This jacket is perhaps the modern equivalent of the Marmot driclime -- something I wear so often that it's kind of ridiculous.

For ski touring, this is the best skinning jacket I've found, particularly on a wet day. I simply hate getting soaked on the way up. I sweat too much in my hardshell and all my softshells are simply too warm for truly athletic endeavors. This jacket, worn over a light baselayer is simply just right for working hard in wet or windy conditions. Just water resistant enough to keep the outside moisture outside, and breathable enough to keep the internal moisture from staying inside.

I skin in this jacket, get to the top and simply throw a hooded, warmer softshell (and/or puffy, depending on temps and how long I need to wait for everyone to drink their tea!) and I'm ready to go downhill.

Simply put, one of the most versatile pieces of clothing I own -- I now bike in it, nordic ski in it...

Unless there is heavy wet snow or (the horror!) rain, this is the outer layer that goes in my back for nearly every activity. Overall a wonderful jacket with a few downsides. In the temperate northwest, I've found this jacket a bit too warm to skin in (but when the temps dip into the 15 or below range, it's ideal for that purpose), so mainly this is the layer I throw on for the down.

Pluses:
- Sheds water remarkably well while being far more breathable than a hardshell
- Micro-fleece interior adds a bit, but not too much, warmth
- Mesh-backed pockets allow for a bit of venting
- Simple and clean

Minuses:
- Arms are a bit on the long side (I'm a shorter dude)
- The hood is helmet compatible, but maybe a bit of overkill (pretty huge)
- Non-adjustable cuffs (I think this is fine, but you might not)
-Pricey!

Use: The right weight for North Cascades skinning! Lots of dexterity from the real leather palm, and a snug fit make this glove ideal for pulling skins, buckling boots and other fine motor skills. That, paired with a windproof, water-resistant glove make these extremely versatile.

Craftsmanship: These have held up pretty well, but the stitching around the fingers is already starting to come apart (no holes yet) after about 1 month of hard use.

Fit: a bit on the snug side, but they seem true-to-size to me.

So I went big and bought two pairs of these and mounted 1 tele (BD 01) and 1 AT (dynafit)...These skis are versatile, forgiving and fun as hell. About 10 backcountry days on each and 2 area days on the tele setup.

+ Makes turns of all shapes with ease -- from big arcs to tight trees, with the early-rise tip and dialed sidecut, I've found these to be one of the most versatiles skis I've used.
+ Not super light, but remarkably light relative to their girth
+ Early rise tips and tails create a tele turn that initiates and releases with ease.

- Not the greatest ski-area crud performer, a bit light and wide for the icy troughs...
- A bit ponderous edge-to-edge, but hey that's what you get with 112 underfoot

Overall -- a simply great powder and soft snow ski for nearly any application.

I've had these pants for a few weeks and have 10 backcountry days on them and 1 resort day -- these are an excellent blend of breathability, toughness and stretch.

+ Nice lightweight internal gaiters
+ hip pockets are unobtrusive and large
+ Easily-removable suspenders, and a great webbing belt keep you from sagging.

- I could not find these in a short length -- the inseam is insanely long for a small. I had them shortened, which solved the problem.
- These fit much larger than typical -- I am usually a medium and had to buy these in a small.

This boot is stiff, light and works well with dynafit bindings. What more could you want?

Well, a really comfortable liner, which this boot does not have. I know the liner is thin to save weight, but dynafit may have sacrificed just a bit too much. Compared to my BD boa liners, these things feel thin and create more pressure points.

Positives:
1. Great buckles (catches on the widest setting keep them on the buckles even when you are climbing and they are really loose)
2. Light
3.Really light
4. A really stiff (laterally) tongue-style touring boot.
5. Dynafit fittings (have grooves in the toe fittings that allow the dynafit pins to slide in more easily and shed snow more easily)

The insane is wide, has a ton of sidecut, and is really fun to ski.

Good things:
The sidecut makes them ski trees and tight spots very well, and makes this a great ski for someone who likes to make lots of gs turns. They have a large shovel and have skied well on everything from manky powder to steep wind-buff. Light and fat -- an ideal touring ski for the North Cascades.

The bad(ish) things:
The top sheet is relatively fragile.
Not for the straightliner or super-big turning skier (too much sidecut)
The ugliest topsheet graphics I have seen in some time. A poo-colored insane chicken? On a mustard background?

I have worn a lot of backcountry oriented packs in my day from a number of manufacturers and find that every one of them had some design flaw that made me ditch the pack sooner or later. I broke down and bought this pack after an avalanche burial a few years ago (without an avalung, but thankfully an excellent and skilled route partner), primarily because of the integrated avalung.

I am pleasantly surprised to find that in addition to BD's well-designed avalung, this pack is fantastic. Just enough room for a long tour or light overnight without being bulky. A great avalanche tool pocket that doesn't bind, even when the pack is jammed full. A comfortable but not over-built suspension (I had none of the issues described in other reviews and think that those relate to incorrect pack sizing). A smart helmet/rope holder over the top that actually works really, really well. Clean, functional A-frame ski carry (even for a short guy like me!)

Thanks BD -- this pack took a lot of iterations to get right, but it is right on now!

I hate helmets. I grew up ski racing and have an abiding dislike for the lack of hearing, discomfort and weight of every helmet I've ever worn. But now the smith maze. It's light enough that I actually bring it touring when I'm attempting to ski terrain that scares me a bit, since it is so freakin' light. It's comfortable and simple, and it's relatively stylish. I don't even have a gaper-gap between the helmet and goggles, and I use Oakley A frames, possibly the least helmet-friendly goggle made.

Downsides: still can't here very well with those giant ear flaps. The material covering the outside of the ear flap started to detach after two days (not the best construction).

This hat is very small, and designed to stretch to your head. I have a small-ish head and it works great for me, but for those of you with giant noggins, I'd recommend a different hat. Very breathable, reasonably warm, well made.

I am a destroyer of shell pants. I enjoy cramponing through them, ski-edging them to shreds, sitting on gum, etc. etc. And these damn pants have withstood all the abuse and still look fantabulous. This is 5 years after I bought them! 100s of ski and climbing days on multiple continents and very poor care by me have still resulted in a great pair of pants. When I bought them, I thought that they were the most expensive pants I'd ever owned. Now I know that they are actually the cheapest!

UPDATE -- After 10+ years, these pants started having an issue (the goretex membrane began to seperate from the overlying nylon)...I sent them to ArcTeryx with a nice note, not expecting too much, since these pants have litterally 500+ days on them. A very nice woman called me yesterday to say that my new pants were being shipped to me for the warranty return. With quality goods and the customer service to back it up, paying $400+ for a pair of pants seems downright reasonable. Many thanks to a company for building with craftsmanship and for backing that craftsmanship up with an oustanding warranty.

I skied these boots and loved the stiffness and control (almost too much for my 150 pounds). The two middle buckles, however, caught on one another, which is a huge pain. I have a 27.5 mondo.

Light, thin, foldable, with a fantastic tip attachment. Unfortunately, I had a lot of glue issues within the first year (not sticking consistently in temps of 0F -- 40F on the east side of the cascades). I swapped back to the old ascension stand bys, but secretly wished for the G3 skin and BD glue combo!

I like release. I really want to like this binding, because it would save my knees if I was willing to ski it. But it has a really 'mushy' feel -- on the downhills, I don't have the turn-to-turn snap I'd like...

I've stuck with this design since they were called skye. The underfoot cable routing creates a really active feel when you engage the springs and a really neutral feel when you are flat-footed, and that's the best praise I can offer any tele binding.

No tip dive. None. Ever.

The g3s and the rottefella binders have always made me feel a distinct tip dive effect...which I think hampers tele skiing more than any other bit of gear. These binders climb smooth and ski smooth!

This tent has proved incredibly durable -- high winds, rough ground, careless climbing partners, and it still looks and works like it did when I bought it. But the best thing is that it's simple -- minutes to set up and guy out and a design that is intuitive and just plain works.

Cons -- not the raddest basecamp tent; it's kinda tight (definitely not for you 6'5" peeps), and the vestibule is functional but not giant. But hey, I'll trade that for the light weight any day!

Having retire my reverso (became quite sharp from rope wear; although petzl says this is ok...I figured that $35 is pretty cheap for a very critical piece of gear).

works smoothly as a belay device (slightly smaller than the reverso...handles thin ropes better and thick ropes are a bit of a chore). Works great as an autoblock (for a 3:1; belaying 1 or 2 seconds, etc.) The quick release hole (allows you to torque it to release a climber when weighted in the autoblock mode) is really simple...a nice addition.

Pretty great belay device...covers everything from sport-wanking to multi-pitch alpine routes...

The beta light should be the shelter of choice for those that travel with trekking/ski poles. I have used mine for 4 years with 50+ days per year. It is light, weatherproof (as long as you take the time to seam seal it well with syl-nylon seam seal), compressable, and very secure. I have used this thing in winter, summer, high winds (Mt. Rainier) and the only place where I wish I had a tent is when there are bugs (you can combine with the beta bug, but then it's nearly as heavy as my tent).

Pluses -- wickedly light, easy to setup, and well designed
Minuses -- If you are base-camping, you must collapse your shelter to use your poles each day. Must be carefully seam-sealed.

Those climbing shoes you bought work fine in the gym, in cracks, and on faces. That harness is safe both indoors and outside. So why buy something so limiting, as is the ATC-sport? If you climb (anywhere inside or out), someday you're going to want to rappel, and if you have this thing, you're going to be kicking yourself!

I've used this bivy for 100+ nights (sometimes with a beta-light if it's really pouring rain), and it's pretty good. But it is a bivy. That means that it's tight (but way, way roomier than most bivy sacks), has condensation issues (just like most bivys since they rest right on your sleeping bag, inhibiting airflow), and isn't a tent (but that's why you buy these things, right?!)

Pluses -- the lightest, most compressable, roomiest bivy that I have seen. Minuses -- must be very carefully seam-sealed to be water-tight, not super-breathable, not super-weathertight.

Set-up: tele (BD 01 + BD Push) + 181 coombas. Yes, they are heavy. Yes, they aren't the ideal touring ski. But, I've toured 50+ days on these things and they ski so well that I would tour with them even if they were heavier. They simply make skiing easier and more fun, particularly in marginal cruddy conditions. If you are a super-tight turner (eastern tree skier) go extra short, because they tend to like long-radius turns. Also, they are way longer than marked...my 181s are a good 8cm longer than my 178 Rossignol Sick Birds.

100+ days on these boots, with good results. I have climbed, skied, hiked, crossed rivers, snowmobiled in these boots and I have a very positive opinion. Pluses -- the liner is fantastic: the boa lacing system lets you have a snug liner fit and looser shell fit, which allows you to skin comfortably (looser boots, but no blisters!). Also, the heel is narrow enough to fit crampons easily (really a godsend for us tele skiers that like to climb and ski steeper terrain!) Minuses -- the bellows does not seem as natural a contour as the T1 for my foot (although better for me than the garmont bellows).

these fit a touch wider than Scarpa, but not as wide as garmont. Highly recommended aggressive touring or ski area boot.