OUR LIST OF COMPANIES THAT HAVE REJECTED US OR WE REJECTED THEM IS LONG, RARELY FINDING MUCH OVERLAP IN AN INDUSTRY WE ARE OUT ON THE FRINGES OF. OUR NEEDS ARE TOO NICHE, OUR NUMBERS TOO SMALL AND OUR REVIEWS ARE TOO HONEST FOR MANY, BUT THOSE WE STICK WITH WE PROMOTE FIERCELY BECAUSE THEY TOO ARE OUT BEYOND THE MAINSTREAM.
MONEY SPENT WITH THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES GOES DIRECTLY TO THOSE DOING THE WORK, WHO ENGAGE AND ARE OUT THERE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN WHAT THEY DO. WE THINK THE PROCESS BETWEEN MAKER AND END USER ON A MOUNTAIN SHOULD HAVE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF STEPS IN IT, AND WHETHER ITS ICE TOOLS OR SNOW LEOPARDS SUPPORTING THEM IS THE MOST IMMEDIATE WAY TO HAVE A REAL EFFECT AT THE SHARP END.
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ELITECLIMB ICE TOOLS
THERE’S GREAT GEAR AND THERE’S AMAZING GEAR AND ELITECLIMB FULLY QUALIFIES AS THE LATTER, WITH EVEN THE MOST JADED OF CLIMBERS STUNNED BY THE LIGHTNESS AND SWING OF THESE TOOLS. HAND CRAFTED WITH COMPOSITES NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO BE AWARE OF, THESE ARE TOOLS THAT HAVE UNIQUE ERGONOMICS OUTSIDE THE MASS PRODUCED STUFF. SMASHING WEIGHT AND FUNCTION METRICS, ELITECLIMB TOOLS RESOLVE THE PROBLEMS AROUND SUPER COLD METAL IN HANDS HELD OVERHEAD FOR HOURS. PICKS THAT RARELY NEED SHARPENING AND COLOURS THAT ARE EASY TO SEE MAKE THESE TRUE BIG MOUNTAIN TOOLS.
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SAMAYA TENTS
EVERY FEW YEARS WE SEE STUFF THAT CHANGES ALMOST EVERYTHING WE DO, AND SAMAYA HAS BEEN THIS FOR SEVERAL YEARS RUNNING WITH TENTS SO LIGHT AND SO STRONG AS TO MAKE OUR PREVIOUS TENTS FORGOTTEN. MATERIALS AND DESIGN NOW LET US PUT CAMPS HIGHER, IN HARSHER CONDITIONS, THAT ARE MORE LIVABLE, RADICALLY SHIFTING THE STRATEGIES WE USED FOR OVER A DECADE BEFORE. AS A COMPANY THEY ARE GENEROUS WITH THEIR TIME AND IDEAS, WHICH RELAYS TO CONFIDENCE IN THEIR PRODUCTS THAT ARE BASED OFF THE INPUT OF SERIOUS USERS.
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THE SNOW LEOPARD TRUST
WE CLIMB IN THE HOME OF THE SNOW LEOPARDS SO IT MAKES SENSE TO HELP THEM SURVIVE. OVER DECADES THE SNOW LEOPARD TRUST HAS RESEARCHED, PROTECTED, EDUCATED AND RECORDED SNOW LEOPARDS ACROSS A HUGE EXPANSE OF ASIA, HELPING TO BRING THEM BACK FROM THE EFFECTS OF POACHING, STATUS KILLING AND HABITAT INTRUSION. THIS IS A HUGE TASK THAT COVERS NOT JUST THE SNOW LEOPARDS THEMSELVES, BUT RESHAPING LOCAL COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE COEXISTED WITH THEM FOR MILLENIA AND NEED THE SUPPORT TO CHANGE HOW THEY INTERACT. THE SNOW LEOPARD TRUST IS FORST AND FOREMOST A SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATION, BASED ON RESEARCH AND GOVERNMENT INTERACTION. THEY DON’T HAVE CEOS FLYING AROUND IN HELICOPTERS LIKE SOME ORGANIZATIONS WE HAVE SEEN, AND WORK OUT WHERE IT MATTERS AND OUR CONTRIBUTIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
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OUTERU SUN PROTECTION
OUTERU REPRESENTS THE LEVEL OF INNOVATION WE THRIVE ON – THE ABILITY TO DEFINE A PROBLEM AND SOLVE IT, CONCLUSIVELY, SIMPLY AND WITH QUALITY. THE DAYS OF SERIOUS SUN, WIND AND COLD DAMAGE TO THE FACE ARE OVER, DOING AWAY WITH A DOZEN STOP-GAP METHODS THAT NEVER REALLY HAD IT. OUTERU NAILED A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT AFFECTS CLIMBERS, WITH PRODUCTS THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE AND EASY TO USE.
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MALACHOWSKI SLEEPING BAGS
OUR TRIPS ARE BASED ON EQUATIONS WHERE SAVING WEIGHT AND INCREASING PERFORMANCE OF BIG TICKET ITEMS IS CENTRAL, AND MALACHOWSKI DOES THIS WITH SLEEPING BAGS THAT SIGNIFICANTLY OUT PERFORM ALL OTHERS. IT IS NO COINCIDENCE THAT THEY HAVE OUTFITTED ELITE POLISH CLIMBERS SINCE THE 1970s, INCLUDING WHAT WE CONSIDER THE PINNACLE OF 8000m ALPINISM, THE WINTER ATTEMPT ON THE NORTH SIDE OF K2.
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PARBAT PACKS
WE CARRY OUR LIVES FOR A LIVING AND SEARCHED FOR YEARS FOR WAYS TO MAKE THAT EASIER AND MORE RELIABLE, THEN WHEN PARBAT EMERGED FOUND OUR IDEAS TAKEN UP SO EXPERTLY WE HAVE BEEN AWED BY THE RESULTS. PARBAT HAVE LITERALLY HALVED WHAT THE WEIGHT OF OUR LARGE EXPEDITION PACKS, TO WEIGHTS SO LOW PEOPLE DON’T BELIEVE US. USING HIGH PERFORMANCE MATERIALS AND SOPHISTICATED EXECUTION WE HAVE PACKS THAT ARE EXTREMELY STRONG FOR THE LARGE LOADS WE MUST GET OVER ALPINE TERRAIN, THAT THEN CINCH DOWN TO BE TINY CLIMBING PACKS THAT WORK JUST AS WELL THERE.
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VAPRO AIRTRIM HEAT EXCHANGER MASKS
ONE OF SEVERAL SCANDINAVIAN COMPANIES PRODUCING STUFF FOR EXTREME COLD USE THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD SHOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT. THESE GUYS KNOW ALL ABOUT HUMAN PERFORMANCE IN THE COLD, AND HAVE ADDRESSED THE ISSUE AROUND HEAT LOSS FROM RESPIRATION WHICH BASICALLY THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. QUIETLY THEIR AIRTRIM MASKS HAVE BEEN PICKED UP BY ELITE CLIMBERS WHERE THEY ARE PART OF THE ‘FAST & LIGHT’ EQUATION. WITHOUT THESE MASKS WE COULD NOT PUSH INTO THE MARGINS OF CLIMATE AND ALTITUDE THE WAY WE DO.
