Page 30 - SA Mountain Issue 62

GEAR REVIEWS
Altus Meteora 9.8 mm x 70 m rope by TONY LOURENS
To be honest, I had
never
Altus before I was handed this rope to test a few months ago. I have since done some probing on the internet and discovered that this well-respected Spanish brand not only makes great ropes, they also manufacture
sleeping bags,
tents,
footwear, climbing gear, and-and-and!
Ropes are becoming thinner and thinner with each passing year, and it is becoming increasingly rare to nd people using ropes fatter than 10 millimetres these days. It is also
becoming
more
heard
apparel,
popular to climb with
longer than 60 metres, as more and more routes in SA are topping the 30-metre mark, and in Europe 60-metre ropes are almost redundant, as many developers are putting up routes up to 40 metres in length – routes that
of the
name
backpacks,
cords
management on small stanc
lots of climbing.
Before I used the rope, I pulled it through
about three or four times, to get rid of the ‘brand new rope kink syndrome’, which seemed to work pretty well, as it only marginally kinked
on
the rst few
as the day went on.
On the whole, the rope handled really well,
feeling smooth while belaying, and while lead climbing through roofs and around corners, etc. with very little drag. On stances, the rope is
supple enough
es,
pitches, and got much better
to allow for easy tie-ons using
clove hitches, and seemed to behave itself on small stances – stiff ropes are a nightmare on small stances, as they are harder to control and tend to slip off edges easier.
Then came the abseil test. I hate abseiling on
and of course
by bit so you can jerk yo
15 metres
enough to
shade over R2K it is
of
make
technology,
ur way down, till
just go on and on.
So, I took the Meteora out to Montagu for ve days and thought a few multi-pitch routes would be a good test, as it involves lead and second belaying, tying into stance anchors, equalizing, abseiling, coiling, kink factor, rope
dental oss,
as
come the
you have to hold on with vice grips to stop the slippery eels from slithering untethered through your device, but it is equally frustrating trying to start a long abseil on fat ropes, where you have to feed each half metre through bit
last 10 to
20
metres,
SPECIFICATIONS
Diametre: 9.8 mm Weight: 64 g/m
Number of falls: 7
Max impact force: 7.9 kN Sheath slippage: 0.1% Static elongation: 6% Dynamic elongation: 34%
R1499
R2199
untain.co.za
love my Creek 35 crag bag. It is comfortable, robust, practically waterproof, has great features, and best of all, its square base
enables it to stand up on its own. So you can
imagine my brillation levels when I got my hands on the new Creek Transit 22. At rst glance it looks like two Creek 35s got up to some hanky-panky and produced a sproglet, but on closer inspection, the Transit has some
v
c
ery
interesting features that make it an ideal
ompanion for travel, eld work, light and an everyday bag which can around town.
A large part of my job is traipsing over mountains and down dales, doing research for
my guidebooks. For
this I need a good
bag (not too big and not too small) that can take all my kit – camera, notepad and printed notes,
28 SA MOUNTAIN.CO.ZA
SEPTEMBER–NOVEM
cra be
gging, used
comfy
BER 2017
Black Diamond Creek Transit 22 by TONY LOURENS
GPS unit, dictaphone, binoculars, cell phone, along with some warm gear, a waterproof top, and my lunch, not to forget my stove and tea
The main compartment of the Transit 22 is ideal for the bulkier stuff like clothing, food and stove, etc., while on the top ap is a fantastic roomy full zip pocket with internal mesh pockets, that is just perfect to stash all my
electronic gadgets, and is quic
accessible. Then! Drumroll please . . . the best is the padded, concealed laptop compartment along the back of the bag, which is obviously designed for laptops and tablets, but I also use it for all my notes and pads. It all ts in just
spif ngly. And the
back that obviates
comfy carry. Fitted with a
little hidden
the back is an added bonus if you want to keep a phone, or something attish, which you can reach without removing the pack. Don’t think that this will make it uncomfortable against your back, cause this little Creek has a padded
that a
nd
carry handle on th
kly
zip
makes for a
and easily
pocket on
e side
very
and
Creek Transit
Transit 22
Transit 32
rammo
regular haul loop, shoulder straps (removable) hip belt, along with black webbing for added visibility,
and slim re ective the new es the toughness of BDs haulbags with the style and function you need on the hill and around town, and superb for travelling, and a trip to the gym. Also available in a 32-litre model, which has
an added zip compartment on the bottom.
paraphernalia.
22
is a bag which combin
SPECIFICATIONS
• Durable, waterproof shell fabric inspired by Black Diamond’s gear haul bags
• Zipped top lid with internal zip organizer pocket • Haul loop handles on the top and front
• Exterior-access padded compartment holds a
13” (22 l) or 15” (32 l) laptop
• Padded shoulder straps and back panel with
removable webbing hip belt
• Re ective black webbing on front for added
visibility
• Haul bag-style bottom sits at for fast loading Volume: 22 and 32 litres
Weight: 650 g (22)
Materials: 800d nylon and 1260d ballistic nylon
R2145
vertigoadventures.co.za
things start improving around the halfway mark. I nd ropes between 9.5 and 10 millimetres are the ideal abseil thickness, and the Meteora was
just the ticket.
Using special where the last
each end the core and sheath are connected into one unit, the Meteora is a rope that ts the new generation of climbers perfectly. It comes in 70 metres and, at 9.8 millimetres thick, it has the perfect diameter – having a slim and light feel, but still chunky handling feel good. And at a
very affordable to boot.
I