The following brands help support this website as well as other grassroots climbing ventures. If you enjoy using LakesBloc and its free content, we would ask you to support them in return. Thank you.
Scarpa
Technical footwear designer and manufacturer, Scarpa are based in the Montebelluna region of Northern Italy. They are one of the world’s leading brands in top-end mountain footwear and specifically rock climbing shoes.
With climbing shoe design legend Heinz Mariacher at the helm, the brand has created some of the best loved and most iconic climbing shoes of the last twenty years- including performance shoes which have been integral to some of the world’s hardest ascents.
Organic Climbing
Bouldering is the most organic form of climbing. At Organic Climbing they are committed to producing the best gear possible – principally crash pads, chalk bags and packs. Their products are designed to be functional, durable, and unique. Hand made in the U.S.A., each piece is one of-a-kind. An alternative to the industry mainstream. Influenced by the climbing underground, they work to promote individuality and the art of bouldering and climbing general.
In addition to sewing every one of their crash pads and bags in the USA, Organic strive to source all materials from US manufacturers and small businesses wherever possible.
Friction Labs
Friction Labs Chalk is a US company, based in Colorado and they take friction very seriously. Using an almost scientific level of detail they’ve developed a blend of chalk which has a higher proportion of Magnesium Carbonate and lower levels of Calcium Carbonate, along with other inadvertent additives common in most climbing chalk brands. This means that your hands feel drier and have more grip for longer periods, while no longer getting the slimy feeling which can occur where Calcium Carbonate is present. Their products are all made in the US under the strictest supervision of their tech team.
ClimbSkin Skincare
Climbskin® has done more than refine an old product; they’ve created a new one. Guided by climbers, developed for climbers, Climbskin® is a fast absorbing skin repair emulsion. Climbskin’s unique combination of ingredients contribute to a much improved absorption rate compared to traditional wax-based products. To quote Chris Sharma: “…the best skin care product on the market.”
E9 Clothing
Italian climbing brand E9 is an environmentally conscious apparel manufacturer, producing all its products in Northern Italy while locally sourcing the vast majority of its fabrics and components.
Since 2019, E9 is one of over 150 organisations that support conservation projects around the world through the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA), an organisation founded in 2006 with the idea of helping to preserve wild places and ecosystems for future generations.