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!

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.