DMM Wales

Posted on December 13, 2022 By Peter Brown Sport Equipment

About

Rock climbing is one of the most fun sports for thrill seekers out there, but it also can be a dangerous one. If you want to practice it safely, you need to use high-quality equipment. DMM is a popular manufacturer of rock-climbing gear with more than 40 years under its belt. This business started off with only four employees in 1981, and today it has more than 200 devoted members.

The company’s guiding principle was to create the finest gear for recreational climbing and mountaineering. This has inspired DMM’s team to deliver high-quality products through consistent research and innovation. Instead of copying their competitors, they’ve been setting the standard for sturdy and durable climbing gear. Their amassed knowledge, experience, and dedication have made them one of the top brands in the industry on a global level.

DMM’s Essential Rock-Climbing Gear

Quickdraws

DMM Wales is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a new sturdy quickdraw with durable nylon webbing for your climbing adventures. My all-time favourite is the Alpha Trad model that’s available in seven distinct colours. There are five other colours available for folks who like to colour-coordinate carabiners with tape or gear anodizing. The rope end of these tools has a charcoal body, while the gear end carabiner is silver.

The Alpha Trad quickdraws are simple to clip, less likely to reverse and have sticky grooves on the rear that makes them simpler to handle.

Aside from that, the Alpha Light model, which will be available soon, will be a slightly smaller and lighter version of the Alpha Trad quickdraw with comparable strength but a narrower gate opening. The small reduction of 2mms in gate opening won’t make much of a difference, but a smaller carabiner can be a drawback when you’re stretching on tiptoes for in-situ gear. The straight-gated “Pro” is designed to be clipped into runners, whereas the bent-gated “Clip” has a noticeable end curve to the gate.

Carabiners

Let’s examine a crucial part of the DMM climbing quickdraws which is the carabiner. Are DMM carabiners good? The answer is yes because, thanks to innovative manufacturing methods, this brand offers state-of-the-art carabiners with larger diameters at the crucial points of contact at either end. DMM excels in this manufacturing technique, and you may have already seen it in products like ice axe shafts, where some pieces balance weight and strength while others are comfy to hold.

The I-shaped design of DMM’s rock climbing quickdraws is what makes them better than those manufactured with conventional forging techniques, which tend to generate a consistent oval or circular wire profile. The term “I-beam profile” is an appropriately descriptive name derived from technical jargon (used in metal lintels and floor joists for example). Coloured screwgate carabiners like the Shadow, Boa, and Ultra O are designed to help you easily identify the attachment points.

As a piece of advice, even if you buy top notch products like these I suggest that you inspect your carabiners every time you head out to go climbing, more so when you haven’t used them for some period as your life might be on the line. With routine maintenance and inspection, you can even extend their lifespan. Look for any scratches, sharp edges, deformation, or corrosion on the body, especially the inside surfaces and spine.

Climbing Rope

DMM’s climbing ropes cover everything from indoor climbing to the most difficult outdoor ascents. All of their ropes have undergone special heat treatment which gives them exceptional handling qualities, suppleness, and longevity.

You’ll need different types of rope for different purposes:

The Pitch 8.5 mm half rope is the best option for year-round use on crags and in the mountains. The Couloir 8.00 mm half rope is lightweight, and it’ll meet your needs if you’re trying to reduce weight when winter climbing;
The Zone 9.8 mm is a tough rope for sport and trad climbing, while the Orbit 9.6 mm is an all-purpose single rope that’s suitable for use on sea cliffs, ice falls, or sport climbing;
The thinnest single rope that DMM offers is the Crux 9.1 mm. This rope is triple-certified for adaptability and you can use it in twin, single, or half-rope systems.

Slings

If you’re in need of spare slings, DMM offers them in different colours, sizes, and weights. If you’re rock climbing outdoors in the harsh Australian sun, I recommend going for lightweight Dynatec slings. They’re less prone to UV deterioration and have a stronger abrasion resistance. On the other hand, their Nylon slings are just as strong as the Dynatec slings, only they contain more material.

Cams

DMM’s Dragonfly Micro Cams offer you protection for small holes and pockets. The smallest certified climbing cam in their line-up is the size 1 Dragonfly. The range’s six cams can accommodate holes ranging from 7.8mm to 28.3mm. The holding power and range are best balanced with the same camming angle of 13.75° used with their Dragon cams.

Nuts

Climbing nuts, also known as chocks, are somewhat similar to cams, only they’re less complex, lighter, and more affordable. A climbing quickdraw connects a metal wire to your rope while you insert a metal wedge into a crevice in the rock. I suggest that you carry an additional 8 to 10 of these with you because, when leading, you often employ a combination of cams and nuts as you climb. You have the chance to choose from an array of DMM nuts, including micronuts, torque nuts, brass nuts, alloy offsets, and wallnuts for trad climbing.

If you’re thinking of taking up rock climbing, you’ll need to equip yourself with a variety of tools to increase your comfort and safety. Below are six of the most essential tools from DMM’s repertoire:

Contact Info

In case you require additional information about their products, be sure to contact them on their website https://dmmwales.com/. Besides shopping for their products directly, you can also get access through the websites of reliable and trusted Australian suppliers https://www.bogong.com.au/.

Head Office:

DMM International Ltd.

Y Glyn,

Llanberis,

Caernarfon,

Gwynedd,

LL55 4EL, United Kingdom

Phone number: +44 (0) 1286 872 222

by Peter Brown