Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make you happy.  Things that, whilst you might not regard them as a major design feature, just work, and make life that little bit easier.

The first thing I have to say about this jacket is that it's light – really light! The size medium that I have been testing weighs in at only 370g. The fabric is a mixture of Cordura and Lycra...

Having been a user of various styles of Smartwool socks for the last few years I have now reached the point where all of my not-so-smart socks have been relegated to the very bottom of the sock drawer.

eVent isn't exactly the new kid on the block when it comes to waterproof membranes, its been around for a few years now and made big promises upon its release. So how has it faired?

I’d be tempted to say that no other item of equipment is as important to the comfort and enjoyment of winter climbing as your gloves. Cold hands can be a miserable experience (and possibly expensive as your numb fingers fumble an ice-screw and it disappears down the climb, not to be seen until spring.)...

When in comes to apparel leg wear for rock climbing, pretty much everything has been utilized, and probably even championed, at some point or other. Be it breaches, shorts, tracky bottoms, shell suit pants, jeans or tights, somebody somewhere will have climbed in it. Generally, when folk get into...

The Black Diamond Frontpoint Gaiter (GTX) is a full length, tight fitting gaiter and, as the name would suggest, designed with ice climbing in mind. As my main winter pursuit is snow, ice and mixed climbing, I thought these would be a good choice for me.

Aimed at the higher end user, the Neutrino Endurance is designed to tackle all but the most heinous winter conditions – think Scottish winters, year-round Alpine use, and serious ascents up to 6500m.

The excellent Neutrino Edge jacket has, in my opinion, not been as well received as it probably should have, due to one major factor – branding.

The exercises provided below have been chosen from a vast array of numerous routines available as those most specific to rock climbing. They are designed to enhance and maintain the physical attributes and strength of both your hands and fingers as well as the general health and athleticism of your mitts.