Reviews
Garmin – Fenix 6 Pro Watch
Earlier this year I was introduced to Garmin’s flagship watch, the Fenix 6 Pro, during a 3-day hiking and peak-bagging trip in the Cederberg mountains. I was immediately intrigued, then fascinated, then staggered by the sheer ‘tech power’ of this device and how much it could actually do in terms of data storage and delivery, …
Core Merino – Men’s Leggings
I must say, it gives me a certain pleasure when these Euros come to Africa in winter packing nothing but shorts and T-shirts, thinking that it surely can’t be anything but hot here. After all, it’s Africa! Only to find out that it is anything but hot, particularly if you venture into the hills. And …
Petzl – Corax Harness
I have always been a protagonist of the minimalist harness. Basically only one waist buckle, no leg loop adjustments, and a slim but comfortable fit. For me that is the ideal situation for fair weather climbing. Straight on and straight off, no fiddling with unnecessary bits and bobs. And indeed, that is just the ticket …
BD Headlamps – Icon 700 & Onsight 375
A little while ago I got handed two of Black Diamond’s new offerings to the headlamp family to review for SA Mountain. And two headlamps more different from each other would be hard to find. The Icon is burly, very bright, with lots of bells and whistles, while the Onsight is a slimmer, lighter model …
PETZL – Boreo Helmet
Not sure if it is just me, but from where I stand, it seems that helmets in general are becoming more and more popular. I see more people wearing them, even at sport crags. It makes a lot of sense, really. An important job of any helmet is to protect you from falling debris, but …
JR GEAR – Ultra Lite Groundsheet
You would think that a simple, durable, lightweight, no-frills groundsheet is easy to find. Think again. I have been looking for quite a while now and nada! Until now of course. I was really pleasantly surprised when the very thing I was desperately looking for turned up on my desk for review. A backpacking groundsheet …
JR GEAR – Inflatable sleeping mats
Aye, I remember well the days of the old blue condensed cell foam sleeping mats. Yes, those ones we all had. After a 4-hour walk up to Spout Cave, we’d dump our heaving backpacks on the stony ground and go climbing for the day. Returning to the cave just before sunset, we would make something …
Cicerone Guidebooks
Review by Tony Lourens On my very first climbing road trip through Italy in 1994, one of the few guidebooks available at the time was Cicerone’s Italian Rock by Al Churcher. Clutching this now iconic publication in our sweaty paws, we discovered many exciting climbing areas scattered across the northern part of Italy. Of course, …
Winter 8000
Climbing the world’s highest mountains in the coldest season By Bernadette McDonald Hard cover 272 pagesVertebrate PublishingAvailable at Exclusive BooksRRP: R538 Review by Tony Lourens Polish mountaineers have always been considered to be a little on the extreme side. They seem to have a penchant for suffering in the most brutal of ways. They take …
Petzl – IKO CORE headlamp
When Petzl said they have a brand new headlamp and would I like to review it for SA Mountain, I thought to myself, another headlamp? How different can this one be from the previous ones? I mean, how much more can a headlamp be improved upon? Well, to be honest, I was not at all …