Climbing Gear at Thehighroute.com

"To be whole and harmonious, man must also know the music of the beaches and the woods. He must find the thing of which he is only an infinitesimal part and nurture it and love it, if he is to live."
William O. Douglas (Supreme Court Justice)

From the climbing gear shop at altrec

Climbing is beautiful and simple. Climbing is hazardous and complex. The concept is simple, the details are complex. Using specialized gear can keep it safe and simple and reduce the risk associated with adventuring above ground. Climbing requires a bevy of gear and it’s essential to have your concepts straight before you get started. We endeavor to familiarize you with the requisite gear to have a good and safe experience. Below is not a “how-to” on climbing rather a compass of the gear Altrec.com carries and how you can get what you need and get on with it.

The styles of climbing are as varied as the mountain terrain and each style requires its own selection of specialized gear. Regardless of your endeavor, climbing always requires a short list of “don’t leave home without” gear essentials:

Climbing Harness: Brands to look for are Black Diamond, Petzl, Mammut and Arcteryx.The Petzl climbing harness is the stalwart of rock harnesses and they cover intro to advanced rock climbing harnesses alike. Black Diamond, Arcteryx and Mammut also offer sturdy, minimalist harness designs that are flexible, supple and lightweight and provide all day comfort.

Climbing Helmet: Whether mountaineering, trad climbing or cragging is your cup of tea, every climbing kit should include a helmet. The staples in this category come to us from Petzl, Black Diamond and Mammut. The Petzl Ecrin Roc Climbing Helmet is the old standard, however, new designs from the aforementioned brands add streamlined, lightweight and extremely safe options for different styles of climbing. Each are adjustable, offer ventilation and will keep your noggin safe from falling rocks and climbing head bumps.

Climbing Ropes: Your first and best line of defense! Climbing ropes fall into a few categories and focus on mountaineering, alpine, ice, traditional climbing and sport climbing. Different widths and lengths are generally style specific. Make sure to read our product descriptions and customer reviews before you make your purchase decision. For mountaineering, alpine and ice, two ropes of about 8.2mm width will reduce weight per rope, will reduce drag and increased safety during wandering routes. A pair of Petzl Dragonfly climbing ropes is a great option as well as the Mammut Genesis. For most trad and sport climbing, widths of 9.5-10.3 mm and lengths of 60 and 70 meters are the ticket. Look to Petzl and Mammut for workhorse ropes that are durable with high fall-rate safety. Dry ropes, an innovation that will increase longevity, reduce friction and eliminate water-logging.

Climbing Footwear: Similar to ropes, climbing footwear is specific to climbing style and variations cover mountaineering, ice, alpine and face climbing. We put our faith in La Sportiva for mountaineering and ice climbing boots and for good reason. Look to the La Sportiva Nuptse, Nepal and Trango boots for a taste of the top shelf. For face climbing, La Sportiva, Five.Ten and Boreal produce some of the best climbing shoes in the business. We carry a blend of rock climbing shoes that are aggressive for face climbing, cracks and shoes that provide all day comfort for long multi-pitch routes.

Approach Shoes: From the car to the climb offers some of the most demanding terrain you’ll encounter and appropriate footwear will keep your feet dry, supported and comfortable. We carry a long list of great options and they often go by the name of approach, lightweight backpacking, hiking and or trail running shoes. That is to say that sturdy, supportive, water-resistent shoes with good traction will do the trick. Look for footwear by The North Face, Garmont, Boreal, Salomon, New Balance and Montrail to get your feet there in one piece.

Belay Device: A requisite for your climbing tool kit, the belay device is the mechanical piece of equipment that connects you to the climbing rope and to your climbing partner and is used to arrest a fall. We carry a handful of the best Black Diamond and Petzl belay devices.

Climbing Protection: This catch-all phrase refers to anything that protects a rock climber from falling to the floor. “Protection” is a critical category in climbing and understanding the gear and how to use it is essential for safe climbing. Quickdraws, climbing carabiners, TCU’s, Camelots, hexes and stoppers (among others) all constitute protection be it active or passive. We cannot express enough how important it is to have acute knowledge of this category. First aid kits are always a good item to pack for the trip. Covering all forms of protects requires a book, so do a bit of research, get outside and be safe!

Chalk Bag and Chalk: Most climbers use chalk and so should you! Chalk reduces the moisture on your finger-tips and is the best way to get good purchase on any climbing hold.

Headlamp: This should find its way into your backpack regardless of endeavor. Llook for lightweight headlamps

SCARPA Techno Climbing Shoe
Climbing Magazines Editors Choice

Buy Here
REI

Increase your comfort-level while climbing edges, cracks and slabs with the high-performance Scarpa Techno rock shoes.

FN last excels on technical trad routes; low-profile toe lets you securely slot your foot into cracks
Heel Lock System secures foot in place without the use of a heel rand, thereby reducing pressure on the achilles tendon for excellent all-day comfort
Four-millimeter Vibram® XS Grip rubber provides critical support and necessary stickiness
Lacing system accommodates a wide range of foot shapes

Product Review:

as far as performance is concerned these are the best shoes I've used. dime edges feel huge and my heel hooks feel much more confident in these shoes. they stick to anything and the heel will not come off, ever. they started a little more uncomfortable than i would have thought, had to take them off every other send while bouldering but now i wear them 45 minutes at a time in relative comfort. rubber wore out very quickly, much faster than any of my previous shoes and for the price of the shoe thats a little upsetting. i would save these for the sends that really count and use a cheaper pair when possible. my Vasque boots are 10's and my vans are 11's but i got an 8 in these, thats a 41 EU. do most of my climbing at stoney point and in malibu canyon, these have been great for both.

Climbing Gear Stores

Altrec
Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS)
Moosejaw
Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC)
Patagonia
REI
US Outdoor Store

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