Category: Alpine & Mountaineering

Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews

Comparison Review: Lightweight Mountaineering Axes

There’s a huge variety of lightweight mountaineering axes on the market which can make choosing the right one for your specific adventure difficult. Most of the different axe types, designs, shapes, lengths, etc. have a specific use in mind be it alpine climbing, summer mountaineering, ski mountaineering and so on. Though some designs are simply carry-overs from days of mountaineering past which only sell because … Continue reading Comparison Review: Lightweight Mountaineering Axes

Monte Johnston
Alpine & Mountaineering, Apparel, Articles, Features, Reviews, Rock & Ice, Ski & Snowboard

Review: Mountain Hardware Exposure/2™ Jacket and Pants

Mountains are a place we go to get away from it all. No cell service, less people, just you and maybe a few close friends to get up to some adventure. Over the past few years, social media has had a large influence on what happens in the mountains. Not to get into that too much, but what we wear is something most people take … Continue reading Review: Mountain Hardware Exposure/2™ Jacket and Pants

Nic Vissers
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews, Rock & Ice, Ski & Snowboard, Travel & Lifestyle

Review: Petzl Nao+ Headlamp

The Petzl Nao+ is my lighting tool of choice for any mountain missions that start or end in the dim hours of the day. With 750 lumens, it’s so bright that Petzl had to include a warning label not to shine it in someone’s eyes up close! Using Reactive Lighting or Constant Lighting the burn time will vary from 6.5hrs (at 750 lumens) all the … Continue reading Review: Petzl Nao+ Headlamp

Nic Vissers
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews

First Look Review: Scarpa Zodiac Tech GTX

The new Zodiac Tech from Scarpa fits squarely into to uber popular scrambling / lightweight mountaineering boot category. Incredibly versatile, this boot’s a fantastic option for summers in the mountains. The soles are flexible enough to walk well but still stiff enough to take semi-auto crampons, kick steps up steep snow slopes and rock climb. They’re even warm and dry enough for shorter bouts on … Continue reading First Look Review: Scarpa Zodiac Tech GTX

Monte Johnston
Thermarest Corus
Alpine & Mountaineering, Articles, Reviews

Review: Therm-A-Rest Parsec & Corus Sleeping System

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

Monte Johnston
Beal Escaper
Alpine & Mountaineering, Articles, Reviews, Rock & Ice

Review: Beal Escaper

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

Monte Johnston
Sub 9mm Climbing ropes
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews, Rock & Ice

Comparison Review: Sub 9mm Climbing Ropes

Sub 9mm Climbing Rope Comparison It wasn’t very long ago that people looked to 10mm beasts of a rope for an everyday workhorse and ropes under 9mm in diameter were few and far between. Well that’s no longer the case with 5 different options currently on the market and undoubtedly more to come. Companies like Sterling, Petzl and others already have 9.0mm ropes available and … Continue reading Comparison Review: Sub 9mm Climbing Ropes

Monte Johnston
Patagonia R1 Techface
Alpine & Mountaineering, Apparel, Reviews

Review: Patagonia R1 Techface Hoody

The new Patagonia R1 Techface Hoody is basically a marriage of the R1 Regulator® fleece insulation with a thin external facing fabric for wind resistance and durability. The hoody is lightweight in terms of insulating value, breaths very well and is quite stretchy. A fantastic summer alpine layer as it cuts the wind, moves well and isn’t overly warm. Specs: R1 Regulator fleece with DWR … Continue reading Review: Patagonia R1 Techface Hoody

Monte Johnston
Osprey Mutant 38
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews

Review: Osprey Mutant 38 Pack (2018)

Osprey expanded and updated the popular Mutant pack into a line of climbing and mountaineering packs for 2018. This included the introduction of a new Mutant 22, an update to the Mutant 38 and the inclusion of a new Mutant 52 to replace the Variant 52. For this review we’ll focus on the Mutant 38, a great pack size for one day alpine and mountaineering … Continue reading Review: Osprey Mutant 38 Pack (2018)

Monte Johnston
BD 9.4mm Rope
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews, Rock & Ice

Review: Black Diamond 9.4mm Dry Climbing Rope

The 2018 version of the Black Diamond 9.4mm Dry Climbing Rope is a totally different animal than the previous version. Why? Well BD changed manufacturers for 2018 which has drastically improved the product. Now this review is not and an “old versus new” comparison but will rather focus on the features and performance of the new rope. However, that being said, I’ll still be commenting … Continue reading Review: Black Diamond 9.4mm Dry Climbing Rope

Monte Johnston