Equipment

It has recently come to our attention that the new rubber-soled mountaineering boots developed by E. Castiglioni and V. Bramani in 1935 have been placed on the market in Italy. Instead of the usual smooth rubber sole, the bottom is formed into rough excrescences in the shape of the usual nails. Shoes with this type of sole are reported to hold better on dry rock, especially granite, than the commonly used crêpe rubber soles of sneakers, and do not slip on wet granite. They can be used on snow and ice, although steps must be cut on steep slopes. For combination snow and rock climbs it is thus possible to avoid the necessity of carrying kletterschuhe.