For those who boulder outdoor often having a selection of crash pads depending on difficulty and terrain can make life a lot easier. Particularly when it comes to more challenging areas, a one-size-fits-all approach usually doesn’t work.

Enter the niche category of sit start pads which have been gradually added to most major manufacturers’ portfolios. Designed to be small and light, yet provide good enough protection for those tricky starts, these neat pads make an ideal supplement to their bigger brothers.

Here I’ll review briefly the edelrid Sit Start Night Oasis pad and share my impressions.

Tucked away in the heart of the Gruyère Regional Nature Park is an astonishing bouldering area called Tsavas. At almost 1’600m, these boulders lie just underneath the foot of the Vanil Noir mountain range in the Swiss Canton of Fribourg.

You’ll have to make the effort and go out of your way to get here though, as there is no public transport link, with your only option being a one lane road winding up the picturesque mountainside. But that’s not all, a further 45min hike up 400m will finally see you to the boulders. The reward though, is a stunningly beautiful mountain valley, rolling green hills and some fantastic blocks just waiting to be climbed.

As the smallest of the Black Diamond crash pad range, the Impact is designed to be a compact alternative to the bigger Drop Zone and Mondo. Can the Impact hold its own in when it comes to the rigours of the outdoors? Read on for my impressions.

Looking for an easy to access bouldering area, with enough problems for an afternoon? Pierre de Beurre just outside the city of Martigny in Valais, Switzerland has you covered. This small sector is nestled just behind vineyard fields on the outskirts of the city is a lovely open space with some quality problems.