Awards : Best Climbing Rope Awards for 2013 announced by OutdoorGearLab.com

Review Winners announced by OutdoorGearLab.com for Best Dynamic Climbing Ropes

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- CHEYENNE, WY—OutdoorGearLab.com recently released the results of the 2013 Editors’ Choice Awards for Best Climbing Rope category. After extensive field testing involving sport climbing, trad climbing, alpine climbing, top-roping and taking big whippers in the High Sierra, the Tetons, the Utah desert, and other California climbing destinations, the review editors determined which are the best performers. We evaluated sixteen of the top ropes on the market and tested them on the following categories: weight, catch, handling, and durability. Each underwent extensive side by side tests to evaluate these key performance metrics.

The winners are:

The Mammut Infinity (http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Climbing-Rope-Reviews/Mammu...) takes the Editor's Choice Award for 2013. According to Gear Editor McKenzie Long, "If we could only buy one rope, it would be the 9.5 mm Infinity. Its medium diameter makes it versatile enough for any type of climbing, the proprietary coating gives the rope a smooth glide, extra durability, and keeps it feeling new longer, and it remains light enough to not be cumbersome on a hard redpoint or the approach."

The Mammut Tusk (http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Climbing-Rope-Reviews/Mammu...) wins the Best Buy award for 2013. This award is given to a product that offers high performance as well as an affordable price. According to McKenzie Long, "A combination of a low price tag and excellent versatility win the Tusk our Best Buy Award. At 9.8 mm, it is not too heavy, not too skinny, and can live up to any task you need it to. It is also a great value, costing only $200 - $220 for a standard 60 meter. "

Our Top Pick Award is bestowed on a product that excels at a specific application. In the case of climbing ropes, we chose two Top Pick winners for two separate climbing disciplines.

The Sterling Fusion Nano (http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Climbing-Rope-Reviews/Sterl...) wins Top Pick for the best skinny sending cord. According to McKenzie Long, "When the moves get difficult and the clips get scary, you want to be tied to the Sterling Fusion Nano. This 9.2 mm lightweight red-pointer with smooth, supple handling is the perfect rope for hard sends and light and fast alpine climbs."

Our second Top Pick Award goes to the Sterling Marathon Pro (http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/

Climbing-Rope-Reviews/Sterling-Marathon-Pro) for best workhorse rope. “The Sterling Marathon Pro manages to be a thick workhorse rope with the lighter weight of a 9.8mm rope (63 g/m.) At 10.1mm, it is versatile, holds up to tough usage, and makes an excellent chice for big walls,” says review editor McKenzie Long.

OutdoorGearLab LLC is a company headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming dedicated to creating world’s best outdoor gear reviews. The company’s website, is a free resource for people who love the outdoors and participate in activities such as hiking, climbing, backpacking, and camping. The company performs side-by-side testing of outdoor gear and publishes the results in comparative reviews. Each product is scored across a range of weighted categories, competing products are ranked, and awards are provide to top performing products.

Media Contact: Chris McNamara - 307.509.0188 - outdoorgearlabpr@gmail.com

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