A recent ski mountaineering climb up the NW Couloirs of CO 14ner - Torreys Peak required crampons. I chose these. While they will only work with technical/welted boots (I used my tele boots) they fit very secure. The non-pro version with plastic molded straps at the toe and heel will not work with tele boots with a duck bill toe. They took a beating on near summit rocks and still look perfect. The straps are a bit long and got caught a few times on the spikes and shreaded but all they need is to be trimmed down. In the photo, you can see the BD-orange base of my crampons on my boots as we place one foot in front of the other on our ascent to the 14,000+ft summit.

I have wanted these shoes for some time. When the right price finally came along I snagged them up. They are tight and narrow which I do not normally like but these feel great and required no breaking in. Sticky sole, protected toe, supportive ankle, durable materials, an attractive design. What more can you ask for?

These ditty bags carry everything from cameras, phones, first aid, socks, and food. They are perfect for those items you don't want to lose at the bottom of some large dry bag. You can always find something to put in them too so I think you should not hesitate to buy them. Well worth it.

The Nuun gets the job done. It tastes good, disolves well and is simple to carry. But it NOT a sports drink...It is meant to simply aid hydration.
BUT, I can never understand why companies put sodium in hydrations drink since yes, its an electrolyte, but it also can work against you when trying to hydrate since its a natural dehydrator too. I look for electrolytes w/o sodium as I feel they do the job better.

The BD knee knockers are one of the only, if not the only, tele knee pad that offers both top and bottom articulated coverage. On very steep terrain, I have had the opposite ski edge ride across my knee abpove the knee cap and I feel this extra bit of coverage has saved me from deep tissue bruising on many occasions. They are also very low profile and the straps seem to miraculously find their way right into the buckle every time. Strange but true. No cons unless you your knees are sensitive to pressure. In that case no knee pad is gonna work.

This OR glove rocks! The leather is extremely grippy and durable and the softshell material breathes great yet stops wind. H2O proof gloves trap sweat and don't dry quickly. This glove keep my hands warm in most all conditions except in extreme cold on lift serve skiing when not generating internal heat. The insulating material inside seems to have packed out (formed to my hand) but it still keeps my digits toasty. The hook and loop cuff stap delaminated but OR sewed it back on in a hurry. Great glove!

this is the ticket! Hate re-threading the tube everytime you want to fill or empty the bladder? Buy this and your troubles are over. make sure you have the right sized tube diameter though. This is an in-line connector. I use it for a camel-back bladder tube. Does not fit Nalgene tubes.

Hey, these are simply great. I ain't gonna go into the details though. Technical boxers ride up and strecth out...these don't. I have tried all kinds and these are the best.

While this was a two-fer deal, both socks arrived with holes. One was on the top of foot so still functional, the other was on the toe so was not usable. Bummer. I think the crapped out economy factored in when I decided to keep them anyway and have someone sow it up. Otherwise they work fine. Light weight and stay up...what more do you need? The price was right...just wish the holes were not included.

My regular set up is the Voile Switchback which I love. But I recently borrowed two setups with these three-pin bindings (without cables) to ski Jackson Hole and Teton Pass BC. First thought was oh no, I am not gonna be able to ski steep terrain in these. But I was totally wrong. Not only are they super light,but with a Garmont Synergy boot they perform flawless--even with fat skis. First I skied them mounted to a pair of $1200 carbon Goode skis, then I skied them mounted to a pair of Volkl with 105mm under foot. Both set ups were ultra light and I flew up the mountain. On the down in the fresh pow of Glory Bowl off Teton Pass, they allowed a natural and free flex of the boot and were super easy to get in and out--just snap and go. The only thing that they need is a free pivot design to make these even more desireable. I might do a total switch if that design came out....they were that good. If you want lightweight and are not planning on hucking your carcass off every cliff then I would seriously recommend trying these out...but maybe just get the cableless version.

This shovel has served its purpose well. Its burly and relaiable but the neck has now become a problem. If you plan to place the shovel on the inside of your pack (truely the safest place as a avy slide would rip externally placed gear right off in an instant) then you may want to consider the G3. G3 is one of the very few who have removed the neck of the blade. For my BCA Stash pack the neck protrudes inward or outward and interferrs with other gear. Once I buy the G3 it will solve the problem but in the mean time I am always bothered by the inconvenience of the neck. See picture for example of problem

This is NOT a great townie hoody unless you like wearing purely technical gear for non-technical reasons. It is however the VERY BEST technical hoodie I have ever found other then the Lowe Alpine Ninja Hoodie of old that I suspect this was taken from. The fit is, shall I say, Fitted! the Hood is ninja like and the reason that people tend to break into a ninja pose when they zip this sucker up. the offset zipper at the top makes for a strange lay of the flaps when not fully zipped but like I said its a purely technical piece. Its function is superb. Its warmer then any other hoody I have tried. Cloudveil, and older styled OR.OR now makes one that looks very similar to the R1. I suspect that the local CO OR rep listened to my complaint when I said OR needed one too. I have a medium and I am 6,1. The fit is great but the sleaves could be an inch longer for me when using the thumb holes. I don't think I would like the balk of a Large. The bottom thin fabric is perfect for tucking into pants to stp drafts. A must have

Shoe fit and preference is very personal so everyone has an opinion. here is mine on these ill designed "runners". I like Keen the company and have an excellent pair of leather trail/work shoes, but the Powerline was a disappointment. They quickly became an everyday all-around jeans shoe. I bought them for the stone bruising plate but that seemed non-existent and I felt every embedded rock on my local open space "natural" surface trail. if I only ran on crushed gravel trails then this would be ok for this aspect of the shoe but I run on small rocky terrain and need protection on the forefoot. Next is that the show is wide and sloppy feeling. I have narrow dogs but usually like mid-width shoes. These are silly wide to me. I think it might be due to the mesh not providing any real structure and lateral stability. When tightened, the laces actually stretch away from the mesh. When pulling on the back heel tabs, the mesh actually rips. Next, the tread is not at all aggressive and does not provide good traction. There were stranger pressue points under the tongue due to the folds of the fabric and the top of the tongue often slips outside of the laced sections. These shoes were simply not what I was hoping for. maybe you will have better luck.

Great durable pant. Resists ski edge scuffs big time. Roomy but not baggy. Picture is with down pants on under during long Avy class day in subzero temps....shown jumping on a test pit (rochebloc test)

who can knock a jacket that you can sweat like a monkey in during righteous backcountry powder sessions, yet wear it to a decent dinner establishment that night...and repeat, repeat, repeat for over two years now without a wash. No smell and dirt don't seem to stick to it. Breathability is excellant for a jacket that keeps me warm up on Berthoud Pass in negative temps. Fit is superb! The hook and loop cuffs kinda suck for location of velcro but that is it for Cons. Its all pros after that. Buy it and you won't regret it! Look at the pic and see that it also is very abrasion resistant when random breackable crust eats your lunch in the trees :-)

While no one other then avy dummies owes their life to my probe...it has survived many a practice run and avy training courses. I have witnessed carbon fiber probes snap in half when jammed into hard snow and other have difficulty putting theirs together quickly but with the BCA 240 I simply toss it out in front of me and yank the cable tight. Presto! its together and ready for action. Not overly expensive either.

I have not experienced the problems others have with this jacket. It breaths well enough for a H2O proof coat and the pit zips are the factor that sold me on it. the cut is great and the hood fits and adjusts well. Its doesn't rain much here in CO so I have not been able to test that aspect but for high altitude backcountry skiing in spring/summer/fall it does the job well.

Bought this pack for the insulated harness to stop water from feezing. PROS: The space-aged material works excellent in the backcountry when accompanied with uphill slogs but the tube freezes pretty quick if ridig a lift in sub-zero temps. Otherwise the pack is comfy and after a hard 12 consecutive months of skiing, still shows no sign of wear. It holds skis well in both positions. CONS: The back holds heat and sweat somewhat, the zippers feel like they may fail but have not, the water bladder sleave sucks!...its simply too hard to access and the hanger is a joke. The tool sleaves are not that well designed but work well enough. Despite these cons, I like the pack because the water doesn't freeze in the BC---plain and simple.

While I could have squeezed a few more miles out of my rusted old 48 inches bars despite transferring them to three different trucks over the last 12 years, the time finally came when my gear demanded more space on top of the 02 X-terra. So I boned up for the 66inchers. Now, with careful planning, I can fit on two bikes, a wide-arce kayak, and a space box with just enough room to open the box. Saved my road trips from monotonous boredom.

Man these are the best caps for Yakima bars available....these end caps really cap the ends and are better then rags and tennis balls...although the tennis balls add more flavorflav.