All the reviews posted to the Black Sheep reflect the personal and professional opinion of the author. We are not compensated in any way for writing our reviews though we are often supplied with test samples.

We put a great deal of effort into testing before putting proverbial pen to paper and try to provide as much information as possible. The reason there are no overly negative reviews is because we simply don’t want to spend a bunch of time testing crappy gear.   If we come across something we really don’t like we’ll typically provide some constructive feedback directly to the brand instead of undertaking a review.

If you have any questions about any of the reviews or just want to say hi feel free to shoot me (Monte Johnston) an email. Happy Trails!

Monte’s a ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide that works full-time skiing, mountaineering & climbing from his home base in Squamish, BC. After graduating university with an engineering degree he found he wasn’t satisfied only chasing his passion for the mountains on weekends or in the evenings. This led him away from working behind a desk into a life of guiding, avalanche forecasting and movie/film safety work.

Monte has since climbed and skied all over the world and has a passion for travel, always researching that next adventure. Past trips have included Patagonia, Kenya, Oman, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Japan. Of course he’s also visited numerous areas closer to home like Bella Coola, Bugaboos, Rockies, Rogers Pass, Alaska, Yukon, Indian Creek, Red Rocks, Zion, Joshua Tree, Index, Yosemite, etc. He’s currently planning some ski trips to India and Russia and a climbing trip to China.

In addition to Guiding, Monte’s an avid gear junkie. He simply loves testing the limits of new gear, apparel and equipment for various articles and reviews though mainly for BlackSheep’s site.

Nic Vissers is a BC boy and totally obsessed gear head. A technical expert when it comes to gear, Nic can found projecting sport climbs just north of Squamish, or down in Yosemite heading up BigWalls when he isn’t on the Chief climbing. Nic is also a passionate photographer, an avid climber, alpinist and a lifelong skier. Nic started climbing indoors at the age of 16 and after a few months visited Squamish for the first time. He was hooked. The summer after high school he moved into his truck and dedicated himself fully to rock climbing and started working at climbing gyms. He now takes every opportunity he can to get into the mountains.

After getting his degree in Criminal Justice Hayden decided policing was not for him, so he moved to Japan to teach English and fortunately for us, discovered  the world of ski guiding. He has been guiding for 9 years, beginning his career in Hokkaido and converting his travel addiction into a career.

One of Hayden’s youthful goals was to spend  every night, year round, in a hotel. He’s halfway there as he lives out of his duffel bag six months of the year while guiding in Hokkaido, Pakistan, the Alps as well as near his current home, Squamish.