A Classic All Round Belay Device from Wild Country Climbing.
WILD COUNTRY VARIABLE CONTROLLER
Originally designed primarily for Trad climbing, the VC's ability to deal with thin ropes well whether belaying or abseiling made it a firm favourite and a best seller round the world.
Its adaptability and multi-function design received great reviews when it was first marketed and has meant that it has earned its place in the Wild Country range even after all this time.
The Variable Controller was one of the first devices to move belay plates onto another level.
Its wedge shaped design, which gave the VC its name, was able to be used in two performance modes to give more stopping power or less friction depending on circumstance. This combined the best attributes of ‘flat’ plates with the best of the ‘deep’ plates meaning that when belaying rope could be fed quickly, but when abseiling more friction could be applied.
METHOD A
The high friction mode of the Variable Controller imitates a 'flat-plate' when the rope is forced into a tighter loop with more contact against the plate making more friction. For safest belaying on thin ropes or abseiling on thinner ropes.
METHOD B
The low friction / slick belaying mode of the Variable Controller imitates a 'deep-plate' design when the rope is fed into the device at a steeper angle and with less contact and therefore less friction. For fast belaying on thin ropes or easier belaying/abseiling on fatter ropes.
With the introduction of the VC Pro its place as our premier device was overtaken so the VC has been adapted for 2006 to make its function overlap with the VC Pro and to complement it more.
To do this we have slightly widened out the slots to give extra performance on single ropes, making the VC better than it was for indoor walls and single pitch as well as trad climbing.
This means that the VC is most suited for ropes from 9mm to 11mm rather than the more modern super skinny trad ropes where the new VC Pro pulls rank.
The VC is better value in 2006 as well and so is a great intermediate choice for climbers maybe not heading for the most extreme challenges. Still light and in a stylish range of colours the VC remains a solid and reliable tool in any climbers armoury.
PLEASE NOTE - colour may vary from image
Wild Country: At the Cutting Edge of Climbing
Wild Country have been at the cutting edge of climbing for 35 years.
Ever since the Friend was invented by U.S. climber Ray Jardine – who found a manufacturer in like-minded British-based enthusiast Mark Vallance – Wild Country have gone from strength to strength by creating the highest-quality rock climbing hardware on the planet.
Born in a tiny factory in the heart of the Peak district in 1977, Wild Country have been building their success on the back of the climbing world’s best Friend – shortly followed by their renowned Rock – ever since.
Their name is now synonymous with hard climbing, with higher safety margins and ease of placement top of their agenda.
Ray Jardine’s simple cam concept had been six years in the making before taking off on BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme.
Just two years later they launched the Rock, the first ever curved nut which has become what is probably the best-selling piece of climbing equipment of all time.
The success of the Friend and the Rock has turned Wild Country into a legend, revolutionising the climbing world with a host of innovative ideas that have now become the industry standard.