From Guest Contributor Krista Dewald: I have tried out climbing shoes designed specifically for women before, and am usually disappointed. They are most often a guys shoe with pink and purple splashed somewhere, and you can tell the designer was thinking more about how to market the shoes than what women actually want to wear. Mad Rock’s Onsight does not [...]
I’ve had the Julbo Contests for six months now, and am impressed with the product. The lenses are interchangeable, frame allows your face to breathe and design is just plain groovy. Based in the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Jura Mountains of France and around since the 1880s, Julbo is a family-owned company that produced the first pair of [...]
La Sportiva, maker of some of the best climbing shoes and boots in the business, will debut a full line of technical “ski mountaineering apparel” next year. The 48 piece collection will include hard and soft shells, and insulating and performance base layers. Says Jonathan Lantz, President of La Sportiva NA: “Our team of designers in the Dolomites used feedback from [...]
This fall, a friend and I made the drive from Burlington, Vermont to New Hampshire’s Cannon Cliff with the Whitney-Gilman Ridge as our objective. The WG is likely the most classic multi-pitch climb in the Northeast — big belay ledges, spectacular views, extremely exposed, everything you can ask for in a multi-pitch climb. The hour long approach starts out moderate, following a [...]
The northeast is known for its stellar ice climbing but it is also known for being bitterly cold. I usually remedy the bitterness by carrying a thermos with me for instant warmth, but if you’re ice climbing in a remote part of the Adirondacks, a thermos is only going to go so far. The Primus EtaSolo Stove is great for [...]
The SCARPA Vapor V is one of SCARPA’s all-arounders, it will do anything and go pretty much anywhere. We shipped the Vapor off to one of our friends in Maine, Doug Koughlin. Doug has guided in Colorado, Alaska, the Northwest and is from the Northeast — his rock and alpine experience far exceed most. Here is what he had to [...]
“Projects beware!” says Mad Rock of its new Demon 2.0. With an aggressively down-turned nose and concave sole, this shoe is as mean-looking as a pitbull on steroids. Our reviewer was able to take them out for some fine fall sport climbing at Rumney, and spoke highly of its edging stiffness, ability to smear and overall comfort level. The Demon 2.0 [...]
It was January and ice climbing conditions should have been perfect. Instead, I was belaying my partner as he ascended New Hampshire’s infamous Dracula under a cold stream of water. January thaw sent temperatures rising quicker than the price of milk on Wall Street; everything was getting wet. We both froze like freshly cut meat stuck in a freezer, but continued to climb [...]
Recently, we received a couple boxes of PROBARs for review. Little did we know they’d replace all other food intake for the week. No more fried food and pizza at the office! “The Whole Food Meal Bar” is the real deal. Depending on the flavor, each bar has between 360 and 400 calories, 9 and 12 grams of protein, and [...]
With a myriad of packs on the market today, it’s hard to find one that will work for you without getting lost in some of the almost endless features most packs offer. I remember when I use to go shopping for a new pack, it was all about the features, the colors and the all-around coolness of the design — [...]
