When making the step from single to multi-pitch rock climbing you no longer have access to all the kit at the base of the climb. This means that you have decide what’s important enough to haul up the wall and what can be left behind. Below I provide an outline of the technical gear that I typically carry with me into the vertical world. I … Continue reading Essential Gear for Multi-Pitch Rock Climbing
With summer fast approaching I’ve started planning for my annual trip into the Bugaboos, an area renown for towering alpine granite spires in the Purcell Mountains of Southeastern BC, which got me to thinking of my last trip. This past summer I camped at the Applebee Dome campground for a few weeks, a favorite of climbers visiting the area, and met a lot of great … Continue reading Bugaboo Essentials
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
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
Ok, I must admit that I am a bit of a gear junky. I enjoy checking out new gear (who doesn’t), reading technical specs (starting to leave the pack here), checking out design details and analysis (ok, starting to geek out) and at times material or metallurgical details (I know, I know…). But hey, I’m an Engineer (guiding doesn’t cover all the bills) and so … Continue reading Review: DMM Alloy Offset Nuts
When Alien cams were first introduced by Dave Waggoner they revolutionized climbing protection and have since become a familiar name in every crack climbing household. The narrow head and flexible stems were unlike any cam available on the market at the time and could be securely placed where no other cam could. While these cams have set the standard for big walls and protecting tight … Continue reading Field Tested: Alien Evolution Cams
I’ve been using the Nepal Evo GTX for a few years now but recently had the opportunity to try the new Nepal Cube GTX (these names are a bit of a mouthful… let’s go with Evo and Cube for simplicity). This new addition to the Nepal line-up not only looks way cooler than my old Evo’s (and you have to admit that’s an important feature) … Continue reading Review: La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX
