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.

The gaiter features a two-layer Gore-Tex upper and a ballistic nylon lower; meaning a breathable upper and a rugged, wear resistant lower. There is a single draw cord and toggle to seal the collar and the gaiters are secured under the boot by a high-density, neoprene-coated nylon instep strap. As I’ve stated above, they are narrowly tailored for a tight fit around ice climbing boots.

Black Diamond Frontpoint Gaiter GTX

I took a pair out in the Lakes and Yorkshire, for a weekend of testing. On the Saturday I headed up to Combe Ghyll, Borrowdale, to climb the classic Raven Crag Gully and test how well the gaiters performed in their, specifically designed, ice climbing capacity. On the Sunday I went over to Yorkshire and walked up into the Dales from the Ribblehead Viaduct.

When testing these gaiters it was immediately apparent that they really do have a good fit, meaning that they do not have that excess material that gives a cumbersome, bulky feel to some gaiters. Although they are tight fitting, they are well tailored so that they do not feel constrictive on your calves and this, combined with the use of lightweight materials, meant that they were comfortable to wear. The fact that the gaiters feel nice to wear is compounded by the use of the two-layer Gore-Tex fabric. This was breathable enough to ensure my legs did not overheat; an aspect that is particularly useful when racing other teams to get to the bottom of a route.

Another well thought-out feature is that the adjustable instep strap has a single buckle on one side. By placing this on the outside of the boot there are no straps or excess material to catch with your other boot. Such simple, yet effective, design features are used throughout the gaiters, one example being the single draw cord that cinches the collar of the gaiters closed. This allows you to close the gaiters quickly, with one hand, and still seems to effectively protect your legs from the ingress of snow.

Testing the Black Diamond Frontpoint Gaiters (GTX) on Raven Crag Gully, Combe Ghyll

The chunky Velcro closure ensures that they are easily put on or adjusted in cold environments. At the same time, the size of the Velcro closure strip also ensures it is sufficient enough so that the gaiters don’t come undone. I can imagine that some people may not like this feature, as with more flexible, walking boots it may be possible for the Velcro to come apart when the foot and ankle flex.

Like most gaiters, the Velcro tabs end with a hook to secure the gaiters to the boot laces. The sleek, tight fit means that the hooks do not extend down to the very bottom of the laces. This was one of the few features that I disliked about the gaiters as, although this aspect of the design is in-keeping with the gaiters ice climbing specific tailoring, I felt that a longer front section of the gaiter (that would hook onto the lowest laces) would result in a more secure fitting at the front of the boot.

Snowy conditions in Yorkshire: view across to Ingleborough

All in all, a well thought out, technical gaiter, that is really well designed with the winter climber in mind. I was impressed enough by these gaiters that I will most definitely be wearing these for the rest of the winter when climbing. Although the Black Diamond Frontpoint (GTX) gaiters are not designed as a walking gaiter, I found that they performed adequately, although perhaps not as well as a more general purpose gaiter. Due to the comfortable nature of the gaiters, I will most probably wear them when out scrambling and walking as well.

Purchase the Black Diamond Frontpoint GTX Gaiter here.