Academy
Learn about gear and all the features.
What is a Climbing Harness?
Some types of climbing involve getting high enough off the ground that it is necessary to use ropes for safety.…
What are Climbing Shoes?
Like a lot of specialty sport shoes, a climbing shoe is made to perform a specific function. If you’ve never worn…
What is a Climbing Rope?
A rope designed for rock climbing is dynamic (not static), meaning it can stretch and absorb the energy of a…
What Is A Belay Device For Climbing?
A belay device is a piece of equipment used in rock climbing to manage the rope while belaying, a technique where…
What is a Carabiner for Climbing?
In climbing, a carabiner is a piece of gear that is used as a connection point. This could be connecting a belay…
Carabiner Gate Openings Explained
What is a carabiners gate opening? Gate opening refers to the distance between a carabiner’s nose and the…
Gate Flutter and Gate Shutter Explained
There are two types of scenarios that will unintentionally cause a carabiner’s gate to open, gate flutter…
What Type of Belay Device Do I Use?
Depending on the style and location of your climbing, you’ll have different expectations from your belay…
How to Clean, Maintain, and When to Retire Carabiners
A carabiner can last much longer than most climbers usually keep them (well over 15 years). Often new gear is so…
8 Reasons It’s Time To Retire Your Carabiners
Carabiners are incredibly strong. They can easily last 10, 15, 20 years or even a lifetime when properly…
What’s the Best Belay Carabiner?
Carabiners used for belaying and/or were designed to be used for belaying are most often called belay carabiners.…
The Best Locking Carabiner: How to Pick?
Locking carabiners come in 2 main styles: screw gate (where you manually “screw” or twist part of the…
Do I Need a Belay Device with Guide Mode?
What is Guide Mode? Guide mode is when a belay device attaches directly to an anchor, and the climber is belayed…
The 5 Belay Device Types Explained
Most climbers own 1-3 belay devices, and use different devices depending on the type of climbing, rope thickness,…
Do I Need Assisted Braking?
Across the spectrum of belay devices, there are many design features that help belayers catch falling climbers.…
What’s the Best Climbing Rope?
Determining the best climbing rope for your needs often comes down to where you’re climbing and what type of…
What is Rope Sheath Slippage?
Rope sheath slippage is when the outer core and the inner sheath of a rope move or stretch separately from each…
How Climbing Ropes Are Made (at Edelrid)
In 2017 we travelled to Germany and spent a few weeks at Edelrid’s headquarters and rope making facility. We…
How to Clean A Climbing Rope
There are 2 main ways to clean a climbing rope: hand wash in a tub (or container) of water or wash in the washing…
Is rope strong enough to climb on?
All ropes that are made, tested, and certified (by the UIAA/CE) for recreational climbing are plenty strong for…