UKC

The 2024 Outdoor Trade Show has just concluded. Over a busy three days our team clocked up an impressive mileage crisscrossing the show to check out all the new gear we can expect to see in the shops in 2025. As ever, a few items particularly caught our eye. And here they are...

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Awesome! Any more details on how the geometry has been changed for the Apex?

Also curious whether there was any discussion of why they decided not to have more of a spike on the Cortex. Obviously the Switch never had much of one, but it's been interesting to see that most other technical axes have taken steps to include or add one.

I didn't have an old one to compare it with, so let me check with DMM...

Any more images/info on the Unparallel Beat? Is it a "flat toe" or "crimped toe" shoe? Looking for a flatter, comfier and stiffer version of the Up Lace.

I'm not sure how you'd get more flat than the already completely flat Up Lace? Am very interested in this shoe though as I'm wanting more stiff shoe options and unparallel fit me well. 

To get the best out of the lace (imho) you need to size them small enough that your toes are crimped up. I was wondering whether this was a shoe, similar to say the TC pro, in which you can size it to keep your toes flat, without a load of space above them.

Thanks!

Thanks for your comments.

Following discussions with our athletes we decided to make the Apex tube straighter, and the head/ pick have got steeper.  This improves the performance for low angled ice climbing and more efficient penetration on steeper ground.

For the Cortex, we took the collaborative decision to remove the spike to further improve the use of the axe on technical ground. We still have a round clip-in point to fit a DMM Shadow, Phantom or Phantom HMS carabiner and an Innovative cord point that can be threaded with up to a 5mm cord, this can be used to attach a DMM Freedom Leash.

Nice one, thanks for that. I've added these comments to the show report

I'm wearing the Newtro Lace at the moment, they are downturned just enough get power through small edges while still being pretty comfort for the toes. I just wish they were stiffer!

I had a play on The Snivelling Shit (E5 6a) recently and they were no good on the matchsticks. Used my Black Diamond Aspect Pros instead which are very flat, stiff and comfortable. 

Any chance there will be an early review of the Cortex out before winter season kicks off?

Sadly not. If we'd had a pair to test last winter then this might have been a possibility, but we didn't. Hopefully we'll get a pair as soon as they're released, then some early season conditions to compliment it. Historically we've not rushed out our reviews as we've always wanted to invest adequate time into using a product before sharing our opinion on it. Either way, we'll do what we can to get it out ASAP.

I have the Newtro VCS which I like, though they are a smidge too narrow really (far narrower than the Regulus, TN pro and Lace I have tried).

I have also come to realise, as a 85kg+ climber, that when someone svelte claims a show is stiff, I need to take that with a pinch of salt......

I am also in that glorious club of climbers over a certain weight and have also been intrigued by peoples opinions of what is considered stiff! I think if you're a petit person with size 7 street shoes and were to wear say a Solution in a 5 (average Sportiva downsize, sweeping generalisations) you would defiently find them stiff compared to someone with a size 12 hoof as the leverage from length of foot and weight totally changes the feeling of the shoe.

It's not just climbing shoes, but mountain boots too. I've had this conversation a number of times with UKC ed Dan when we have been working on reviews. I'm under 5'10, Dan is well over 6' but more importantly I'm 41.5/42 in boots, he's about 45 or 46 I think.

I'm not light by any means but have found B2 boots perfectly good to frontpoint and kick steps in, whilst Dan has found similar boots really flexi for their supposed B2 rating. Give me a place to stand I will move the world, and all that. Or give me a big enough foot, I will bend the B3 'rigid' climbing boot!

Regarding Ron Hill shoes, I think you and the designer are showing your age

In the late 80s, RH did produce or label some shoes, did not sell well but eventually sold off at silly clearance prices. I had a few pairs that made excellent approach shoes if you took the insole out and got a snug fit that ignored the stated size.