Black Diamond Xenos: A Strange Fit
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 to humankind, places where we truly are the aliens.
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Mountain Standards
Grivel Candela: A V-threading Life Partner
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 he meant it with some wordplay: perspective often has an influence on the options you see.
Grip-Positive Winter Runners: Icebug DTS BUGrip
DTS BUGrip provides a comfortable, somewhat cushy, and nimble ride, with positive traction for nearly all conditions.
Arc’teryx Nozone 35 Pack: An Alpine Climbing Workhorse
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 help to a day in the mountains. There’s a fine line, however, between a smooth design and gimmicks.
Kahtoola MICROspikes: Instant Traction Control
Mary Williams considers climbing approaches and descents at Rocky Mountain National Park a necessary evil. For improved traction, she wears micro spikes to cross icy terrain. “I have used [them] with light hiking boots, my ice-climbing boots, running shoes, and even a few times over my ski boots,” she writes.
The Petzl Sum’Tec: Hard Working Mutha’
Alpinists know that a tool capable of performing well in a variety of mediums and serving a variety of tasks is, indeed, quite pleasing. All the time. The Petzl Sum’Tec tools go a long way toward accomplishing that.
Salewa Wildfires: Blister-Free Hikers That Climb Surprisingly Well
I’m one of those guys who have a different pair of shoes for every situation and will debate my options to an embarrassing extent. Over a year ago, while searching for a good all-around pair of approach shoes, I tried a pair of Salewa Wildfires.
Trango BallNutz: Clean Climbing Technology, Surpassed
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.
Wild Country Recalls Their Rocks
“For the safety of all of our customers Wild Country are issuing an immediate recall of certain batches of Wild Country Classic Rocks and Anodised Rocks.”
Wild Country Helium: A Finicky But Quality Friend
I have spent the last year and a half plugging the Heliums into cracks throughout the Western US, including the North Cascades, Smith Rocks, Red Rock, Lover’s Leap, Yosemite and a few other areas. While they have a design common among high-quality cams, they were trickier to place and to clean because of their stem length and, in the case of the larger sizes, trigger placement.
AAC Publications Online Database: A Clean and (Mostly) Functional Upgrade
In all, the Club’s new publications database will serve as a magnificent improvement over its finicky and frustrating predecessor (though there are still a few deficiencies to navigate). Users will find more of what they’re looking for, and less of what they’re not–presented in clean, readable format.
Speedy Stitcher: Fix Everything
I rarely find a backpacking or climbing equipment problem that cannot be solved with intelligent application of webbing and Speedy Stitcher. And because its potential is limited only by your imagination, it’s easily the best $21.99 of gear you will ever buy.