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News and musings from the coLAB news desk.

2009 Award Finalists

I am now able to reveal the finalists for this year award. Unbelievably there are two contestants from last year that have made it through to this years final. They will certainly have an advantage knowing how to get final votes! The great thing for the award is that there are a mix of products but stoves and safety do seem to be the hot items. What I can say now is that effort pays; those entries that were well researched and well presented shone out and caught the eye of the judges. The same will go for the actual event at the NEC in March.

A better climbing shoe – Ian Cornwell
A climbing shoe bringing together several existing technologies to make a better climbing shoe.
This climbing shoe can provide a very tight fitting and rigid shoe that will stand on tiny pebbles and support the foot. Alternatively the dial can be turned releasing the support to give a flexible shoe which is excellent for smearing and improving comfort.

The Nest – Liz Asquith
The Nest is a sleep system aimed at making life a little easier for those camping with young children and making camping more fun for the children themselves.
This mini tent is deployed inside a larger tent dimming ambient light, muffling sound and keeping midges at bay. It comes fully equipped with mattress, quilt and lighting system.

Briquette – Yu Ting Yau
A cooking device that utilises traditional charcoal heating and cutting edge insulating devices.
The device heats up liquids using charcoal sticks and keeps them warm using high tech Aero Gel.

SOS Sleep Mat –  Simon Masters
An emergency aid that utilises a previously unused part of an existing product.
SOS or other internationally recognised emergency symbols are printed on the reverse of a sleeping mat to produce a great safety feature on an item that someone would already be carrying.

Squeeze Box – Kevin Beeden
The Squeezebox Stove is a lightweight replacement for the heavy fully integrated cooking systems and is used as both pan support and windshield.
Made from a single component it not only saves weight but increases fuel efficiency and reduces burn time.

Segmented drybags – Peter Boyle
A range of drybags featuring internal and external pockets for organising and water proofing kit.
Dry bags with a clever twist; a single waterproof bag with several components allow both dry and wet items to be stored safely together.

Bio Endurance – Shekina Tsotetsi
An emergency signalling and life prolonging garment, it incorporates class leading technologies and materials to form a suit capable of protecting the user.
Almost every eventuality is covered with this suit from avalanche protection to emergency nutrition.

Jamulator – Liz Asquith
A crack simulator that can be changed as regularly as every other hold in a climbing gym.
The Jamulator takes a different approach: rather than having a permanently fitted crack, there is a fitted channel into which specially shaped sections can be bolted in the same way as holds are normally installed on the rest of the wall.

White-out torch – John Martin
A torch to make it safer, easier and less disorientating when navigating in a white-out; especially when moving over irregular terrain. 
An array of ‘diffracted’ lasers project horizontal lines onto the snow. This gives the user a reference point and reduces spine jarring stumbling! A second vertical laser can be used to indicate the direction of the bearing being followed.

The finalist now have one month to refine their ideas and prepare for the show. Good luck!