This is practically NOLS instructor uniform in the rockies. It's super light, and for its weight, its incredibly warm.

Compared to the standard jacket of this weight -the mountain hardwear compressor- this jacket is better cut, weighs less, looks better, and is only slightly less warm. It has great stretch cuffs and the zippers are of appropriate weight for a lightweight jacket.

It's not the most durable jacket ever, but nothing made of featherweight nylon is. it quickly frayed a little bit around the cuff and at the jawline, but it's on the whole snag resistant. Not for offwidth climbing.

Mine has seen at least 100 days in the field heavily used, and another 50 in the city, worm everywhere, and its still going strong. It's also easy to wash, and unlike down, you don't have to worry about it getting wet.

This is a really light piece that fits to layer with the ultralight synthetic hoodie.

Pros: Reasonably warm, tiny weight and pack space, breathes well, good colors.

Cons: fits small.

Unlike Peter, I cut these to fit my S7s and they failed to impress. It's true: they save a few ounces for the climb, the fold and pack more easily, and in some cases they seem to have a little bit more glide. That said, those few onces saved translate into greatly decresed climbing performance on steeper tracks. They climb just fine if you're cutting mellow switchbacks to-and-fro, but if you're skinning a ridge with steeper steps then you're in for a time. I'm switching back to the normal STS skins, which have done the trick for years.

These skis feel great under foot and ski well in a large variety of conditions. However, the inserts are not to be trusted. I had a pair of Dynafit FT12 bindings mounted on my manaslus at a dynafit-certified shop. Then, 3 months later after about 25 days of touring, I ripped the insert of out the ski. Not just the screws-- the inserts came with. And this was on moderate terrain. Had this happened 10 minutes earlier, I might not be writing this. Dynafit offered me a full refund, but no explanation. Having talked to friends at a couple ski shops, this isn't an isolated problem, but is a recurring one with this ski. I can't recommend this ski to anyone who needs a no-fail system.

I have the non-stainless contact strap from last season, and I've used it extensively in the cascades, both with Scarpa Freney mountaineering boots and with my Dynafit ZZeus ski boots. I have been very happy with them when I've used them as designed. For hard snow and glacier travel, they're great. the lacing is solid, though the strap is too long (this looks like its been fixed on the new model), and the toe/heel bales sit comfortably and securely on both boots. The steel is durable, and easily tolerates walking on rock and gravel as well as hard ice. The toe points are a good length for glacier travel, not so long that they catch while walking but just long enough to front-point when needed. The antibot plates work really well, even in gloppy summer snow. I've never bothered to remove them.

For pure ice-climbing, these crampons aren't so great. They have horizontal rather than vertical front points, and they're not quite long enough to feel really secure. Though they work well enough for ~WI3, you'll be happier with something more ice-driven.

All in all though, as an all-around crampon, they're a workhorse that I expect to last quite a while, and I'm very satisfied.

This is a great tool. I used these (usually use CF Black Prophets w/leashes) on moderate water I and I was very pleased. The curve in the shaft makes sinking tools a breeze, they just fly right in. If there's a downside to the tools, it's that the pick is so easy to place it can be easy to over-sink them and make them difficult to remove. Once you learn to deal with that though, it means less energy spent all around.

I've been using this binding for 3 months now, and I love it. I graduated away from Fritschi Diamir freerides, which I used extensively over the summer on the cascade volcanoes, and it has been a dream getting to know the FT12. Though i was initially concerned that a tech binding wouldn't hold up to how hard I wanted to ski, I haven't had one problem with the FT12 in 21k' of backcountry skiing on everything from powder to breakable crust. I've even had this in the resort for several days of hard skiing on ice, bumps, drops, etc, and it hasn't pre-released or caused me any problems.

Switching between heel-post settings and from tour to ski modes is very easy once you become familiar with manipulating the heel post. I have brakes on my bindings, which I think is a mistake, as it hinders the ability to switch from ski to tour without stepping out of the binding. That said, making the switch is very easy and quick once you're used to it.

As to releaseability, this binding has performed perfectly, releasing only once when my leg found a buried tree, likely saving my knee. The only word of caution that I offer is to make sure to lock the toe lever when switching to touring, because if you forget to do so it will release more easily than you'd think-- a problem on steep or prone terrain.

All said, this is an excellent binding, and I look forward to using it for years. I would certainly make this choice again.

I've put about 150 miles on these puppies since they arrived a month and a half ago, on everything from blacktop (so-so) to super-gnarly all-fours terrain (great) and I have to say that these are the best rail runners I've ever had. They breathe well, a very stable on chunky terrain, and they grip the slippery stuff like a boss. Like any non-gortex shoe, when the trail turns into a river, these get wet, but all told they perform well when soaked. The only downside that I've seen is that they don't shed mud really well, but that's the tradeoff for having such a nice knobby sole to negotiate rocky terrain. I'm sold.

you can see a longer review here: http://sittingstone.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/gear-review-la-sportiva-wildcat/

It's hard to beat a classic, and this is no exception. Descriptions of lines and the rating system are great, as is the huge selection. My only beef is that the description of the approaches is a little lacking, but I think andrew apologetically addresses this in the into.

I've taken a few trips in my Zzeus now, and I'm really happy with how they've performed. They were surprisingly comfortable on a 4 mile hike in, and once I was on snow, they articulate amazingly and give you a pretty free stride. They fit a BD Contact strap crampon like they were made for each other, and with a little bit of practice, kicking steps in high angle snow is pretty secure. My only two gripes are minor, first, I'm going to have to adjust the forward tilt in the downhill setting, as the default setting is too upright and doesn't give me enough forward lean. The second is that after about 6 hours in the boots, I start to feel constriction in the toe box. I have some small bunyons, so these are likely the culprits, and I think punching them out will solve the problem. Otherwise, these are a great boot, and they let me drive a pair of borrowed BD Ethic's (terrible ski btw) through hard ice, breakable crust, and deep slush.

This is an alright leash, but all told, its a bit of a fussy solution to a simple problem. I found the leash to be a little tricky to operate with mittens on, and the cinch sometime resists being released. My solution was just to sacrifice some security and not cinch it down, otherwise hand-changes take too much time. A bungee would work just as well, and I've also seen this clipped to the harness instead of the hand, avoiding the switch problem altogether.

A solid 10-point. I use these for ski-mountaineering in the cascades, as well as general alpine climbing. If you're going vertical you'll likely want something a little beefier, but nothing beats the security of the strap on crampon for glacier and snow travel (I've used these up to about 55 degrees with no trouble). I also found that these fit perfectly on my Dynafit Zzeus, and they also fit nicely inside the BD Crampon bag.

I couldn't agree less with those who say that the bag is too small, or that the mesh is a problem. The bag fits my BD contact strap crampons perfectly, and pretty easily every time. It's also easy to orient your poons in the bag so that the spikes point away from the mesh, which lets them dry and not rust. Furthermore, it laces nicely onto the crampon patch on my BD speed pack, and its cheeeap. You can't ask tooo much from a $15 bag.

This is a solid axe for trekking and for some reasonable mountaineering as well. It's sturdy as all get out, and though I've never had to use the grip in a self-arrest situation, it is pretty nice if you have to start swinging the axe, as is the leash. They both save some juice on those long pitches of rime. That said, as a tool rather than an axe, it leaves something to be desired, but for most cascade routes, combining one of these with a BD Venom hammer will do you right. The only real downside is that its a few ounces heavier than some other axes, and while it's not that much alone, these things do add up.

These poles are a good standby or workhorse for anyone who isn't going to ask toooooo much of their poles. They've worked fine for me while touring and skiing, and also on some low-angle mountaineering. They are pretty susceptible to getting bent if used to knock snow off your boots for example, and when bent even slightly, they're hell to adjust. The asymmetric basket design is a good idea, but the baskets often seem to drift. No biggie there. The grips are quite nice, especially the broad end for going hand-over-the-top, which is nice on those long climbs.

I've used a Garmont Denali boot before, and this blew it out of the water. It has great articulation in the cuff in tour mode and it locks down like NORAD for the descent. I am a 10-10 1/2 size foot and I fit a 28 pretty well. I tried the 27.5s, but the toe box was too tight.

The heel catch on these fits perfectly with a Black Diamond Contact Strap crampon.

The first time that I whipped this shovel out to dig in and look at the snowpack on Mt. Hood, I depressed the button on the handle to slide it into the shovel head and discovered to my surprise that it would not return, immediately rendering my shovel fairly useless. The culprit seems to have been a tiny bit of snow that got in the way of its return, but the button is still offset and won't return. I am disappointed and will be exchanging it in the hopes that it was a simple defect and not a design problem.

Edit: I believe it is a design problem with the shovel, but having found a simple fix, I'm going to hang onto it. If the button is stuck inside, the handle can be swung in a "get the ketchup out of the bottle" sort of arc, and the button will slide back into place.

There is no substitute for the go-to sandal. It's comfy, durable, great on the river or jumping around the boulder field. I've had very few problems with blisters or the like, although I know friends who have had issues early in the sandal season with rubbing, but it fades as summer comes on.

This is hands down my favorite piece of clothing. it's for spring skiing, climbing, biking around portland, the coffee shop, at the concert, and everything in between. It is on me every day because its versatile, warm, durable, and looks steezy.
I was a little worried at first when the wool started to pill around the cuffs, but it has held up great to a full season of skiing and climing, plus sleeping in it inbetween

A solidly warm jacket that feels like getting hugged by a cloud. Its water resistance holds up for a while under s drizzle, but in a downpour or sustained rain, run away.

The only recurring, annoying problem that I've had with it is that the zippers frequently get stuck on the inside of the pockets and jam.

Also, when I bought the jacket, I was a little concerned about the lightness of the exterior nylon, thinking that it might rip easily, but it's seen some wear and has yet to tear.

I was hoping for a little more edge to this hoodie. It's pretty much just that- a hoodie. While it performed well in spring skiing conditions, I'm generally not impressed by it's wind resistance (read: very little) or its water resistance (read: none) My largest complaint is that I've been wearing it for a week or so now, and already the fabric around the hands and neck is already piling. I'm going to trade up to the true siphon wool-blend jacket. All told though, as a hoodie, it can't be beat, but as a jacket, it needs a little something more.
Fit: slim and good
Design: lookin' sexy
Wind and Water: mediocre to poor
As a layer: pretty good