Anyone with a Simond Rocky quickdraw is asked to check its rivet heads

Climbers and mountaineers have been warned to check their carabiners and quickdraws after a small number of Simond models was found to be potentially dangerous.

Rivet heads of some Rocky samples were found to be badly formed, meaning they could potentially become dislodged from their housings.

The Chamonix based company has issued a recall on defective models. Anyone who has an affected carabiner or quickdraw should stop using it immediately, the company said.

Climbers are being asked to check the rivet heads on their Simond Rocky gear. If they are in doubt as to whether there is a defect, they can photograph the detail and send it to Simond for advice.

Affected models are the straight- and bent-gate Rocky carabiners and quickdraws made this year and in 2012.

The serial numbers will have a 12CE or 13CE in the middle of their 12-character markings.

Those that begin with a C and then four digits are safe, the company said, but others should be checked.

Simond said: “We have heard from two climbers who noticed that the rivet heads on their Rocky carabiner were not deformed.

“Thankfully, the defect was clearly visible and was spotted before the carabiner was used, thus not endangering the lives of the climbers involved.

“We have already checked over 108,000 carabiners in our warehouses, with our retailers and with our customers and have not found any defects.

“The safety of climbers using our products is our absolute priority and we have decided to widen our verification process to include all our 2012 and 2013 carabiners and to inform our customers of this risk.”

It said if the equipment has two pointed rivet heads, rather than being flattened, it is defective.

It added that wire-gate carabiners do not have the same rivet system.

Advice on how to check for affected gear is on the Simond website.