Mountain Standards

Julbo’s Explorer 2.0: A Modern Update to the Original Glacier Glasses

by Brian Riepe

Brian Riepe has been using the Julbo Explorer 2.0 glacier glasses near his home in Crested Butte, Colorado, and determined that they continue to meet the high standards he has come to expect from Julbo over his lifetime. He writes: “In 1991 I bought my first pair of Julbo glacier glasses before a trip trekking through northern Patagonia and Chile…. When the new Explorer 2.0 showed up, essentially Julbo’s modernized take on that same glacier-glasses concept, I had a high bar in mind and a soft spot to match.”

Black Diamond’s Zone Harness is More Than Just a Sport Climbing Specialist

by David Hume

David Hume tested Black Diamonds updated Zone Harness on alpine rock, multipitch routes, and cragging days. Of the harness, David says, “Bottom line, Black Diamonds Zone harness saved my life—repeatedly, and it looked good doing it. But none of that is what you need a gear review to confirm. The Zone includes a couple of features such as the seamless belay loop and expanded gear loops that set it apart from other harnesses and make a difference in day-to-day use.”

Gregory’s Updated Alpinisto 25 and 50L Packs Merge Alpine Features with Backpacking Comfort

by Mike Lewis

Gregory’s Alpinisto 25 and 50L packs shine in their functional versatility, carrying comfort, and their balance of light weight with durability. Over six months, IFMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis tested these packs throughout Colorado, in North Carolina, and on a six-week trip to Canada.

YETI’s Sturdy Organizers and Bottles Provide Ease and Reliability on Expeditions and Weekend Getaways

by Mike Lewis

YETI sent us a duffle, gear case, water bottle and cooler to see what we thought. IFMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis tested these items through the winter and early spring including a six-week ski trip to Canada, mountain bike day trips, Flatirons scrambles, day hikes, and cragging days. He can summarize his experience with the items in a few elegant words: “Bomber as F$&K.”

New and Improved Wild Country Friends: Clip With Ease While Cruxing Out

by Katie Griffith

Wild Country has made some useful adjustments to their Friends including extendable slings and extra grooves on the lobes. Katie Griffith tested these new Friends over the winter in Joshua Tree and Red Rocks and found the extendable slings using Flow Cord to be noticeably more durable than the previously equipped Dyneema slings.

PrimaLoft’s Gold, Silver and Black insulations are made with sustainability in mind and are durable, have high warmth-to-weight ratios and remain warm when wet. IFMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis tested four items using PrimaLoft insulation made by Helly Hansen, Millet, Fjällräven and Flylow

PrimaLoft Gold, Silver, and Black: 100% Recycled and High Warmth-to-Weight Ratios

by Mike Lewis

PrimaLoft’s Gold, Silver and Black insulations are made with sustainability in mind and are durable, have high warmth-to-weight ratios and remain warm when wet. IFMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis tested four items using PrimaLoft insulation made by Helly Hansen, Millet, Fjällräven and Flylow.

Black Diamond’s Solution Guide Harness: Bringing Comfort Back Into Focus

by Dylan Reed

IFMGA Mountain Guide Dylan Reed tested Black Diamond’s Solution Guide Harness on granite, sandstone and ice. Dylan found the padded harness to be welcomingly comfortable on multipitch climbs and the gear loops to provide ample space for a large rack. Dylan found some features to be less than ideal for his preferences, but overall the harness to be well-built for durability, comfort, and to handle heavy loads.

Mammut’s Eiger Nordwand Pro SO Hooded Jacket and Pants: Versatile Mountain Crushers

by Mike Lewis

Mammut’s Eiger Nordwand Pro SO Hooded Jacket and Pants are very well-made with intention toward functionality, durability, mobility and multitasking, and even a little, or maybe a lot, bling. IFMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis tested these mountain crushers throughout the Rockies of Canada, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

Gregory’s Targhee 32: A Ski-Mountaineering Pack that Meets and Pushes the Standards

by Ian Fowler

Gregory’s Targhee 32 liter ski-mountaineering pack is well-designed, multi-functional, and large enough for full-day tours and alpine days with all the features you need and none that you don’t. IFMGA mountain guide Ian Fowler shares his experience of the pack from a 2-week ski-mountaineering trip to Japan.

Scarpa’s Generator Mid: Edging Power plus Protection and Comfort for the Long Game

by Jake Skeen

IFMGA Mountain Guide Jake Skeen tested the Scarpa Generator Mid climbing shoes in the Red Rock Canyon of Nevada and in the Wind River and Teton ranges of Wyoming. Jake found the shoes to excel in durability, edging, crack climbing, protecting ankles, and for all day use if sized correctly. With strengths in one area, sacrifices are made in others.

C.A.M.P. X-Dream Ice Tools: Continuing the Long Evolution of Ice and Mixed Climbing Hardware

by Nadav Oakes

Oakes on ice and mixed terrain in multiple venues across Montana. Of the ice tools, Nadav says, “The 2025 X-Dream feels like the continuation of a long evolution rather than a reinvention. It is instantly familiar yet packed with updates that make it more versatile, more customizable, and more refined than previous generations.”

The DMM Cortex Ice Tools: High Performance Workhorse Tools for the Modern Winter Climber

by Akio Joy

The DMM Cortex high-performance ice and mixed climbing tools were tested over twelve early season days in Montana and came out with high accolades. Read IFMGA Mountain Guide Akio Joy’s review of these innovative and uniquely crafted mountain tools, to which he says will be his go-tos throughout the rest of the winter.