10 Must-Haves for Ski Touring As a guide I’m able to get out skiing a lot, both professionally and recreationally. And by a lot, I mean a lot. A typical season will see me strapping on skis for over 100 days. At least half of which will be ski touring. The rest will involve helicopters, ski lifts or some other device (or cheat) that helps … Continue reading My Go-To Gear: Ski Touring Edition
Mammut’s new Glacier Cord is designed to be used as part of a lightweight rope kit to allow alpinists, mountaineers and skiers to deal with various challenges and emergencies. This includes rappelling cliff bands, roping up for glacier travel, undertaking crevasse and cliff rescues, etc. Of course lightweight kits like this have been available for some time, the most well-known being Petzl’s RAD kit. Mammut … Continue reading Review: Mammut 6mm Glacier Cord
Skiing and Apre go hand in hand, so when I heard of the WhiSki Pole I needed to know more. They were originally launched a few years back with a sweet ski party video, the WhiSki Pole went viral. When Black Sheep reached out to Rob, the owner / operator of WhiSki Pole, he gave us the full story of this amazing sounding idea and … Continue reading Review: The WhiSki Pole
CAMP Skimo Tour Crampons CAMP designed a simple lightweight ski boot specific aluminum crampon. Announced in the winter of 2018 it has become a go to piece of equipment for many ski mountaineers in North America. One of the most noticeable features was the toe bail called T-Stop and how low profile it is. The option for a Dyneema strap that replaces the spreader bar … Continue reading First Look Review: CAMP Skimo Tour Crampon
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
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
I can be picky when it comes to ski touring pants. I’ll spend countless hours trying on different pairs in different stores before ever getting close to that one pair with that seemingly elusive mixture of features I want: a good fit, a few functional pockets, vents and a fabric that breaths. I know, I’m asking for a lot! But it’s not always easy to … Continue reading Long-Term Review: Patagonia Descensionist Pants
When I put on the ridiculously warm Fire Tower jacket from Big Agnes it feels like I’m wearing my sleeping bag! Soft and cozy it makes frigid belay stances or mornings on a mid-winter camping trip not only bearable but almost comfortable. A surprising feat given the exceptionally reasonable cost. So if you’re willing to trade a little room in the backpack for the warmest … Continue reading Review: Big Agnes Fire Tower Jacket
Osprey’s new Kamber line of packs replaced the familiar Kode line and features a trio of pack packs specifically designed for the needs of the male ski touring or splitboarding crowd. The female version of the packs are found in the Kestra line. This review focuses on the largest of the Kamber packs, the Kamber 42. A cavernous pack that’s meant for multi-day trips but can still … Continue reading Review: Osprey Kamber 42
The Edelrid Loopo Lite is a crazy light harness that will fit in your pocket. It takes the saying “Minimalist” to a whole new level. Coming in at around 80g (depending on what size you buy) this is for someone who is going to be moving very fast and light. Now having something so light will have restrictions. That said, if this specialized piece of … Continue reading Mountaineering / Ski Harness Review Part 4: Edelrid Loopo Lite
