E9 Groove
The Groove is a flat sit-start pad from E9 for lowballs. Open it is 75 x 50 cm and 3.5 cm thick, 0.38 m² of landing at 0.9 kg. Two layers of closed-cell and open-cell foam, with low impact protection. In stock at 3 shops from 52.98 EUR.
The larger of E9 two additional pads, a thin sit pad for protecting seated starts and bridging the gaps between bigger crash pads. A 75 x 50 cm panel of two-layer foam sits in a Cordura 1000 shell with a rubberised, non-slip base and a side carry handle. Made in Italy.
Among the 157 crashpads we track it has a bigger landing than 1%, is thicker than 16% and lighter per m² than 84%.
See it on the landing-area chart | The 12 biggest crashpads by landing area
Groove landing and protection
| Impact protection | Low |
| Foam firmness | Moderate |
| Foam layers | 2 |
| Foam | closed-cell, open-cell |
| Durability | High |
What the Groove is for
Best for lowball.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Groove strengths
- Bridges gaps and covers seated starts
- Cordura 1000 shell with rubberised, non-slip base
- Light and easy to slot into a pad stack
Groove trade-offs
- Thin 3.5 cm foam, only for low seated starts
- No shoulder straps, carried by a single handle
Groove specifications
| Open size | 75 × 50 cm (30 x 20 in) |
| Thickness | 3.5 cm (1.4 in) |
| Weight | 0.9 kg (2.0 lb) |
| Fold style | Does not fold |
| Closure | None |
| Shell | 1000 D |
| Bottom coating | Rubber |
| Reconfigurable | No |
| Released | 2023 |
| Shoulder straps | No |
| Waist belt | No |
| Chest strap | No |
| Carry handles | 1 |
| Bandolier strap | No |
| Gear storage | None |
What the Groove costs
Prices checked 15 Oct 2026 across 3 shops that currently stock it (52.98 to 80.00 EUR). Cheapest current offer: 52.98 EUR at verticalextreme.de, 34% below the 80.00 EUR list price.
| Retailer | Price |
|---|---|
| verticalextreme.de | 52.98 EUR |
| bergfreunde.de | 75.95 EUR |
| e9planet.com | 80.00 EUR |
Alternatives to the Groove
- Petzl Nimbo
- Asana Rock Star Pad
- La Sportiva Sittone
- Black Diamond Sitstarter
- Ocun Sitpad
- Beal Addition Pad
Prices, stock and owner fit data on this page update daily. You are welcome to cite these figures if you name climbing-gear.com and link to this page - see our data terms.