5.10 Arrowhead REVIEW

This is 5.10's Anasazi Arrowhead.  I've posted about it before, but now I have the shoes so I can review them.  They are much better than what I expected them to be.  I love the rubber, and it sticks to holds like glue.  It's my first aggressive shoe, so still getting used to the pain, but once you get over that, they are really great shoes.  They are really comfortable and sensitive, and it is perfect for both bouldering and sport climbing.  It is $164.95, but I think that is is very much worth it.  Probably not the best first shoe though.
5 stars

Kong X REVIEW

The Kong X is a huge, auto-locking carabiner that I recently got.  It is actually really big, which is the first thing you would notice about it.  The auto locking feature is pretty cool.  I don't think it's the best possible carabiner for the Grigri because of its size, but it works.  With an atc, however, this thing is awesome!  It is super easy to handle, and you don't have to worry about locking the carabiner.  A very good carabiner, but it costs about the same as the Attache carabiner by Petzl.  If you use a Grigri, then I would still go for the Attach, but if you use an atc, then this is your carabiner, that is, if you are ok with the auto-lock.

Grigri 2 REVIEW

The Grigri 2 has been a much loved assisted-braking belay device for many years.  I now have one, and i think it lives up to what everyone else is saying about it.  The assisted braking feature works extremely well, especially for lead climbing, and it is much smaller and lighter than the Grigri 1, which also was a huge hit.  One thing about the Grigri is that it can take a while to get used to.  When lead belaying, you can feed out rope really fast without the brake kicking in and stoping you.  You have to hold down the middle part to make sure it doesn't stop you.  The other thing is that because the carabiner has to rub up against the rope, I would suggest to use a smaller carabiner, or else it will be really hard to feed out rope, or take it in.  Other than those two minor things, I like the Grigri a lot.

Black Diamond Momentum DS REVIEW

The Black Diamond Momentum DL harness is a great harness.  It doesn't go angry squirrel on you, which if you have been using gym rentals, is a big advantage.  It is very comfortable, and because the leg loops are adjustable, you can tighten it however you want for a better fit.  The waist does tend to slip a little above where it should be, but I'm not very big, so it would probably stay on a slightly bigger person.  Other than that, I'm very happy with this harness.

Posting delay

Hi everyone!
I'm really sorry that I havn't been able to post over the holidays. I was is Arizona, and I didn't have a computer, so I couldn't post. However, I will start posting again tomorrow. I'm really sorry about the wait.
Oh, and by the way, happy new year!

The Anasazi LV

The Anasazi LV is marketed to women, but plenty of men use them as well.  It's more of a sport climbing shoe, it's toe is not downturned, and the heel is kind of flat.  People seem to like it a lot for sport climbing.  It features 5.10's Stealth C4 rubber, which is one of their highest friction rubbers, besides Stealth Onyxx.  It is a good shoe, but it is the same price of 5.10's arrowhead and Anasazi VCS, which are both a little bit better all around shoes.  I think you should demo some of 5.10's other popular shoes before going with this one.

5.10's Quantum

5.10's quantum is an aggressive sport climbing/bouldering shoe, with a downturned toe and 5.10's ONYXX stealth rubber.  It is also lace-up, which gives you a precision fit, which also means more control over the shoe. I don't think it's that much different than 5.10's Hornet, which is also lace up, and has the same rubber.  But other people's reviews say that this is the better all-around shoe.  The heel sticks very well, and the toe attaches itself to the rock like glue.  But people like different styles of shoes, so I would demo 5.10's Arrowhead, or Evolv's Shaman before I would go ahead and get the quantum.

Evolv's Shaman

This is Evolv's Shaman.  Designed by Chris Sharma, this is the perfect shoe for super steep and hard boulder problems.  It has a very awkward looking downturned toe which they call a knucklebox, which is also on the Rasta Shamans.  The rubber is strong, but also very sensitive, which I like a lot.  The rubber is also very grippy.  It's toe is perfect for holding on to small holds, or just flagging.  The heel is very good.  People say that you can trust the heel even on smaller holds.  It is a great shoe and it cost only $145 from Evolv.  I would go for this shoe.  I think it is a good price for it's value.  Probably not a good beginner's shoe.

The Scarpa Feroce

The Scarpa Feroce is not exactly new, but it's still very much with us.  I think it's one of those shoes that you either love or hate.  However, one thing that everyone seems to agree on is that the rubber is extremely sticky.  You can put the toe pretty much anywhere, and it will stick.  On the other hand, tons of people are complaining about the ridges on the heel.  They don't serve much of a purpose, and if you do use them, it's likely that they will slip off.  Scarpa says it does well for both bouldering and sport climbing.  It seems to do its job.  It has a very slightly downturned toe, but not much more that the Anasazis.  If you are doing a lot of climbing using the heel, then go for a pair of Anasazis or Arrowheads.  If you're mostly using your toes, and are looking to do both sport climbing and bouldering, these are probably the better choice.

5.10's Blackwing

This is the 5.10 Blackwing.  It has a very, very slightly downturned nose,  which gives it a little bit better grip on overhang than most of the Anasazis.  It is pretty much a slightly more aggressive version of an Anasazi, but people like the Anasazis better.  If you want a good shoe for sport climbing, than get the Anasazis.  But if you are looking for something that will multitask between bouldering and sport climbing, than I think this is the better choice.

Organic Full Pad Crash Pad

This is Organic's Full Pad Crash Pad.  It's been around for a while, but it is still a top contender for crash pads. It provides a stable but cushy landing, and is incredibly comfortable to land on.  It has a layer of high density polyethylene close to the top of the pad, which is usually supposed to be very hard, but stable.  With their foam added in, it makes this an extremely good crash pad.  It is also easy to handle and to carry around.  The pad folds in half, and uses two 2 inch Velcro straps which are secured by metal loops so they don's break off, and has big pockets to store your shoes and chalk in easily.  Then once you unfold it, it provides a very big landing zone.

The Anasazi VCS REVIEW

I have posted about these shoes before, but today I got the chance to demo them, so now I can offer my opinion.  I love the Anasazis I have now that don't have the Stealth rubber, because they are very comfortable and very grippy.  But unfortunately, I did not like the new ones as much.  I think that part of the problem was that they were new, but I did not think that the grip was great.  the shoe kept sliding around on the rocks, and I couldn't get a solid grip with them.  The heel, however, was very good and comfortable, and I could get a solid grip on the rock and trust it.  I would have also liked the shoe to be a bit more sensitive.  I could not really feel the rock under the shoe, which I think is pretty important.  Overall, it's not a bad shoe, and I like the new one, just not as much as I like my old ones.

4 Stars

Queens of Rap/Kings of Rap

The title of this film says the route is Queens of Rap, and then the description of Vimeo says Kings of Rap, so I'm not sure which one it is.  But anyway, this is Tara Reynvaan climbing a 5.12d, which is pretty impressive.  It looks like an awesome route.  It's at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon.  I first found this video on Climbingnarc.com

Scarpa's Mago

This is Scarpa's Mago.  This is a shoe for getting business done.  It is super aggressive with it's downturned toe, and it is is a great shoe for dynamic bouldering.  It is also lace-up, so you have more control over tightness and sensitivity of the shoe.  It costs $155, which is about the same you would pay for some of 5.10's top shoes.  I would look at 5.10's, and also Evolv's shoes in this price range before deciding on this, but it measures up very well with its competition.

Mt. Gretna Bouldering Comp. 2011

This is the first bouldering comp at mt. Gretna.  Very cool, especially because there's not that many big outdoor comps, so I hope this is annual.  Not much above a v9, but if you can climb above that, it's still a really cool place to go and have some fun.

Original Video

Sterling Fusion Nano Dry

This I Sterling's Fusion Nano Dry rope.  It is 9.2mm, and can cost anywhere from $181.95, to $264.95, depending on the length of the rope, or whether they call it "dry" or not.  It seems like a very good rope, it's lightweight, durable, and it's #9 on Amazon's top 20 ropes list.  I don't know that their's much of a difference between the "dry" rope and the ones that aren't but the not-dry ones are cheaper, so I would get one of those.  It is available in 60m, 70m, and 80m.

The Anasazi VCS

Our team, the East Betas, has recently got a sponsorship from 5.10, so I'm looking at a bunch of 5.10 shoes that I might want to get.  This is the shoe that I currently wear, the Anasazi VCS.  I like the shoe a lot.  I didn't get that much time out of the shoes (they're beginning to get holes in the toes), but they were used anyway.  But now this Anasazi has 5.10's stealth rubber, which they claim is super high-friction, and super durable, so I think this is a great shoe to get.  It is in the 140-150 dollar range, which is not bad for the quality.  A great sport climbing shoe.

The Spirit Express

I was climbing at another touchstone gym today (Iron Works), and they had these Spirit Express quick draws by Petzl.  They were definitely the best carabiners I have ever clipped into.  They were super smooth, and it was super easy to put the rope into it.  Great carabiner, and thank you Iron Works for having those there!

The Mad Pad

This Is Mad Rock's Mad Pad.  It's on the thicker side, so if you like thick pads, than this is it.  It is also a firmer pad.  Unfortunately, it is a little bit heavy and bulky, but that's what you get with thick, firm pads.  This pad is 48" x 36" x 5", which is a good landing zone.  It also has straps that will connect it to other Mad Pads to form a huge landing area.  It isn't the best pad in the world, so it's better for beginners.  A lot of people also think that it's a little too firm, so no very good for high ball bouldering, even though their website says that's what it's for.

The Petzl Xion

This 10.1mm rope is a very good all-around lead rope.  It is one of Petzl's thicker ropes, but it still seems to be fairly lightweight.  Because it is thicker, it is very durable.  It will last a lot longer than a lot of other smaller mm ropes.  But I guess that would be the same with all thicker ropes.  The price of the rope is around $200, which I think is a fair price, but there are a lot of other ropes in this range that might also compete with this rope.

Evolv's Rasta Shamans

These are a pair of Evolv's Rasta Shamans.  It's an amazing shoe that they claim can make overhangs feel like low-angle slabs.  It also seems to be a very comfortable shoe.  It has all kinds of leather and cotton fabric cushioning.  It has an interesting design for the toe, but I don't know if it works or not.  I hope it does because these cost $165, which is not the most expensive shoe ever made, but it's definitely not the least.

Black Diamond's Chaos

The Black Diamond Chaos is not really a new harness, but it's a good one.  It was good enough to win Rock and Ice Magazine-Best in Gear Award for 2009.  It is designed to be very comfortable, but still lightweight, and it does it's job.  Unfortunately, it's $124.95.  If you're planning to do some long climbing days on multi-pitch routes, than this is the harness for you.  If you're just planning on spending some time at the gym on the weekend, and climb a little outside during the week, then I would choose something different.

ATC-Guide belay device

This is the ATC-Guide Belay/Rappel device.  It is Black Diamond's most versatile belay device, and they have improved it.  It is now much lighter, thanks to the windows they put in it, and it won the Klettern Magazine recommended award for 2011.  But other than that, its not much different from the old one.

The CAMP Quartz CR3

This is the CAMP Quartz CR3 climbing harness.  It is the 2011 Outdoor Gear Lab's Editor's Choice.  It's a great harness, very comfortable, and it has great adjustable leg loops.  The best part, however, is that the harness only costs about $55, and it was rated as well as some harnesses up to $130. Many features for a great price.  Definitely a good beginner's harness.

Black Diamond Magnetron Carabiners

This is Black Diamond's coming new line of auto-locking carabiners using their Magnetron technology.  As you might be able to tell by the name, the carabiners have to do with magnets.  The magnets are attracted to the steel of the carabiner, so it will close by itself.  When the gate is open, however, the magnets will repel each other for easier gate use.  It seems like a cool carabiner, but no word on the price of them yet.

Indian Rock, Berkeley

Indian Rock in Berkeley is a great place to boulder.  There are lots of routs, and there is a huge range from around V1's to V10's.  There are also some nearby rocks that are great for bouldering as well.

5.10 Arrowhead

This is the Arrowhead by 5.10.  It is probably the best shoe they make.  And, it is the editor's choice for the Urban Climbing Gear Guide.  This shoe has a downturned toe, and a pretty high arch, making it very snug.  It is a great bouldering shoe . . . that is, if you have the $164.95 to buy it.

The Attache 3D

The Attache 3D is an ultra-light, ultra-strong, pear shaped belay carabiner by Petzl.  Petzl basically took their old Attache carabiner, and stripped off everything unnecessary.  But other than that, this is just another belay carabiner.  REI is selling the Attache 3D for $19.95, so I don't know that this is worth the price, especially because REI is also selling the old Attache for $13.95.  I think that the old Attache is perfectly fine, and much cheaper than the 3D.  I would just go for the old one.

The Grigri 2

The Grigri 1 was one of the best belay devices ever created.  it was easy to use, and its assisted braking was a great advancement in the world of belay devices.  The Grigri 2 is even better.  It's been out for a while now, but I figured I would still post about it.  My coach has one, and I am about to get one.  It is much smaller and easier to handle.  Because it is smaller, it is also 20% lighter than the old Grigri.  And as an added bonus, the handle that lets the climber down is much more steady and more controllable.  It is definitely worth the $94 it costs.

Oh, and I almost forgot, the Grigri 2 allows you to use down to a 8.9mm rope, which is a much smaller mm than the old Grigri could take.

My gym

I go to a rock climbing gym every Tuesday and Thursday on a team called the East Betas.  We climb at the Great Western Power Company in Downtown Oakland.  It's a really great gym, so I think you should check it out.
Great Western Power Company