I decided to stop by the Cascade Crags climbing Gym today and check out their annual Dry Ice Festival. I met some pretty interesting people and was able to try out a couple of new tools and a new seat Harness that are out there for today’s modern ice climbers. I have to applaud the team at Cascade Crags for getting everyone together each year for this and for having the only dedicated ice climbing wall on the US West Coast. Even though I think that climbing on the styrofoam there is much more difficult than on actual ice all in all it was a good experience. Not to mention I was able to climb my way into a little bit of schwag.

When I first arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that there was not as many people at the Dry Ice Festival as I had expected. I brought my ice climbing boots and laced them up and waited patiently while watching some of the other individuals climb the ice (styrofoam) and Dry tool walls. The first part of the Festival was a gear demo sponsored by Black Diamond, and they had a lot of cool gear that was getting a good beating as everyone made laps up the three routes that were set.

Crampons: Black Diamond Sabertooth Pro

I have always had a bit of a problem with the toe bails of step-in crampon fitting real will on my size 12 boots. The pair of Switchblades that I have now had to have their toe bails pounded into shape in order to fit snuggly. So, it was no surprise that I would have to fiddle a bit to get the Sabertoothes to fit as well, since their toe Bail looked very similar. Adjusting them to the size of my boot was very easy using the spring attachment in the middle of the crampons. After getting in them and walking around they felt very solid and walkable, though I had doubts about the horizontally positioned front-points. Also, a lot of newer crampons have a funky shape that makes make across a glacier with them on a bit dicey, but these felt good.

Once up on the ice (styrofoam) front-pointing was remarkedly solid, most likely due to the agressive secondary points that really dug in. The semi-reverse points just behind the secondary points were great when I was pulling with my feet up high on the mixed route. Scraping around on the rock holds did not effect the position of them on my boots and I never felt like they were going come off while I was cranking down on them. With a price tag of $135, they also seemed to be pretty well priced. If you want a step up though, for $25 more you could also get the Bionic Pro which has the added benefit of modular vertical front-points (like the switchblade) that can be setup as dual or Mono. Both models weigh in over 2 pounds, with the Sabertooth coming in at 2 lbs. 5 oz. and the Bionic, 2 lbs. 10 oz., which will make them both a good tool to have in the arsenal.

Sit Harness: Black Diamond Blizzard

Ok, I have to admit I must have looked a little funny trying this new harness on to the others that were there climbing. At first, I grabbed a harness out of the box that I thought would definitely be too small for me. I had already put on crampons, so I was trying to take the leg loops and hip belt apart so that I could get the leg loops around my legs. Once I had the leg loops apart, the hip belt appeared to be attached by a small elastic sub-belt that was behind the main strap. I did not realize that this strap could be un-velcroed so that the hip belt opened fully just as any other harness.

The Blizzard's closed-cell foam padding was comfortable to Hang in, but did seem to be a bit of an overkill since this item is intended for winter or glacier climbing. Usually, a more minimal amount of padding is used since it can be assumed that your clothing will provide a large amount of padding. At a weight of 1 lb. and 1 oz., for the minimalists this will probably be a big downfall of this newly designed harness. Those who love luxury and don't mind a few extra ounces to carry around will love the racking options.

Included with each of the Blizzard harnesses is the newly redesigned Ice Clipper, a racking specific Biner used for organizing ice screws or racking tools. This years model adds a small lip at the top of the biner to Hold screws up and out of the way from screws lower on the biner. It only weighs one ounce, so even the minimalist with appreciate the added ease in which screws can be racked an accessed. They are even large enough to clip your tools into so that you can rest your mind about dropping one of your new pricey leashless babies.

Ice Tool: Black Diamond Viper

There were several types of tools laying around for people to check out and once it was my turn to try the styrofoam ice wall, I choose the Viper for my weapon. The clearance on both these fine pieces of craftsmanship was pretty good with absolutely no possibly of banging my knuckles with the optional Fang attached. Swinging the tools was extremely easy and compared to my Piranha’s, these tools made sticking a placement a little less effort. Climbing on styrofoam requires a little more patience an finesse than actual ice since a hard whack into the fake ice will make it hard to pull the tool out. This takes a bit to get used to, but after about midway up the wall I got the idea and cruise the rest of the way up the wall.

The Viper weighs in at 1 lb. 8 oz. and is the lightest the lightest Black Diamond tool for all terrain use. Though I did not have a chance to climb with the Fusion, which is a modern leashless tool with offset grips, is also weighs the same and had a nice feel when I was waving it around on the ground. Equipped with the Android leash, the Vipers felt good in the hands and the leashes will very comfortable to hang in. If I had the cash I would probably buy a pair, but at $230 a piece I think I will try to get them used off of EBay sometime in the future.

Ice Tool: Petzl/Charlet Quark Ergo

Once the actual competition started on the dry tool wall I figured I would have to try the more modern Quark Ergo leashless tool from Petzl/Charlet conglomerate. This was a timed event so I did not have much time to hang out and fiddle with the swing and balance, but from what I experienced it handle very well. This was the first time I had climbed with a offset-Gripped tool, so I have to admit it was a little awkward. Swinging towards the little patches of styrofoam (ice) with Plastic holds nearby would normally be intimidating with a more standard shaped shaft. The Protection for the knuckles and hands that the offset grip gives though instills much more confidence when pulling hard near the rock and the hard place.

Not having a chance to try the Ergo's on the water fall section (styrofoam) did not give me a chance to truly feel what a few swings in a row would feel like. Being the almost exact same weight as the Viper though, gave them a nice light feel. It does take a little getting used to the new modern shape of the shaft with the wildly offset grip, but I can see the value this gives the tool by adding the extra confidence of not possibly banging your knuckles. These babies don't come cheap either, but at $300 a piece they do have several advantages over some of the more traditional tools that are on the market.

Headlamp: Black Diamond Helion

Having climbed the novice competition route in a time of 1:40, I had placed second in and unexpectedly won a prize. The headlamp that I had been using I purchased off of EBay a few years back for about $5. The new Helion from Black Diamond though, was definitely a few notches up on the coolness level. Not only did this unique headlamp have three super bright LEDs, it also sported an added Xenon light for lighting up some distance away from oneself. Though I have never weighed my EBay special, with the Helion coming in at a mere 7.6 oz. with the batteries installed will make this my new torch for a while.

While testing it out in a dark room at home, the three LED's provide superb lighting for close at hand work and challenge my current 5 LED headlamp. The added brightness that the Xenon bulb provides will come in handy on that early Alpine Start up my next rock climb when finding the route is essential. This little beauty retails for $45 and I'll have to admit I would probably not purchase one due to the high price. Call me frugal or call me cheap, I still think that there are cheaper, though maybe less feature rich, options out there that are excellent choices. Though the functionality of this new headlamp will probably serve many well, having gas for getting to the climb has become more of a priority for me.

That's it for now on the new gear. Below are some links to the gear that I demoed, so be sure to check them out if you are interested in more details:

Petzl/Charlet Moser: www.petzl.com

Black Diamond Equipment: www.bdel.com