Troll, Ltd.

During the late 1950's, climbing in Britain was undergoing a major revolution both in participants and techniques. The post war population explosion unleashed an unprecedented number of people onto the hills to take up a sport, which was traditionally, the privileged domain of the wealthier upper classes. At this time, an increasing number surpassed old standards of climbing difficulty, and the old gear was seen to be totally inadequate for the new techniques and situations. Hemp ropes, though still around at that time, were rapidly disappearing from the scene, and the clink of tricounis on rock was a thing of the past. Hemp waist lines and steel karabiners, often ex-army issue and of unknown strength, were around in abundance, and nylon ropes and aluminium alloy karabiners were only just becoming available to the climbing public. Then as now only the bold ventured far into the unknown but then, unlike now, the leader had little other than his own abilities to rely on. To venture onto the ever-steepening walls needed not finer nerves, but better equipment.