At £145 the Booster is the most expensive shoe in Scarpa's rock shoe range (with the exception of the highly specialist Maestro Alpine, that comes in at £220). As a result of this, and that differences between it and the others within the range are subtle, it might make people cynical about investing in it; however, what I'd always suggest to such cynics (myself included) is to try them all on and see which one works best for you. Whilst it is subtle, the Booster does provide a degree of..." go to full review

After an uncertain start I have been very impressed with the Edelrid Swift Protect Pro Dry. Its increased cut resistance increases my safety margin when mountaineering with two clients, for only a nominal weight gain. This together with it being easy to hold in the hand makes it my go to rope for mountaineering. I think the rope will be of particular interest to guides and instructors, but this would also be my rope of choice when climbing with friends on gnarly alpine routes. When it wears..." go to full review

Overall, the New Scarpa Booster is a great addition to the Scarpa line up. With its comfort and sensitive nature, it fits right in between the Scarpa Furia and the Scarpa Booster S. However, to consider this shoe the evolution of the Booster S line is a mistake. Although the shoe improves on the heel of its predecessor (pun intended) and retains the same feel in the toe box, the mid portion of the shoe and the sides of the heel seemed to have reduced the overall power of the toe box..." go to full review

The Black Diamond MiniWire is a fresh new face on the carabiner scene, and is sure to become a classic for those who want only the lightest climbing gear they can buy. With a very small size and an exceptionally light weight, they can be a game changer for alpine missions and large climbs that are a long ways from the car. That said, they come with some notable downsides, include lower functionality, especially with gloves on, due to their tiny size.go to full review

The Black Diamond Hotwire has been redesigned and reengineered with a different geometry in the spine meant to increase space within the basket while reducing wear on your rope and the carabiner itself. The design seems to work, but other attributes of the 'biner, such as its heavy weight and stiff gate, bump it down a bit on the list of our favorite carabiners. While it's a pretty decent product, we also feel like there are better options in the full-sized market.go to full review

The Dyon is an excellent carabiner. The operation is smooth throughout applications and will be appreciated by the leader just as much as the follower because of its unique snag free keylock gate and smooth nose. We put a significant amount of time into finding a problem with this carabiner but came up mostly empty-handed. If we wanted to be really picky, we would point out the 3kn of strength lost by putting a concave bend in the spine, but 21kn is strong. Yes there is a steep cost..." go to full review