Jonathan White

Over all good crampons. They provide a solid platform and climb well. The main reason I got these was because of the replaceable front points and they convert to monopoints.

I would not thread webbing through the toe bale as shown in the picture.

Anti-balling plates are not good:
1) they wear quickly -- mine are falling apart the hooks ripped through the rubber after just 10days of use
2) they cover up teeth underneath the toes

Warm jacket-- internal pocket is a nice touch and unlike many internal pockets this is easy to stuff.

It runs slightly large. Hood cords would be nice to keep the hood close to your skull on a windy day, but still a fine jacket.

These are the best general mountaineering boot you can buy. They are super comfortable and warm. I spent 21 days on Denali with these boots and never once got cold. (Tip: Use VBL-- empty bread bags work great--over your liners socks for long trips for extra warmth). They are not as good for technical climbing since the heel can tend to lift but they are still all around the best plastic boot you can get. One cool feature of these boots is that you can take the inner boot out and walk around camp in them since it has a plastic sole.

On my second pair. Warm, dry gloves that can take the abuse of ice climbing. I usually climb with these and then shove them in my Altimitts while belaying if it get really cold.

I've owned Prophets, the previous Cobras, and the new Cobras. They are great for mixed and hooking; however, they are less than stellar on pure steep ice-- due in part to their lightweight. Their big curve helps protect the knuckles and makes hooking mushrooms a breeze. Greatly improved over the previous version is the grip, its much thinner and easier to hold. Also good are the fangs for matching.

On the downside, their lightweight can make it more difficult to get a good stick-- especially in really hard ice (and vertical). Adding the heaver adze or hammer doesn't help much since the weight is behind the pick which makes the head flop side to side if you are not dead center on your swing.

Finally, if you climb leash-less but have the leash attachment on the tool the webbing will wear fairly quickly (due to the metal part swinging up and down). I had to retire the leash attachment after 1 season, no big loss since I don't use it and probably not an issue if you actually use the leash.

Ultimately, they are great tools and many people love them (I Like them a lot).

I have used this tent for 8 year ranging from Mt Washington to Denali. This tent is simple to set up and is bomb proof. The 2 vestibules are both functional and the front can be dug out when pitched in the snow or cooked in (remember to vent!!!). It is heavier that a bibler tent, but warmer and more comfy then a bomb shelter. It has a fairly large footprint, so if you are doing a technical route where space or weight is an issue look for a single wall tent.

I like heavier weight t-shirts and this is one. Has a nice feel and good fit. It runs a little large. I am usually med and I needed a small. I wouldn't use this for anything technical-- its cotton. A little pricey for a t-shirt, but its a heavy weight t-shirt that will last. As much as its reversible I wouldn't use it as such.

I have a pair I bought seven years ago (top and bottom) that are still warm and don't smell. The lightweight is plenty warm and wicks very well. I've used them on climbs in the Northeast and Colorado during the winter. I am getting ready to purchase another pair since I am starting to wear these ones out.

This is a great lightweight parka. My two complains are: the front zipper gets stuck (a beefier zipper would help) when trying to zip and when you raise your arms the skirt of the jacket pull up as well—not ideal when you’re ice climbing. However, if you’re not ice climbing this is a great jacket that is well built and well priced.