What Is Anodized Climbing Gear, and How Does Anodization Work?

I always thought that anodizing a piece of climbing gear simply meant that it had a color applied to it somehow, but the anodization process does much more than that and is more interesting than I thought it would be.

The video below walks us through the entire process and talks about why anodization is important. It gets a bit scientific in parts, but it’s still a fascinating look at one of the many reasons that modern climbing gear is as bombproof as it is.

Anodising from DMM Climbing on Vimeo.

Pretty neat, eh? Here’s a screenshot from the video, showing what will happen to a non-anodized carabiner that’s been hanging on a sea cliff for a decade or more:

A corroded carabiner. The gate and screwlock were anodized, while the rest of the carabiner wasn't. Note how much better shape the gate and screwlock are in. — A corroded carabiner. The gate and screwlock were anodized, while the rest of the carabiner wasn’t. Note how much better shape the gate and screwlock are in.