Carabiners rarely fail, but it’s not particularly uncommon for a biner to get cross loaded, the gate pushed on, or for the rope to accidentally get back clipped and–God fobid– unclip itself.
For example, while sport climbing over the beach recently we had to climb up and around an arete over a single bolt. As we climbed past the bolt and attached quickdraw the rope would dance around in the basket and threaten to unclip itself due to a variety offactors. We could have used a locking biner to increases safety, but I thought back to the DMM Shadow Secure which I saw recently at OR and wished I had one for this situation.
The 1.5 ounce Shadow Secure by DMM, like the Shadow, is shaped using super-strong hot forged I-beam technology. It incorporates a keylock nose. It is also anodized to combat corrosion. What makes the Shadow Secure different from the Shadow is a locking mechanism that “is operated by flicking a small metal switch (with one hand) that alternatively engages and disengages the gate in the closed position,” says Jason Myers of DMM.
The Shadow Secure is not quite a standard locker (you wouldn’t used it for belaying, for example), but is better than a non-locker.
Continued Myers via email, “The resulting patented gate mechanism has taken over 2 years to develop, but offers the climber an unparalleled system for protecting long run-outs and adding security to critical runners.”
Like the Revolver, another revolutionary carabiner designed by DMM, used to keep the rope drag down on traversing pitches, the Shadow Secure has it’s place on the modern climber’s rack. It’s primary purpose: for those crucial clips when you can’t afford for anything to go wrong.
And it adds great piece of mind.
www.dmmclimbing
