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Simond Spider carabiners are unique in they have streamlined noses (where the gate closes onto) without any protrusions to catch on hangers or ropes (the many advantages are discussed at the bottom of the page). Furthermore, as a result of Simond's precise engineering, the gates of all Spider carabiners lock (internally) when you load the carabiner in a fall (also discussed below). Spider carabiners are available as a quickdraw (with dyneema sling), straight gate, bent gate or locking carabiner. For the quickdraw, the bottom carabiner is held still by a stabiliser so that you can more easily clip the rope one-handed. The carabiners are light without being made ultrasmall. The Spider locking carabiner weighs 57 grams and the Spider quickdraw 108 grams.
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| A$40 | |||||
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Simond Rocky carabiners have a second type of low-volume snag-free gate closure. Again, as a result of Simond's precise engineering, the gates of all Rocky carabiners lock (internally) when you load the carabiner in a fall. Rocky carabiners are available as a quickdraw (with dyneema sling) or locking carabiner. For the quickdraw, the bottom carabiner is held still by a stabiliser so that you can more easily clip the rope one-handed. The carabiners are light without being made ultrasmall. The Rocky locking carabiner weighs 46 grams and the Spider quickdraw 100 grams.
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| A$30 | |||||
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Simond Rockyfil wiregate quickdraws weigh only 79 grams and are thus ideal for your alpine climbing. They comprise wiregate carabiners, which have a number of advantages over traditional solid gate carabiners, even more so for alpine environments in which they are less susceptible to freezing closed. The performance and safety advantages of wiregates are discussed here.The connecting sling is made of dyneema and the bottom carabiner is held still by a stabilizer so that you can more easily clip the rope one-handed. Individual Rockyfil wiregate carabiners can be purchased, but for A$17.50 each you may as well buy a pair as a quickdraw. |
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| A$35 | |||||
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Simond wiregate quickdraws comprise carabiners that are larger (a more standard size) and thus heavier than the above Rockyfil wiregates. Otherwise, the carabiners possess all the advantages discussed for the Rockyfil wiregates. The Simond wiregates are available also as single carabiners (not pictured, A$14) and are particularly suited for racking gear. |
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| A$30 | |||||
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Simond Cliff–Sprint carabiners are traditional ‘biners in terms of having a hooked nose as part of the gate closure. However, as for the Spider and Rocky carabiners, the gates of all Cliff–Sprint carabiners lock (internally) when you load the carabiner in a fall. Available as a quickdraw, straight gate (cliff), bent gate (sprint) or lightweight locking (not pictured, A$16) carabiner. The quickdraw weighs 115 grams. The bottom carabiner is held still by a stabilizer so that you can more easily clip the rope one-handed.
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| A$30 | |||||
 A$30 |
Simond BLC belay locking carabiners - if you are going to pay a little extra for any one piece of gear then perhaps it should be for your belay carabiner. No matter what the situation is, your belay carabiner must hold as it has no back up. As you may already know, a carabiner is 2–3 times weaker if loaded across its width rather than along its spine. Although climbers are good at keeping their carabiners correctly orientated, carabiners do occassionally rotate into the weaker position. With a Simond BLC carabiner, this is not possible because there is a wire clip that prevents the carabiner from rotating. 72 grams |
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 A$20 |
Simond Jumbo locking carabiners - wide aperture (opening) locking carabiner for use with a belay device. Very strong: 30kN along the main axis. 83 grams |
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 A$19 |
Simond 3000 locking carabiners - large locking carabiner. Again, a very strong 30kN main axis. 78 grams. |
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 A$18 |
Simond locking steel carabiners |
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Simond Spider Carabiners
In five years everyone will be making these. They have two remarkable features for rock climbers. Most obvious is the gate closure, which is streamlined. Take a look at your carabiners at home and you’ll find they have a hook or key on the nose that the gate closes onto - which regularly snags on ropes and slings. For spider carabiners, the gate closure is inside the arm, giving an obstruction-free clip / unclip. Also, with a narrow profile it is possible to clip smaller bolts and chains.
The second feature is the monoblock mechanism. For a high-impact fall there is an internal locking of the carabiner gate, activated by the small natural stretch of the carabiner. It’s not to be treated as a true hands-free locking carabiner, but it will add security where traditional gates can creep open under high stress or open in high-impact falls owing to gate flutter. The monoblock mechanism is also a feature of the Simond Rocky, Sprint and Cliff carabiners.
The Spider locking carabiner has a benefit for alpine climbers, in that a frozen or jammed clove hitch can be be released by sliding the knot off the end of the carabiner nose rather than by having to work the knot loose.
For discussion on carabiner design basics, head to explanation of carabiners.