Climbing

When asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, the famous mountaineer George Mallory is said to have replied: “Because it’s there”. Although some viewed the comment as flippant, Mallory was, in his own way, alluding to the physical and mental challenge of climbing, and the exhilaration and feeling of accomplishment realized upon reaching the summit. Climbing is a great way to develop physical strength, endurance and flexibility, as well as the mental acuity needed to find a route to the top and achieve the necessary body positioning and selection of foot and hand-holds to navigate the route. Climbing can also help you overcome fear and of course, give you an adrenaline rush when you reach the top, and all the above can boost your overall level of fitness. Whether you’re a beginner just getting started at an indoor climbing gym or an experienced outdoor free climber or boulderer, here on our digital shelves you’ll find the gear you need to make every climb fun and successful.

When climbing, the grip you have with your feet is just as important as your hands, so a proper set of climbing shoes is a basic necessity. We have shoes designed for specific types of climbing, in lace-up, slip-on, and hook-and-loop strap styles, in sizes for men, women, and children. Climbing chalk keeps your hands dry for optimum grip. Choose from chalk in powder, block, or liquid form, the latter featuring an alcohol carrying agent that quickly evaporates, and an assortment of chalk bags, available in a variety of sizes and styles. A climbing helmet will shield your noggin from falling rocks and provide protection if you bang it into the rock wall or an overhang, so wearing one is essential when climbing outdoors, and wearing a helmet is required in some indoor climbing gyms. We offer lightweight, ventilated and comfortable, dedicated climbing helmets, as well as versatile multi-purpose helmets that are great for skiing, cycling, and skating as well as climbing, the latter featuring available replacement interior caps that are washable, and snap-on earmuffs for cold weather protection.

A climbing harness is a requirement for all types of rope climbing. The harness, with its waistbelt and leg loops, has haul, belay, and tie-in loops where rope is attached, and gear loops that allow equipment like quickdraws and protection to be carried. Carabiners are sturdy metal rings that are used to attach rope to the climbing harness, to the protection pieces that anchor the rope to the rock, and to belay devices. They can be oval, pear-shaped, D-shaped, and asymmetric D-shaped, which is the most popular style. Most carabiners have spring-loaded gates that allow a quick and secure attachment, but there are also carabiners with locking gates if greater precaution against accidental opening is needed. Unless you’re free soloing or bouldering, you’re going to need rope of course, although it may be provided at some indoor climbing gyms. Our selection includes single rope, half rope, twin rope, and static rope, in a range of diameters, lengths, and colors, along with accessories like rope protectors, rope bags, and rope cleaners.

The above products encompass all that you’ll need for indoor gym climbing. If you’d like to construct your own home climbing wall or train at home, we offer wall hand hold sets and footgrip sets that include holds and grips in various sizes and shapes, route setting duct tape, and a collection of training boards. We also have books and guides that cover climbing skills and techniques and climbs in selected geographical areas. For rock climbing with rope outdoors you’ll need climbing protection, commonly called “pro”, which is used to secure rope to the rock. Our collection of pro includes a variety of stoppers, pitons and hangers, and cams and wedges. Quickdraws, also known as extenders, are lengths of strong nylon, polyester, or UHMW (Ultra-High Molecular Weight) polyethylene, called slings or “dogbones”, with carabiners at each end. One carabiner is connected to the protection, while the rope is passed through the other carabiner, allowing it to run smoothly and freely. Quickdraws come in various sling lengths and with different style carabiner gates, plus we have an extensive assortment of different length slings, also called runners, for creating extended quickdraws, as well as webbing and cord for making custom length slings, all constructed from the same strong materials.

Our virtual shelves are stocked with a large selection of belay and rappel devices including tubular devices, assisted braking devices, and figure 8 devices, as well as gloves that are ideal for protecting your hands when belaying and repelling. We also offer pulleys, rigging plates, and swivels that are invaluable for climbing professionals like arborists, and first responders and rescue personnel, and ascenders and hand-holds for aid climbing. You’ll need a way to carry all this gear and we’ve got the specially designed climbing daypacks and backpacks for the job. These packs come in a wide range of styles, sizes and capacities, so you’ll be able to get the model that’s perfect for your needs – one that won’t impede your movement and has the compartments and features suitable for your climbing gear.

Climbing a shear rock face is extremely difficult, but ice climbers take the climbing challenge to a new level when they ascend frozen waterfalls and glaciers. We offer a large selection of crampons with different numbers of points, with single or dual front points, with flexible or semi-rigid construction, and with step-in, strap-on, or hybrid bindings, so you can get the pair that is right for your boots and give you the grip you need for the climbing conditions. Here you’ll also find crampon accessories like anti-balling plates to keep snow from sticking to your crampons, flex bars in several lengths, and of course, ice tools and ice axes. Our ice axes are available in a range of lengths and weights and with straight or curved shafts, so you can tailor your selection to your size and where you climb, and you can choose from ice tools with a hammer head or adze.

Even when you’re in the middle of nowhere, you’ll always know where you are and where you’re headed with one our hand-held GPS units, whether you’re seeking a new destination or just want to be able to go back the way you came. We have units specially designed for hiking and outdoor use that will enable you to navigate by map or compass, create waypoints and routes and locate points of interest, record and access saved track logs, and download geocaches. We also offer many GPS accessories including cases, holsters and belt clips, backpack tethers, mounts, and additional batteries. And you’ll always be able to relive your climbing experiences when you capture them with one of our action cameras. We have cameras in many different shapes and sizes that are ideal for outdoor activities. Our action cams deliver sharp video, and many are waterproof and have built-in Wi-Fi for sharing footage. Of course, we also have an extensive selection of the required mounts, including head, chest, shoulder, and wrist mounts, and mounts that can be used to attach the camera to your helmet, as well as action cam accessories like waterproof cases and audio adapter and microphone kits.