Wild Country (company)

Wild Country is a major manufacturer of rock-climbing equipment, and is most noted for introducing the Friend, a spring-loaded camming device.

[1][2] Vallance was convinced of their commercial potential and, with the collaboration of Jardine, set up a factory in the Peak District to manufacture the devices which they had for a long time called Friends.

Friends, though expensive, became immediately popular with climbers, selling over 5 thousand units in the first year, and establishing Wild Country as a major climbing gear manufacturer.

[citation needed] The range of classic nuts has now been superseded by anodized rocks, which feature coloured anodising on the material to make identification easier [1].

His book describing the creation of the company, "Wild Country: The man who made Friends" [3] was shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.