Often overlooked, belay gloves can make or break a day of climbing. From full days at the crag to long multi-pitch routes, belay gloves should always come along in your pack. Nothing ruins a good day of climbing like dirty,…
Mayhem – a situation in which there is little to no order or control. Every time I pack for a trip, jackets, shirts, and pants are thrown over every chair, and gear covers every inch of the floor. What does…
“One jacket to rule them all.” That’s the perfect description for the Orotovox Swisswool Zebru Jacket. Over the last couple of months, I have kayaked across the ocean, climbed in the high sierras, and rafted down the Grand Canyon. Fortunately…
Typically when I hear the words “puffy jacket,” I think of a bulky, restrictive, and easily shredded jacket. Designed to be durable, warm, and stretchy, Mountain Hardwear’s stylish new StretchDown DS (Dynamic Stretch) Hooded Jacket completely changed my perception of what…
The Jade Yoga Level One is an ideal mat for the studio AND works great in the outdoors! While testing the Level One, I decided to take it out in the middle of winter (as well as use it in…
Training for the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run 55k this summer has taken my trail running to new heights (literally) and given me ample opportunity to test the RaidLight Hyperlight Windproof Jacket. Training at higher altitudes brings a new set…
Mountainsmith’s Glissade 7075 trekking poles are the perfect companion for keeping your balance in the alpine, and I’ve been waiting for the opportune moment to get out there and beat them up a bit. Getting them prepped was easy- no…
There’s yet another rise in the ultra, trail running world and it doesn’t involve confetti, banners or a megaphone countdown. There are no lithe professionals sinking into a lunge, shoulders grazing shoulders, at some pop-up start line. In this scenario,…
I got my first down jacket in 1994, and as an east coast ice climber immediately dismissed it as useless. Any sort of precipitation rendered it a clumpy, soggy mess; worse than nothing. The synthetic revolution was happening, and sacrificing…
The nucleus of the mountaineer’s world… the Himalayas. A remarkable residence of giants with arms reaching from the heavens to the world below. 14 peaks over 8000 meters, the highest point on earth and a culture ingrained into the fabric…