The State of the Climbing Gear

One thing that has stood out to me at the last couple of Outdoor Retailer trade shows is the general lack of serious innovation occurring in climbing gear. This makes me wonder if gear has evolved to a mature state, from which it can only get lighter and more refined. Of course, it’s often hard to imagine what’ll come next, or I could take that next million dollar idea to BD and make, well, millions. But looking back on things like the camming device, harnesses with leg loops, GriGri’s and leashless ice tools, it makes you wonder, what, if anything, is coming next that will be a true game changer?

Ropes

Like most climbing gear, these have gotten progressively smaller and lighter, but you could argue that 8.9 is pretty close to the end of the line, no pun intended. Smaller than that and they get pretty hard to handle, at least for cragging type situations. The future here seems to be in making them more durable, like the Beal Unicore technology, and yes lighter. Perhaps the ultimate rope would be something so light you barely know it’s there, with zero rope drag and a super soft catch, plus the burliness to stand up to some serious abuse.

Cams

Not much has really changed since these things came out. Sure they got smaller, and more flexible, but the principle is the same. The Link Cams were probably the last “major” innovation, but where can it go from here? I’ve often thought it would be nice to have something that could work well in flaring placements, and Totem cams seem to be taking this one on, but it’s probably a super small market. The ideal for a cam seems to be something with as wide a range as possible, that doesn’t weigh much, and can be used in any placement imaginable.

Shoes

I’m always amazed at the number of climbing shoes out there, but I guess when you think about it, there are a lot of different shaped feet. For my money I could wear Muira’s the rest of my life and I’d be OK, but it is fun to check out new styles and shapes. The quest for stickier rubber will continue, and the trend of specialization, of having a shoe that is designed for a very specific task, will likely be refined. In the meantime I’m still waiting for the ultimate Indian Creek shoe, although the TC Pro and Grandstone come close. I want my toes to lie flat, but not be loose, encased in cushiony shoes with durable rubber on the bottom and top, and a nice chiseled toe for those small cracks.

Wish List

So while we are dreaming of new gear, how about a couple things that aren’t likely until about the same time we have spaceships like those in Star Trek? Some kind of protection that could protect blank faces and then be taken with you when you leave. Maybe it phases into the stone and then can be rephased back out. How about glasses you could wear with programmable beta, so they would replay the moves for you as you climb, and you can go over the route while sitting on your couch at home. And how cool would a pair of shoes be that contains a micro chip and modifiable rubber, so you set the setting for the type of climbing you will do and the shoe molds itself into the best fit around your foot and the best shape for the rock type at hand? Now that’s sounds nice…

So while I love the trend of things getting lighter, I wonder if we are at a standstill of sorts until some new technology comes along that changes the game yet again. What do you think?