Category: Reviews

Wallrider Helmet
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews, Rock & Ice

Mammut Wall Rider Helmet Review

Mammut’s innovative new helmet, the Wall Rider, features an Expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam body with a smallpolycarbonate cap on the top.  This hybrid of exposed foam and hard-shell blends the features of two different helmet designs: the traditional lightweight in-mold helmet design and the super-light exposed foam design of the Sirocco (Petzl is upgrading the Sirocco with a similar composite design but I haven’t gotten my … Continue reading Mammut Wall Rider Helmet Review

Monte Johnston
Exped SynMat Hyperlite
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews, Travel & Lifestyle

Exped Synmat Hyperlite Review

Exped is known for making some of the best sleeping mats available anywhere.  However, like many people I’ve only every tried their down fill mats, never a synthetic fill.  To find out how their synthetic mats perform we decided to test out the SynMat Hyperlite.  This tapered, 3-season mat is sold as the lightest mat for its warmth which I take to mean that it’s … Continue reading Exped Synmat Hyperlite Review

Monte Johnston
Helinox Chair One
Other, Reviews, Travel & Lifestyle

Helinox Chair One

Like many back-country enthusiasts I do a lot of camping to facilitate my addictions to skiing, climbing and alpinism.  This can involve easy car camping where I drive right up to the camping spot (Indian Creek, Red Rocks, Yosemite, etc.) to locations where I take a helicopter or plane into a camping area (Tantalus, St. Elias, Ruth, etc.) to where I actually need to hump … Continue reading Helinox Chair One

Monte Johnston
GSI Outdoors Essential Spoon
Reviews, Travel & Lifestyle

Quick Look: GSI Outdoors Essential Spoon

While camping spoons may not be as sexy as new ice tools or cams it’s still nice to have a well thought out and functional food delivery apparatus when you’re in the backcountry!  So when I saw the new GSI Outdoors Essential Spoon (long version) at the Outdoor Retailer show last summer I was intrigued.  Needless to say, when it hit store shelves I grabbed one to … Continue reading Quick Look: GSI Outdoors Essential Spoon

Monte Johnston
Adidas Tycane
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews, Ski & Snowboard, Travel & Lifestyle

Review: Adidas Tycane Pro Outdoor Sunglasses

The Tycane line of sunglasses by Adidas Eyewear have been specifically designed for climbing, skiing and mountaineering as well as for watersports.  And while not necessarily a household name in eyewear, Adidas boasts a wide range of high quality, sport-specific and casual sunglasses with top notch optics.  If you’re looking for a pair of glasses that will work for ski touring, climbing, glacier travel, mountaineering, … Continue reading Review: Adidas Tycane Pro Outdoor Sunglasses

Monte Johnston
RAB Electron
Apparel, Reviews

Review: RAB Electron Jacket

RAB’s new Electron jacket is an incredibly versatile technical layer that has found a place in my pack on a wide variety of trips from skiing to alpine climbing and mountaineering in every season from winter to summer.  Designed for year-round use the mid-weight jacket utilizes water resistant Pertex® Endurance fabric and hydrophobic down to allow it to perform in all weather conditions while the bright blue … Continue reading Review: RAB Electron Jacket

Monte Johnston
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews

Long Term Review: Osprey Mutant 38 Pack

Osprey has the reputation for making extremely comfortable packs and the redesigned Mutant 38 doesn’t disappoint.  This spacious 38L top loader fits like a glove, making it easy to forget how much heavy gear’s in it.  It’s also a very well thought out and versatile pack with features for just about any alpine mission.  While it’s not perfect, the Mutant’s a fantastic tool for the … Continue reading Long Term Review: Osprey Mutant 38 Pack

Monte Johnston
G3 Via Carbon
Reviews, Ski & Snowboard

G3 VIA Carbon Ski Pole

The VIA Carbon pole from G3 is exactly what a ski touring or mountaineering pole should be.  And while G3 may not yet have the brand recognition of some of the larger companies, when it comes to backcountry ski touring and mountaineering they’re on the cutting edge!  I’ve been testing a few of their products this year so you can expect to see several reviews … Continue reading G3 VIA Carbon Ski Pole

Monte Johnston
Climbing Knife
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews, Rock & Ice

Climbing Knife Comparison Review

A good knife is an essential tool for all types of climbing.  It’s used for cleaning manky tat off at a rap anchor, cutting cord for a v-thread, removing tape gloves, cutting a stuck rope out of a crack, slicing up a crag apple or cheese and much more.  Despite the obvious importance of a knife in climbing it doesn’t seem to get discussed much … Continue reading Climbing Knife Comparison Review

Monte Johnston
Petzl RAD
Alpine & Mountaineering, Reviews, Ski & Snowboard

Petzl RAD Kit Review

Last year Petzl released the RAD (Rescue And Decent) system which is basically a lightweight rope kit.  The idea is that skiers and mountaineers can take it with them into mountains to deal potential issues such as rappelling cliff bands, undertaking crevasse or cliff rescue and for roping up when crossing glaciers.  While light-weight kits of this nature have been available to Guides for some time Petzl … Continue reading Petzl RAD Kit Review

Monte Johnston