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GearTested: 5.10 Dome
Tested: 5.10 Dome
The Claim: The Domes are designed for mobility in the Alpine zone. 5.10 claims the extra support lets you hike in a lightweight shoe built for trail running. The Trial: I used the Domes for day hikes in the Rockies last fall, plus shorter outings and trail runs in the foothills around Boulder through winter and spring. Terrain ranged from gentle footpaths to scrambles along rocky trails through talus. The Verdict: The Domes are an ideal multipurpose trail shoe. With 5.10’s signature Stealth high-friction rubber sole, plus knobby lugs, there’s no slip-and-slide effect on rocky terrain. A…...
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GearWhat We’re Running Now: One Jacket to Rule Them All
What We’re Running Now: One Jacket to Rule Them All
It’s the creed of postal workers and outdoor junkies everywhere: Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat. Your mailman is constricted by uniform requirements, but we’re free to don any number of jackets in search of the perfect protection for all-weather adventures. Enter the Arc’teryx Visio FL. Feather-light with Gore-Tex Active Shell, it’s the ideal companion for biking and running in all conditions. The Visio FL has been my first and only pick for cardio outings over the last six months. Trail running in a snowstorm? Bike commuting through high winds and low temps? Fall and spring mountain biking in…...
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GearWhat We’re Running Now: Hot Lunch for Brown Baggers
What We’re Running Now: Hot Lunch for Brown Baggers
This fat little buddha keeps brown bag lunch hot.New Mexico style pork green chile stew con papas, blackened shrimp and Andouille sausage gumbo, white wine and bison Bolognese over linguini, that’s the homemade fare I serve my kids on our family ski days. In winter, we seek out deserted warming huts by belching potbelly stoves. In spring, we scout sunny perches out of the wind. My wife and I cook the night before and preheat insulated bottles in the morning. The problem? Most such bottles are designed for liquids like coffee, cocoa, and thin broth soups, not the hearty stews…...
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Gear
Quick Tip: Cold Weather Skinning
Quick Tip: Cold Weather Skinning
Pete Swenson, a race promoter for the Colorado Ski Mountaineering Cup (COSMIC) and a decorated ski mountaineer, shares his tips on how to dress for skinning to ensure comfort when the temperature drops below 20 degrees. —Sydney Fox / Edited by Ashley Prill...
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CultureNo Alpinist Left Behind
No Alpinist Left Behind
Glen Plake shows his stuff on the steeps. Photo courtesy of JulboThe name Glen Plake brings to mind a mohawk, hot-dogging, and extreme skiing. What about a harness, ice tools, and climbing ropes? More of a mountaineer than a bumper these days, Plake hopes to share his love for technical terrain with young alpinists through a program with his sponsor Julbo. Mountain caught up with Plake in his winter base in Chamonix, France about his latest project and the changing mountaineering scene in North America. My base is Europe, but I’m a born and raised Californian, which is also…...
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Gear
Quick Tip: Cutting Ski Poles
Quick Tip: Cutting Ski Poles
Mountain‘s Marc Peruzzi demonstrate how to cut ski poles for personal height requirements....
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CultureMountain Download: PROBAR
Mountain Download: PROBAR
After Jules Lambert became PROBAR’s first employee, he and his family drove an RV around the country, bringing the whole food energy bars to the people. Now, Lambert is the president of the company. (Click on the image for a photo slide show.) We sold everything we’d acquired in eight years of marriage, and loaded up a U-Haul behind our SUV. My wife was seven months pregnant. We had a little money in the bank, but we didn’t have jobs. We said, “Let’s move to a new state and move into your parents’ basement.” My brother-in-law showed up and…...
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GearSneak Peek: Petzl NAO headlamp
Sneak Peek: Petzl NAO headlamp
The NAO headlamp features “reactive” lighting to offer varied brightness and beam patterns that can spotlight physical features 300 or more feet away or provide soft illumination to read a map in your tent. OK, most headlamps are adjustable these days, but with the NAO, the adjustments happen automatically. No fiddling with buttons and knobs—just point the light and it changes the setting for you. A light sensor (similar to those used in cameras) detects ambient light and communicates the information to two LEDs. It’s an impressive range of lighting: The output grows from seven lumens (the lighting equivalent…...
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CultureBetter than Flowers
Better than Flowers
Break from Valentine’s Day tradition this year. Instead of chocolates or flowers, send one-of-a-kind gear to your sweetheart. Princeton Tec Spectrum headlampLight up Valentine’s Day with the Spectrum platform, which lets you customize Fuel ($35) and Remix ($45) headlamps. Select from 10 colors for parts and two options for head straps. spectrum.princetontec.com MyChacos sandalsFor a significant other that sports a Chaco tan year-round, take one of four classic sandal styles and choose from a palette of webbing colors and patterns to make it unique. $125; [email protected] Footbalance insolesInsoles sound as desirable as a toaster or vacuum cleaner, but a few steps on…...
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CultureGetting your Kids up on Edge
Getting your Kids up on Edge
Picabo Street teaches skiing using the Hookease product. Courtesy photo Picabo Street was an Olympic and World Cup champion ski racer, so of course her sister-in-law calls for advice on teaching her kids to ski. That phone call led Street to connect with Launch Pad, a Utah company developing new systems for teaching skiing. Street publically endorsed the product at SIA in Denver on Saturday. “It’s great not only for the beginning skier, but for the person teaching them,” she says. Launch Pad’s Hookease ($60) works by attaching mounts to a student’s ski tails and hooks to the teacher’s…...
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GearSneak Peek: Salomon Guardian 16 Binding
Sneak Peek: Salomon Guardian 16 Binding
Click on images to enlarge. Early last week, Mountain took to the scratchy slopes of Alta—this was before storms dumped 40-plus inches on Utah’s Wasatch—to ski the Salomon Guardian 16 binding. The Guardian 16 is designed to offer a single option for skiing in-bounds and touring the backcountry. It’s distinguished by a Low Profile Chassis (the base plate stands 26mm above the ski) and 80mm width to improve power transmission on modern fat skis. A DIN range of 7–16 accommodates a range of skiers. Plus, it boasts the ability to switch from ride to hike mode without stepping out…...
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CultureNext Year’s Gear
Next Year’s Gear
Click the image below to launch a slideshow of next year’s gear. Pro skiers, your local shop owner, Mountain editors—they all gathered under one roof in Denver last week for the SIA Snow Show, an annual meeting of the snow sports industry. After a roller coaster ride through next year’s gear, here’s what stood out. SkisThe great leap forward in ski technology is nowhere near finished. New shapes, materials, and permutations from every brand highlighted the show. One big story: a complete overhaul to the Dynastar freeride line for 2013. Called the Cham series (think Chamonix, France and big…...
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Gear
Quick Tip: How to Dress for Skinning
Quick Tip: How to Dress for Skinning
Pete Swenson, a race promoter for the Colorado Ski Mountaineering Cup (COSMIC) and a decorated ski mountaineer, shares his tips on how to dress for skinning to ensure a comfortable ascent. —Sydney Fox / Edited by Ashley Prill...
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BikeTesting Bikes—So You Don’t Have To
Testing Bikes—So You Don’t Have To
The Mountain Swami and a select group of his gear minions just got back from testing fat tire bikes in the mountains of Tucson. Actually the venue and logistics were handled by our friends at Outside magazine. (Thanks to Aaron Gulley for inviting us.) We just showed up to ride, fill out test cards, and drink bourbon. And ride we did. Coming from the heart of ski season in Colorado, we suddenly found ourselves cranking out five to six hours a day on rough and rocky track in saguaro and cholla desert. It was a perfect locale to put…...
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GearWinter Outdoor Retailer 2012
Winter Outdoor Retailer 2012
Last week, over 20,000 individuals and 1,000 brands made the annual pilgrimage to Salt Lake City to check out next winter’s gear. Five days of gawking at gear takes a while to digest, but here’s a few notable developments from Winter Outdoor Retailer 2012. Water-resistant down. Down is the best insulation—until it gets wet, and the feathers in your jacket or sleeping bag become a soggy, clumpy mess. Enter hydrophobic down, where feather molecules are treated with a polymer chemical. This helps them retain loft when wet, and dry faster. Sierra Designs and Brooks-Range Mountaineering both release down pieces…...
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GearWhat We’re Running Now
What We’re Running Now
The Claim: For a decade, the Helly Hansen Verglas 3L jacket has been the brand’s no-frills, ultra-versatile shell. This year, an upgrade to a proprietary three-layer, waterproof breathable membrane called Helly Tech boosts performance more than ever. The Test: Thanks to the odd early winter we had, I tested the Verglas in a wide range of conditions. I used it to access snow falling high in the Rockies before the lifts opened, for resort laps on sunny days, and in the Pacific Northwest in rain and slush. The Verdict: Helly Hansen calls this jacket its workhorse, and that’s no…...
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GearThis Just In
This Just In
The Claim: Eddie Bauer invented quilted down jackets, but the brand lost the core outdoor audience decades ago. Enter First Ascent, its collection of gear developed by alpine guides. The MicroTherm Down Shirt claims to be ultimate lightweight insulation layer for the high country. The Test: As winter kicked off in fits and starts, the Down Shirt was my mid-layer for cold or windy days at Rocky Mountain and East Coast ski resorts. When I went for a hike in the foothills or a mountain bike ride, I packed this to stay warm after I stopped moving. The…...
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