First, I should say these are a good quality glove. The softshell is nice, the leather is high quality. The gauntlet is great, I much prefer outer gauntlets than fiddling with my jacket over my gloves. Tightening and loosening the gauntlet is easy with the draw cords, and there's even a rigid shell to keep them straight over your cuffs. The liners are ok, though I have my own glove liners I prefer (either thin wool gloves for not so cold or thick fleece gloves for cold). I've had these down to 15F night skiing and been perfectly happy; they do the job and do it well.

What confuses me about these gloves, though, is the three-finger/pseudo-mitt design. In theory it's great, you have a mix of the dexterity of a glove with your pointer finger free but the warmth of a mitten with your remaining three fingers bunched together for warmth. But...the inside of the glove lining has the remaining three fingers separated by nylon lining inside the shell. This isn't the wool liner glove, it actually is the sewed in nylon lining of the softshell. It is impossible to hold your three fingers together in the mitt part because there is a glove sewed inside there, which boggles my mind. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the mitt? It eliminates the warmth bonus, anyway. I even thought about tearing the seams out and re-sewing it, but it's just sewed in there too tight.

So...this is a good glove that somehow manages to eschew the benefits of the three-finger design due to a stupid, stupid design decision. It is a good glove and I'll keep it and use it for that, because it's still pretty warm, but it's not as warm as it could be. The sacrifice of the last three fingers isn't a big deal because I don't really use them independently anyway, but keeping them seperated inside the mitt still leaves me wondering what could have been...

It fits my Raven Pro as if it were made for it (hmmm...). It's sturdy, tough, easy to adjust, stays put.

These things are kinda spendy unless you find them on sale, but if on sale for $15 or less they're totally worth it. They're no fiddle, strong, hold tight, neat...just work without a fuss. What's not to like?

For me the value of this isn't so much that it protects your ice axe spike as it protects the rest of your gear from the spike. No longer do I poke holes in my duffels or clothes while travelling with my axe, no longer to I stick my skis or myself or my helmet while carrying it on the outside of my pack.

It fits my BD ice axes perfectly. It works fine on non-BD axes, just not quite as well. The attached cord works well to keep in on with a double or triple prusik (Google "prusik" if you don't know how to tie one, it's well worth learning if you're climbing).

First, I'm not sure what makes this shovel women's-specific. I mean, the color's not even particularly girly and there aren't really and patterns on it or anything. Near as I can tell, it's just with a smaller blade than G3's other shovels though not smaller than the smallest of any other shovel maker. I'm not a woman so I'm not particularly concerned. It was on sale, so I figured I'd pick it up as a backup to keep in the car if nothing else.

This isn't the lightest shovel I've held, but that's not necessarily a bad thing; it is solid and confidence-inspiring. The shaft extends to a good length even for tall people (I'm 6'2"), and the blade is made of thicker metal than the CAMP shovels I have. The front edge of the blade is not particularly sharp, but it's enough to cut through pretty hard snow (ice really requires a saw anyway).

My one gripe is how small the blade is (~8x8"); it would require a lot of fast shoveling to move a lot of snow. Now, this may be where the "women's specific" comes in, figuring women can't lift as much weight per shovel. There's also the school off thought where a lot of small shovel loads is faster than a few bigger loads as it wears out your arms slower. Once our season starts here I will probably take this and another larger bladed shovel out into the snow and time myself digging two big holes, one with each shovel, and see how that actually works out. I like this shovel, it feels good in the hand, I just want to make sure the small blade isn't a liability.

These work fine, they cinch up nice and hold skis or random gear or what have you. They're very useful in a wide variety of situations, like reusable zip ties. Never leave the house without some good ski straps.

These are 18 inches long (wish that were in the product description!!) and stretch perhaps 2".

In the end though, these are just plain not as good as the Voile ski straps. They are stretchier, softer, and gummier; the Voiles are just plain bomber while these don't feel as secure. They're sort of sticky and can be a pain to work with. The extra stretch means it's harder to get them really secure. The hook to close them is good, though.

I covered the installation process earlier, but I want to give a report on how it actually works. Like I said, I converted one of the missus' boards (make that ex-missus now, but whatever) even though I am a two-plank man. We finally used it over last season and she loved it. Much, MUCH better than snowshoes with board on pack. For anything but the steepest terrain this is the way to go, just so much better and less effort than snowshoes (for the steepest you want crampons anyway). She could finally keep up with me without killing herself and really started to enjoy the BC. BC is just much more fun and enjoyable without a board on your back.

I have to admit I was very skeptical of the whole splitboard concept when I first heard of it (and even after I saw it), but Voile really has this nailed. The conversion is snappy and secure (though not as nice as AT, but what is?), it tours well, and it snowboards well enough that you knuckle draggers can put off learning to ski. This was all without Spark R&D bindings; from what I'm told those make it just as good as a regular board (keep in mind that non-Spark bindings get an extra 2 cm or so of lift off the board, something many boarders do not like). I'm sold enough on this that instead of telling my BC snowboard buddies to "get a job and learn to ski", I now tell them to "get a job and get a splitboard".

As a side note, I highly recommend getting the Voile ski crampons with it. Well, I recommend getting ski crampons with any BC setup because they're fantastic, but with only one metal edge on the splitboard skis it is even more important to have the super-edging capability of ski crampons while climbing on hard snow. Voile's ski crampons are great in this regard, too. I really can't say enough good about them.

I love 3/4 bottoms for skiing, they're perfect mid layers as I hate having crap in my boot or stuff scrunched up on my calf. The quality of these is top-notch, the merino is soft, stretchy, supportive, all around great.

Fit is good and true to size at the waist for me (usually a women's M, 30" waist ~37" hip), but the leg length length is a little bit short. As shown on the model in the picture it really does fit just below the knee. If you're bending your knee a lot (either free-heel or climbing) they tend to ride up a bit and allow a gap above your ski socks. I usually use smartwool ski socks and they are pretty long, but not knee length. It's not that big an issue, it would just be nice if they were ~2" longer.

If these are in fact the aluminum-buckled straps described in the specs and not plastic-buckled straps as shown in the photo, they are fantasic. I use them to keep my tele skis together. I strap my tips together when carrying my skis a-frame on my pack. If the tip loop on your skin fails miserably you can use these instead. One time I used them to fasten a ski crampon to my pole to make a makeshift ice axe when I needed one and forgot mine. I make sure I have some in my pack whenever I go out. They're like a reusable burly zip tie they can be used to fasten most anything to something else.

They do stretch a little bit, that's how they fasten and keep things tight, but only a very little bit. Like, my 15" strap stretches by maybe an inch if I really tug on it. Measure and get the size you want, not something shorter.

Strange, these kits used to come with the tip attachments. I guess not anymore. I bought mine a few years ago, just didn't get around to installing it until this season.

In any case, I bought this kit to replace the ClipFix system on my Ascension skins. The ClipFix system worked ok, it came off when I was skinning in really wet snow and my skins stretched out, but for the most part it was set and forget and I wasn't unhappy with it. When I first moved to SoCal four years ago the skin stretching was an issue for the first time and I bought this kit intending to fix it, but it wasn't enough of a problem to make me think about it when I wasn't skinning so I didn't get around to it.

The reason I finally installed it is that I bought a tele setup and my new skis are 4cm longer than my AT skis. The width is pretty similar throughout so I didn't want to buy new skins, so I installed this so I could swap skins between skis, and it works just great for that.

Installation isn't trivial, but it's not a huge pain. Cutting the notch in the back of the skins for these wasn't too difficult, make sure you have a sharp blade (I still find my ClimbingSkinsDirect cutter works great). Also, making the holes for the rivets was tricky. I found making a hole with a nail, then screwing a drywall screw through the hole and pulling it straight out with plyers worked quite well.

I hadn't tried ski crampons until recently because some now-former-friends told me they weren't that great. They were wrong. For going straight up something steep it's true, they're not that useful, but that's not what they're for. Where they're amazing is traversing, especially steep and firm slopes. These make your edges bit and stick on traverses, they keep your edges planted on kick turns, basically ski crampons are SUPER EDGES, like a super hero of sorts. Or maybe edges on steroids. You probably get the picture. You need grippy skins for fore-aft grip, but for sideways stability ski crampons are amazing. They do more or less eliminate glide, but if you're on something steep enough to want these you don't care about that.

On to these specific crampons: I don't know why BC doesn't have them in stock anymore, BD still makes them and they're still available. I like them, they're durable and easy to use. Installing on Fritschi bindings is literally a snap, just step out, snap them in, and step back in. I use them on the Diamir Explores and they're a tight fit but still good. If you use heel riser they will dig in less; I find that with the highest riser they barely touch the snow. Of course, why are you traversing in the highest riser? If you're going to traverse, there's no point in going so steep! They get good penetration in the second highest riser, though.

Bottom line, I never enter the BC without them anymore. They make skinning steep stuff enjoyable because traversing switchbacks and kick turns are so much easier with them.

It's like the name says, it's durable. Pretty heavy duty. Also very water resistant. I haven't submerged it in anything, but it has gotten water on it and none got inside. I'm pleased with it.

I got the "small" 5L and it's great to protect my puffy in my backback or for other small odds and ends.

I like these pants, they were a good price and they get the job done.

Fit: I'm 6'2", 150lbs, and I got the medium because the size chart said so. When I first tried them on I thought they would be a little too baggy but after wearing them skiing with a base layer underneath they were fine. They're not park-rat baggy, but they're loose enough to allow full range of movement. Length is perfect. They stretch a good amount, too, so they're very comfortable; I didn't notice them while touring or skiing.

Color: check the user pictures here. The stock photo of the "not black" is not right at all, it's a dark gray (which is fine, I wanted dark gray, not black, just be warned).

Pockets are ok; a cargo pocket on both legs would be nice. Also, lack of zips on the side pockets can let in snow on pow days, so that's what keeps it from getting five stars for me.

No gaiter, but silicone leg gripper makes one unnecessary; they stick to my boots and do not let snow in. Also, reinforcement of inner cuffs is great, the material is hardy and holds up to ski edges and crampons reasonably well. I'm still careful, but I breath a bit easier.

Fabric: stretchy, kinda breathable, keeps my dry just fine. It's quality softshell, what more is there to say? Fuzzy interior is nice and warm. These would need some heavier under layers for snow camping, but for touring they're great.

All in all, a good pant that I'm happy with. I've used them for two seasons now and there's pretty much no where on them anyway. I'm hoping they continue to last a long time, I really like them.

I love this pad. It packs down to the size of a nalgene, it's lightweight, and it blows up super comfy. It's not self-inflating and it does take a lot of breath to inflate. Also, it's a little squeaky, and not necessarily the warmest pad with an R value of 1. But those are small gripes for the comfort.

I got this pad because I was sick of getting holes in air-filled pads (of the Therm-a-rest variety; maybe Big Agnes is more robust? But no experience with them). This one looked to be lightweight and I liked the accordion design because it meant I could double it up under certain sections and that it was easy to pack. The price is also nice.

Cons:
-Not as comfortable as an air-filled pad
-Not as warm as an air-filled pad
-Bulky

Pros:
-WORKS NO MATTER WHAT, cannot get holes etc. (this was really important to me)
-Light weight
-Easy to pack
-Folding design allows the pad to be doubled up in places that need more padding (say, under the hips)
-Inexpensive, especially for the weight

I still have yet to use it snow camping, I'll get some of that in this winter. As for regular camping, while I wasn't as comfortable as with my air-filled pad of yore, I did sleep a little more soundly knowing that if I missed clearing out a pine needle under my tent, it didn't matter.

I'm 6'2", 150lbs (very thin and bony), and I had the regular size. It was a good size, fit under me fine. The bigger size would have been overkill.

When this pad held air, it was pretty comfortable. I like to sleep on my side and sometimes my bony hips would get sore, but I'd wake up and roll over and be ok. I used this snow camping several times and it was warm enough on the cold ground. Basically, I liked this pad. It was adequate for the jobs I used it for. While it's not as nice as my girlfriend's prolite 4 season pad, which is warmer and lighter, it also costs a lot less. For the price it's nice.

The problem was, I spent more time patching or replacing it than using it. Most of the places I camp here in SoCal are littered with pine needles. I try to clear them out the best I can, but all it takes is one missed to put a hole in this and make it completely worthless. In the span of two years I had four different holes in two different pads (replaced it one warranty once). And once it gets a hole in it and doesn't hold air, it is worthless. Thankfully this didn't happen in the snow because then it would have been a warmth issue (it's less likely to happen in the snow anyway because, well, snow is not sharp).

Bottom line is, if you only use it in the snow or in places with no sharp plants, this is a great pad for the price that you won't mind carrying. If you do use it in the summer around sharp things, it will become dead weight very, very fast. I ended up ditching this for a foam pad, which while not as comfortable or warm is much more reliable.

(If you're really worried about sharp things, you could use a foam pad underneath this pad, which would make it more comfortable and protect it, but that's a lot more than I really want to carry for most trips)

These work fine as glacier glasses. I got a pair for myself (big face) and a pair for my girlfriend (little face) and they cover both our fields of vision nicely. The flexible, moldable ear pieces are really nice. These things stay secure no matter what I'm doing, whether it's climbing or skiing.

They are, however, a little bit fragile, particularly the lenses. The coatings scratch very easily. You have to be very mindful to use lens cloths to clean them and have them either on your face or in the protective case. Still, I'm happy with them. They are now my go-to mountain glasses.

Also, they have a mirror coated front lens, not a dark coating like shown in the picture.

This is my second AT binding. My first was a Naxo NX01 that I spend three seasons on an liked before they died. I was thinking about going Dynafit or G3, but got these because they were much, much cheaper. I've been very happy with them, both on piste and in the BC. They ski and tour well for me.

First thing I noticed while touring with these was their lighter weight. Sure, they're nowhere near as light as Dynafits and they still have the heel lift, but without brakes they're definitely the lightest step-in binding out there. It may only be a pound, but on a long day that weight becomes really noticeable. Note the caveat of "without brakes". I bought the brakes and use them in resorts, but they're easy enough to install and remove that I take them off for touring and use leashes. Also, I don't use the stock leashes, I have some lighter ones that I like better. It's worth it. I'm also thinking about removing the return springs because they don't seem strong enough to really return the ski to normal and they're extra weight.

A lot was made about Naxo's triple pivot and how it eliminated the Fritschi "franken-step". Having gone from the Naxos to these, I didn't really notice that much of a difference. The Naxo is a tiny bit smoother on the flats, but I didn't find that the Fritschis toured unnaturally at all. It may be more noticeable with alpine boots; I'm using these with Scarpa Spirit 3s which have a very nice range of motion. On steep climbs, the Fritschis are noticeably better. They're also much easier to perform kick turns on.

The heel lifters are way better than the Naxo; having more and higher options is great on steep stuff. They're also much easier to move up and down with my pole.

On the downhill, these ski as well as I need them to. They're noticeably stiffer than the Naxos (which were notoriously flexy); I have much more precise control over the ski. The step in is also much more confidence-inspiring. Sure that's a subjective thing, but a good snap as you step in makes you feel much better when you're standing at the top of a couloir. If you're the type who thinks that Scarpa Spirit 3 boots are nowhere near enough boot for you you'll probably want more binding than this, but for me it's plenty enough.

I do about 50/50 BC/Resort skiing and I only have one pair of skis, so I want a binding that can handle both reasonably well. I mounted these to my Salomon 1080 Guns (90mm underfoot and fairly soft), the same skis I had the Naxos on before, and it's been a good match. I'm pretty light at 155lbs at 6'2", and ski with what some may call a "conservative" style. I ski anything I can find, but I don't necessarily charge it very hard. This binding has done it all for me: I've skied super icy resort boilerplate and done multi-day tours on them and am happy as can be. I would definitely buy again, especially at the price I got them for.

I should note that a friend of mine has had these same bindings for four years now and one of the heel latches has come somewhat loose and often goes "instant tele" on him. He fixed it by sticking a bolt in the latch so that it can't come up, but that is a potential problem. I don't put a whole lot of stock in his gear experience, though, because he doesn't treat his equipment very well. If you carelessly toss your skis around on rocks and whatnot, you will probably break things, these bindings included.

These were my first pair of gaiters. Technically they do the job, since they keep water from the outside from getting in and getting me wet. That gets them a few stars. Also, the material is very durable and survives being snagged on brush and trees.

They DO NOT BREATHE, however, so if I'm moving at all my legs get completely soaked from sweat condensation. It's better than snow melting and soaking through, but it kind of defeats the purpose. I still wear them XC skiing over fleece pants because pretty much everthing gets soaked with sweat them and they keep the snow out of my boots, but I would not wear them for expeditions of AT or anything that requires you to stay dry or else.

The final stake in their heart is that their ankle openings are not big enough to accommodate large mountaineering boots, snowboard boots, or ski boots. So even if I wanted to use them for burlier stuff, I couldn't because they won't fit over the boot.

They are waterproof, durable and cheap, which prevents them from getting one star. I wouldn't buy them again, though.

These are great mountaineering boots for a mix of mountaineering. They work well in the hot, they work well in the reasonably cold. For big mountain expeditions you probably need something warmer, but these will do in everything else. They are very waterproof and stay that way for a long time. My feet stay nice and dry in these.

They are comfortable. I can wear these all day. The fit is good and they're just nice to walk in. They are true to size in that I usually wear a EU 47 and the EU 47 fit me just fine (I find that EU sizes tend to be a lot more consistent than US or UK).

These are also very supportive. The 1/2 steel shank gives very nice support to your ankles for either steeps or for load bearing. They keep my ankles nice and aligned whether I'm bombing down scree slopes or carrying a heavy pack over uneven terrain.

The soles are great. They grip like mad on almost everything. I have a lot of confidence in these boots. The edges of the soles are good and stiff and they hold edges pretty well, too.

Crampon compatibility is ok, if not great. I realize the boot is too flexible for a toe welt, but wish it were there anyway. The heel welt is kind of nice, but sort of unnecessary. In any case I've used these with both "strap" crampons (BD Compact Strap) and "semi-pro" crampons (BD Sabretooth) and they worked fine. Only reason I went away from the strap is I caught a great deal on the Sabretooths; strap crampons are perfectly secure and I used them for plenty of steep stuff with the attachment stiill secure. The heel welt is strong enough to be used, though, so use whatever you like. The boots aren't the stiffest so it is a bit of work to front-point pitches above 30 degrees, and I wouldn't climb vertical ice in them, but that's not what they're made for.

In the durability department, they're doing great. I've had them for three seasons and usually pound them (I do most of my snow and ice stuff in my ski boots; these get relegated to rock duty). They show almost no signs of wear. The soles look almost brand new. If it weren't for the dirt and scuffs, they pretty much would look brand new.

I recommend them as a good all-around mountaineering and hiking boot. A little heavy duty for short day hikes, but still fine for it. As long as it's anything short of a sub-zero F expedition or vertical ice, these things will handle it.

I was looking for a powder ski so I demo'd these at Wolf Creek, CO along with every other fat ski they could supply me. This one won, hands down. It's just so fun and nimble in the powder, especially in CO pine forests. Back then this was a "fat" ski; these days it's on the narrow end of "mid-fat", but it still rips in the powder.

What I didn't know before I bought it was how well it would handle everything else. I was very pleasantly surprised. This has been my one-ski quiver for four seasons now and I don't want to replace it. Fun in the bumps, on the corduroy, in the chop, and especially in the pow. Not terrific on ice, but I'm from the west; who wants to ski that crap anyway? You have to be careful on ice and boilerplate to make sure to carve and not skid; they'll do it, but you have to make them do it.

Another great thing about this ski: it is LIGHT. It is on par with Black Diamond's ski offerings, weighing the same as equivalent length Havocs-with 2mm more across the entire cut. Why is that great? Because these are a fantastic BC weapon. I mounted them up with Naxo NX01s and used them in and out of bounds and loved them on the up and down. When the Naxos broke this year, I remounted them with Fritschis and still love them. Great, great BC ski. Wish I had a second pair to replace them when these eventually wear out.

I'm 6'2", 150lbs., and I found the 175cm to be the best for me. I mounted them on the standard boot center line, not the forward "free" line, and like it. Bigger and more aggressive skiers may want a longer ski, but I like the way I can whip them around on command.

I've been happy with this shirt for hiking and running. In warm weather it's nice, it breathes well and keeps me cool. I have a medium and the fit is form-fitting without being tight. I'm happy with it in that respect.

Like most wicking synthetics, this shirt builds up a pretty terrible smell rather quickly. On multi-day backpacking trips it can get pretty rank. It's on par with its competitors, just be warned that it's not any better in the smell department.

Leashes can be a pain, especially at resorts. I'm not completely sold on the brakes for the BC, and sometimes in deep pow at resorts I use both leashes and brakes, but normally at the resort I don't want to be dealing with them. Since I have a quiver of one with Fritschi bindings, enter ski brakes.

I got the Fritschi Diamir Explore bindings and they didn't come with brakes, so I had to buy these. Near all newer Fritschi bindings come with brakes so I have a hard time seeing why you'd buy these unless you needed bigger brakes? In any case, I got the XL and there's plenty of room on both sides of my skis' 90mm waist.

Installation was easy; the Explore heel rest came off without any tools at all. I just pulled it up gently with my fingers (no screws on the bottom, unlike Wildsnow's instructions) and screwed the brakes on. For touring I remove the brakes and put the anti-friction plates back on; again a pretty painless procedure. I ditch the brakes in the BC for two reasons: weight savings and ski carrying (easier on me and my pack to carry the skis A-frame if there aren't brakes digging in to the side of the pack).

If you get the Explores and add the brakes, they weigh pretty much the same as the Freerides, so there's really no advantage to the Explore (except that the Explore is much, much cheaper at this point). Just a thought.

I was happy with these bindings until recently. After three years of relatively light use (maybe 80 days total) they developed significant play in the front pivot, making them almost useless on the uphill; they wobble laterally and don't hit the heel lifters. They still ski fine downhill so my quiver of one is not dead, just hobbled. I suppose it had a good life, but it's disappointing nonetheless.

When they were working they were great bindings. They ski downhill like an alpine binding. Maybe they're a little more flexy than other bindings, I didn't really notice. This was my quiver of one and took everything I threw at it including steeps, bumps, chop, ice, everything.

Uphill they were good. They were always a little flexy when touring and that made traverses kind of a pain, and on super steep stuff they could be wonky. Also, kick turns with these are hard until you get the hang of it; they involve kicking your foot backwards to get the ski to tilt. On shallow angle approaches or flats, though, these are awesome. The triple pivot really works there. For steeps, it seems like my friends on Fritschis were happier, and their pivot seems stiffer for traverses.

If Naxo still existed I might think about replacing these with NX21s, though I hear they can also develop the play problem with the front pivot. As that's not even an option now, I'll go with Fritschi.

Ok, so these are my first AT boots, so I'm not an expert. But...I love them. I love them so much. They're so great on the uphill, I feel like I'm wearing mountaineering boots. I use them with Naxo NX01's and even with the heavy binding I can climb all day on these. They're also even great bootpacking or with crampons on. I thermofitted the liners at home and they're incredibly comfortable. Not for a ski boot, but for a boot, period. They're light for AT boots (especially given the trend towards heavier) and it's noticeable on longer tours. I'm significantly less tired with these than my alpine boots.

On the downhill I'm perfectly happy. I'm driving a pair of 05/06 175cm Salomon 1080 Guns with 90mm underfoot, and this boot is plenty to handle it. I ski everything I can find including steep, tight couloirs and trees and they handle it. I also use this boot at the resort and charge everything I find there and it handles it all. I am a lightweight guy (150lbs) so maybe that's why I don't need more boot? Very satisfied. I was disappointed that they discontinued this and replaced it with the Spirit 4; from what I hear that's also a good boot, but I don't think the fourth buckle was necessary at all and it adds weight.

My one gripe is that I think not only are the two lean lock positions unnecessary, but cumbersome. First, there is a difference in stiffness between then: the forward setting has a softer flex, maybe more "progressive", while the more upright setting is incredibly stiff to the point of being uncomfortable. It's like banging your shins on a post for me; perhaps a bigger skier would want something this stiff, but not me. I only use the forward lean lock position when I'm skiing; it just feels better, both with the flex and the aggressive skiing posture it allows. I'd prefer that there was only the forward, as it's too easy to accidentally put one boot in the forward and one boot in the upright, which results in a very strange feeling descent. It's easily changeable once you notice it, but if you're dropping into a tight couloir you just have to stick it out to the bottom. You learn to double-check before you ski anywhere, but it's still an annoyance.

These things are great on the mountain. The Spectron X4 lenses have very low light transmission and are fantastic for sunny days on the snow; these are the same lenses in the Julbo Micropore glacier glasses. They have very good coverage; the lenses fit close to the face and block light above and below, and they have pseudo-sideshields built in. They're not quite full glacier glasses because the sideshields aren't full coverage so you probably don't want to be on glaciers about 14,000ft with these, but for everything less extreme than that they're golden.

I do not recommend them for driving, cycling, or casual use. They are too dark for casual use, and the sideshields block enough peripheral vision to make them dangerous while driving or cycling.

This kit has a lot of stuff in it. If you know a lot you can use the snow study tools and get a good knowledge of the snowpack and stay reasonably well out of harm's way. If you don't know a lot it's laid out in sort of a tutorial form and kind of teaches you on the way. Unless you spend a lot of time off the slope learning this stuff, though, it's a pain to use and learn while actually skiing. Like most things, these tools are only as useful as the craftsman using them. Take the time to learn them and this kit will be really useful; only pull it out when you're going out in a "considerable" avy forecast with no prior knowledge and you shouldn't expect it to save your life. It does require thinking.

By far the most useful and easiest to use piece of equipment in this is the clinometer (slope meter). Without much knowledge, religious use of this thing can keep you out of trouble if you pay attention to avy forecasts. It will also keep you from skiing a lot of fun stuff, perhaps sometimes unnecessarily, but better safe than sorry, eh?

The overall construction is decent; everything is reasonably waterproof and shouldn't wear out from normal use. If you abuse it and don't pack it with care it can break. A lot of people complain about the durability of the clinometer; it is somewhat fragile for a piece of BC gear and you should treat it with care.

This is my first dedicated skiing pack. I used to use a plain 35L mountaineering day pack and just carry the skis A-frame in the compression straps. Well, that pack died, so I picked up this bad boy. I'm quite fond of it now, though there are a few drawbacks.

Pros:
-A-frame ski carry works great. The straps are good, it goes on easy, and the skis are secure and don't flop around, even with pack less than full.
-Shovel/avy pocket is easy to access and holds shovel and probe nicely. It's nice to both know that I'm not going to lose my shovel but it's still easily accessible for when I need it.
-Straps and suspension are comfortable and secure. I've read complaints about them being too thin, but they were plenty padded for me even with just a base layer on underneath them. In fact, I think this may also become my summer long day trip pack as well.
-The suspension is good so that the pack doesn't flop around even when not 100% full for me. I've never taken it out less than 50% full; maybe the complaints along these lines were with a less than 50% full pack?
-Ice axe carry is secure but still easy to get axe on/off, even with short (50cm) axe.
-Top is easily accessible
-Crampon straps on top of pack work well, especially with BD crampon bag.
-Construction is solid; the fabric is good ripstop and the seams are well done. I don't expect this to wear out anytime soon.

Cons:
- The waistbelt pockets are useless. They are too small for pretty much everything, including an energy bar. You could fit a single key or a USB stick in there...but why would you want either of those closely accessible in the backcountry?
-Helmet carrier won't hold any of my helmets; they're all way too big. Not such a big deal, I tend to wear my helmet anyway, but be warned if you've got a big head and want your helmet on your pack.
-Hydration bladder (i.e. Camelbak) support is lackluster. There's a singly hole in the center but it's too small to get the mouthpiece through easily. This isn't a big deal for me because I generally don't use Camelbaks in the snow, I carry HDPE Nalgenes.
-No outside side pockets. Sure, these would interfere with the A-frame ski carry, but as I carry bottles it would be nice to have them easily accessible. I guess I'm asking the impossible here.
-Lack of diagonal ski carry. Some like this; I'm fine with A-frame.

The cons are kind of overstated; most of them are minor quibbles for me. It's fairly well thought out and the compartment design works well for me. Construction is very good. Overall I'm very happy with the pack and would purchase another one.

Like pretty much everyone else I got these on SAC because they were both cheap and supposedly fit factory cross bars. I mounted them on my '96 Outback just fine. In fact, they're so easy to mount and unmount that I regularly take them on and off to preserve my fuel economy. No tools required, and even so they're good and secure; these things are well built and secure. Also nice is that despite being so easy to take on and off, while locked the latches are covered and they can't be removed.

They do lock and come with two keys. And as I said, when locked they can't be removed. It's a clever design.

Now here's where I'm less pleased with them: they do not fit 4 pair of skis unless you are skiing on late 80's GS skis with 55mm waists and 70mm shovels. The usable width of the rack (width of the foam ski carrier) is 15 1/2 inches. Thus, the carrying capacity is significantly overstated. I can put three pair of skis on this thing, no more, and that's with two of the skis being just plain groomer carving skis with 70mm underfoot and 110mm shovels. Three pair of my personal skis (122/90/115) would be very tight. With a snowboard, only one pair of skis fits besides the board. Two snowboards can fit if they're smaller boards; if they're larger sized boards they won't fit. So be warned, these are not particularly wide, you've only got 15 1/2" of room. Measure your planks according and figure out how much width you actualy need.

Also, they stick up pretty high. Some may not like this as it hammers gas mileage. I actually like this because it means that I can stick my skis mounted with Naxo AT bindings on them (the high heel levers have prevented them from fitting in most friends' racks).

I'd buy them again, I'm happy with them, just be warned that they aren't as wide as you may be led to believe.

I used to have BD Contact Strap crampons and used them for ski mountaineering and was happy with them. I caught a great deal on the Sabretooths so I sprung for them. Even happier with these. They're very slightly heavier than the Contacts but not enough that I can tell when I'm on the mountain. The extra points dig in both directions; the Sabretooths feel more secure than the Contacts when front pointing on steep slopes because the extra points keep you from sliding backwards.

I use these primarily for ski mountaineering. They fit my ski boots (Scarpa Spirit 3 size 29.5) great, very secure. With the Contacts I needed a long center bar, but the stantard center bar works fine for these. I run the toe strap under the lowest buckle on the boots. I love BD's strap clasp; it's easy to tighten, stays tight, and easy to loosen when you want to. I tighten them immediately, walk about 10-15 steps, and then tighten again. After this little ritual, they stay tight all day; never had an issue with them loosening up. They stick to the ski boots like glue and I've use them to front point up 45-50 degree hardpack with no problems at all.

They also work with my mountaineering boots (La Sportiva Glacier EVO) which only has a heel bail; that's the reason I get the "clip" or "semi-pro" version. I don't use this setup anywhere near as much because I tend not to climb snowy or icy things without skis, but they're secure on those boots as well and I wanted the option.

The 14 points don't work with the rubber tip protector spider things. I got BD's crampon bag and they fit in points to points just fine.

Very pleased to have these. I still like the Contact Strap crampons; those became a gift to my favorite climbing buddy (the missus), and the Sabretooths are now mine. I have yet to be displeased with a pointy product from BD.

I got these because my hands were too cold in the thin Windstopper liner gloves I'd been using under my shell gauntlets. These solved the problem and then some. Let me tell you, these gloves are WARM. Now my hands are overheating and sweating when I'm skiing. When I get back on the lift, however, my hands manage to dry quick and stay warm despite the sweat.

They don't have any sort of textured grip so I would not use them as touring gloves; I think they would wear out too quickly. For overnight trips they're very nice for sitting around camp, though.

Bottom line, these babies are nice and warm and work great as an under layer for when you're either on the downhill or standing around. Not so great for touring or climbing or other heavy duty.

Ok, I should preface this by saying that I'm a dude. Yes, these are women's pants. It's just really hard to find ski boot-length layers (AKA 3/4 pants or capris) for men. I'm tall and lean (6'2", 150lbs) and the size chart looked good on these, so I got some in Large.

That said, these are wonderful. The length is perfect, coming within a few inches of the tops of my ski boots. My full-length fleece and tights are a pain because they're either in the ski boot causing fit problems or bunched up above them, cutting off circulation to my leg. Neither is ideal. These, however, are just the ticket. They're also perfect on width. They're snug but not too tight, and the leg holes don't cut off circulation. They're stretchy if you've got bigger than mine.

The fleece is very nice and warm. The outside is smooth, which works nice under ski pants, and the insides are nice and soft and fluffy. These are much warmer then their thickness suggests. They're fairly thin, but the fleece is high quality and they insulate very well.

All in all, I'd buy another pair and recommend them to male friends. Kinda shameful, sure, but they're so nice they make up for it.

I just got back from my first trip with this jacket, a 3 day expedition in the Desolation Wilderness south of Lake Tahoe. This was my first experience with a puffy; before I've just loaded up on fleece. I was looking at this and the Mountain Hardwear Sub-Zero and went with this based on the recommendation of a friend. I'm very happy with the choice. It may seem thin, but it was plenty warm during the cold Sierra nights. The hood was wonderful to have as well. I used it both with and without a softshell layered underneath and was plenty warm both ways, even down to 15F in camp.

The fabric seems thin and potentially fragile but I skied through trees with it and walked around wooded camp with it and I have no tears or even blemishes. I was trying to treat it gingerly and not really snag it on anything (as I do with all my stuff), but I did clip a few branches and it was just fine. It also did just fine with water; the sun made the snow somewhat melty during the day and water got on the jacket, but it repelled it just fine. I probably wouldn't take it into a rainstorm without a shell, but wet snow was ok.

I'm 6'2" and 145lbs and the medium is just perfect fit. The length is good, and it's got room for a softshell or fleece underneath but still fits snugly enough. The hood isn't terribly helmet-friendly; I can get it over my Pro-Tec B2 helmet, but it's pretty snug.

I have the '05 version of these without the integrated binding interface. They're fine casual touring skis for groomed XC trails. They glide nicely, even in shorter lengths, and they turn easily because of said shorter length. The bumpy surface doesn't really work all that well at preventing snow from sticking, and it makes it harder to remove snow once it does.

I have taken these BC touring and through steep terrain and I do not recommend this use. The lack of edges obviously makes them nigh impossible to control in hard snow. In soft snow they do ok, but they're a a little thin and flexy for it. That's not their intended use, just be aware that they only work well for their intended use.

For a casual touring ski for family trips, this thing is a good value. For more extreme use, look elsewhere.

Make no mistake, this is a light touring binding; it's designed for that purpose and does the job well. It is just fine if you're out on a groomed XC trail. The clip in and release are nice and easy, even with gloves, and the system works well. For casual use it's a fantastic value and I love mine.

Take it off the trail and tackle steep terrain and you'll quickly discover the limitations of the NNN system. The interface to the ski is no where near as robust as a 3-pin and controlling the ski is very difficult. I've manage to eek out tele turns on these things, but would much prefer a more solid connection to the ski. Also, the heel tends to collect snow when in powder, so they're not so great for BC use. Of course, that's not their intended use, so I'm not going to knock them for that. In my experience they do survive such use, but they're nowhere near ideal. Keep in mind that I'd only 155lbs, so if you're bigger they may not last through such abuse.

I had one pair for two years of hard use, much more than they were intended for, and they worked fine until TSA did a poor job repacking my ski bag and Delta finished one off. I got a replacement and it's also worked fine. Like I said, I use these things for much harsher skiing than their intended use, and I have yet to ever have a problem with them in the snow.

I don't even know how many of these things I have. The Dynex ones are lighter but more expensive, so I've always gone with the nylon and been plenty happy. So many uses and they're very well made and durable.

A twist-gate 'biner is more convenient, but more expensive. This was my first locking 'biner and years later I have many of them. Tough and a good value.

What can I say? After five years of use both indoor and outdoor it shows nearly no wear and it's easy to use.

This was my first belay device and still my favorite. It has no teeth and requires concentration and a firm grip at all times while being used. That's part of the reason I like it: it forces the belayer to pay attention because it will not do any of the work for them. It's what I like to use and it's what I prefer my belayer to use. It's also easier on ropes because of the smooth surfaces, though for smaller (9mm) ropes it can require some extra strength to hold it.

This harness was very well made. I had no durability issues with it in over two years of using it for sport climbing 2-3 times a week, every week; even after I traded it away it looked absolutely brand new aside from chalk markings.

I eventually swapped with one of my climbing buddies for one of his spares because I could never quite get this harness to fit right and be comfortable. The lack of leg padding contributed to this, I think; it's almost a pseudo-alpine harness in the legs, but it's not really light enough. Also, I never liked the leg straps; they just didn't really stay put even when cinched tight. They moved all around while I'd climb and then when I'd need to take (or fall), they'd be out of place and really uncomfortable. I switched to an REI brand harness (I don't think they make it anymore) and it's much more comfortable and stays where it's supposed to.

I had the medium and I'm 6'2" and 155lbs. Maybe I should have gone with a small? Just be warned that if you are very thin, you may need to size down or get a different harness.

For casual water bottle needs and the day to day, this bottle does the trick in a sort of novel way. For expeditions, especially with cold weather, I would go for just a standard cap because if you've taken Camelbak nozzles into the snow, you know that they are problematic with freezing. The same goes for this bottle.

Unfortunately the tab that helps flip the spout open broke off so it's harder to open the spout, but it still works. It leaves no taste in the water. It's BPA-free if that's important to you, though I'm not sure I buy into the whole BPA-free craze because I'm not sure what they're replacing the BPA with and whether that's really any better. I'm sure we'll find out in a couple years.

To be honest, I'm not a fan of the 0.75L size (it was a gift). If I were to buy my own I'd get the 1L. Not much bigger and the extra volume is worth it.

It is a joy to drink out of at first. It's basically an adult sippy cup, and for those of us that would drink out of actual sippy cups if it were socially acceptable, it's perfect. No spills, even when driving or walking. Eventually, the novelty wears off and I found myself wishing for a plain bottle. Sure, I can unscrew the cap and use it like a plain bottle, but then what's the point?

In my experience Smartwool socks are worth it. These are warm and cozy and just feel great on my feet, even for a full day of hiking or mountaineering. when combined with sock liners they're fantastic.

I found them true to size, though for socks that's usually pretty easy. I wear a 12(US) and the XL is great.

They have been very durable for a three and a half years of use with almost no wear to date. I have three pair and rotate them, so they do get a pretty light duty cycle. One pair did pill when I forgot to turn it inside out before putting it in the dryer, but it's still very usable and that was my fault. Normal wool sock care still applies: turn them inside out and use gentle wash cycle and avoid the dryer when possible. I line dry these whenever I can.

I have two pair of these and love them. My feet are much more comfortable after a long day in the ski boots. They're even great for BC skiing and skinning. They pad all the right places and aren't too bulky, but are still nice and warm. Combine them with sock liners and my feet are in heaven. Can't recommend enough.

They have also proven to be durable over the past couple seasons. I turn them inside out and avoid putting them in the dryer when I can. I have put them in the quite a few times and they were still just fine, but I avoid it just to be safe.

I have size 12/eur 46-47 feet and the XL was just perfect.

I converted the missus' board into a splitboard over the summer. She hasn't used the board yet so I can't say much about the functionality of it (though three of our BC buddies have converted boards and absolutely love them). This review for now is just for the conversion process:

The instructions were ok, but not great. There were things they probably should have said but didn't, so I'll dock it a star for that. I found these instructions very helpful: http://splitboard.com/talk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=5801

The hardware was all solidly built and the pieces were all there, with the exception of a single bolt missing for the T-nuts. I found that a standard snowboard binding bolt fits just fine so I used that. In the end it took a an hour to cut the board one day, a night for the inside sealing to dry, and several hours the next day to mount everything. It wasn't too bad a job, provided you have the right tools (drill, countersink bit, boring bit, good saw, etc.). I was skeptical of the whole splitboard idea because it seems forced (why not just learn to ski? honestly!), but Voile has done a bit of clever engineering here and I have to admit that this system is well designed. In the end it was cheaper than either a "real" splitboard or lightweight snowshoes, and now the board is BC ready. Can't wait to get out there this winter and see how the missus likes it! I'll update this review later in the season.

I've had this helmet for four seasons now. I originally got it because I had a different helmet that was uncomfortable from a different brand, and no more! I wear it all day without problems, even mountaineering and BC skiing. It was true to size; just use a measuring tape to measure your head and order the one that fits right for you.

It works great with goggles or glasses. For lift-skiing I usually use goggles and for BC I use glasses and both are plenty comfortable.

The venting is not the best, but it's for snowsports. I mean, come on. For winter mountaineering and BC skiing I wear it all day and I still manage to cool off enough. For spring skiing it gets pretty warm so I remove the ear flaps, and usually carry it on my pack for the skin up. Conversely, it keeps my head warm in most winter conditions, though sometimes a helmet liner is necessary for the extreme colds, but a thin polypro liner or balaclava fits underneath just fine.

I especially like that it's toughly built; it has a nice and sturdy ABS shell and is not just a modified bike helmet like many other ski helmets out there. I have whacked my head soundly on many a low hanging tree branche with this thing but it protected great and lived to protect again.

I love this jacket. It's comfortable and fits very well. I have a medium and I'm 6'2", 150lbs. It's long enough but not too loose. Looks great in nearly every setting.

I use it for most of my skiing and all of my ski touring and climbing. It's nice and warm and holds its own against water. I've used it in rain and extremely wet snow and stayed completely dry. The water resistant zippers for the pockets are a nice touch. The outer fabric is also plenty tough; I've fallen into trees and thorny bushes at reasonable speeds and have no rips or tears, just some scuff marks that washed out. The inner fleece is very soft and feels great. As a softshell it's a little bit light to use in extreme cold, but wear several layers underneath and it does plenty well. It fits nicely under my puffy for very cold.

As a very minor quibble, after two seasons of keeping the cuffs loose the stiff side of the velcro is wearing the softshell material a bit at the inner edge of the flap for the cuff cincher. It's very minor and some fabric tape will take care of it, but it would have been nice if OR already did that.

These skins work well enough. They climb and grip well, even if they don't glide as well as mohair. The glue is plenty sticky and has held up for two seasons, though I hear that it doesn't last forever and re-gluing is perhaps not worth it. The actual skins are the standard in the industry, though a certain upstart company founded by the designers of the original Ascensions sells better skins online for much cheaper. You probably know who I'm talking about, and after buying those for the missus' splitboard, I can say the hype is true and they are significantly better than BD skins.

The clipfix works well in theory though there are major drawbacks. You have to size the skin length right, which is no big deal. It even works fine with twin tips. If you live in a place with dry snow, as I was when I bought these (northern NM), it works just fine and you can forget about it. If you experience wet snow, as I did when I moved so SoCal and as I do when I visit the family in the Pac NW, you will discover the shortcomings of the clipfix. When skins get wet, they stretch. On my 175cm skis they stretch as much as 1-2cm when wet, allowing the clipfix to just slide off the end of the ski as if it weren't there. I bought an STS tail kit, though I haven't gotten around to putting it on yet. Not pleased with the clipfix in wet snow.

Also, like most people my trim tool broke when I was trimming the skins and I had to finish it off with a razor blade.

Even so, when the glue on these gives it up I'll be eschewing BD and buying "climbing skins direct" from that other company whose glue is better, who has better attachment systems, and whose trim tool doesn't break.

I saw these on Bonktown for the same price as normal bottles, so I thought I'd take the plunge and see what the fuss was about. When you first start using these, you probably won't notice a difference. You might even be disappointed, like I was. It's not like the bite valve on a Camelbak bladder, it's basically just self-sealing valve so you can squeeze water into your mouth and not have to worry about opening and closing the top.

When you will notice how great these are, however, is when you go back to a normal bottle and have to open and close the top. It's amazing how fast you get used to the ease of the Podium and get annoyed by the annoyance of the valve on normal bottles. I can't go back now.

Some have said that they're too stiff to squeeze; I found them to be just fine. They are stiffer than other water bottles, but because of this they stay in the cages better, even when mountain biking.

They're not dishwasher safe and the valve is kind of a pain to clean (the long thing brush for cleaning the Camelbak hose works great for this), but it's absolutely worth it The taste is absolutely perfect: not a trace of plastic. And like I said, once you get used to it you won't put up with your old water bottles.

This bag fits my sabretooths just fine, even with the long center bar. Grivels have that accordion thing which makes them less compact, but BD crampons are great for this. It protects other gear nicely and the daisy chain is great for tying it on outside of the pack, which is where I like to carry my crampons. Drainage is fine, though I still store my crampons out of the bag for drying.

Note: You need to put your crampons point-to-point for this (or nearly any) bag to work well. Points will obviously go through the mesh and can go through the walls with a little effort. That's not a drawback of this bag, that's just a consequence of not using a metal box to store your crampons.

I've always used All conditions wax. All conditions means it's got to work in at least one condition, right? I've used both this and the Swix and find them comparable, with the Dakine significantly less expensive. It also doesn't adversely affect my skin glue, which is a plus. Either way, waxed certainly beats the pants off unwaxed. Whenever I find that I seem to be getting worse at skiing, I rewax my skis and find that it was the skis, not my skill level that was deteriorating.

First, mine broke after a few uses. The plastic snapped on half on one side, allowing the file to simply fall out. I kept it in my closet when not in use and did not carry it with me, so I am inclined to believe it was poor construction. Some marine epoxy later (amazing stuff) and it works again. I filled a fair amount of the ribbing with the epoxy to strengthen it against future breakage.

That said, it works great. Much easier and more precise than a plain file, much less expensive than a professional edge tool. My edges are pristine now with very little work.

I can't wholeheartedly recommend it because it broke so easily, but when it does work it works well.

These were my first pair of crampons and I loved them. I used them mainly for ski mountaineering but have done plain snow travel on them as well. They fit on alpine and AT ski boots as well as mountaineering boots just fine. In addition to moderate slopes, they actually handle steep snow very well. I tend to just keep them for the steeps and skin on the shallow. I have used these for front-pointing up 45-50 degree couloirs and they performed flawlessly.

Any of the Raven series ice axes are great. The heads are very comfortable, fitting in the hand perfectly. No other ice axe is more comfortable to carry. My friend has the Raven and it's a good axe, but the Raven Pro is lighter weight while still feeling just as solid. I have a 50cm axe because I use it for ski mountaineering and it only comes out for the steepest snow slopes. It's great for stability and self arrest, and the light weight means I don't mind it being on my pack for all my trips even when I don't use it.

This beacon is incredibly easy to use. Put it in the hands of someone who's never used a beacon before and they'll figure it out in two minutes. Practice with it regularly and you get incredibly fast.

It has lackluster support multiple-burial situations (the importance of which is a hot debate I won't go in to here), just be warned if that's important to you. Otherwise make sure to read the manual and turn off beacons as you find them.

The harness is much improved over the old version. It's a little bulky, but not uncomfortable.

Bottom line, I use this and all my partners do as well. I'm willing to trust my life to it and so are they.