Mountain Standards

Posted January 29, 2016

Rab Xenon Hoody: A Compressible Puffy for Cold Rock Climbs

When you climb in cold places, you quickly learn the value of a lightweight puffy jacket. The promise of a sunny morning can dissolve quickly in the alpine: the wall passes into shadow, belays get long and cold, and the wind picks up. An insulated jacket can make the difference between starting the next pitch excited or shivering.



Posted January 12, 2016

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Dyneema 2400 Ice Pack: Strong, Tough and Ultralight

We packed up camp high on the Roosevelt Glacier and began climbing towards Mt. Baker's North Ridge (WI2-3, 3,000', Beckey-Widrig, 1948), in Washington's North Cascades, at 6 a.m. Challenging weather conditions required creative route finding. At noon, six hours later, we climbed into a storm below the summit.



Posted January 7, 2016

Petzl Sitta: Full Function and Barely Even There

Though I spend countless hours in a harness every season, I rarely get excited about them. To me, they are merely utilitarian. As long as the harness is comfortable and functional, I don't think too much about it. That changed with the new Petzl Sitta harness.



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