![[Photo] Mandi Franz](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/climbing-addicts-colored-chalk-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
A review of Climbing Addicts “Yosemite Gray” and “Wall Street Gold” Chalk prompts a treatise on climbing chalk by Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz. He found the camouflaged chalk to be as effective as anything else he’s used, and the grey and brown varieties blend in well with a range of rock types, including limestone, granite and sandstone. Five stars.
![The author lounges on the Sea to Summit Ultralight Air Mat in Colorado's Elk Range with Mt. Sopris (12,965') in the background. [Photo] Amanda Franz](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/sea-to-summit-ultralight-air-mat-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
The Sea to Summit Ultralight Air Mat is a summer backcountry mattress that can pack down to the size of a large burrito and that inflates to provide 2 inches of air cushion. Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz found it to be so comfortable he awarded it a perfect rating. Five stars.
![The author wears the Ortovox Col Becchei softshell jacket on the trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. [Photo] Chris Wood](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ortovox-col-becchei-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Mike Lewis finds that the Ortovox Col Becchei softshell jacket is well designed for alpine and rock climbing as well as backcountry skiing, but he has concerns about the $320 price tag.
![The author wearing the Patagonia Micro Puff jacket on Prodigal Sun in Zion last October. [Photo] Derek Franz](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/patagonia-micro-puff-hoody-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Alpinist digital editor Derek Franz tested the Patagonia Micro Puff jacket and found that the lightweight, synthetic garment outperforms those of similar weights with down feathers. “It lives up to the hype,” Franz writes. Five stars.
![Mike Lewis carrying the Blue Ice Warthog 40L pack in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. [Photo] Chris Wood](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/blue-ice-warthog-backpack-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
After lugging the Blue Ice Warthog 40L backpack around the mountains for several months, IFMGA/AMGA guide Mike Lewis came to some conclusions: the pack is ideal for ice, rock and alpine climbing (5 stars for that category), but the lack of a padded hip belt makes it less comfortable to carry long distances when you’re not wearing a harness and you want to load more of the pack weight onto the hips instead of the shoulders. “For someone who is specifically looking for a pack with an unpadded, removable hip belt for technical climbing, this pack is a slam-dunk,” Lewis writes.
![Wading across the Virgin River in Zion with the Lowa Approach Pro Los in hand. [Photo] Derek Franz](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/lowa-approach-pro-lo-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
If Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz had to pick just one type of shoe to wear for the rest of his life, there’s no doubt it would be a pair of approach shoes. The Lowa Approach Pro Los have become his first choice to wear everywhere, all the time. Five stars.
![The author with the Blue Ice Yeti 50L backpack in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. [Photo] Chris Wood](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/blue-ice-yeti-backpack-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Blue Ice is a small, relatively new company that started in a garage in Europe and now has a presence in North America. IFMGA/AMGA guide Mike Lewis has been using the Blue Ice Yeti 50L backpack, and aside from a few details that didn’t comply with his exact personal preferences, he liked it well enough to award it five stars.
![The Mountain Equipment Citadel Mitts. [Photo] Clint Helander](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/mountain-equipment-citadel-mitt-1-1.jpeg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Alaskan alpinist Clint Helander finds the Mountain Equipment Citadel Mitt to be a lightweight and versatile option for climbs that require cutting down on bulk and extra grams. Five stars.
![Hauling the pig with the Sterling WorkPro static rope on Prodigal Sun, Zion National Park. [Photo] Derek Franz](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/sterling-workpro-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz recently used the Sterling WorkPro static line to haul a 100-pound bag on his first solo big wall. The WorkPro was supple, strong and durable–everything you’d want from a static rope. Five stars.
![Corey Flynn starts the first pitch of Scary Canary (5.12b/c R), Eldorado Canyon, Colorado. [Photo] Chris Van Leuven](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/black-diamond-atc-pilot-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Chris Van Leuven used the Black Diamond ATC Pilot to catch gear-ripping falls and liked its simple design and smooth rope handling so well that it became his go-to belay device for single-pitch cragging. Five stars.
![The author enjoys the comfort of the Mountain Equipment Xeros 800-fill, Russian Goose Down sleeping bag inside his bivy sack on the second morning of his solo ascent of Prodigal Sun (V 5.7 C2, 900') in Zion National Park, October 22. [Photo] Derek Franz](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/mountain-equipment-xeros-sleeping-bag-1-1.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz used the Mountain Equipment Xeros 800-fill, Russian Goose Down bag in warm, sweaty conditions as well as cold, wet ones, and the bag kept him remarkably dry and comfortably warm. “I have never experienced a more efficient sleeping bag,” he reports. Five stars.
![Whitney Clark explores unknown terrain on a peak above Sphinx Lake in Kings Canyon, California, this past August. [Photo] Tad McCrea](https://i0.wp.com/alpinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/sterling-fusion-nano-ix-1-2.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
Whitney Clark takes the Sterling Fusion Nano IX along for some rugged granite adventures in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada mountains. The 9mm rope can be used as a thick half-rope or a skinny single rope, and features Sterling’s new DryXP treatment, which exceeds the UIAA certification of less than 5 percent water absorption, keeping the rope light and durable in even the wettest conditions. Clark put those claims to the test and awarded the Fusion Nano IX five stars.
