High on El Cap a few years ago, I found myself 30 feet runout with ledge-fall potential breathing up my neck. A small fissure too small for any micro cam yet too parallel for any stopper split open the granite in front of my face. Placements like this made me wish I’d brought a set of slider nuts, though the need I had for that specialized protection is a rare moment in my life as a climber.
Climbing in the Alps all winter, I put the Terra Nova Quasar pack and its “Ultra” fabric through an ice-and-granite gauntlet. While the pack is a little worse for the wear, it’s come out on the other side still capable of holding my gear.
With it’s classic design, neutral angle blade and abnormally large spike, it seems as though this axe was well designed for meandering through low-angle snowfields thinking about the late greats and golden ages – but nothing more.
Ueli’s tool has a function for every piece of gear in my backcountry quiver: a sixty-five millimeter blade, file, hexagonal keys, flat- and Phillips-head screwdriver, wire stripper and can opener. For three months, I used the multitool to tune, tweak, sharpen, crank, slice, saw and open a beer at the end of it all.
The Valhalla does an admirable job of balancing the contradictory demands of climbers–light but durable, waterproof yet breathable, stiff but comfortable–but this also means that in no one circumstance do they truly shine. However, that didn’t stop them from being my preferred shoes on trips with a little bit of every kind of terrain.
After several months of abuse, capped off with a thrutchy ascent of Red Rock’s Epinephrine, I was amazed to find Prana’s Tangra pants still looking new. However, when it came to everyday use, the pants are clearly designed for fashion over function.
I thought the flashy pink (and I mean pink) color of the Selena was a cover-up for a disappointing lack of women-specific features. When I actually put the harness to the test, I was pleased to find that the design is thoughtfully tailored for the smaller, curvier climber. However, ladies who plan to climb more than just single-pitch sport will be frustrated by the Selena’s other design features on long trad climbs.
After a couple months of testing, this shirt has become a reliable and durable addition to my base layer arsenal.
The Mark is so much better than all those initials I used to sketch onto my gear—they always took a detective’s eye to discover, and eventually they’d wear off. The Mark takes only one application, and it stays on, no matter the beating.
I would recommend the Distance as a great lightweight, durable hiking boot—not as a true approach shoe. Its performance as a hiking boot earned them a spot inside my duffle for my fall climb of Cho Oyu.
