In 2009, before the national standard "Requirements for Sports Protective Equipment Part 1: Mountaineering Dynamic Ropes" was introduced, China had no quality standards for sports protective equipment. This meant that prior to that, mountaineering rope manufacturers produced their products based on European, American, or their own corporate standards. In 2006, the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China submitted a proposed list of essential items related to personal safety in mountaineering and outdoor sports to the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Sports Goods. The Beijing Municipal Institute of Labour Protection assisted in formulating a series of standards for sports protective equipment. These included: mountaineering dynamic ropes, static ropes and slings, helmets, carabiners, harnesses, etc. The national standard for mountaineering dynamic ropes was the first in this series. To date, only this standard has been officially released and promoted.
Excellent windproof, waterproof, and breathable performance... Outdoor clothing, gear, and accessories have always been known for their functionality: tents and sleeping bags are categorized into several grades based on mountaineering and camping altitudes; jogging requires lightweight shoes and quick-dry clothing; hiking boots come in various types, with trekking shoes and stream-crossing shoes further divided into specialized categories, each serving distinct purposes and priced accordingly. Footwear and apparel using high-tech fabrics from foreign brands are priced at no less than 800 yuan, often reaching one or two thousand yuan, sold and purchased with confidence. Outdoor products that emphasize ergonomic design and high-tech solutions for safety, reliability, and comfort lack effective performance testing standards or unified safety benchmarks. Most instead adhere to general footwear/apparel standards, corporate standards, or local regulations of export markets. As for functional or testing standards, there is still no established framework.
Without standards, how are prices set? They simply follow market trends, align with international practices, or adapt to China’s domestic context.