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Julbo’s Explorer 2.0: A Modern Update to the Original Glacier Glasses
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…
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Black Diamond’s Zone Harness is More Than Just a Sport Climbing Specialist
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…
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Gregory’s Updated Alpinisto 25 and 50L Packs Merge Alpine Features with Backpacking Comfort
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.
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YETI’s Sturdy Organizers and Bottles Provide Ease and Reliability on Expeditions and Weekend Getaways
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…
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New and Improved Wild Country Friends: Clip With Ease While Cruxing Out
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.
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PrimaLoft Gold, Silver, and Black: 100% Recycled and High Warmth-to-Weight Ratios
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.
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Black Diamond’s Solution Guide Harness: Bringing Comfort Back Into Focus
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…
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Heavy is the Hand: New Route on Mt. Dickey’s south face
From March 27-28, Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell and Alan Rousseau climbed a new route on Mt. Dickey. They named their route Heavy is the Hand (WI6+ M6+ A1, 5,000′).
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Mammut’s Eiger Nordwand Pro SO Hooded Jacket and Pants: Versatile Mountain Crushers
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.
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Gregory’s Targhee 32: A Ski-Mountaineering Pack that Meets and Pushes the Standards
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.
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Scarpa’s Generator Mid: Edging Power plus Protection and Comfort for the Long Game
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,…
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C.A.M.P. X-Dream Ice Tools: Continuing the Long Evolution of Ice and Mixed Climbing Hardware
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.”
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The DMM Cortex Ice Tools: High Performance Workhorse Tools for the Modern Winter Climber
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.
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La Sportiva’s Big Wall Pullover Hoody & Wall Breeze Stretch Jacket: Specializing the Essentials for Performance in Cold and Wind
IFMGA Mountain Guide Ian Fowler tested the La Sportiva Big Wall Pullover Hoody and the Wall Breeze Stretch Jacket while climbing in the Italian Dolomites and the Colorado Rockies. Ian loves a good hood, and both garments pleasantly satisfied his fetish. Read more about the specialized designs of these two tops and how they may…
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Black Diamond’s Rock Blitz 15: Small, Simple, Durable for On-Route Climbing
IFMGA/AMGA Mountain Guide Paul Rachele tested Black Diamond’s Rock Blitz 15 climbing pack this summer and autumn in the Tetons of Wyoming and on the granite and quartzite of the East Coast. Of the pack, Rachele says, “This little pack has earned a place in my kit, not because it’s flawless, but because it allows…
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Off the Shelf 2025: Alpinist’s Year in Reading
This year, Sonnie Trotter brought us back to 2006, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), as his fingers flexed against steep granite on the first free ascent of Cobra Crack. We stood next to Mimi Zieman in a whiteout as she waited for her teammates on Chomolungma (Everest) in 1988. Lisa Roderick gave us an intimate look at Denali’s…
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Toprope Soloing Made Easier and Safer with Avant’s TR Solo Kit
AMGA certified rock guide Ben Lim tested toprope solo gear made by Avant Climbing Innovations on a recent climbing trip that included Squamish, Smith Rock, Red Rocks, Portland, and the Easter Sierra. Says Ben about the three items tested: “Each Avant product I tested solved a problem with simple, thoughtful design.”
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High Places
In this Sharp End story from Alpinist 92, Derek Franz writes of his experience climbing in the Swiss Alps with The North Face team last September and learning about everything that went into developing the Advanced Mountain Kit Summit Series 2.0.
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Securely Climbing Snow with C.A.M.P.’s Corsa Alpine Ice Axe
Mountain Standards Gear Review: The C.A.M.P. Corsa Alpine Ice Axe comes in 45, 55, and 65cm lengths, has a curved shaft, is primarily made for snow climbing, is lightweight, and can be enhanced with a wrist leash and a Trigger Fast Lock pinky rest. IFMGA Mountain Guides Mike Lewis and Ben Markhart put this axe…
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The Wall of Walls
In this On Belay story from Alpinist 91, Will Gadd shares the details of how he and Kirk Mauthner uncovered some of the best ice climbs of their lives close to their homes in Canada. The pair spent three years snowmobiling into the Kootenays, swinging tools into steep ice and skiing through complex avalanche terrain.…
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Scarpa’s Rapid XT Approach Shoes Are Made to Handle It All
AMGA Certified Rock and Alpine Guide Lani Chapko tested the Scarpa Rapid XT approach shoes over a two-month period that included over 85,000 feet of elevation gain, three first ascents, and climbing on snow, ice, and rock up to 5.8. Lani says about these shoes: “With solid edging for moderate climbing, stability on snow and…
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Triumph Without Will
In this Full Value story from Alpinist 91, Christopher Elliott interrogates the history of climbing in the Brenta Dolomites, the Nazi preoccupation with mountains and the responsibility of individuals in the face of fascism. He writes: “The history of alpinism in the Brenta Dolomites is a dramatis personae of characters who ‘achieved’ things that are…
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Responsibilities of Storytelling
In this Sharp End story from Alpinist 91, Derek Franz considers recurring themes and the responsibilities of storytelling, and announces his trip to Nepal. He writes: “Storytelling is at its highest form when done in service to the bigger picture that goes beyond one person’s benefit; when the threads intertwine and connect, creating a fabric,…
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C.A.M.P.’s Ikon Nova Helmet: A ponytail-friendly workhorse that comes in two sizes
MSRP: $74.95 After almost every approach, I find myself redoing my hair before racking up. Adjusting my high ponytail to a low braid that fits under my helmet has become part of my pre-climb ritual. With the new Ikon Nova, C.A.M.P. offers a solution to the long-haired climber’s struggle. It creates extra space between the…
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