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THERE’S A HUGE ARRAY OF HEADLAMPS OUT THERE BUT FEW ARE REALLY UP TO THE TASK FOR ALPINE CLIMBING. MANY LOOK LIKE THEY ARE, AND HAVE ALL SORTS OF FEATURES, BUT IN REAL WORLD USE IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG TO REALISE WHAT CAN FAIL.
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THINGS A HEADLAMP NEEDS TO ACHEIVE FOR ALPINE CLIMBING
1) IT NEEDS TO BE GLOVE FRIENDLY, WITH LARGE BUTTONS & AN EASY SWIVEL MOTION. ALL ELSE IS IRELEVANT IF YOU CAN’T SWITCH THE THING ON EASILY INSTANTLY
2) IT NEEDS TO FIT UNDER A HELMET. FOR CLIMBING A HEAD TORCH GOES ON YOUR HEAD, NOT ON YOUR HELMET, SO IT NEEDS A THIN PROFILE AS TO NOT UPSET HOW YOUE HELMET SITS
3) IT MUST BE LOW BULK. WHEN NOT REQUIRED ON YOUR HEAD, A HEADLAMP STAYS ON YOUR BODY WHERE IT’S WARM AND EASY TO GET TO. YOU WEAR IT 24hrs A DAY. IT NEEDS TO SIT IN A POCKET, OR AROUND YOUR NECK, OR WRIST.
4) MINIMAL COMPLEXITY. HEADLAMOS HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY COMPLICATED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS AND ALPINISM DEMANDS ALMOST NONE OF THAT. FULL BEAM, LOW SPREAD, RED BEAM AND MAYBE ONE OTHER. THAT’S IT. NO REACTIVE LIGHTING, NO DIMMING, NO PROGRAMMED MEMORY.
5) RED BEAMS ARE A MUST. KEEPING YOUR NIGHT VISION AND NOT BLINDING YOUR TENT MATE ARE VITAL WHEN THINGS GET DIFFICULT. STEPPING OUT ONTO AN ICY LEDGE DAZZLED BY 300 LUMENS REFLECTING OFF SNOW IS DANGEROUS, JUST AS IT IS BLINDING YOUR PARTNER WHEN THEY ARE ABOUT TO. A USEFUL MIDDLE GROUND IS A GREEN LIGHT – SOMETHING YOU’LL NEED A TACTICAL LIGHT TO GET – WHICH IS PERFECT FOR A BRIGHT BUT SMALL IMPACT LIGHT FOR THINGS LIKE APPROACHES THAT DON’T NEED THE FULL SERVICE OF WHITE LIGHT.
6) STRONG BEAM. MILLIONS OF LUMENS DON’T MEAN MUCH UNTIL THEY ARE PUT INTO A BEAM OF THE RIGHT STRENGTH. AS BIG A LANDSCAPE AS ALPINE CLIMBING IS, THE ACTUAL DISTANCE BEFORE YOU IS USUALLY QUITE SMALL AND DOESN’T NEED A HUGE AMOUNT OF FOCUSED LIGHT REFLECTING OF IT NOR DRAINING THE BATTERY. YOU WANT A BEAM THAT HAS A SATURATED BUT NOT DAZZLING SPREAD WITH AMBIENT HALF-LIGHT AT ABOUT 30m, SOMETHING THE REMIX NAILS ON FULL BEAM AND GIVES A GOOD LEVEL OF SATURATION ON LOW.
7) LUMENS DON’T RATE AS THE BE ALL FOR THIS, AS EVEN A FAIRLY LOW LUMEN LAMP WILL BE OK OUT THE THE USUAL SHORT DISTANCE ALPINE CLIMBING HAPPENS AT. RECALL WHAT WAS DONE IN THE ERA WHEN 150 LUMENS WAS CONSIDERED AMAZING. THE 300 LUMENS OF THE REMIX IS MORE THAN ENOUGH AND IS ABOUT THE LIMIT THAT A LAMP CAN DO BEFORE BEING COMPROMISED WITH HEAT DIVERSION METHODS THAT LEND TO BEING DODGY (WHICH WHY 1000 LUMENS SOUNDS GREAT UNTIL YOU SEE HOW IT ACTUALLY WORKS)
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IN THE END, THE REMIX SATISFIES ALL THE CRITERIA AND BEATS MOST BY ALSO BEING LIGHT DUE TO IT’S 3 AAA DESIGN WHICH IT MANAGES VERY EFFICIENTLY TO GIVE A SIMPLY REMARKABLE OUTPUT OF +40hrs BURN TIME AT 300 LUMENS AT.
WE LIKE TOO THE BATTERY CAPSULE HAVING IT’S CAP ON THE END, REDUCING SEAL VULNERABILITY FROM INGRESS AND BEING FAR, FAR EASY TO JUGGLE BATTERIES INTO AND OUT OF, REQUIRING NO LEVERING WITH GLOVES OFF TO PRY THE BATTERIES OUT.
AN ADVANTAGE WITH THE TACTICAL MODEL WORTH MENTIONING – AND BASICALLY WHAT MAKES IT ‘TACTICAL’ ASIDE FROM THE COLOURS – IS THAT IT AUTOMATICALLY DEFAULTS TO RED WHEN YOU TURN IT ON, DISMISSING THE POSSIBILITY OF IT FLASHING TO WHITE WHEN YOU DON’T WANT IT AND REDUCING BATTERY LIFE DECAY IF IT GETS ACCIDENTALLY SWITCHED ON. A SECOND PRESS ON THE HUGE BUTTON THEN SENDS IT TO WHITE (OR GREEN OR BLUE) AS REQUIRED.
