Having spent numerous ski tours climbing and skiing steep, bulletproof terrain, I found myself wanting some added security in the often-precarious ski mountaineering environment. The… Read More »Black Diamond Whippet Self Arrest Ski Pole: Added Security
Being a certified gear whore isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but being a gear whore in Jackson, Wyoming–where rent is unfathomably exorbitant–is certainly frustrating. You… Read More »The Starter Jacket: What Were They Thinking?
“Man, I wish my thumbs were bigger.” Testing these gloves is, unquestionably, the only time in my life I have uttered that phrase. The Marmot… Read More »Marmot Alpinist Pro Gloves: Warm and Dexterous for the Big-Thumbed
Winter mountaineering: some people love it. But rarely do I picture the clear summit days with perfect cramponing and one-swing ice. Instead I think of… Read More »CiloGear Dyneema(R) 45 Pack: Lighten Your Load
In December I headed down to Ouray, Colorado’s Ice Park, to begin testing the Petzl Dartwin crampons. With all kinds of immediate climbing to be… Read More »Petzl Dartwin Crampons: Serious about Steep
Functional enough to withstand three weeks of high-altitude desert and mountain exploration, yet snazzy enough to sit down to tea with the King of Mustang,… Read More »Marmot Snazette: Snazzy Functionality
A principal function of a climber’s stove is to melt snow and ice, producing drinkable water. Hot soup, coffee and the occasional hot water bottle… Read More »JetBoil PCS: Radically Improved Fuel Efficiency
Several years ago I humped a 92-pound pack full of the cheapest, heaviest climbing gear in the world uphill for several days in Wyoming’s Wind… Read More »PMI Spire 10.2mm Rope: Dry to the Core
Frequently I am accused of being a pack snob. It started way back in college when I had a part-time job sewing backpacks for a… Read More »Lowe Alpine Air Zone Centro 35+10: Desert Trekker
“It’s the single piece of gear I’m excited about buying this year,” said Nic, my gearhead friend, about the new line of Arc’teryx harnesses. It… Read More »Arc’teryx R-320 Harness: Everything You Want, Nothing You Don’t
When I picked up Rab’s Latok Alpine jacket for the first time I was skeptical. The Latok was lighter than any of the performance hard… Read More »Rab Latok Alpine Jacket: Expectations Bested
Every summer in Chamonix, among the 350+ mountain guides working in the valley, there seems to be one piece of gear that becomes eminently popular,… Read More »Cilao OZ 22 Race Harness: Built for Fast and Light
