Disclosure: The reviewer purchased the SkyHook stick clip using her own funds during the Kickstarter. There are no conflicting interests to report.
There was a 3-year period when my husband and I started our own climbing-related business, lived out of our van, and had zero health insurance. We called our beloved stick clip our insurance, as a broken ankle from a fall before a high first bolt would take us out financially. We also tucked our egos away in our back pockets and stick clipped our way up harder sport routes or routes with poorly placed bolts and decking potential.
We experimented with different stick clips until we found a sturdy, collapsible stick with an easy-to-use, functional head. The Super Clip head was by far the best stick clip head we had experienced, giving us the ability to not only clip draws in the usual way, but also to remove draws or place the rope directly into a draw that was already hanging on the bolt (video). Our beloved stick clip was the best we had experienced and it's served us well for years.
Then I received a message in my email inbox about a Kickstarter for a new stick clip called the SkyHook. Now, many climbers seem to fall into this strange love/skeptic "hell yeah gear!/What the hell is this?" category and I am no exception. I was skeptically curious. Then the videos and descriptions went down this check-list of features:
So far so good, but my stick clip also had all of those features. I continued down the SkyHook check list:
It was these two features that made me decide to contribute to the Kickstarter and give this thing a try. After a few hick-ups in the world-wide COVID-induced supply chain problems, I received my SkyHook in time for some summer climbing. What did I think?
This thing kicks ass. It delivers on everything it promised.
Sometimes you wonder if the wheel can be really be re-invented. This is not re-inventing the wheel, it is smartly taking the best of all options and combining them into an ideal climbing tool.
We experimented with different stick clips until we found a sturdy, collapsible stick with an easy-to-use, functional head. The Super Clip head was by far the best stick clip head we had experienced, giving us the ability to not only clip draws in the usual way, but also to remove draws or place the rope directly into a draw that was already hanging on the bolt (video). Our beloved stick clip was the best we had experienced and it's served us well for years.
Then I received a message in my email inbox about a Kickstarter for a new stick clip called the SkyHook. Now, many climbers seem to fall into this strange love/skeptic "hell yeah gear!/What the hell is this?" category and I am no exception. I was skeptically curious. Then the videos and descriptions went down this check-list of features:
- Super clip head - check
- Sturdy non-bending pole - check
- Collapsible to a small size - check
So far so good, but my stick clip also had all of those features. I continued down the SkyHook check list:
- It extends to 10' 5" (3.17m) - hmm, my stick clip only extends to 6'10" and sometimes my husband's 6 foot tall frame still has a hard time clipping some bolts.
- The collapsed length is 29.5 inches - longer than the 23-inches of my old stick clip, but not bad at all considering how much longer the Skyhook is compared to my old device.
- It secures in the extended or collapsed position using flip-latches - hmm, ours twists to extend and secure. This is the one thing that really, really annoys me about our old stick clip. The twisting-style telescoping system has two main problems: (1) dirt gets inside and causes the pole to stick and not open and (2) if you don't twist it hard enough to secure it after it is telescoped out it can collapse while you are trying to clip.
It was these two features that made me decide to contribute to the Kickstarter and give this thing a try. After a few hick-ups in the world-wide COVID-induced supply chain problems, I received my SkyHook in time for some summer climbing. What did I think?
This thing kicks ass. It delivers on everything it promised.
Sometimes you wonder if the wheel can be really be re-invented. This is not re-inventing the wheel, it is smartly taking the best of all options and combining them into an ideal climbing tool.
- Skyhook Website: https://mountaindrifter.com
- Learn more about Quinn Rohlf and Mountain Drifter in our Common Climber Marketplace small business interview.
Helpful Article:
- Three Ways to Use a Stick Clip (By Stefani Dawn and Rick Momsen) - A photo and video tutorial on how to use a stick clip to: (1) Clip a draw (with the rope) to the first bolt (the basic clip); (2) Insert the rope into an empty draw already on a bolt; and (3) Remove a draw from an overhead bolt.