Despite its legendary status I’d always avoided the Bushido due to its lower volume of padding. I moved from hiking boots to trail runners for the padding and a stack height of 19mm in the heel. I was wrong. These are fantastic trail shoes. Great grip, stability when the going gets rugged and just the right amount of protection make this a contender for my … Continue reading The La Sportiva Bushido 3 Review
It’s fair to say that Norda is singlehandedly pushing the boundaries of trail running shoes the hardest. That is evident in every release they make and the Norda 005 is testament. Norda’s third trail shoe combines a bomber upper, and ultra cush and bouncy Armitel midsole with the lightest and grippiest outsole compound on the market with the Vibram Megagrip Elite. The Norda 005 Review … Continue reading The Norda 005 Review
The “little brother” to the legendary PowSlayer, the Patagonia Untracked Bibs might actually be the more talented sibling. Built with quieter materials and offering near-equal waterproofing, these bibs feature a high-cut design specifically engineered to keep out the deepest powder. Over the course of a heavy season, they’ve taken a fair amount of abuse from me and still look nearly as good as they did … Continue reading The Patagonia Untracked Bib Review
These are the quintessential Smith glasses. Smith advertises them heavily as fishing glasses though they have certainly found their way to places much further afield. I’ve taken them trekking and splitboarding in the Coast Mountains and Japan. Their fantastic optics mixed with a heavy base curve make them perfect for protecting your vision in high glare situations. The Guide’s Choice XL is the quintessential Smith … Continue reading The Smith Guide’s Choice XL Review
The BlackSheep Canadian Holiday Wish List 2025 Autumn arrives with changing leaves and a rush of new gear. As the flakes start flying, the lifts begin spinning, and the holidays creep closer, you head to your gear closet, shed, garage, or that plastic tote you’ve been digging into for the last half-century—and realize it’s all spent. Time to re-up on new gear for you and … Continue reading The BlackSheep Canadian Wish list 2025
I’ve gotten my boot into all but one of the current breed of hard boot bindings available on the market, but there is only one pair I have used religiously for two solid seasons without wondering what life was like with my older binders. That’s the Plum Sok. The Plum Sok’s hallmark is a solid aluminum baseplate, a ton of adjustability and reliability. My pair … Continue reading The Plum Sok Review
The Great Injinji Round Up If you’ve met me on the trail, you know Injinji is the only sock I currently wear while hiking. I still have non-Injinji socks, but those are for off trail, around town, or on shorter hikes where my feet aren’t going to heat up as much. The key to getting rid of blisters and hot feet for me has solely … Continue reading The Great Injinji Round Up
A Two Year Review of the Plum Pekye The Plum Pekye is a lightweight yet strong tech toe for splitboarding. Mine have survived two seasons of touring, a full ski guide exam, and even two weeks of being tossed around in a heli basket. They’ve been my go-to tech binding for the past two seasons, and all they’ve asked for is a little grease. Hands … Continue reading Plum Pekye Review
The Rab Khroma Tour Gore-Tex Gloves The Rab Khroma Tour gloves might be the most underrated glove in the winter sports industry. Waterproof Gore-Tex Active liner, Pittards Armortan leather and Primaloft Gold make these a fantastic mid-winter ski glove. I’ve put a season and a half of touring, snowboarding and heli guiding in these gloves and I’ve no doubt they will last another season of … Continue reading A Review of the Rab Khroma Tour Gore-Tex Gloves
The Ortovox Ladiz Hybrid Jacket The Ortovox Ladiz Hybrid jacket marries Merino infused fleece with zoned windproof layers making for a fantastic shoulder season hybrid windbreaker and insulation jacket. Does it insulate? yes! Does it block the wind? A little bit. Is it a great jacket? You bet. The Ortovox Ladiz Hybrid Jacket at a glance: Material : Tec-Stretch and Merino Fleece Light Grid Weight: … Continue reading Ortovox Ladiz Hybrid Jacket
