Speaking about the weight, the guys at DMM had this to say: Most of the time, climbing within my limits, I didn't notice the weight – rather it gives the swing of the Switch a nice 'punch' – but on sustained narrow vertical columns, ground too hard for me to lead, I could definitely notice the weight as I battled to swing accurately and efficiently to get the next placement, racing the pump on the locked-off lower arm. The weight does of course put momentum into their swing, but then it is also more mass to be waving around above your head all day. Some of their competitors are 100 grams lighter per tool. At 736 grams (on my post scales – a bit more than DMM state) the Switches are not light. If you can say anything against them for difficult climbing it is their weight. This works very well – the tape is grippier and warmer to hold than the naked shaft.ĭMM have designed the Switch for hard climbing and it is on steep ice and mixed that they are in their element. I can see from the scrapes on them the battering they take.ĭMM also provides some self-amalgamating tape with the tools, allowing you to wrap the shaft of the upper hand position. These hand supports are also made of metal that is part of the rest of the tool, so should be stronger than plastic add-on hooks that some other tools use. They work well with both thin gloves and bulky ones – being much bigger than, for example, the lower hook on the Fusion II. I can't claim they have miraculously made me a better climber, but they are as good to hang from as any other tool I've tried and better than many. So, for me, a prime attraction of the Switches is the quality of their handles: grippy even when wet or snowy and with big supporting 'hooks' below the lower and upper hand position. I guess I climb leashless about 90% of the time and accept all the advantages except for the "it's easier on hard stuff" one! Leading steep ice I can still climb better with wrist loops clipped in, just as I prefer to hang from a hand-jam than from a jug on steep rock. Up to this winter, I was one of the dying breed of climbers still using wrist loops occasionally. I've now had the chance to do plenty of ice climbs with the tools, but the terrible start to the season, if nothing else, got me out mixed climbing on the Switches too – some pure dry tooling and some more like Scottish mixed. Are the DMM Switches any good for those of us with slightly lower ambitions and smaller biceps? © Toby Archer Well, not all of us are as strong as a bullock or as talented as a Bullock.
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