A grave new responsibility...

I feel I am now a real-life, official, proper, genuine gear tester. Being a bit of a gear-freak, this has been a long held ambition of mine - to get to use climbing gear then to get to tell other people what you think of it - and not just your mates who have only come to the pub with you because it's your round. Other people. Real people.

For about the last year I have been part of the UKclimbing gear testing team, and indeed have written some reviews - my most recent one being of some amazing self destructing climbing shoes that I bought earlier this summer. The UKC gear project has only been starting to get off the ground this year and so far I have only reviewed things that I have bought myself because I wanted or needed them. But today a brown parcel arrived at my house that had travelled right across Europe - all the way from the magnificent Llanberis pass of North Wales, and the factory of DMM Climbing Equipment. It was like being five on Christmas morning again - ripping open the packing to reveal beautiful, shining toys. Stuff sent to me, for me to test, so that I can then give my opinion on their products, for good or for ill, to the Great British climbing public.

I feel the responsibility weighing heavily upon me: to be firm but fair; to go out and test in exacting, real-world climbing situations; to clip, clip and clip again; and then to report back my findings without fear or favour. But yes, dear readers, this is burden that us chosen few are willing to bear. For we... are the gear testers.