La Sportiva Katana Laces 2022 Climbing Shoes Review

On January 13, 2023 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review3 Comments

During the past few years, while I have been constantly getting better in climbing, I have been tempted to try and test different kind of climbing shoes. My first pair as a beginner was La Sportiva Tarantula, which was a great pair of shoes for my first “baby steps” in the climbing activities. Upon that, I have tried various other models, such as the Anasazi VCS by 5.10 and the Simond Rock+ and the La Sportiva Otaki. Till this day, most of the times I use the Simond Rock+ and I have been extremely happy, though after a long testing period, I can not say the same about La Sportiva Otaki. Therefore, once again, I did an extensive research, mainly via my network of fellow climbers. My choices where the following two, the La Sportiva Katana Laces (2022 model) or the La Sportiva TC Pro.

LaSportiva_Kataki_Laces_2022_New_Review_01

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Climbing Technology – Lime Quick Draw Long Term Review

On July 20, 2020July 20, 2020 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review, Mountaineering Gear Review4 Comments

A quickdraw (also known as an extender) is a piece of climbing equipment used by rock and ice climbers to allow the climbing rope to run freely through bolt anchors or other protection while leading. The straight gate carabiner is clipped to the protection; a bent gate is used for the rope. Quickdraws are manufactured with either a solid carabiner gate or a wire carabiner gate for its lighter weight.

Climbing_Technology_Lime_Quick_Draw_Review_1836 — Climbing Technology Quickdraw

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Petzl e+Lite Headlamp Review

On November 8, 2019November 5, 2019 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review3 Comments

Headlamps are essential items for the mountaineering gear list, and a good headlamp is a must for winter mountaineering activities. Even well-planned hikes can end up taking much more time than anticipated (due to bad weather, injuries, blocked trails etc.) and to ensure that you don’t end up being stuck in nature in pitch-black darkness, it is crucial that you bring a headlamp in your backpack. A headlamp also gives you possibility for planning a trip in the dark, taking a run after sunset or simply getting an early before-sunrise start of your hiking trip.

In the market there are many different options and actually, sometimes is a bit tough to select the best possible headlamp. A mountaineering/hiking headlamp should work for a reasonable amount of time without having the batteries recharged/replaced. In addition, a headlamp for hiking, backpacking or mountaineering should provide good brightness and beam distance. Furthermore, as mountaineering/hiking is not limited to dry weather, a hiking headlamp should be waterproof or at least water-resistant. Water resistance is typically measured by the IEC standard 60529 which includes ratings from IPX1 to IPX8.

Petzl_e+Lite_eadlamp_Review_131342_576 — Petzl e+lite Headlamp carry case

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5.10 Five Ten Anasazi VCS Long Term Review

On August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 By Olympus MountaineeringIn footwear, Gear Review5 Comments

I have been involved in the various mountaineering activities for few years now and climbing is a major part of it. Part of climbing, is sport climbing and is a great way to practice for difficult mountaineering ascents. Like in any other sport and/or outdoor activity, the proper gear and correct use of it can provide extra advantages to the user.

My first climbing shoe was the La Sportiva Tarantula, and although is a good climbing shoe for beginners, is not of high performance. Having used the La Sportiva Tarantula for quite some time, I then got in my hands a more advanced climbing shoe by Five Ten, the Anasazi VCS.

FiveTen_Anasazi_VCS_Review_134534_274 — 5.10 FiveTen Anasazi VCS Climbing shoe

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Petzl Quark New 2018 Review

On December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review, Mountaineering Gear Review10 Comments

Every new winter season, I try to upgrade some of my old mountaineering gear and change my old gear to new models. Mountaineering gear can be rather expensive and therefore I do such upgrades gradually. Recently, I have updated my helmet and I got the new Mammut Wall Rider helmet, but I have also got a new ice axe, the new Petzl Quark.

Like always, prior of purchasing a new item, I do an extensive market research. For the new ice axe, I had specific needs and wishes. I wanted the new ice axe to be a multipurpose ice axe that I could use it for general mountaineering, but also on more technical terrains, such as on couloirs and more mix climbing activities.

Petzl_Quark_Review_New_01 — Petzl Quark Ice Axe

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Mammut Wall Rider Helmet – Unboxing Preview

On November 23, 2018November 21, 2018 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review, Mountaineering Gear Review19 Comments

It has been more that 6 months that I have been researching for a new helmet that I would be using for my outdoor adventures. I have been looking at all different kind of helmets and of course from various brands. My requirements for a new helmet were rather specific and the activities I would be using it are mainly alpine climbs, winter mountaineering and climbing activities. Therefore, I wanted to have a rather lightweight helmet that would be comfortable to wear all day long. My final choice was to purchase the Mammut Wall Rider.

Mammut_Wall_Rider_Helmet_Review_2912 — Mammut Wall Rider Helmet

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La Sportiva Tarantula Climbing Shoes Review

On September 28, 2018September 28, 2018 By Olympus MountaineeringIn footwear, Gear Review7 Comments

It is not secret that I have a preference for high quality – great performance gear and when it comes to footwear I always want to have the best possible shoes. This is the case for my first pair of climbing shoes, the La Sportiva Tarantula.

Prior of deciding which climbing shoes I wanted to use for my climbing, I have searched on various brands, but once again, I ended up buying a product from La Sportiva.

LaSportiva_Tarantula_Review_9409 — La Sportiva Tarantula Top View

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Wild Country Rocks Nuts Review

On May 28, 2018May 15, 2018 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review16 Comments

It’s spring time and the winter mountaineering activities already gave place to other kind of outdoor adventures such as Long Distance Hiking and Rock Climbing. In this post, I will review a protection product that is used both for Winter Mountaineering activities and for Climbing.

The Wild Country rock with its curved sides is a Wild Country original and revolutionised how we protect routes.

Still the backbone of any good rack, the current incarnation is considerably more advanced than its predecessor and significantly lighter as well. Keeping the original groundbreaking curve, rocks now come with thinner, lighter sidewalls, a lateral side taper, anodised heads for quick selection and an extended range – with fourteen sizes in all.

WildCountry_Rock_Nuts_Preview_5200 — Wild Country ROCKS 1-8

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The North Face Venture HyVent 2.5L Jacket Review

On May 23, 2018May 1, 2018 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Apparel Reviews, Gear Review10 Comments

The North Face Venture jacket for men has been around a fair while and is one of the most popular rain jackets. I’ve been using the TNF Venture jacket for some time now and bellow you will ready my thoughts on this jacket after more than 3 years of use.

The North Face Venture is a basic rain jacket model falling in and around the 100 euro/dollar price mark, it is affordable and functional and comes with most of the various features I would look for in a decent rain jacket.

TheNorthFace_Venture_Jacket_Review_03 — The North Face Venture Jacket side view

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Cumulus Incredilite Endurance Hydrophobic down jacket Review

On April 23, 2018March 30, 2018 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Apparel Reviews, Gear Review16 Comments

Winter season is over quite some time now, though I have decided to purchase a new jacket for the upcoming winter mountaineering season here in Greece, but also for my upcoming travels in other countries. Once again, I have been searching for the best possible option in order to fulfil my needs and personal taste. My research included also the major outdoor brands such as Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, The North Face, Rab, Mountain Equipment, Montbell etc., though once again I have ended up buying one more product from the upcoming Polish brand, Cumulus.