LIGHTER, WARMER, STRONGER – THE NEW MATERIALS OF ALPINE CLIMBING

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THE LAST 10 YEARS HAS SEEN EVOLUTION IN EXPEDITION CLIMBING EQUIPMENT THAT HAS BOUGHT UNPRECEDENTED ADVANTAGES, EXTENDING THE ROLE EQUIPMENT PLAYS TO SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE THE WAY BIG OBJECTIVES CAN BE CLIMBED. THE GROWTH OF THE SECTOR AND CROSS POLLINATION BETWEEN PARALLEL INDUSTRIES HAS BOUGHT NEW MATERIALS INTO THE MIX IN WAYS THAT RESOLVE FUNDAMENTAL CLIMBING ISSUES AND REDUCE SOME OF THE RISKS THAT ONCE DEFINED WHAT THE SPORT WAS ABOUT.

MANY OF THESE MATERIALS IN THEMSELVES ARE NOT NEW, HAVING BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES, BUT THE USE OF MATERIALS OUTSIDE OF THE SECTORS THEY WERE DEVELOPED FOR HAS LEAD TO NEW EVOLUTIONARY PATHWAYS FOR VARIANTS THAT NEVER WOULD HAVE EXISTED OTHERWISE. LIKE SOME OF THE OTHER SECTORS THESE MATRIALS COME FROM – SPACE, MOTOR RACING, MAXI RACING, DEFENCE – HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING HAS BOUGHT A RANGE OF USES WITH UNIQUE DEMANDS THAT STRESS MATERIALS IN SPECIFIC WAYS WHERE THE APPLICATION OF THESE MATERIALS IS WELCOMED AND SPURS FURTHER GROWTH.

THE CLIMBER OF TODAY, IF THEY HARNESS & UNDERSTAND THE ADVANTAGES OF THESE NEW MATERIALS, CLIMBS LIGHTER, WARMER & SAFER BY ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE THAN WAS POSSIBLE A DECADE AGO. WE PROVIDE A BRIEF RUNDOWN OF THE ADVANTAGES WE SEE HERE.

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UHMWPE

BEST APPLICATIONS; TENTS, PACKS

ULTRA-HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLY-ETHELENE KNOWN UNDER IT’S VARIOUS COMMERCIAL NAMES OF DYNEEMA, SPECTRA, CUBEN etc TOOK TIME TO TAKE HOLD WITH CLIMBING BUT FAST BECAME A STANDARD BOTH AS REAL ADVANTAGE AND AS FETISH. FOR LONG TIME CONFINED TO USE IN SLINGS DUE TO IT’S REAL BUT POSSIBLY POINTLESS ADVANTAGES, IT BECAME THE ULTRA-CHIC MATERIAL FOR PACKS AND AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, NOW TENTS AND WORKED INTO GLOVES AND BOOTS.

STRONGER FOR IT’S WEIGHT, LOWER STRETCH, LOW ABSORBANCY AND MORE CHEMICALLY STABLE THAN NYLON, UHMWPE HAS IT’S GREATEST ADVANTAGES IN THINGS THAT HAVE LARGER MASS AND GREATER EXPOSURE TO PROLONGED STRESS; PACKS & TENTS WHERE LIFESPANS ARE MEASURED IN WEEKS OF USE AND EXPOSURE TO UV AND WATER.

UHMWPE IS EXPENSIVE AND ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF USE ACTUALLY GETS BETTER BANG FOR YOUR BUCK OVER TIME WHEN USED FOR THESE ‘FRONT LINE’ APPLICATIONS RATHER THAN AS DETAILS. DESPITE THE INITIAL COST OF A TENT OR PACK MADE FROM IT, THE NUMBER OF HOURS BEFORE MATERIAL FAILURE IS WAY HIGHER, MAKING IT A BETTER DEAL FOR THE SERIOUS USER.

A BIG POSITIVE OF THE STUFF IS IT’S CAPACITY TO BE FIXED. NOT REQUIRING BEING DRENCHED IN SILICONE MOST UHMWPE VARIANTS CAN BE FIXED VERY EFFECTIVELY WITH AVAILABLE TAPES, OFTEN FROM THE SAILING INDUSTRY WHERE IT’S USED FOR SAILS.

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TITANIUM

BEST APPLICATION; STOVES, REFLECTIVE LININGS

NOTHING NEW ABOUT THIS STUFF BUT IT’S TAKEN A LONG TIME TO SEE SERIOUS APPLICATIONS IN THE CLIMBING WORLD. THE VAST MAJORITY OF USES FOR TITANIUM HAVE BEEN WITH GIMMICKY THINGS LIKE CUPS AND SPOONS WHERE THE ADVANTAGES ARE AT BEST ACADEMIC ACROSS THE BOARD OF THE PILE OF CLIMBING GEAR. THE GREATEST POTENTIAL OF TITANIUM ISN’T IN IT’S RELATIVE WEIGHT, BUT IN IT’S UNIQUE PROPERTIES AS A CONDUCTOR AND REFLECTOR.

WE FIRST HAILED THE ADVANTAGES OF TITANIUM WHEN IT CAME TO STOVES. BEING A BIT LIGHTER WAS A NOVELTY BUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS THE WAY A TITANIUM STOVE RAPIDLY LOSES HEAT, MAKING IT MUCH SAFER IN A TENT FULL OF NYLON AND FAR EASIER TO HANDLE.

RECENTLY THE STUFF IS SHOWING UP USED AS A REFLECTIVE LINER IN SLEEPING BAGS, SOMETHING WE HAVE FOUND TO FINALLY SEE REAL RESULTS AFTER YEARS OF GIMMICKY ATTEMPTS DUE TO A FAILING TO UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES OF BASIC PHYSICS. TITANIUM’S VERY LOW CONDUCTIVITY BUT VERY HIGH REFLECTIVITY WHEN USED EFFECTIVELY MAKES IT A QUANTUM LEAP IN INSULATION THAT WE ARE PROBABLY AT THE FIRST STAGES OF SEEING, HAVING TAKEN THE ARRIVAL OF TECHNOLOGY TO APPLY IT.

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ARAMIDS

BEST APPLICATIONS; ICE TOOLS, HARNESSES, PACKS

ARAMIDS LIKE KEVLAR WERE THE BUZZ MATERIALS OF THE 80’s BUT TOOK TIME TO BE USED USEFULLY IN THE CLIMBING WORLD WHERE THEIR INHERENT PROPERTIES OF STIFFNESS WERE LESS WELCOME THAN OTHER INDUSTRIES. ALONE, ARAMIDS ARE USUALLY TOO BRITTLE CROSS-WISE TO BE INTERESTING IN A WORLD THAT VALUES ENERGY ABSORBTION LIKE CLIMBING DOES, BUT AS THE RELATION BETWEEN RIGIDITY AND EFFICIENCY HAS PICKED UP ARAMID’S PROPERTIES HAVE GATHERED RESPECT.

USED AS A STIFFENER IN MATERIALS, ARAMIDS HAVE BROUGHT A FUNCTION TO PACKS THAT HAS SAVED THEM FROM THE FORMLESS, FLOPPY NYLON BAGS THEY BECOME WHEN THEY REACH THE LARGER SIZES, THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THEY WEAKNESSES AND RELIABILITY UNLESS SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IS USED TO RESOLVE IT. 100L PACKS OF THE 90’s BEING GOOD EXAMPLES OF THIS. NOW, INTEGRATED ARAMID STRUCTURE MAKES LARGE PACKS AND OTHER THINGS THAT VALUE RETAINING STRUCTURE UNDER LOAD LIKE HARNESSES POSSIBLE WHILST KEEPING THEM LIGHT AND STRONG – A SAFETY MATTER IN A HARNESS AND SAVING KGS IN A PACK.

ARAMID AS A STIFFENING ELEMENT IN ICE TOOLS HAS SHIFTED THE GAME WHERE IT’S NEEDED. WHILST ‘VALLEY LEVEL’ ICE CLIMBING DEMANDS DAMPENING IN A TOOL THE MASSIVELY EXPANDED SCOPE OF USE – AND WEIGHT – OF BIG ALPINE ASCENTS BENEFITS FROM THE ADDED STIFFNESS IN EFFICIENCY OVER THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF LOWER TECH PLACEMENTS.

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CARBON COMPOSITS

BEST APPLICATIONS; TENT POLES, ICE TOOLS, BOOTS

PERHAPS MORE THAN ANY OTHER MATERIAL, CARBON COMPOSITES SCREAM ‘NEW!!!’ MORE THAN ANY OTHER, AND THEIR ROLE IN EXPEDITION CLIMBING ONLY PUSHES THAT. WHILST NOT NEW AT ALL, IN AN INDUSTRY STILL ADDICTED TO THINGS LIKE LEATHER AND WOOL AS PER OTZI THE NEOLITHIC HUNTER, CARBON COMPOSITES HOLD A REAL FUNCTIONAL PLACE AMONG ‘FIRST LINE’ GEAR IN ALPINE CLIMBING.

EVEN THE FIRST GENERATION OF CARBON FIBRE TOOLS WERE DOUBLE DIGITS LIGHTER THAN ALUMINIUM TOOLS AND THE EVOLUTION TO SINGLE PIECE TOOLS MADE TOTALLY OF CARBON BESIDES THE PICKS AND SPIKES RESULTS IN SOME OF THE BIGGEST SAVINGS IN EFFICIENCY IN CLIMBING. A SET OF COMPOSITE TOOLS THAT COMBINE CARBON AND KEVLAR NOW WEIGH IN AT 2/3 THE WEIGHT OF AN ALU SET AND ARE WARMER TO THE HAND AND WEIGHTED BETTER FOR MIXED-STYLE CLIMBING. THE INCREASED EFFICIENCY HERE OVER THE THOUSANDS OF PLACEMENTS A DAY CAN’T BE OVERSTATED AND CONTRIBUTES TO A LEVEL OF CLIMBING AT HIGH ALTITUDE WE ARE JUST STARTING TO SEE THE RESULTS OF.

USED IN TENT POLES CARBON COMPOSITES ARE USUALLY A NOVELTY – TILL THE WIND HITS AND STICKS AROUND FOR DAYS THAT WILL TEST THE BEND CYCLES OF ALUMINIUM OF THE SAME WEIGHT AND DIMENSIONS. ALL POLES WILL BREAK EVENTUALLY, BUT COMPOSITE HAS A MORE OBTUSE FAILURE CURVE WHEREBY IT WILL BEND AND SPLINTER WHEREAS ALU WILL BEND, CRIMP AND FAIL ACUTELY. A SPLINTERED CARBON POLE DOESN’T BECOME TWO FLAILING SHAFTS WHEN IT BLOWS, RETAINING A MINIMUM OF IT’S FORM WHICH IS EASIER TO FIX FOR THE RETREAT.

IT SEEMS EVERYWHERE NOW THE BENEFITS OF CARBON MIDSOLES ARE BEING HAILED, ERRONEOUSLY OR NOT, FROM RUNNING SHOES TO OTHER OUTDOOR INDUSTRIES AND DEFENCE, AND IS ONE OF THE FEW THINGS WHERE ALPINE CLIMBING GOT IN EARLY ON THE CURVE. BECAUSE STIFFNESS IS VITAL TO A BOOTS PLATFORM FOR A CRAMPON, AND CONDUCTIVITY INTO THE GROUND IS THE PRIMARY CONDUIT OF HEAT LOSS FRO YOUR FEET, THE PROPERTIES FOR CARBON COMPOSITE WERE HARNESSED EARLY, REPLACING METAL AND HARDENED PLASTIC AND STILL HOLDING THEIR OWN AS WELL AS OPENING UP NEW POTENTIAL FOR OTHER MATERIALS TO BE APPLIED WITH IT.

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AEROGEL

BEST APPLICATIONS; BOOTS

IF ‘SPACE AGE’ FITTED ANY MATERIAL HERE IT IS AEROGEL, BEING LITERALLY DEVELOPED BY NASA TO INSULATE THE SHUTTLE. IT MADE IT’S DEBUT IN THE MID-80’s AS A BIZARRE NEW MATERIAL SO STRANGE AND FUTURISTIC IT WAS KNOWN ONLY OUTSIDE THE SPACE INDUSTRY BY TV STUNTS LIKE WITHSTANDING WELDING TORCHES.

INHERENT BRITTLENESS HAS KEPT IT OUT OF CLIMBING DUE TO BEING EITHER TOO FRAGILE WHEN USED AS BLOCK OR TOO DUSTY WHEN USED IN A FIBROUS FORM AND FOR ALL IT’S ASTOUNDING INSULATION PROPERTIES – IT HAS AN R-VALUE OF 35-40 COMPARED THE 7 THAT THE CURRENT BEST PERFORMING SLEEPING MATS HAVE – REMAINED A FANTASY PRODUCT ONLY OCCASIONALLY SEEN IN PRODUCTS THAT DIDN’T REALLY UTILIZE IT ASIDE FROM THE MARKETING ANGLE.

BUT SLOWLY AND QUIETLY, STARTING WITH THE NORTH FACE, AEROGEL FOUND IT’S WAY INTO THE MIDSOLES OF CLIMBING BOOTS THEN INTO THE TOE BOX AND INNER BOOTS WHERE IT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUDDEN WEIGHT REDUCTION IN NEW GEN BOOTS, SHEDDING SEVERAL HUNDRED GRAMS OVER A DECADE. FUTURE APPLICATIONS OF THE STUFF THROW OPEN ALL SORTS OF POSSIBILITIES, BUT BOOTS WAS THE BEST PLACE TO BEGIN, AND AS THE TECHNOLOGY NEEDED TO PAIR WITH AEROGEL TO MAKE IT REALISTIC EVOLVES WE SHOULD SEE IT POP UP MORE OFTEN.

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ARMOR STEEL

BEST APPLICATIONS; PICKS, CRAMPONS

AS THE SOVIET UNION ATE ITSELF WE SAW THINGS THAT HAD BEEN GOING ON BEHIND THE WALL FOR A LONG TIME AND ASIDE FROM SYSTEMIC ABUSES, ONE OF THE FEW POSITIVES WAS THE USE OF ARMOR STEEL (AND TITANIUM TO A DEGREE). AS FLEETS OF MILITARY VEHICLES WERE STOLEN, ABANDONED OR SOLD, THOSE WHO SAW THE OPPORTUNITY GRABBED WHAT THEY COULD TO USE THE MATERIALS FOR ELSEWHERE, AND ABOUT 0.01% MADE IT INTO CLIMBING GEAR. USED TO DIY CLIMBING GEAR FOR DECADES, EASTERN BLOC CLIMBERS BOUGHT TO THE WEST A RETHINK ON MATERIALS THAT THEIR IMPRESSIVE CLIMBERS SHOWED WOULD WORK, AND THOUGH SLOW TO TAKE UP, HAS STARTED TO FIND IT’S WAY INTO MAIN STREAM GEAR THANKS TO THE VISION OF COMPANIES LIKE GRIVEL AND ELITECLIMB.

ARMOR STEEL HAS ABOUT DOUBLE THE BHN HARDNESS VALUE OF THE CHROMOLY STEEL USED IN CRAMPONS. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARMOR STEEL AND THE OTHER METALS USED IN WINTER CLIMBING GEAR IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SHARPENING YOUR CRAMPONS AND PICKS ONE A WEEK TO ONCE OR TWICE A SEASON. PUT ANOTHER WAY, ON A LONG MIXED ALPINE ROUTE LIKE THE NORTH RIDGE OF K2, IT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TAKING A 200g FILE UP WITH YOU AND PROBABLY A SPARE SET OF PICKS AND POINTS ON THE TRIP, OVER A 3000m ROUTE – THE EQUIVALENT TO WHAT MANY CLIMBERS WILL COVER IN A SEASON – HAVING PICKS AND POINTS STILL 98% SHARP AT THE HIGHEST PART TRANSLATES TO A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY MARGIN.

WHERE ARMOR STEEL’S PROPERTIES ARE FELT MOST ARE WHEN IT COMES TO SHARPENING IT, AND THE IDEA OF A FEW LICKS OF THE FILE BETWEEN ASCENTS DISAPPEARS. AS HARD AS IT IS LOSING THE TIP IT’S JUST AS HARD SHARPENING IT AGAIN, MEANING THE PROCESS OF MAINTAINING THE TIP BECOMES AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE NEW WAY OF USING THE STUFF.

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THERMOPLUME

BEST APPLICATIONS; MID-LAYERS

WITH A SOUND UNDERSTANDING OF SYSTEMS, BASELAYERS ARE EASY AND OVER-INSULATION IS EASY – WHAT’S HARD IS THE MIDLAYER. DESPITE THE PLETHORA OF WOVEN ‘FLEECES’ ABOUT THE DAYS OF FLEECE MIDLAYERS ENDED LONG AGO, REPLACED BY SYNTHETIC INSULATION, WHICH IN TURN BLEW OUT INTO AN ARRAY OF VARIANTS SOME BETTER AS MIDLAYERS THAN OTHERS. OF ALL OF THEM THERMOPLUME FROM PRIMALOFT IS BY FAR THE BEST FOR THE JOB.

OFTEN TOUTED AS ‘SYNTHETIC DOWN’ THIS IS A MISNOMER THAT PUTS THERMOPLUME IN THE WRONG LIGHT. YES, IT CLOSELY MIMICS DOWN OF ABOUT 550 FILL POWER – SOMETHING THAT ISN’T VERY EXCITING – THERMOPLUME’S LIKENESS TO DOWN IS IN IT’S OTHER PROPERTIES RATHER THAN IT’S INSULATION VALUE.

MIDLAYERS HAVE NO REQUIREMENT TO BE SUPER WARM BECAUSE THEY WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER DEDICATED LAYERS. THE ROLE OF A MIDLAYER IS TO BE A MID-WARMTH LAYER THAT STABILIZES AND ALLOWS TO FUNCTION YOUR BASELAYER BY PROVIDING AN AIR MASS TO WICK INTO THAT ISN’T COMPROMISED, TO FORM AN ACTION PLATFORM YOU CAN LIVE IN FOR THE 85% OF THE TIME YOU NEED SOMETHING MORE THAN A BASELAYER ON, AND TO FORM THE MID-LAYER OF STABLE AIR YOUR DOWN SUIT IS PROTECTING THAT NEEDS TO BE AS SIMPLE, STABLE AND COMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE. HALF OF THIS IS THE INSULATION ITSELF – THERMOPLUME IS THE WARMEST AND MOST BREATHABLE OF THE SYNTHETIC INSULATIONS BY A LONG WAY – THE OTHER HALF IS THE DESIGN, OF WHICH THERMOPLUME, BY BEING BAFFLED LIKE DOWN, CAN BE MADE INTO PILLOWY, BODY CONFORMING GARMENTS THAT OTHER SYNTHETICS (WHICH COME IN SHEETS) REQUIRE COMPROMISING STRETCH PANELS TO ACHEIVE.

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PRIMALOFT YARN

BEST APPLICATIONS; BASELAYERS, SOCKS

PRIMALOFT AND OTHER SYNTHETIC INSULATIONS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME BUT IT WAS ONLY WITHIN THE LAST 6-7 YEARS THAT THE CONTINUOUS FIBRES HAVE BEEN USEABLE AS YARN, TO BE WOVEN LIKE ANY OTHER YARN INTO FABRICS INSTEAD OF BEING USED ONLY AS THE MATTED OR PILED SHEETS THEY PREVIOUSLY WERE. THIS UNLEASHED A MATERIAL THAT, WHEN COMBINED WITH ADVANCES IN MILLING AND KNITTING, PRODUCED MATERIALS THAT ARE INCREDIBLY WICKING AND INSULATING FOR THEIR BULK.

COMPARED TO WOOL. WOVEN PRIMALOFT HAS ALL OF THE WARMTH WHEN WET PROPERTIES WITH NONE OF THE ISSUES THAT COME WITH AN ORGANIC FIBRE, NAMELY LOSS OF INTEGRITY, HIGH WATER RETENTION AND FIBRE COMPRESSION THAT PLAGUES WOOLS PERFORMANCE. WHERE WOOL SOON LOSES IT’S SHAPE AND FIT THROUGH USE, PRIMALOFT FABRIC RETAINS IT’S SHAPE AND STRETCH DUE TO INHERENT MECHANICAL STRETCH THAT COMES WITH IT’S EXTREMELY LONG FIBRE LENGTH. THIS MEANS IT CAN BE USED WITH FEWER SEWN PANELS, EVEN NOW BEING 3D WOVEN TO CREATE SEAMLESS GARMENTS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE WITH WOOL.

USED FOR SOCKS, WITH MODERN KNITTING TECHNIQUES PRIMALOFT YOUR FEET AVOID ALL THE MOISTURE ISSUES WITH WOOL BY DRYING FASTER VIA SIMPLY NOT RETAINING SWEAT AND COMPRESSING LIKE WOOL DOES. PRIMALOFT YARN SOCKS CAN BE 3D KNITTED TO BE SEAMLESS, WITH VARYING PERMEABILITY WHERE IT’S NEEDED TO KEEP FEET DRY AND WARM.

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HIGH VALUE NANOPROOFED DOWN

BEST APPLICATIONS; SLEEPING BAGS, DOWN SUITS

WATERPROOFED DOWN MADE A SUDDEN IMPACT A DECADE AGO AFTER BEING THE DREAM OF CLIMBERS FOREVER, THEN FIZZLED AWAY AFTER REPORTS OF NOT REALLY WORKING AS WELL AS IT SHOULD. STEADILY IT MADE A COME BACK, NOW BEING THE DEFAULT, AT THE SAME TIME AS WORLD PRODUCTION OF HIGHER VALUE DOWN BECOMING AVAILABLE, AND THE CHANGES HAVE BEEN BIG.

A DECADE AGO 8000m SUITS WERE MOSTLY MADE OF 650 FILL DOWN, 750 IF YOU HAD MONEY. CHINA AND EASTERN EUROPE TURNING OUT MORE DOWN HAS PUSHED FOR GREATER QUANTITIES OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY, SOMETHING ONCE, LITERALLY, RESERVED FOR ROYALTY (BECAUSE Y’KNOW THEY CLIMB HEAPS OF MOUNTAINS IN WINTER…). DEVELOPMENT IN NANOTECH RESULTED IN TREATMENTS FOR THINGS OF THE DIMENSIONS OF DOWN, WHICH MEANT THE DOWN WAS LESS AFFECTED BY HUMIDITY – A CRITICAL FACTOR IN MEASURING THE DOWNS LOFT VALUE – AND THE TWO COMBINED MADE FOR DOWN WITH AN INSULATING ABILITY BEYOND WHAT ALMOST ANY BIRD IN HISTORY COULD NATURALLY PRODUCE.

THE ‘+’ AFTER A DOWN’S FILL POWER, eg 850+, 900+ etc, BASICALLY MEANS THE ADDED VALUE FROM BEING NANOTREATED AND EQUATES TO CLIMBERS NOW HAVING ACCESS TO A LEVEL OF INSULATION KEEPING THEM WARM ONLY DREAMED ABOUT NOT LONG AGO. ONE NEED ONLY TRY A 900+ FILL SLEEPING BAG FOR THE NIGHT TO REALIZE WHAT THIS IS LIKE, WITH THE CORRESPONDING TRAPPED WARMTH FROM A BAGS WEIGHT TAKING TIME TO GET YOUR HEAD AROUND A TRUST. IN NUMBERS, THE WEIGHT OF SLEEPING BAG REQUIRED TO HANDLE TEMPERATURES LIKE -25c HAS DROPPED ABOUT 30% OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE BEEN RUNNING THIS COMPANY.

DOES IT LAST? NOWDAYS IT SEEMS TO, BUT REALIZE THAT IN TEMPERATURES LIKE -25c WHERE MOISTURE ISN’T PRESENT THE SHARP END OF INSULATION USE HAS ALWAYS NEGATED THIS ARGUMENT ANYWAY. ALWAYS, DOWN HAS BEEN TREATED CAREFULLY, SO NANOTREATMENT OR NOT, 900 FILL WILL BE WARM WHATEVER YOU DO WITH IT.

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PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

ADD UP ALL THE ADVANTAGES OF THE MATERIALS PRESENTED HERE AND THE CLIMBER USING THEM OPTIMALLY CAN STEP OFF THE GLACIER 15-20% LIGHTER AND MORE EFFICIENTLY THAN THEY COULD A DECADE AGO.

LIGHTER IS ALWAYS BETTER BUT THESE NEW MATERIALS CAPITALIZE ON THAT WITHOUT COMPROMISING WARMTH AND FUNCTION LIKE THAT ONCE DID, OFTEN AT AN EXPENSE THAT COVERED RISKS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO MANY. SOME OF THE MATERIALS HERE ARE LIGHT FOR SURE, BUT THE REAL ADVANTAGES ARE IN BEING WARMER TO USE WHICH CARRIES SECONDARY WEIGHT ADVANTAGES BY ALLOWING OTHER GEAR TO BE LIGHTER AND/OR ACT MORE EFFICIENTLY FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY ACROSS THE WHOLE.

BOTTOM LINE IS THAT GEAR, NO MATTER HOW GOOD, IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE USER. BY COMBINING WHAT’S PRESENTED HERE WITH PARALLEL EVOLUTION IN THINGS LIKE TRAINING METHODS, ACCESSIBILITY, NEW AREAS TO CLIMB IN AND THE EVOLUTION OF CLIMBING STYLES AND THERE’S A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT IS POSSIBLE THAT’S A BIG DEPARTURE FROM THE DINOSAUR INDUSTRY THAT MOST 8000m CLIMBING IS ASSOCIATED WITH.