Succinct Gear Reviews: Products to look for in 2018

1. Dynafit Hoji Pro Tour SkiTouring Boot

Dynafit Hoji - © Dynafit

Developed by the legendary Eric “Hoji” Hjorleifson alongside Dynafit, this boot looks absolutely amazing. They claim that the boot maintains great uphill flexibility all whilst providing downhill performance that you would expect from an Alpine boot. Remains to be seen but sounds great! Still no indication of RRP but we'd expect something around the £500 mark.

More info at Dynafit

2. Advenate Hybrid Pro

The Hybrid Pro - © Advenate

This is possibly one of the ISPO items we're most excited about. A fully integrated snow shovel with space for a probe in the handle (nothing new) but can be paired with your ski-poles and a shelter which fits in the scoop of the shovel to build an emergency shelter. Really nice and practical innovation. No indication of RRP as of yet.

More info at Advenate, Press Release PDF here

3. New Technical Axes

The last couple of years have been reasonably quiet with regards to new technical axes. It's no surprise therefore that BD and Petzl have both announced their new models. Interestingly, however, they've both gone in the direction of making their tools more like the Camp-Cassin X-Dream which is, without doubt, one of the best axes currently available. The new BD reactor, for example, has a handle which looks surprisingly similar to the X-Dream... Check out this comparison from the guys at The Alpine Start. The new 2018 Black Diamond Reactor has an indicative RRP of £220.

The new 2018 Petzl Technical Axe range ©Petzl

The Petzl Tools are light improvements on the existing range of tools. Nothing revolutionary but they're now available with a better ICE specific pick and some competition style picks. They also claim to have fixed the wobbly head 'non-issue' by using a plastic insert which will allow for temperature changes. We'll probably hold off investing in a set until this has been validated in the field... Indicative RRP of £205, £230 and £280 for the 2018 Quark, Nomic and ErgoNomic respectively.

4. Black diamond ice screws

New 2018 Black Diamond Ultra Light Screws - ©Weighmyrack

Following the trend Petzl has started, the iconic BD turbo express screws have had a facelift and will now feature an aluminium shaft with steel tips. Indicative RRP of £60.

5 Osprey Mutant

Although the Mutant has been around for a while, this new version sees a lighter and more versatile pack which strikes a seemingly great balance between features and weight. They've done away with a lot of finickity features for a really stripped back bag. Available in a 22, 38 and a 52L model this bag is really aimed at mountaineering use and will cost between £80 and £150 depending on size. Available in Autumn 2018.

A little bit more info here.

6 Mountain Equipment Tupilak Pack

Mountain equipment has joined the pack (excuse the pun) and are releasing their own rucksack aimed at stripped back, lightweight mountain use. Available in a 30, 37, 45L weighing in at 730, 780 and 815g or 520, 570 or 600g in its stripped back form, this bag is looking really promising. Although at this weight, we have concerns about its durability, it looks ideal for alpinists who are obsessed with keeping weight low and have a couple of spare pennies in their wallet (RRP £185-£220).

More info here.

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7. USEE Heads Up Display

©USEE

On the technology front, this is pretty exciting! A heads-up cycling display which can be linked to a phone using Bluetooth of ANT+ and can display travelling speed, heart rate, distance, Navigation etc. All for the modest sum of €129.00.

More info here.