol and DMM, in finding a plastic to meet the requirements for use with the Dragon Cam, won them a national award.
31 January, 2012
Recently, we've had a few texts from Nick Bullock in Scotland with some double figure roman numerals in them, so we thought we'd find out what he's been up to over the last couple of weeks.
22 December, 2011
When DMM's production line falls silent for the Christmas break it'll be especially poignant for Gareth Hughes, who will not be returning, as he's taking retirement after 24 years working on the shop floor.
17 December, 2011
Following a reception for 'Adventurers and Explorers' with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at the Palace, Nick Bullock headed up to Scotland and although "not warmed up yet" he's climbed a new VIII/10 on Ben Nevis.
12 December, 2011
DMM regularly uses its testing facilities and engineering expertise to help out with university research, as well as working with commercial partners on product development. The latest university researcher to drop-in was examining the strength of abandoned and retired climbing kit.
06 December, 2011
DMM's strong export growth helps it win Welsh Exporter of the Year in the Daily Post Achievement Wales Awards.
28 November, 2011
The slate quarries are clearly in the blood of the Lloyd-Jones family as nine year-old Celt climbs a new line in the Dinorwig Quarry a few days after his dad adds yet another multi-pitch route to Twll Mawr.
21 November, 2011
At the start of 2011, DMM's Sales Rep, Rob Greenwood, decided it was about time he got serious about the Alps. Despite his alpine experience being limited to a Jonathan Conville Memorial training course but with plenty of 'Scottish gnarl' under his belt, the 'Great North Faces' seemed like a good place to start.
14 November, 2011
Alex Luger, recently returned from Squamish, recalls his first encounter with an offwidth on his ascent of Boogie 'Til You Puke.
24 October, 2011
Pete Harrison has spent several days opening up access to the Little Orme's rarely visited Detritus Wall, despite its three-star sport routes, before going on to climb what Dave Lyon called the 'line of the Ormes'. Alberta Rose 7c is comparable in quality to the 1991 route just to its right, that itself has been described as "one of the best sport climbing experiences the country has to offer."
05 October, 2011
Lara Croft is no stranger to North Wales since scenes of Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life were filmed here in 2002.
03 October, 2011
Ian Lloyd-Jones' latest route on the slate can claim to be the longest sport route in the UK. Rising for 133 metres in five pitches from the very bottom of Twll Mawr, it even features a Quarryman style groove.
11 September, 2011
In 2003, Nick Bullock gave up his job as a PE Officer in the Prison Service to dedicate himself to climbing. Having now signed a book deal with Vertebrate Publishing covering his life and adventures up to that point, he's going to be busy spending his rest days writing over the next few months.
02 September, 2011
"The bottom wall is not a place to stop and consider what you're doing" said Nick Bullock after making the second ascent of Haston's Melody at Craig Dorys on the Lleyn Peninsula.
31 August, 2011
Having missed out on the first ascent of Megalopa F8c+ at the Great Orme, Pete Robins 'digs deep' and settles for second, completing the trilogy of F8c+ routes at Lower Pen Trwyn.
25 August, 2011
Charlie Woodburn takes a break from hard technical slabs to make the third ascent of Do you Know where your Children are? An impressive E8/9 addition to Huntsman's Leap.
17 August, 2011
If you were to judge Nick Bullock by the names he has given four new routes recently, including an E7 6c, you'd reckon he had been reading too much Lewis Carroll in-between listening to Johnny Cash.
09 August, 2011
More action from Lower Pen Trwyn on the Great Orme. Neil Dyer finally redpoints the project that he has looked so close to completing over the last few weeks. For Pete Robins, who was with Neil at the crag, it was a bitter-sweet moment as they had been trying the project together since the end of May.
31 July, 2011
James McHaffie has written his name into British sport climbing history by making the first repeat of Carson's The Big Bang F9a at Lower Pen Trwyn, nearly fifteen years since it was established.
29 July, 2011
DMM's strength-test results on the perma-draws recently removed from Mecca at Raven Tor highlight the potential dangers of fixed gear such as tat and slings, aside from their visual impact.
14 July, 2011
Nick Bullock described the second ascent of Trumpet Slappers E7 6c in the Llanberis Pass as: "Amazing climbing, all really pumpy and physical with lots of back-hands and side-pulls."
07 July, 2011
Well known slate activist Ian Lloyd-Jones and Sion McGuinness add a four pitch sport route to the South Wall of Twll Mawr in the Dinorwig Quarry. Supermassive Black Hole at F7a, 6b+, 7a/6c+, 6b is likely to become a slate classic.
21 June, 2011
Last Saturday, Jerry, who rarely climbs now and is much more likely to be spotted surfing, pulled his rock boots on to join 17 year-old St. Davids School Climbing Captain, Tim Muller, trying out a few problems on the three-and-a-half metre high wall.
16 May, 2011
Nick Bullock and Andy Houseman will soon be returning to the UK having been unable to get on the South Pillar of Kyashar because of too much snow and it was the unconsolidated 'white stuff' that also thwarted their attempt on its West Ridge. After being away for over a month without success it's no wonder Nick Bullock is in a reflective mood on his return to Kathmandu.
15 May, 2011
Pete Robins has been making the most of his Spring fitness with success on arguably the most visually compelling line in Parisella's Cave by linking Lou Ferrino into Bonnie giving a mega link-up reckoned to warrant V13/Font 8b. In Pigeon's Cave he has extended Stiff Upper Lip and Koo bumping their grades up to F8b and F7c respectively.
24 March, 2011
Artist and alpinist, Andy Parkin, was at the recent Llanberis Mountain Film Festival to exhibit a sculpture. The plan was to see what inspiration Andy could draw from the recycling skips at DMM and conjure up a piece in a handful of hours on the day of the opening.
16 March, 2011
Nick Bullock has finally got himself a blog that doesn't run out of bandwidth all the time and he's been having plenty of adventures to post about on it. His latest being a new mega-route with Pete Benson and Guy Robertson on one of Scotland's most fearsome winter cliffs, Beinn Bhan, Applecross.
11 March, 2011
Just 3 weeks from the recall being issued we are pleased to announce that the first rebuilt replacement cams have now left DMM, and have reached their original owners this morning.
16 February, 2011
For the safety of all of our customers we are issuing an immediate recall for all Dragon Cams size 4 and 5 with turned axle bosses. At present there is no evidence that suggests the size 4 Dragon Cams are affected. However, we feel it appropriate to include them in the recall due to similarities in construction.
14 February, 2011
Nik Royale is a climber and wheelchair user with progressive cerebral palsy. His biggest climbing challenge so far has been to train and put himself forward for the Mountain Leader Training (MLT) Climbing Wall Award. In this inspiring and honest short film, Equal to Everbody Else, just posted on-line by 2rays Productions, Nik explains his motivations for wanting to try and achieve the Award. The film follows his progress to the 'pass or fail' assessment day in October 2009.
05 February, 2011
North Wales limestone is scheduled to get a new guidebook this summer and it's likely that some out-of-bounds areas on the Great Orme will soon be reopened. The local bolt fund makes an appeal for second-hand climbing kit to sell in order to raise cash.
24 January, 2011
Following on from our Dragon 6 recall in July 2010 we'd like to update you all on our progress.
14 October, 2010
Following the recall of Dragon Cam 6 units earlier this year the issue has now been resolved and new modified replacement units are being sent back this week.
24 September, 2010
The original recall notice was issued on 23/07/10, and since then we have received the majority of the Dragons back either from Individuals, Retailers or Distributors. However we wish to speed up the process, and also do everything possible to ensure we get 100% of the affected units accounted for as soon as possible.
23 July, 2010
DMM International has identified a raw material problem that may affect the strength on certain models of the Dragon Cam in size 6 (Product Code A7056A)
15 May, 2010
Nick Bullock adds a new E6 to the unfrequented Afterburner Wall that neighbours the Mission Impossible cliff in North Wales' Ogwen Valley.
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