First things first. I never belay from my rope loop, and as a consequence I’m always told off by new climbers who have been taught how to climb the ‘proper way’ by qualified instructors. I’ve got no ...

Also known as carabiners, krabs, snap-links, plain-gates or biners, these non-locking carabiners are the glue that sticks everything together on a climb, with most climbers carrying forty or more ...