These gloves are hot! As in warm – and stylish. The Manzella Arch Angel accompanied me this spring to Aspen where I competed in the Colorado Freeskiing Championships. It happened to be a cold, stormy weekend, dumping two feet of snow over the course of a few days. I was worried that I couldn’t see the cliffs I was about to drop, but I wasn’t worried about my hands staying warm.
I was psyched when Vanessa handed me the Patagonia Men’s Down Jacket at the Snake River Brew Pub in Jackson Hole to try out. I was in town for some AMGA training and spent time touring in Grand Teton National Park and on Teton Pass. After wearing it around Jackson and some in the Northwest – where I’m based – I’ve found it very comfortable, well designed, and of course, warm.
During my first outing, the gusty winds and generally stormy conditions were enough to force my partner and I to descend from three quarters of the way up Cerro Torre’s Compressor Route. Upon returning to camp on the Torre Glacier’s “Sandy Wash,” we were stoked to find the MSR Wind 2, standing as we left it, holding its own against the catabatic’s ripping down from the Hielo Sur (the Southern Ice cap).
I spent over a week in the Canadian Rockies and the R1 Granular Jacket hardly ever left my body. I don’t think I can say enough about this piece from Patagonia. As someone who has eliminated many fleece garments for typical layering in recent years I’ve found that the R1 is already indispensable for me.
This harness is a Cadillac for comfort and Petzl’s slick buckle system helps keep you safe without having to double back the waist belt or leg loops. This feature also makes it super fast to change layers on the move. I’ve used the Corax extensively for rock climbing, ice climbing and alpine routes.
I put these boots to the test on Denali. They sailed me up and down the mountain attached to snowshoes, skis and crampons. I wore them nonstop for 21 days (when I wasn’t sleeping or lucky enough to be in my down booties) and never got a single blister.
Petzl again led the pack in bringing us this super versatile, self-braking belay device. Most other manufacturers have scrambled to follow suit, but the Reverso still gets my vote for simplicity and smooth feed in all categories.
When La Sportiva first came out with the Exum Ridge approach shoe, it was a winner. I wore mine up and down the Grand Teton guiding moderate routes during many long days in the mountains until they practically fell off my feet, threadbare.
For me, a good mountain boot not only has to climb well, it has to get me to the climb. I’m not carrying a boot on my back, I’m going to wear it all day, there and back. I checked out the Vasque M-Finity on the 13,770-foot Grand Teton during the early part of last summer.
I am psyched that winter is on its way, so I can start using the Marmot Lithium Sleeping Bag again. Before I received this sack, I had been using a negative 20-degree option lined with a waterproof shell, from a leading competitor. When I first tried the Lithium from Marmot, I was amazed at how warm it kept me, at almost 2 pounds less in weight.
We have just received some samples of the new Exposure packs from Osprey. The haulers look nicely built with lightweight materials and many of the features that I personally tend to like, such as gear loops, removable lids, and “lockable” ski straps, something many packs lack. The big story about these packs is their moldable waist belts…yes, just like the liners of your plastic boots.
Mammut is well known for making very nice climbing ropes and the Infinity 9.5mm is no exception. It fits the bill perfectly as many climbers seem to be choosing skinnier and lighter ropes these days for the majority of their climbing endeavors.
