Which is kind of weird. After a day or so of use (and working out a better way to make the liners work, pulling my long-underwear sleeves over the velcro on the gloves and go), these fit great and work great. Good for everything from cold ski-tours to days at the resort. Haven't tried them climbing yet, but I will later this month, at which point I will update. Definitely prefer this design over a traditional mitt. I just wish they had a snot patch, as the cold, abrasive nylon is not great for chronically runny noses.

Breathes well, keeps your head warm. And I got one of the (now very hard to find) Wyoming beanies. Makes sense, since that's where I live, work, and play, but still.

This thing is tiny. I picked up the Avalung version and I had to work pretty hard to get shovel, probe, 2-liter camelback reservoir, and spare layer in to it, even harder to cram climbing skins as well (I don't like to put them in my coat if I'm not running laps on a short hill). The main problem is that I use a Voile Telepro shovel, which has a massive bail. I still have space inside, but zipping up the pack at the end of all that is pretty difficult. I'm glad I got it on sale because I know that the zippers will blow out pretty early in the life of the pack. Still, the extremely low volume and sleek, low profile design are *exactly* what I wanted in a skiing pack given the sorts of back-country stuff I do. This pack is ideal for short tours, or one-run days, or any time where you don't want to bring the kitchen sink and you don't want a deflated, oddly carrying pack despite your minimalist aspirations. I am/was of two minds about the avalung since I didn't see myself ready to actively court avalanches, but its a nice tool to have, especially in a pack that you can wear all day without complaint.

When I bought this rope, I had a specific goal in mind: climb it into the ground. I'm about to buy my second one, 18 months later. That's not to say it isn't durable. It is quite durable. It's just been a hard two seasons. It is still as soft as the day I bought it, despite dozens of whippers and long sandy pitches. I've power toproped on it, and even jugged on it a few times. Its just that the sheath is so fuzzy from all that wear that I keep fearing I'll have a core shot soon. They say two seasons is about par for moderate to heavy usage, I bought this rope hoping to test that. And now I'm going to buy another one, because I know it'll hold up to the abuse.