Nut Tool Editor Choice Awards Announced

SuperTopo.com Reviews and Ranks the Top Climbing Nut Tools

May 25, 2010

MILL VALLEY, CA--SuperTopo.com, one of the most popular climbing web sites in the world, revealed today the results of the SuperTopo 2010 Editors’ Choice Awards for Rock Climbing Nut Tool category, listing this year’s best climbing nut tools and best value for climbing nut tools. The SuperTopo.com staff chose the following winners after extensive field testing in Yosemite, Colorado, and Utah. Each nut tool underwent extensive side by side tests to evaluate key performance metrics such as removing nuts, removing cams, comfort, ease of handling, and other factors. The complete climbing nut tool review test results for 2010 are available on SuperTopo.com. The winners are:

Ushba Titanium Nut Tool – winner of the Editor's Choice Award for 2010. It was the most solid but for tiny placements, especially in areas with pin scars. According to gear tester Ian Nicholson, "This was the best overall nut tool we tested because of its light weight and comfort. If you do a lot of alpine climbs or longer routes where weight is one of your biggest concerns, this is the nut tool for you."

Wild Country Pro Key Nut Tool – winner of the Best Buy award for 2010. This award is given to a product that balances an extremely high score in our tests and a very reasonable price. According to Ian Nicholson, "At $15 it is a great value, it has one of the largest areas to pound on with your hand, it comes with a useful (and removable) spring leash, its relatively low profile head cleans most nuts wonderfully."

Metolius Freenut Nut Tool – winner of the Recommended award for 2010. This award is given to products that scored very highly, and offered unique capabilities. According to Ian Nicholson, "The Metolius Free Nut shares the same extra thin profile as the Metolius Extractor and as such is one of the best tools for removing micro nuts jammed in the smallest crevasses."

Marmot Exum Jacket Review and more

Working through my goal of getting 300 gear reviews up by June 1... yikes, time is running out.

Here are some that I created in the last few days

Marmot Exum Jacket
Omega Pacific Doval
Black Diamond Oval
Mammut Contact Dyneema Sling
Black Diamond Dynex Runner

SuperTopo.com Announces 2010 Editors’ Choice Award For Duffel Bags

MILL VALLEY, CA--SuperTopo.com, one of the most popular climbing web sites in the world, revealed today the results of the SuperTopo 2010 Editors’ Choice Awards for the Duffel Bag category, listing this year’s best duffel bag and best value for duffel bags. The SuperTopo.com staff chose the following winners after extensive field testing on expeditions over four continents. Each bag also underwent extensive side by side tests to evaluate key performance metrics such as hauling efficiency, ease-of-use, and other factors. The complete duffel bag review test results for 2010 are available on SuperTopo.com. The winners are:

North Face Base Camp Duffel – winner of the Editor's Choice Award for 2010. It was the most convenient bag to load and lash and came with many carrying options. According to gear tester Ian Nicholson, "The North Face Base Camp Duffel sets the bar to which which all other expedition duffels are compared. While it has been around forever, it has undergone only minor revisions and is still at the top of the pack."

Helly Hansen Duffel – winner of the Best Buy award for 2010. This award is given to a product that balances an extremely high score in our tests and a very reasonable price. According to Ian Nicholson, "None of the other sub $100 models feature a D-shaped opening or backpack straps. It also has more small pockets than any similarly priced models."

Gregory Alpaca Duffel – winner of the Recommended award for 2010. This award is given to products that scored very highly, and offered unique capabilities.   According to Nicholson, "The Gregory Alpaca is one of the most fully-featured duffels we tested and has the most carrying options."

About SuperTopo.com: SuperTopo offers the most detailed and exhaustive side-by-side comparison climbing gear review in the industry. Each product is evaluated on a common set of metrics, tested both hands-on and in a lab setting, and then field tested exhaustively on Yosemite's Big Walls, The Alaska Range, Cascades and other serious climbing areas around the world.

SuperTopo.com is the premier destination site for active, influential, and outdoor-oriented rock climbers in the United States. Offering detailed information on the most popular climbing routes in the United States’ most popular climbing areas, SuperTopo.com serves as one of the critical sites to visit when planning an outdoor climbing trip. SuperTopo.com also features the United States most-active climbing discussion forum, by and for experienced outdoor rock climbers. With topics ranging from how-to-aid climb to bolting ethics, route beta, and general fireside chit-chat, the SuperTopo Climber’s Forum is regularly frequented by many of the most well known and famous rock climbers in America.

Media Contact:   Chris McNamara - 530.545.0424 - chris@supertopo.com 


Permalink: http://www.supertopo.com/best/Duffle-bag-Review

SuperTopo.com Announces 2010 Editors’ Choice Award For Nuts and Stoppers

SuperTopo.com Announces 2010 Editors’ Choice Award For Nuts and Stoppers

SuperTopo.com Reviews and Ranks the Top Nuts and Stoppers for Rock Climbing and Mountaineering

May 5, 2010

MILL VALLEY, CA--SuperTopo.com, one of the most popular climbing web sites in the world, revealed today the results of the SuperTopo 2010 Editors’ Choice Awards for the nuts and stopper s category, listing this year’s best climbing nuts and best value for climbing nuts. The SuperTopo.com staff chose the following winners after extensive field testing in Yosemite, Colorado, and Utah. Each hauling device also underwent extensive side by side tests to evaluate key performance metrics such as hauling efficiency, ease-of-use, and other factors. The complete climbing nut review test results for 2010 are available on SuperTopo.com. The winners are:

DMM Brass Offsets – winner of the Editor's Choice Award for 2010 micro nuts. It was the most solid but for tiny placements, especially in areas with pin scars. According to gear tester Chris McNamara, "the DMM Brass nut is our top choice for any big wall whether it is Yosemite or Zion because they are often the only clean aid placement."

DMM Offset Nut –   winner of the Editor's Choice Award for 2010. It had the most versatility of any nut. According to gear tester Ian Nicholson, "if you climb in older areas where pitons were used, these nuts are amazing."

ABC Huevo – winner of the Best Buy award for 2010. This award is given to a product that balances an extremely high score in our tests and a very reasonable price. According to Ian Nicholson, "For climbers on a tight budget, these are good, dependable nuts that fit the more typical bottleneck cracks very well."

DMM Peenut – winner of the Best Buy award for 2010. This award is given to products that scored very highly, and offered unique capabilities.   According to Ian Nicholson, "Free climbers will love their pin scar prowess and toughness that stems from their hot forged heads."

Wild Country Superlight Rocks – winner of the Recommended award for 2010. This award is given to products that scored very highly, and offered unique capabilities.   According to Ian Nicholson, "They are among the most versatile nuts we tested. On their side-to-side axis they excelled in flares and pin scars while on their front-to-back axis (the same shape as Rocks on a Wire) they fit smooth parallel sided cracks."

Metolius Ultralight Curve Nut – winner of the Recommended award for 2010. This award is given to products that scored very highly, and offered unique capabilities.   According to Ian Nicholson, "Curve Nuts are our top choice for parallel sided cracks."

About SuperTopo.com: SuperTopo offers the most detailed and exhaustive side-by-side comparison climbing gear review in the industry. Each product is evaluated on a common set of metrics, tested both hands-on and in a lab setting, and then field tested exhaustively on Yosemite's Big Walls, The Alaska Range, Cascades and other serious climbing areas around the world.

SuperTopo.com is the premier destination site for active, influential, and outdoor-oriented rock climbers in the United States. Offering detailed information on the most popular climbing routes in the United States’ most popular climbing areas, SuperTopo.com serves as one of the critical sites to visit when planning an outdoor climbing trip. SuperTopo.com also features the United States most-active climbing discussion forum, by and for experienced outdoor rock climbers. With topics ranging from how-to-aid climb to bolting ethics, route beta, and general fireside chit-chat, the SuperTopo Climber’s Forum is regularly frequented by many of the most well known and famous rock climbers in America.

Media Contact:   Chris McNamara - 530.545.0424 - chris@supertopo.com

Permalink: http://www.supertopo.com/best/Climbing-Nut-Review

Mt Watkins near onsite free by Tommy Caldwell

Just posted this TR here

http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Mt-Watkins-near-onsite-free-by-Tommy-Caldwell/t10627n.html

Black Diamond Camalot C4 Gear Review at SuperTopo.com

MILL VALLEY, CA--SuperTopo.com, one of the most popular climbing web sites in the world, revealed test results of the Black Diamond Camalot C4 camming device for rock climbing and mountaineering. The SuperTopo.com staff rated the Camalot C4 after extensive field testing in Yosemite, Colorado, and Utah. The Camalot C4 also underwent extensive side by side tests with other cams to evaluate key performance metrics such as ease of use, performacne in flared cracks,    horizontal cracks, tight placements, walking and durability. The complete review of the Black Diamond Camalot C4 is available on SuperTopo.com.

According to gear tester Chris McNamara, "The Black Diamond Camalot C4 is still my favorite one-inch and larger cam for big walls and trad climbs. It works better than nearly any other cam for shallow and awkward placements often encountered in Yosemite and other granite areas. It is very durable and if you look at the racks of accomplished Yosemite climbers you will see this is the cam of choice. For the smaller sizes (below 0.5") Black Diamond has the Camalot C3."

Bay Area Top Ropes Guide is here!!!

Today we are launching Bay Area Top Ropes, a 128 page color book that has 260 top ropes within a 2 hour drive of San Francisco. Chris Summit is the main author with help from me and Valentine Cullen.

To launch this book, we are providing a special offer: if you buy the eBook today, you get the print book free as soon as it arrives (probably will ship around May 20). As part of this offer, you get a free print book, free shipping, no sales tax, and you get to be one of the first to get the book. And, as a practical matter, you help us with our printing bill. This offer expires May 20. Check it out here http://www.supertopo.com/packs/bay-area-top-ropes.html

You can check out the introduction, table of contents and a free sample topo here http://www.supertopo.com/freetopos.html

We are also in the process of adding the classic routes into the Route Database. Those will be live soon.