The New Season

the sun is out, the trees have leaves and every body has flooded to the sports climbing (and I'm no exception). To aid in this I thought it would be about time to get a new rope and I opted for the Beal Joker 9.1mm (in black so i can pretend I'm a ninja...)and so far it has been the best rope ive ever bought! Not too thick or thin, you can barley feel the weight of it and it handles like no other (also when i coil it it hasnt tangled itself on me *touch wood*)

Any way on with the climbing up date, a trip to Rubicon to try the classic Rubicon Wall left me a little dishartend, that was untill i went to Chee Dale with Mr D Bridgewood. After a wee warm up on Subterfudge and Quality Control we moved down to Why Me. I went up and down once to learn the moves before trying it and then fell of it twice, one hoiked Dom clean 5 foot off the floor (my beta made me clip the thrid clip late) but then it all fell into place. It was a really nice route on undercuts and with a really nice heel hook. lets hope the sports climbing continues like this.

Mammut Ultimate Review

by the Campfour Team

The term Soft Shell is often confusing – what is or isn’t a soft shell?  The difference in opinion often rests around whether the fabric has a membrane (e.g. gore-tex, eVent or similar).  Either way, what unites both camps is the fact that the garment has a soft finish, is forgiving in its ability to stretch or flex, and provides very good protection from the elements, without quite reaching the level of protection you would expect from a waterproof jacket (or hard shell).

Soft shell technology has been a staple in Europe for years due to the Alpine walking and climbing scene, and over recent years has started to gain popularity in the UK as users have realized how good these garments are, and now many weather conditions they are appropriate for.

Mammut has been producing extremely high quality soft shell garments for years.   Two that are new in to us this season are the Ultimate Hoody & Ultimate Advance Jacket.  We like both of these very much and thought would share our thoughts on them with you.  We welcome your feedback too, please feel free to email us at info@campfour.co.uk or leave your review on either the Ultimate Hoody or Ultimate Advance Jacket on our website.

Both jackets are made out of Gore-windstopper - a surprisingly water resistant fabric that dries quickly, so if you do happen to get caught in a quick shower, you’ll be ok. It’s fully windproof and really breathable, perfect for those blustery days on the crag (e.g. sat belaying at the top of Stanage – brrrrr). For the rock climbers amongst you, we think you’ll like the slim fit cut of this jacket which makes it easy to wear with a harness, and the hood on the Ultimate Hoody is helmet compatible.

For us, what really stand outs about both of these jackets is the full stretch fabric with articulated elbows, which means you get true freedom of movement and comfort. The 2 way front zip and under arm vents mean that you can cool down easily if you’re working up a sweat!

This jacket would be at home at the crag, out walking in the hills, Alpine climbing in Europe, and Scottish mountaineering any time of year.  Hard wearing, hard working and well put together.