Well this is the last of the series of Winter 2018 Outdoor Retailer show reports but one of the more fun to research and write. The show sure had a lot of winter climbing eye candy this year with new ice tools, boots, screws, helmets, harnesses, etc. to check out. Given all the cool new technical climbing gear coming out this year you can expect … Continue reading Winter OR 2018: Winter Climbing Gear
While Winter OR typically has a winter / cold weather focus there’s always some warm weather gear to check out as well. This year it seemed that most companies had new or updated footwear on display. In no particular order here are the new shoes you can expect to find this fall just in time for the road-trip climbing season: Scarpa Mescalito Approach Shoes: Scarpa … Continue reading Winter OR 2018: Summer Climbing Footwear
While the new Speed Comp Helmet from Camp has its roots in Skimo racing it makes a great backcountry ski touring and ski mountaineering helmet. Functional and well thought out it’s light enough to make the decision to bring it easy! The Skimo racing industry’s been testing the limits of what is possible from technological (any physical) standpoint and taken “fast and light” to a … Continue reading Review: Camp Speed Comp Helmet
This article covers a hodge-podge of cool new ski touring / ski mountaineering related kit. From crampons to transceivers to gloves and shovels, Winter OR & Snow Show 2018 had a lot of eye candy for the skiers! BCA Tracker S Transceiver: BCA is adding to their transceiver line with the introduction of the new Tracker S. Basically a stripped down version of the Tracker … Continue reading Winter OR 2018: Ski Gear
Not only did OR move to Denver this year, it also joined forces with the Snow Show. As you can expect this combined show was bigger with much more of a ski/ride feel than Winter OR typically does. With the larger show my available walk-around-and-drink-beer time was curtailed as I found myself running from meeting to meeting trying to catch up with everyone. But with … Continue reading Winter OR 2018: Ski Boots & Bindings
While Deuter makes several winter packs in the mid-size range we chose to review the Freerider Pro 30. Designed as a versatile ski touring pack I felt it more relevant than some of the other ski guide or race inspired offerings. The main compartment of the Freerider Pro 30 has two separate access points, through a zipper on the top of the pack and via … Continue reading Review: Deuter Freerider Pro 30
By utilizing innovative new fabric technologies and manufacturing processes companies like Patagonia, RAB, Mountain Equipment, Outdoor Research, Adidas and Mammut had some really cool new pieces to show off at the OR Show this year. Now this is just a short list of the highlights. If you have a question about a piece not included shoot me a message. Patagonia Capilene Air Baselayers: By taking … Continue reading Winter OR 2018: Apparel
I’ve been testing Osprey’s Kamber 32 for over a year now on a variety of ski trips in all kinds of conditions over BC and Alberta and this well designed pack has proven to be a worthy companion. Well featured, durable and comfortable it quickly became my go-to ski touring pack. And like a lot of pieces that I really like, I found myself using … Continue reading Long-Term Review: Osprey Kamber 32
This video features the PowerPoint slides from a presentation on Ice Climbing I gave at the Arc’teryx store in Kitsilano on January 31st, 2018. Continue reading Presentation: So you want to be an ice climber?
The Icefall Down Jacket from Helly Hansen has been around for quite a while. And while it’s undergone some small changes and improvements over this time the core jacket remains the same. Quite a testament to it’s versatility and popularity. But what’s contributed to this ongoing success? Only one way to find out: take it into mountains for some use and abuse. So that’s what … Continue reading Review: Helly Hansen Icefall Down Jacket
