Alpkit launches innovative mixed climbing training tool. Kind to rock, kind to faces...
Posted:
26 April 2010
by
Jon
Training for ice climbing in a country where ice is the exception rather than the rule has always been problematic – for some reason climbing wall owners take exception to sharp, steel picks and crampons being dragged up their carefully constructed walls and don't even think about dry-tooling on popular climbing crags.
Which is where Alpkit's newly launched Figfour mixed climbing training tools come in. Conceived by Alpkit product designer Pete Dolman as a university project before he joined the company back in 2008, the Figfour is a plywood handled training tool which enables you to climb on indoor walls by hooking holds in a style 'very similar to climbing with axes' but without the associated danger of an adze in the face and without damaging the wall.
The Figfour won the 2009 Innov_Ex industry prize for innovation following refinement by Pete and the rest of the Alpkit team and became a commercial project.
The Figfours were tested at climbing walls from Devon to Aviemore during the Alpkit series of 'Dryice' events last year and went down well with both climbers and climbing wall managers. Since then there's been the odd setback – the planned launch at French climbing festival ICE had to be pushed back following production delays, but the guys at Alpkit are confident the device will be worth the wait.
"We were not prepared to cut any corners with Figfour, despite the frustrations we've had a various points along the way! It would have been easy for us to grab some bolts, reach for the jigsaw and knock out something that would do the job, but we haven't. All the parts for Figfour are bespoke, machined here in the UK and (we think!) are as good to look at as they are to climb with!
“They are designed to be simple to use and maintain so don't require any tools, and while products of this nature don't require CE certification we've had the tools tested to destruction in the lab by our friends at DMM to make sure they can stand up to the abuse we hope people will be dishing out with them at walls around the country next week!"
Figfour went on sale last week direct from the Alpkit web site and retails for ￡65 for the pair. Yes, it's a specialist bit of kit, but it's great to see a small, enthusiastic British company producing a genuinely innovative bit of kit.
More about them at www.alpkit.com
