About Us

Lightwave is a small, specialist brand dedicated to making high-quality, functional and honest gear designed for genuine outdoor enthusiasts – people who prefer to think for themselves about the sort of equipment they want, rather than accept the features-driven designs that so many brands insist they need. Lightwave’s functional approach means that all Lightwave products are uncluttered by unnecessary extras that add weight and complexity.

Lightwave is owned by Outdoor Design Logistics Ltd, a British-registered business founded in 2002. The company operates out of offices in the Peak District and the Aude valley, near the Pyrenees in southern France. Lightwave founder and CEO Carol McDermott is a New Zealander resident in Britain and France. He has climbed all over the world, with ascents including Shivling, Gasherbrum II, Ama Dablam (solo) and Mount Cook (a dozen times), as well as some epic, unsupported treks across the Karakorum, the Andes and New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Lightwave is a sister brand to crux (www.crux.uk.com), internationally known for its uncompromising, high-end equipment for mountaineering.