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Welcome to our Blog where you will find a large collection of informative articles and videos for new and experienced climbers, runners and outdoor enthusiasts.

We are particulary proud of our in-depth Product Reviews and associated Buying Guides. We have a series on The Basics, for those new to, or are interested in climbing. We also have a wealth of Product Information and Brand Profiles and much much more.

The Flash: Rock+Run Blog

Since 1992 – SOTO (which is translated from the Japanese for “outdoors”) have been creating some of the best stoves in the world. SOTO’s history goes back to 1978 when parent company, Shinfuji Burner Company, began manufacturing and engineering industrial burners. Founded by Hajime Yamamoto with the goal of creating products that produce the maximum sustainable flame in least amount of time, Yamamoto was dedicated to generating and integrating the “Blue Flame” into every flaming device conceived. Realising the wide ranging uses for their technology, Shinfuji expanded into other areas outside of industrial and agricultural use. Eventually SOTO was formed to cater for the outdoor market.

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Originally named ‘Cascade Designs’, Thermarest began life in 1972 as a self inflating camping mattress company. Founded by Boeing engineers and avid mountaineers, John Burroughs, Jim Lea and Neil Anderson - Thermarest truly came to life when the latter two founders were let go in the now-legendary Boeing layoffs. With time on their hands, they dedicated themselves to the quest for a better night’s sleep under the stars. The idea for a self inflating mat? This came from Jim one day while gardening. As he shifted his weight on his foam ground cushion, he heard air escaping from within the pad. The rest, as they say, is history.

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Founded in 1996 with the moto, ‘Only climbers know what climbers need’, Red Chili took the 90’s climbing shoe world by storm. Over 20 years later and Red Chili are still one of the big players in the climbing shoe market.
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EB were the original climbing shoe company, making the very first shoe specifically designed and created for climbing on rock. Officially founded in 1950 after French shoemaking extraordinaire, Edmond Bourdonneau, bought Pierre Alain’s fledgling rock shoe company, EB soon became climbing’s household name.
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Founded in 2008 by Giovanni Rossi, Blue Ice are passionate producers of the most streamlined mountaineering kit on the market. Based in Chamonix, at the heart of the beautiful Alps, Blue Ice are perfectly situated to develop and test their kit in its intended alpine environment. What started in a garage with friends has since developed into one of the market leading alpine equipment manufacturers with headquarters in both Les Houches (Chamonix region) and Salt Lake City. 
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Kahtoola are the leading name when it comes to packable and lightweight traction solutions. For the terrain and winter conditions that don’t quite justify a fully rated crampon, the Kahtoola spike collection is the perfect answer to any slippy slope or icy trek in the hills.
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Synonymous with Alex Megos, Tenaya are known for an incredible athlete line-up that speaks volumes about the quality of their climbing shoes. With Chris Sharma and Jimmy Webb joining the team in recent years, Tenaya look to be going from strength to strength, firmly establishing themselves as a market leader. This is thanks to Jose Gallego’s shoe designing prowess - Tenaya climbing shoes are some of the most technically engineered and performance orientated shoes on the market. Intuitive technologies like their SXR dynamics and Draxtor tightening system are particular performance perks.
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Co-founded in 2007 by Sheffield based bouldering masters; Ned Feehally and Dan Varian, Beastmaker started out as a simple solution to the pair’s lack of time for climbing on real rock whilst at university. In an attempt to maintain and strengthen their peak pulling performance, the pair had become obsessed with pushing their fingers to the limit, isolating individual digits and blasting out 2-hour sessions on a fingerboard. There was just one problem, the resin fingerboard they were using wasn’t conducive to their marathon sessions, causing blood blisters and various other skin problems. This pushed them to develop their own alternative – the Beastmaker.
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Organic Climbing was founded by committed boulderer and geologist, Josh Helke, in the summer of 2003. Having worked in the outdoor industry as a writer, photographer and hold maker, Josh witnessed the very first bouldering crash pad come to market in the US.
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In 1969, Seattle engineer and lifelong mountaineer Larry Penberthy formed ‘Mountain Safety Research’ as a one-man mission devoted to improving the safety of climbing equipment.

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Moon Climbing are a British company that were founded in 2002 (initially under the brand name S7) by professional rock climber, Ben Moon. 
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Mammut were founded in 1862 by Kaspar Tanner in Wohlen, Switzerland. Tanner, having finished a three-year rope making apprenticeship, embarked upon his own rope company which was later taken over by his son...
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Boreal was founded in 1975 by Jesus Garcia Lopez in the town of Villena, Spain. The area around Villena has a rich history in footwear manufacturing...
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Starting up commercially in 1968 under the name ‘Produits Fernand Petzl’, Fernand marketed his best invention - the first version of the rope ascender. This was followed by the first mountaineering specific headlamp in...
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Wild Country were founded in 1977 by British climber Mark Vallance. The company’s inception came after Vallance met American climber Ray Jardine who had made and used prototypes of a camming device he had invented.
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Founded in 1818, Grivel are the oldest manufacturers of alpine climbing hardware in existence today. They were the pioneers that developed the original concepts behind much of the alpine equipment we use today.
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Founded in 1983, Fixe are a company moulded by their surrounding mountain and climbing hot spots of Montserrat, Terradets and Siurana. Based out of Sant Quirze de Besora (Catalonia), Fixe originally specialised in metal hardware and fast became one of the leading brands in Spain. 
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Unparallel were founded in 2017 by former Five Ten development and production boss, Sang Lee. Lee, amidst Five Ten’s Adidas takeover...
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Edelrid are, in many respects, an industry leader. Steeped in heritage but still conjuring up revolutionary inventions to this day, Edelrid are at the forefront of the climbing gear world.
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Evolv are one of the leading climbing equipment companies in the world, specialising in climbing footwear whilst producing bouldering pads and other climbing accessories. Based out of Buena Park , California, Evolv were...
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Black Diamond’s lineage can be traced as far back as the late 1950’s when the famous Yosemite climber, Yvon Chouinard, started hand forging pitons and selling them from the back of his car in the hallowed Yosemite Valley.
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La Sportiva owns and operates its own state-of-the-art factory; this small, 250 person facility is truly an anomaly in today's footwear world...
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Founded by the man behind the Guinness Book of World Records, Rupert Edward Cecil Lee Guinness, an Anglo-Irish businessman...
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Founded in 1981 as Moorhouse Engineering in Bethesda, soon to become DMM and move to more suitable premises in Llanberis in 1986...
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