Loading... Please wait...

Sort by:

Kneebar Pads

Lee, very thankful for the pads in Kalymnos after onsighting Zawinul Syndicate 7c/+ (27-28) in the Grande Grotta.Climbing knee pads, custom designed by Lee Cujes after years of experimentation and prototype development on Mt Coolum's hardest testpieces.

If you've arrived on this site, you know that at certain crags (e.g. Mount Coolum Australia, Rifle USA, Kalymnos Greece), the kneebar technique is vital. What you also need to know is that there are two basic types of kneebars:

  1. The easy, straightforward kneebar against a large surface (e.g. a tufa or stalactite). What you really need here is skin protection. Route examples: Screaming Insanity 7b+ and Fun de chichuune 8a.
  2. The friction kneebar or kneescum. These are a lot trickier, and require a different type of pad. They are most often less than perfect, and rely on the friction applied by the climber to be useful. Route examples: A Kneebar Too Far 8a and O Draconian Devil 8b+.

That's why in 2009 I designed two types of kneebar pads. A good general purpose, comfortable pad - the Upskill Classic, and a tight, high-end friction pad - the Upskill Friction Pad, both of which I tested extensively on a year-long roadtrip of kneebar destinations in 2010, and continue to climb in today.

Pro climbers?
Uhhuh. Top UK climber Jordan Buys wears our pads. Read his review on UKClimbing. The ALWAYS PSYCHED Joey Kinder (USA) was also one of our test drivers. You may have heard of Italy's strongest climber Gabri Moroni? This 9a climber has been rocking a Friction pad since 2011.

DWS?
Our pads are the bomb for deep water soloing. All components are saltwater tolerant.

Find kneebars on Facebook