A climber’s relationship with his ice screw rack is a personal thing. Find the right match and life will be good. Play the field, using… Read More »Petzl Laser Speed and Laser Speed Light: More Than Just the New Screw
I used the Mithril on glaciers in the North Cascades, and cragging and multi-pitching in Colorado’s Front Range. I took whippers, hung and worked moves,… Read More »DMM Mithril Harness: Light and (Mostly) Durable
While working as a guide I choose footwear that connects me to the terrain, inspires confidence in movement, and is comfortable enough to be worn… Read More »Stable on Steep Terrain, Hard to Fit: Five Ten Guide Tennie Mid-GTX
The Apex 22 compact-climbing pack has a tapered shape, minimal compression straps and zero extras. I tested it on single and multi-day trips and during… Read More »Apex 22: Reaching the Apogee of Alpine Design
As a guide, I’ve burned through several pairs of approach shoes hiking up rough gullies and talus fields. When the Arc’teryx Acrux FL GTX showed… Read More »Arc’teryx Acrux FL GTX: Robust Kickers
The Luchadors are constructed of a synthetic upper with a slightly cambered, semi-asymmetric last and an unlined-leather footbed. The midsole shank keeps foot fatigue to… Read More »Evolv Luchador: Versatility, Performance and Unexpected Comfort
These days, it feels like everyone is coming out with a “new” belay device that’s touted as somehow better than its predecessors. But, at least… Read More »“Jul” of the Wild–A Review of Edelrid’s Mega Jul Belay Device
The Cevedale Pro GTX boot is comfortable right out of the box. A stretchy tongue combined with a well-padded midsole helped them break in quickly,… Read More »Lowa Cevedale Pro GTX Boot: Durable Comfort in Mountain Terrain
Bluebird days are so rare in Vermont that an overnight low of -18 degrees didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for a day of ice climbing at… Read More »Big Agnes Dunkley Belay Jacket: A Slim-and-Trim Synthetic Belay Parka
The Black Diamond Xenos mixed/ice climbing harness is aptly named since it enables you to visit some of the most unique and uninhabitable places known… Read More »Black Diamond Xenos: A Strange Fit
Mentor to many aspiring mountain guides, Marc Chauvin once told me, “When you’re out of options, you’re dead.” Now that statement might seem obvious, but… Read More »Grivel Candela: A V-threading Life Partner
While the basic anatomy of a pack hasn’t evolved much since the hand-sewn rucksacks of Norman Clyde, a thoughtfully designed pack can be a major… Read More »Arc’teryx Nozone 35 Pack: An Alpine Climbing Workhorse
