For once, I’m actually psyched to “leave it on,” as their ad campaign suggests. For climbers and skiers, the best characteristic of a jacket is not noticing it while it’s on, so you can focus on the task at hand. Then afterwards you realize, oh yeah, I was warm the whole time, but I’m not…
Westcomb’s Tango Hoody is a formidable layer for a variety of conditions, with a lot to love in a simple, straightforward package. Having received this jacket in the late fall, a bit past prime time alpine climbing season, I chose to test this jacket in a similar environ – the backcountry and nordic trails in…
I have been alone on the road bouncing from park to park for 2 months. My car is a wreck. I rarely don’t smell like feet. But I climb every single day. And it is freak’n awesome! Traveling solo has presented the unique challenge of needing to find new partners at each destination I ramble…
These days, more often than not, someone in a climbing crew of craggers has a speaker. If you want the biggest and the baddest – you should probably check out the Big Turtle Shell (BTS) Wireless Speaker from Outdoor Tech. Retail: $229.95 Last spring we reviewed the original Turtle Shell, which is about a fourth…
“This stillness to which all returns, this is reality, and soul and sanity have no more meaning here than a gust of snow…[mountains] serve as a mirror to one’s own true being, utterly still, utterly clear, a void, an Emptiness without life or sound that carries in Itself all life, all sound. Yet as long…
The Mammut Sensor is a perfect name for a rope that encourages safety in the way it feels and handles. Retail: 60 meter, 10mm: $299.95 70 meter, 10mm: $319.95 I’ve climbed on Mammut ropes more than any other brand, and they have proven to be reliable and long lasting. They handle well, and typically hold up…
Green, jasmine, earl, chai and black. Tea. I love it all! A day of climbing ice, I pack my thermos with hot herbal tea and honey. by Amy Stevens For a day of rock climbing I pack my thermos with ice tea and lemon. I had yet to find the perfect vessel for a full…
Light is Right! is the new slogan for today’s alpinism. We pare down the grams in our clothing, sleep systems, and carabiners…but is it worth going light on a rope? After all, the rope is the major non-redundant link in the belay system; if you’re a climber, you probably trust a rope 100% with your…