Indiro C413 tripod in Antarctica

The New Kid in Town
Photographers looking for the best combination of light weight and rigidity in a tripod have always (or at least for the past 10 years) turned to carbon fibre. While there are some wooden tripods that offer equal or better dampening characteristics, CF offers the best combination of weight, rigidity and resistance to the elements.
The originator and leader in CF tripods till now, has been Gitzo. I've used a Gitzo 1349 tripod for about the past 8 years and it has been all over the world with me, handling medium format, large format, and 35mm equipment in conditions ranging from the deserts of Namibia to the Antarctic. All in all, it's done a fine job, though I have had to have legs replaced at least twice due to their becoming unglued from their mounting points. I've also spent my fair share of time removing sand from joint threads and cursing the awkward rotating leg lock mechanism.
Now there's an alternative high-end tripod available, and it's from a company call...