The UCLA Institute of the Environment held an interview (more like a lecture) with Yvon Chouinard - the founder of Patagonia, and also Chouinard Equipment (which became Black Diamond Equipment).
The interview is about all kinds of things and he shares some excellent stories about starting up his equipment company and Patagonia.
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w30d87Dsoc&feature=relmfu
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH21aUH4NbY&feature=related
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-C98EiYMi8&feature=relmfu
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoC0p6YRULI&feature=relmfu
Bison Designs, which seem to mainly sell key chains and other trinkets, have created a carbon fibre carabiner key chain which can hold around 500lb (227 kg) and weighs 10 grams. According to a description on carbonfibergear.com the gate is heavier than the body of the carabiner. Unfortunately 227 kg is about 1/10th of the strength required for climbing carabiners so it won't be so useful for that. But it will hold a mighty heavy set of keys. The niche for a carbon fibre carabiner for rock climbing still waits to be filled.
Image from Bison Designs
The BMC have released a new leaflet/pdf on belaying and abseiling. The leaflet has been updated to keep up with changes in belay devices. The booklet includes greater emphasis on 'assisted braking devices' such as the Grigri 2 or Eddy; these devices have sometimes incorrectly been referred to as 'auto-locking' - this term is misleading because the devices do not allow you to belay hands free. They merely assist in holding a climber; you should always keep hold of the braking end of the rope.
The leaflet also deals with the importance of matching your belay device with your rope. Many ropes are thinner than ever, and new dry treatments on a rope can make them feel even slicker in a belay device. Download the leaflet from here:
http://www.thebmc.co.uk/News.aspx?id=4332
Image from BMC website.
The Alpico walking axe passes UIAA 'B rating' tests and, compared to other axes, the manufacturers suggest that it provides a more solid belay in soft snow because of its shape. The axe can be stowed away in a holster without needing to access rucksack straps, and once stowed it does not have exposed points which tend to get caught on things whilst climbing. The handle is made from a carbon fibre based composite. It was designed by Soluzion Inventive and is distributed by Climbing Technology.
Image from www.soluzioninventive.com
"...when I fell the cam was at or less than a foot below my feet. The placement was in a pocket where the crack above and below the placement tapered out. It was cammed to the middle lobe ... The stem was angled down about 45 to 60 degrees"
Image from Bradly's Picasa Album
Michael Lane from Omega Pacific responded: "Link Cams are specialty pieces ... [and are] vulnerable to damage and failure if subjected to torsional loading that requires the relationship of the head/axle and the rock to change much during a fall, especially if the placement is bottoming or loads the lower-end linkages to be stressed over any kind of edge or intrusion ... the fact that their lobes consist of hinged components when other cams are made of a single piece of material made this [torsional/bending loading issue is] an obvious characteristic from the start."
Furthermore he reports that Omega Pacific are taking action in response:
"1) We're looking at new link designs that strengthen the hinges to make them stronger.
2) We'll be rewriting our literature to emphasize proper placement of Link Cams with a clear warning about the potential consequences of placing them in ways they could be subject to damage."
More info in the Rockclimbing.com forum thread.
DMM recently announced a new double axle cam - dubbed the 'Dragon'. They are clearly inspired by the BD Camalots, however they are meant to be lighter and also have extender slings. Since the patent on the double axle design expired in 2005, DMM are the first company to make use of the design.
Image from DMM
There has been some confusion in the past on when the double axle patent expired. The patent is US 4,643,377 titled 'Mechanically expanding climbing aid'. A US patent lasts 20 years from the filing or priority date (whichever is earlier) or 17 years from the date the patent was granted - so long as the patent in question was in force in 1995, the longer of these two options applies. US 4,643,377 was filed in 1985 and granted in 1987 - therefore the 20 year term from 1985 is the lifetime that applies, meaning the patent expired in 2005.
The relevent US Code is here: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/35/154(c).html
Aric Datesman , a volunteer moderator at the Rockclimbing.com forums has tested 13 brand new Alien cams, purchased in May 2009, and according to his report 8 out of these 13 cams failed below their rated strength. Additionally, he tested 9 'used' Alien cams - and reportedly 7 of these failed below their rated strength. Datesman concluded "there appears to be a high probability that there is faulty gear [Aliens] out in circulation and people should be aware of this and take whatever precautions they deem necessary to ensure their safety". Before publishing Datesman claims to have shown the results to CCH (the manufacturers of Aliens) to give them the opportunity to respond - it appears CCH has not responded and over a month has passed since the results were published.
The image shows how the brazing of the Alien in the middle has only partially filled the enclosure. Datesman suggests that this could explain why the cam failed below its rated strength. Image by Aric Datesman, from the rockclimbing.com forums
In 2006 CCH issued a recall notice for over 4000 cams after it was discovered that some cams were "improperly brazed".
Five Ten have come up with a nifty looking product - a kit which you can use to mix and apply rubber to your climbing shoes. The rubber comes in a ground particle form which turns into a paste when mixed with a solvent. You can then apply the paste to your shoe where ever you think it needs it - the obvious place is the toe end above the rand, for toe hooking or jamming.
Image from rockclimbing.com
Here's the video from Five Ten describing the process
And here's a 'real-life' video from Mike Bromberg:
Five ten stealth paint application from mikebromberg on Vimeo.
Image from rockclimbing.com
The cam above has epoxy lobes (correction)* and held 7.4 kN. Also, check out the spider detail in the lobes. *The lobes are in fact aluminium - I mistoke the referrence to an epoxy part of Kenn's Cam as relating to the lobes of the above cam.
Rossignol Harness Pant, photo from gearjunkie.
Another interesting idea came from Mad Rock at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Show. They had an adjustable smearing slope for people to try out Mad Rock shoes and compare their 'stickiness' to other brands. The test slab appears to be some kind of sand paper (could this have some effect on results?), but with just about every show maker claiming to have the stickiest rubber this seems to be a very clever way of cutting through the claims - it's hard to beat first hand experience.
The Mad Rock hands on friction test, photo from rockclimbing.com
Finally - a radical shoe design from Vibram, could this be the future for rock boots?
Photo from gearjunkie, where they have a review aswell.
Some of the highlights are the Totem Cam and the Metolius Mini carabiner which weighs 20 grams. The Totem cam is a unusual looking cam that has independently loaded sets of lobes (see photo and their website) - which they say is great for aiding, marginal placements and flares. There's more info and a worthwhile video at the Totem Cam website.
Image from rockclimbing.com
The Metolius Mini crab looks absolutely tiny, almost keyring sized, and is the lightest crab produced, 3 grams lighter than the Camp Nano, with 22 kN, 8 kN open.
Image from rockclimbing.com
