Mad Rock's Lifeguard Belay Device boasts smooth slack pay similar to tube-style devices yet features a camming action to give our brake hand a bit of tension relief when our climber is hanging to suss out the crux. The full metal construction boosts confidence and durability, while its more compact size saves grams and space on our rack compared to other assisted braking devices.

Mad Rock Lifeguard Belay Device

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This rope is the ideal combination of lightweight feel and robust durability. It handles smoothly, making belaying and rope management a breeze, and the Red Flag marking gives me peace of mind when lowering or rappelling. Whether I'm projecting a sport climb or tackling a multipitch, it's my first choice.

Trango Agility 9.5 Red Flag Rope

We clip on the Capitan MIPS Helmet for our big wall pursuits. The low-profile suspension system cradles our head for all-day comfort. If our climber dislodges a hold while we're on a hanging belay, the EPS puck helps absorb crown impacts, while the MIPS technology fights against rotational forces from off-center collisions.

Black Diamond Capitan Mips Helmet

One of the most versatile ropes on the market, the Edelweiss Element II 10.2mm Climbing Rope is ready to accompany you on your next rock adventure. With a diameter that's intended for all-around use, this rope offers the sturdiness and reliability of a gym rope and the generous dynamic elongation and low impact force you need for the great outdoors.

Edelweiss Element II 10.2mm Climbing Rope

Protect your hands from wear and tear

Black Diamond Climbing Tape

Behind every hard climb there's an aggressive pair of climbing shoes that helped with the first ascent, and Scarpa's Instinct has quite the pedigree of F.A.s. It's an aggressively downturned climbing shoe with a narrow toe, moderate asymmetry, and a women-specific heel to provide a precise performance and solid fit. Vibram's Grip 2 rubber enhances the sole's traction on rock and plastic. The upper is a stretchy microfiber with a Bi-Tension rand that maintains the shoe's aggressive downturn overtime.

Scarpa Instinct Climbing Shoe - Women's

Strong and compact, the Wild Country Session Quickdraw is a no-brainer for beta burns and redpoint attempts. Equipped with a slim, textured dogbone, this 'draw doesn't crowd our harness yet still provides easy handling. The rope-end 'biner features a bent gate and retainer for quick clips through the crux, while the rounded basket reduces wear on our rope.

Wild Country Session Quickdraw - 6-Pack

We've nailed the sit start and sussed the crux, now we dip our hands into the Black Diamond Mondo Chalk Potfor the friction we need for the send. The large square base keeps the bag upright as we chalk up, while the magnetic rim snaps closed once we're done, so nothing gets spilled when this pot inevitably gets kicked as our crew spots us.

Black Diamond Mondo Chalk Pot

Our classic, cylinder-shaped chalk bag with a pliable wire rim and reinforced TPU lower, the Black Diamond Mojo Zip Chalk Bag also features a rear zippered pocket that holds small essentials like your keys, a route topo or a smartphone. The included webbing belt with a quick-release buckle provides fast on and off.

Black Diamond Mojo Zip Chalk Bag

Refill your chalk bag with Mammut's fine and basic Chalk Power for a revived grip on slippery, slimy climbing holds.&nbsp;

There's no doubt you've seen Black Diamond's Nylon Sewn Runners on the mountains while climbing, tied to chickenheads, slung around trees, and bleached by the sun. That's because climbers trusted these smooth, colorful, and durable slings before colorful spandex was a thing in the vertical world. The question you have to ask yourself is, do you trust the old, manky runner already attached to the wall, or do you bring a spare to bail off of when the route gets too serious? We recommend the latter.

Black Diamond Nylon Sewn Runners

The 9.8 Crag Classic Rope is my go-to for consistent handling and durability. It&rsquo;s ideal for sport and trad climbs, with the right balance of weight and strength. A great all-purpose rope that performs every time.

Mammut Crag Classic Rope - 9.8mm

Black Diamond's Rackpack of LiteWire Caraibiners come in a colors that perfectly match a full trad rack of Camalots. Despite their lighter weights, these carabiners have a larger rope-bearing surface for seasons of long-lasting durability. Black Diamond tweaked the geometry of each nose to facilitate easier clipping and unclipping commonly missing from wire gates.&nbsp;

Black Diamond LiteWire Carabiner Rackpack

Now with machined windows, the Black Diamond ATC-XP Belay Device is lighter than ever before. This tube-style device features high-friction grooves to assist with braking and catching, as well as two slots for doubled-rope or two-line rappels.

Black Diamond ATC-XP Belay Device

Resourceful and reliable, the Mammut Crag Dry We Care Rope is what we tie into when sending on both rock and plastic. The sheath is braided using residual yarn from production of other ropes that would have previously been discarded, creating a unique pattern every time and a rope that is just as strong and supple as the others but not nearly as wasteful.

Mammut Crag Dry We Care Rope - 9.5mm

We value the Capitan's versatility: The ABS front and rear shell hold integrity at hot dessert crags and on freezing ice sends. The EPS impact puck absorbs unforeseen impacts from directly above, and the EPP liner provides that solid core that can take repeated abuse on the chossiest of routes.

Black Diamond Capitan Helmet

The Black Diamond Distance 22L Backpack sports a body-hugging fit and generous main compartment, balancing a nimble performance with plenty of storage space for our all-day alpine adventures. A vest-like fit moves smoothly with us during hikes, runs, or scrambles, while the custom-made UHMWPE construction holds up against rough rock and brush.

Black Diamond Distance 22L Backpack

The Finale is the shoe I always suggest for new climbers or anyone who wants something that balances performance and comfort. It breaks in fast, edges well, and feels good for hours&mdash;whether you&rsquo;re at the gym or out on a mellow multi-pitch.

La Sportiva Finale Climbing Shoe - Women's

When our project is nestled deep in the canyon and up questionable switchbacks, we lace into the La Sportiva TX4 Evo Approach Shoe for the journey. The to-the-toe lacing lets us cinch in a performance fit, while the wraparound rubber rand and protective toe cap armor our feet against the rock- and stick-riddled path. On the descent back to our car, the sole's Impact Brake System helps keep our feet under us down the steep and loose mountainside. Just like we do with our climbing shoes, we can resole this shoe thanks to the Resole Platform insert, letting us keep our perfectly broken-in pair longer.

La Sportiva TX4 Evo Approach Shoe

Just like its creepy crawler namesake, the Tarantulace scurries up any surface that stands in its way, letting us feed our sending hunger on both rock and plastic. With a quick pull, the microfiber lacing harness hugs in for a snug fit that doesn't have our feet screaming after a long session, while the LaspoFlex midsole gives us edging support and smearing flexibility for reliable performance through the crux.

La Sportiva Tarantulace Climbing Shoe 

The Mad Rock Ultra Tech Twist-Lock Carabiner is a staple in our belay setup. With a single-handed twist and push, we open the gate, slot it on our belay loop, and simply let go for an instant lock. This convenience usually comes with a weight cost, but this locking 'biner is built with gram-shedding I-beam construction to keep weight down without losing any strength.

Mad Rock Ultra Tech Twist-Lock Carabiner

High-end climbing gearing is rarely priced with high-end dirt bag climbers in mind. But that's no longer the case thanks to the Mad Rock Concorde Express Quickdraw 6-Pack. The aluminum wire gate 'biners and Dyneema dog bones allow these smooth clipping draws to weigh in at a featherlight three ounces each.

Mad Rock Concorde Express Quickdraw Set - 6-Pack

Hydrobot is a special tool conceived for modern canyoning; it can be used both with one or two ropes and allows easy braking variation under load.

Kong Hydrobot

Swinging axes. Placing pro. Clipping bolts. However we're sending, we're tied into the Togir 3 Slide. Fully adjustable, this harness fits just right whether we're in thick layers on ice routes or in barely-there threads on desert redpoints. The light, flexible build gives us full freedom as we dance up walls while still feeling good on hanging belays.

Mammut Togir 3 Slide Harness

The 4 Slide is the harness I recommend to new climbers and anyone who wants something super adjustable. It&rsquo;s comfortable, fast to put on, and fits over layers really well for ice or alpine days. Great value and works for just about any style of climbing.

Mammut 4 Slide Climbing Harness

The CRITR3 is a rappel device for canyoneering, designed for single or double-strand rappels on 8-10 mm static canyoneering ropes. The CRITR3 provides the ability to adjust friction at any time while rapperlling. This is especially useful on long free rappels where the rope weight below the device changes significantly from start to finish.

Canyons involve a lot of sliding, scraping and general thrashing. Which ends up with a lot of scraping and thrashing of the gear and clothing upon which that sliding is done. The harness, the shorts, the wetsuit - they all get destroyed on a regular basis. New 2022 version features Kodra top section around the waistbelt. A little lighter, a little more comfortable, allows a little more options in color.

The Imlay Canyonero 9.2mm excels when durability, value and robustness are priorities in your rappelling rope. Great for Class C (flowing water) canyons where the water flow beats your static rope against the rock. Provides a lot of rope to hold onto, both for less-skilled canyoneers and for the more-gravity-tugged-upon among us. When comparing to other static rope, look at the weight per 100 feet, or the grams per meter. Many static ropes claim a larger diameter, but contain considerably less material, resulting from a very soft weave that holds up to abuse poorly. The Canyonero rope is tightly woven to resist cutting, plus uses a somewhat sheath-heavy design (52%/48%) to increase toughness and increase value.

It does not take a lot of canyons to figure out that just having ropes is not enough. Canyoneers use ROPE BAGS to manage their rope &ndash; for stuffing them, carrying them, and most of all, for deploying them. Good rope bags are an essential tool for elegant passage through the canyons. Imlay Rope Bags have been fine-tuned for performance in canyons. They feature enough floatation to float your rope (most likely); flow-through mesh for quick drainage; a flared-to-the-top and stiffened rim for easy stuffing; and a burly-but-light-weight construction for long life with minimum burdensomeness. Rope bags work best when stuffed about 80% full. Too much rope for the bag makes it awkward to use, and might mean is does not float! Size matters!

Imlay Canyon Gear Bagarino

When we&rsquo;re pushing through technical terrain or ice climbing, the Blue Ice Harfang Aluminum Heel Assembly gives us the secure footing we need. Designed for lightweight performance, this heel assembly is easy to adjust and fits seamlessly with the Harfang crampons, making it a versatile option for mixed alpine adventures. Crafted from durable aluminum, it strikes the perfect balance between strength and reduced weight, ensuring we stay agile and confident as we navigate challenging conditions.

Harfang Aluminum Heel Assembly

Made for serious mountain play, the Deuter Guide 34+8L Backpack packs in plenty of features for our ski tours, climbs, and mountaineering expeditions. Lighter than its predecessor, the Guide remains a sturdy pack with nylon ripstop for durability and a V-frame Alpine Back System that shifts the load onto our hips for safe carry. We like the close-to-back fit for the best balance and performance when we're climbing and also like the new J-shaped zipper, which gives us easy front panel access to all our gear. The 38-liter capacity is perfect for all-mountain pursuits with additional storage available, thanks to the extendable lid and external attachments for our helmet, ice axe, trekking poles, and skis.

Guide 34+8L Backpack

Use the Black Diamond Nut Tool to loosen stubborn nut placements, reach buried cam triggers or snag an out-of-reach piece of webbing. And at the end of the day you can use the end of the Nut Tool to crack open a cold one.

Nut Tool

Low to mid-altitude summit pushes are complimented by the LOWA Alpine Ice GTX Mountaineering Boot. The super gaiter single boot construction has us covered tromping through deep snow and working our way up steep terrain with ease. The Alpine Ice GTX Mountaineering Boot features a Vibram outsole for dependable grip in all scenarios, automatic crampon compatibility, and a carbon fiber insole to shield our feet from the frozen ground. The zippered super gaiter makes for a simple, protective fit, while the rubber rand fends off abrasion and rock strikes.

Alpine Ice GTX Mountaineering Boot - Men's

Equipped with Mammut DRYtechnology and a layer-friendly fit, the Alto HS Hooded Jacket is a do-it-all shell we use for rainy alpine climbs, ski tours, or windy treks. A helmet-compatible hood, high-placed pockets, and two-way zipper create a functional fit under climbing gear or a backpack, while a two-way front zipper and underarm vents prevent overheating during high-output activity.

Alto HS Hooded Jacket - Women's

The Siskin Eco Dry is my go-to for lightweight alpine climbs and challenging projects. Its triple certification offers incredible versatility, and the Eco Dry finish ensures performance even in wet conditions&mdash;all while being PFC-free!

Siskin Eco Dry Rope - 8.6mm

Minimal and versatile steel ice screw with innovative handle and Speedy System. The bestselling Grivel 360 has been revisited to give shape to the new 720 Speedy: even more essential and lighter, it offers a complete innovation in the lever. The innovative handle folds into the tube, making the product essential and at the same time reliable, with a 100% steel tube.

720 Speedy Ice Screw

When we plan to kit up and stay kitted from the start, the Couloir LT is what we're reaching for. With one waist buckle and a single tie-in point, this harness keeps it ultra-light and streamlined, while the color-coded design simplifies and speeds finding upside and rightside.

Couloir LT Harness

Take your skiing to a whole new level with Camp's Speed Comp Helmet. Built especially for hardcore skiing and mountaineering, this helmet is head-protection at its finest. It is molded with EPS and durable polycarbonate, keeping it weighing nearly nothing. Ventilation on the sides and back boasts breathability for when you're really breaking a sweat. For personalized fit, all you have to do is twist the wheel in the back, which stays out of the way of the goggle-strap holders, so your sights are clear and secure. To ensure comfort out on the slopes, this helmet is lined with soft microfiber foam for absorbing sweat and keeping your head comfy while you ride.

Speed Comp Helmet

Black Diamond's Viper Ice Tool is an all-around axe for any terrain from nearby crags to faraway alpine climbs. Updates for this season include a superlight, hydroformed shaft that extends through the grip for a more responsive feel, and a beefed up Titan Pick for durability and a reliable, versatile performance. You can switch out the Titan Pick with any Black Diamond picks, adzes, and hammers thanks to the modular head. The adjustable FlickLock pommel slides up and down the shaft to offer more grip options on steep climbs or low-angle slabs.

Viper Ice Tool

As we battle high winds and wet conditions in the alpine, The North Face's Torre Egger FUTURELIGHT Jacket keeps us dry and moving freely. The 3-layer, seam-sealed construction ensures rain, hail, and snow can't break through, while the underarm gussets and articulated fit let us climb and traverse unrestricted.

Summit Torre Egger FUTURELIGHT Jacket - Men's

For tackling mixed routes and technical expeditions, the Ortles Couloir Boot is among our top picks as Salewa&rsquo;s lightest boot in the line because of its completely modernized design. The carbon fiber and Kevlar&reg; cuff on the outer boot supplies protection from rocks and crampons, while the thermo-insulated inner boot features a stretch gaiter with silicone gripping points to keep snow out, and socks dry&mdash;for days on end in unrelenting alpine conditions.

Ortles Couloir Boot - Men's

Whether we're bagging a peak for the glory of the view or hitting the skin track for the ultimate ride down, the Summit Chamlang FUTURELIGHT Pant is the gear for the job. This versatile shell from The North Face was crafted with the alpine in mind, without so many bells and whistles that these pants get boxed into one sport. The FUTURELIGHT 3-layer shell keeps snow and other moisture at bay, all while offering the airflow we need on our most active missions. Outer thigh vents aid in comfortable breathability, and with an articulated cut and mobility-friendly fit, there's no need to worry if we'll make it to our next checkpoint.

Summit Chamlang FUTURELIGHT Pant - Men's

This package includes the new Momentum Harness, locking carabiner, belay device, updated chalk bag and white gold chalk. The Momentum Harness is an affordable, all-around option that uses Dual Core Construction with a venting foam insert in the center to balance comfort and breathability without pressure points.

Black Diamond Momentum Harness Package - Women's

Alpine rock is calling. For full day adventures above the treeline, these technical pants hold up to the job. Stretch fabric and articulated construction lend themselves to high stepping or stemming, and rugged nylon panels provide extra protection in chimneys.

Extremely lightweight, highly breathable and robust thanks to the laser-cut fabric. The Split Webbing Technology distributes weight evenly providing comfort during long hours of vertical.