I’ve been testing Osprey’s Kamber 32 for over a year now on a variety of ski trips in all kinds of conditions over BC and Alberta and this well designed pack has proven to be a worthy companion. Well featured, durable and comfortable it quickly became my go-to ski touring pack. And like a lot of pieces that I really like, I found myself using … Continue reading Long-Term Review: Osprey Kamber 32
The Icefall Down Jacket from Helly Hansen has been around for quite a while. And while it’s undergone some small changes and improvements over this time the core jacket remains the same. Quite a testament to it’s versatility and popularity. But what’s contributed to this ongoing success? Only one way to find out: take it into mountains for some use and abuse. So that’s what … Continue reading Review: Helly Hansen Icefall Down Jacket
Beal has really been setting the standard for superlight and safe climbing ropes lately and the new(ish) Gully is no exception. Amazingly light and dry the Gully half/twin ropes excel at alpine and ice climbing. The biggest selling feature for me is the Unicore technology that bonds the sheath to the core and in doing so drastically increases safety (not to mention durability). After a … Continue reading First Look Review: Beal Gully Half/Twin Ropes
Mammut is replacing the very popular and successful Pulse and Element transceivers with the new Barryvox S & Barryvox. This review focuses on the Barryvox S, the more versatile but complex of the two options. And while the new Barryvox is basically a ground-up redesign it’s inherited a few similarities in programming from the Pulse. A welcome surprise as it gives it a familiar feel … Continue reading First Look Review: Barryvox S Transceiver
The Arc’teryx Sphene is the lightest jacket in the Whileline collection and designed specifically for the demands of backcountry ski touring. By stripping away features and pockets not needed in a ski touring jacket Arc’teryx was able to keep the Gore-Tex Pro fabric and still have a lightweight and packable hard shell. But how does it perform? Well after about 50 days of touring and ski mountaineering in … Continue reading Long Term Review: Arc’teryx Sphene Jacket
Released for the 2016/17 ski season the G3 FINDr line is aimed squarely at the ski mountaineering crowd. I tested the FINDr 102, the widest in the new lineup, in a variety of snow conditions over several mountain ranges and was pleasantly surprise with just how versatile a ski it is. Light enough to for long days of walking or boot packing, wide enough to … Continue reading Review: G3 FINDr 102 Skis
Sure the new MSR WindBurner Stove is compact, efficient and fast but its performance in strong winds is what sets it apart. In creating the WindBurner, MSR blended some of the best design features of the iconic Reactor and the Jetboil to create a versatile stove system that’s practically windproof. The perfect stove for an alpine mission or just brewing coffee in the parking lot. Features of the MSR … Continue reading Long-Term Review: MSR WindBurner Stove
This is the third installment of a multi-part series covering light mountaineering and ski harnesses. The first review covered the Mammut Zephyr Altitude followed by the Camp Alp Mountain and of course this one covers the Petzl Altitude. I’ll continue the series if there’s a good response and I’m able to get some more test samples. Petzl Altitude At less than half the weight of a standard climbing harness, the … Continue reading Mountaineering / Ski Harness Review Part 3: Petzl Altitude
This is the second installment of a multi-part series covering light mountaineering and ski harnesses. The first review covered the Mammut Zephyr Altitude, this one will look at the Camp Alp Mountain and will be followed by the Petzl Altitude. I’ll continue the series if there’s a good response and I’m able to get some more test samples. Camp Alp Mountain The Alp Mountain harness from Camp is lightweight … Continue reading Mountaineering / Ski Harness Review Part 2: Camp Alp Mountain
This is the first part of a series on light mountaineering and ski harnesses. The plan is to cover the Mammut Zephyr Altitude in this review followed by the Camp Alp Mountain and the Petzl Altitude. I’ll continue the series if there’s a good response and I’m able to get some more test samples. I hope to get out a new review every 4-5 days and will add a link to … Continue reading Mountaineering / Ski Harness Review Part 1: Mammut Zephyr Altitude
