Kailas Clip-Up Stick Clip
A dual-function device to help you stay safe before the first bolt.
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MSRP: $59.99
We usually like to take our chances with a high first bolt (so long as our spotter-cum-belayer isn’t a complete dolt), but after testing the Kailas Clip-Up Stick Clip at the crag recently, we’ll be adding it to our sport rack for those moments when we’d rather avoid the nerves of white-knuckling seven feet off the ground without a rope.
Made of aluminum and weighing just over nine ounces, the Kailas Clip-Up measures just 1 foot 8 inches folded up, so fits in a daypack. Fully extended it measures almost 7 feet 2 inches, so it reaches a good way up the wall.
The nifty thing about the Clip-Up is its dual-functionality (while still remaining simple and easy to use). The spring-loaded clip at the end of the stick can either snugly hold the bolt-side carabiner of a quickdraw open, allowing you to hang an already clipped draw to the first bolt, or hold a bight of rope so that you can pull it through the rope-side carabiner of an already-hung draw. (See diagrams below).
Rather than rely on a telescoping design for the pole (you know, those twist-and-extend type mechanisms often employed in hiking poles that seem to inevitably break after a few uses), Kailas opted for a foldable, segmented, tentpole-style design, with a nylon cord down the middle to pull tight at one end and secure the segments in place.
Rock and Ice vigorously tests all gear it reviews for either 50 days or 50 pitches. This is a time-consuming process and limits the amount of new equipment we can present to our readers. Every year hundreds of new products hit store shelves, and most of these aren’t reviewed due to our stringent selection and review process. To better keep you more up to date on what is new, we present First Look. Gear in First Look has not been field tested, but is gear we think you’d like to know about as soon as it is available. Some of the gear will be reviewed using our 50 days/50 pitches criteria, in future print and online editions of Rock and Ice.