Camp Dyneema Tricams .5-2 and Nano 23 wire gates

When looking to lighten your pack load, you look to eliminate redundancies. Why pack a 0 or 15 degree sleeping bag when you bring dry clothes anyways? Don’t you bring a down or synthetic parka? Wear it to bed and lighten your sleeping bag. Do you really need a full sleeping pad? Couldn’t you just use your pack, frame sheet, and a ¾ sleeping pad?
The same logic applies when packing an alpine rack. Sure the standard ovals or your basic D carabiners are cheaper, but “debate the weight”, you will want about 30 carabiners on a rack to hold your cams, nuts, pins, tri-cams and runners. Suddenly a 2.19 oz oval will multiply to 4.1 pounds! Or your standard wire gate comes in at 2.98 pounds. Enter the Camp Nano 23 (for 23 grams). Now you are looking at 1.5 pounds, a savings of 2.6 pounds for food or more protection.

However, do you really “need” more protection? Look at the range that a standard set of nuts cover and you will find some overlap. It’s nothing compared to the range you get from one cam, but in the Cascades you are more likely to find a wet /dirty/ ice filled crack which may not accept a cam. Passive pro can be your best bet.
By examining the range of my passive protection, I found a greater range with Camp’s .5-2 tri-cams and eliminated redundant nuts. Besides, you get mad style points for placing them in active camming mode.

Black Diamond Kilowatt Skis

These skis rip it up. I'm about 5'-10" tall and weigh roughly 185 - 190lbs and the 165cm length seems perfect. At a dimension of 125-95-112 mounted with Fritchi Express/Explore bindings, the Kilowatts blast through the rough stuff, float in the pow and charge down the groomers.





I will say that they do take some getting used to - especially if you're used to skinnier skis. They tend to wander in the flat compacted areas; so keeping on edge is a must. I will also say, that despite the width, they turn exceptionally fast... So fast sometimes, that it does take some more leg strength to pull through. I come from 15+ years of snowboarding and switched to skis last year - the wide platform is a nice blend of ski accessibility and performance and snowboard flotation and carving. We'll see how they work on the spring corn... (I anticipate radness)



-Brent W.

Stubai Universal Aluminum Crampons

There is a feeling of security I felt from having some steel crampons on a glacier climb. I would swear I stuck to the ice better and justified carrying the additional weight. Until I went up Glacier Peak during the hottest time in August. By then, the quickly receding snow and ice was well consolidated and bullet proof. My buddy had packed these Stubais and the performance was equal. He used these on Rainer just a month earlier and the only difference was they weighed half as much. I found my breaking point, physically on that climb and realized I could perform better with lighter gear that was just as functional.


Jim Nelson, author of Selected Climbs in the Cascades and owner of Pro Mountain Sports, swears by these crampons. After putting them to the test on Mt. Stuart, they stand up. When you are facing a long approach, in peak season, and wind up carrying them more than you are wearing them, this is the best all around crampon to have. The best perk is the bindings! Future boot purchases won't be dictated by crampon compatibility.

A note on the antiballing plates that are sold separately, skip them and use Teflon or duct tape instead. The $40 I threw down on the antibots was a waste. They snap on to the crampons but leave too much room for snow to get in between the the pons and your boots.

- Cody Hiatt