jojo

The short version of the story is that I took a big fall, and my 0.3 C4, my rope, my belayer, and my helmet literally saved my life.

The weakest part of a placement is usually the placement itself rather than the gear, and I want to thank Black Diamond for making that the case. I've found my C4's to be versatile and easy to place, which was why I picked them to begin with. Thanks a trillion to the designers, testers, manufacturers, QC folks, the marketing folks, and everyone else at Black Diamond that played a part in my decision to buy, bring, and place my C4 cams, and to making sure they did their job.

If you're interested, the long version of the story is here: http://www.mountainproject.com/v/injuries_and_accidents/important_reasons_to_be_prepared_
or_why_not_to_fall_my_yosemite_accident/106769916

I hemmed and hawed about spending so much money on a single article of clothing that only covers half of my body, but am very glad I decided to do it. Having found it on sale helped, too.

The Sidewinder has a lot of features I love:
-Stowable hood that fits over your helmet with an easy-to-use-in-gloves cinch for the non-helmet adventures
-Powder-skirt that doesn't feel in the way
-Shorter front length (minimizes bunchiness), longer back length (prevents the refreshing surprise of snow and rain down the back of the pants when bending over, and prevents the jacket from coming up above your pack strap or harness)
-Actually keeps you dry if you're in the rain for 2 days straight. By Day 4 of solid rain I'm a little damp, but I suppose that's part of what the SV model is for.... In every other "waterproof"-breathable shell I've had I'd be soaked by the beginning of Day 2.
-Offset sip at the top is key. It's nice and soft on the flap, too, to avoid the cold-zipper-freezing-to-the-face phenomenon.
-Tapering of the sleeves and detailing of the cuffs does a good job in keeping the wet stuff out.

When picking your size, keep in mind that the fit is a little tighter around the bottom of the jacket, and a little more roomy at the shoulders. I find that this actually works well in minimizing jacket bulk while stil maintaining your ability to move your arms over your head and whatnot when climbing. I'm 6'2" and ~170, so I'm not the average woman, and my size large fits great.

Arc'teryx is stellar for customer support, too, which is a big factor in major purchases I make.