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Kershaw carabiner knife
So your climbing buddy is getting on your nerves and you’re thinking about releasing him on his own recognizance, "Touching the Void" style. This three ounce tool is here to help. The high-quality Kershaw blade is a half-serrated liner locker, useful for everything from cutting cord to spreading peanut butter. It has a bottle opener,…
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Mountain House food
Psychologists say that food is not love, but they are so terribly wrong. Case in point: Mountain House Chicken Teriyaki at high camp. I admit that food choices are personal, but in my opinion Mountain House entrees are head and shoulders above the competition. I’ve tried AlpineAire, Backpacker’s Pantry and some of those organic disasters…
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Mountain Hardwear Chugach pants
These are the companion pants to the Chugach jacket. They are essential backcountry gear for applications where down pants would be overkill or wet weather is a factor. Full side zips make it easy to slip on and off without removing boots. The reinforced butt and knees make it a tough performer that will last…
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Mountain Hardwear Chugach jacket
Synthetic has two advantages over down: cost and performance when wet. Anyone who has ever spent the night in a wet down sleeping bag can verify this, usually with liberal use of profanity. The Polarguard 3D used in the Chugach jacket is a great choice if you’re worried about wet spots. I like the trim…
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Marmot Plasma parka
Marmot knows that the solution to bird flu is to convert all our feathered friends into down parkas and sleeping bags. Pure genious, I tell you, and they’ve made a stellar start with this light (27oz), stuffable and super-comfy 800+ fill parka. The oversize collar warms your neck, and a nice touch is the single…
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Yates Cable Picket
This is a "New Zealand style pickett" with a V profile. It is available with and without a cable, both at 22" length. I recommend the cable version with its generous 42" runner. These pickets are a few ounces lighter than most others, and the V profile stacks compactly versus a T profile. They are…
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Cloudveil Black Ice bibs
The Black Ice (formerly Ice Floe) bibs are a truly versatile piece of kit from boutique-vendor-turning-mainstream Cloudveil. Thoughtfully constructed of Schoeller Dryskin Extreme these soft shell bibs breathe well, shed weather effortlessly, and have the added advantage of not picking up snow (or pet hair) as fleece tends to. The pass-through chest pocket is handy…
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Black Diamond OvalWire carabiner
Ah, behold the humble oval carabiner. But what is this? A gate of wire? Yes indeedy, and this is the ticket for alpine use. Wire gates don’t stick like normal gates in icy conditions. Manufacturers tout other advantages such as more working room, enhanced strength under certain conditions and lighter weight. Here’s the thing: this…
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Vasque Ice 9000 boots
Vasque makes great footwear and the Ice 9000 is Das Boot. I have the original 2004-2005 model, identified by the (sexy) red color. It was updated in 2005, identified by the (ugly) orange color. The updates were relatively minor and you can still find the older model on sale for $199, a great deal if…
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Brunton Optimus Nova stove
A tale of two stoves: This little stove went to Denali. This little stove should have stayed home. This little stove wouldn’t light at 17,000 feet. This little stove was returned. In this case there were two of these little pigs. My climbing partner and I each bought a Nova multi-fuel stove. Long story short,…
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