The 2018 version of our Annual Christmas Guide for Climbers. For me Christmas is always a bit of a mixed blessing. I have to put up with hearing Christmas carols everywhere, and there’s the stress of spending time with family, finding gifts for everyone and often lots driving on icy roads. On the other hand it’s great to catch up with friends and family and … Continue reading Black Sheep’s Christmas Guide for Climbers 2018
A head-to-head comparison review of synthetic Arc’teryx Puffy Jackets. Specifically the Quantum Series which includes the Proton, Atom & Nuclei. Walking around an outdoor gear store, or perusing one online for that matter, can be both fun and intimidating. There’s an absolute mountain of choice (yes, the pun was intended) when it comes to good quality kit! Now, a wide selection can be a great … Continue reading Picking the Perfect Arc’teryx Puffy:
Despite having fallen out of vogue for many climbers, pitons are an important part of an alpine climbing rack in many areas. Yes, many pitons have been replaced with their more reliable relative, bolts. Or simply removed for that matter. But there’s still tons of them around depending on the area. And of course the prevalence of pitons in a given area depends on an assortment … Continue reading Picking the Ideal Piton Rack:
Therm-a-Rest recently released a series of new sleeping bags and backcountry quilts designed to be compatible with one another. With the ability to be mixed and matched you can create a expandable sleeping system suitable for almost any trip or season. Much like a sleeping bag – over bag combination but more finessed. In this review we’re focusing on one such combination: the Parsec sleeping … Continue reading Review: Therm-A-Rest Parsec & Corus Sleeping System
The new Beal Escaper is unique, innovative a little terrifying until you get used to it. Designed to be a rappel release device it allows you to rappel on a single strand but still retrieve the rope from the bottom. Needless to say, I had a lot of questions when I first saw the device: How does the Escaper perform with different anchor set-ups and … Continue reading Review: Beal Escaper
I’m branching out a little from my typical type of review as I wanted to highlight Hornby Organic’s energy bars. Not because they pay me or anything like that (I’m not compensated in any way for the website except if someone wants a guide). I just think they make fantastic bars and it seems that very few climbers and skiers have heard of them. Quite … Continue reading Hornby? The best bars you’ve never heard of!
The Tantalus Traverse is a beautiful breath taking adventure through some of Squamish’s local Mountains. Depending on your route it will be anywhere from 36km – 45km with 3600m – 5000m of elevation gain. Most commonly done from North to South, the full traverse starts at Sigurd Creek and finishes at Lake Lovey Water trail head. Some parties will take a helicopter to the Zenith … Continue reading Beta / Trip Report: Tantalus Traverse – Fast and Light
VIDEO In this first installment of our educational series on Carabiners we look at different types of carabiner actions: Non-Locking, Screw-Gate and Triple Action. In the video we discuss the differences and where the different carabiners are best used. Special thanks to our friends at Climb On Squamish for providing the space and gear for the video and Nic Vissers for editing. Continue reading Climbing Basics 2: Types of Carabiner Actions & Uses
VIDEO In this first installment of our educational series on Carabiners we look at different loading characteristics. Basically how strong is a carabiner in use and where is this information found. Special thanks to our friends at Climb On Squamish for providing the space and gear for the video and Nic Vissers for editing. Continue reading Climbing Basics 1: Carabiner Strength
A climbing helmet becomes a critical piece of safety gear when transitioning outdoors. Some cragging areas can be prone to rock fall while in other areas your main concern might be protecting your head in a fall. However not all helmets are created equal. To help you pick the right one for you this article will outline the main types of helmets, features to consider … Continue reading From Gym to Crag Pt. 4: How to Pick a Climbing Helmet
