Stairway To Heaven, Provo Canyon

My friend Phil and I made plans about 6 months ago to head to the Tetons in early February to give the Black Ice Couloir on the Grand a go.  We had been told that climbing the Black Ice Couloir during the winter is the closest thing to climbing the Japanese Couloir on Denali as you can get in the states.  Both are at about the same elevation, both have about the same technical grade, and both have to deal with similar temperatures. Because the Cassin Ridge is on my "to do before I die" list, we thought it would be worth checking out.

As early February arrived, my wife (who is pregnant) started having consistent contractions.  She got a checkup and the doctor told us the baby could come at any time, even though it was still a couple months early.  I didn't feel comfortable taking off on a climbing trip and risking missing the birth of my first child, and not being around to help my wife during her time of need.  Phil understood and we canceled the trip.

After about a week of no action on the baby front, my wife started encouraging me to go to the Tetons and get this climb done (probably so she didn't have to hear my talk about it anymore, and because she is very supportive of my good habits).  Without too much effort, I was convinced and we started making plans to go again.  A busy week of work postponed it a week, but we were ready to go.

Another appointment with the doctor a couple days before we were to leave confirmed that taking off at this point was too risky.  My wife was partially dilated and mostly effaced, and the baby was a week away of being full-term.  I called Phil up to apologize again.  He understood and we made plans for a climb closer to home (since we both already had work off).

With that wordy introduction, here are some pictures and explanations of our climb of Stairway to Heaven in Provo Canyon:

Stairway to Heaven

Neither I nor Phil had ever climbed Stairway to Heaven.  In fact, we had never done any ice climbing in Provo Canyon.  Most of our ice climbing had either kept us closer to home, or led us to some larger mountains in Wyoming or deeper into the mountains of Utah.  But, with a baby coming soon, we decided to get on something bigger than Ogden had to offer, but close enough I could get back quickly if necessary.

Phil took a nasty 65 foot tumble on snowy 4th class terrain about 3 weeks ago while approaching a gully of ice in Ogden.  He smashed his face, knee, hip, elbow, and was bruised all over.  He walked away from the fall, quite battered and sore, but still able to walk.  He assumed he was just bruised all over, but even after 3 weeks, putting on a seatbelt hurt his hip and he still has some pain in various parts of his body that were banged up on his tumble.

As we approached the waterfall, our excitement grew.  We had heard stories that Stairway can be quite busy, so we were psyched to see that we had the waterfall all to ourselves.  Phil claimed the first pitch and I belayed.

Approaching the waterfall.

Phil half way up the first pitch.  Following the path of least resistance, P1 is WI3.  Picking a steeper line could take it to WI4.  Our path was probably WI3.

After leading the first pitch, Phil mentioned that his previous fall (from 3 weeks earlier) had gotten into his head a little, and that he'd like to top rope a pitch or two before he tried to lead something a little harder.  In addition to that, his knee, hip, and arm still hadn't totally healed.  So, I took pitch 2. 

Myself on P2.  I don't remember how long it was.  Maybe 80-100 feet.  WI4

Again P2.

Topping out on Pitch 2.

Myself heading up Pitch 3.  It was only yesterday and I have already forgotten how long it is.  I think about 80-100 feet and WI5 (according to Mountain Project, which only had the rating, not the length).  The length to the belay anchor is much longer than 80 feet.  It seemed like steeper climbing than the previous pitches, but not quite as steep as Pitch 5 which is also rated WI5.

Near the top of Pitch 3.  Because it had been climbed a lot previously, this pitch went really quickly and easily with minimal effort.  Happy hooking:)

My view from above Pitch 3.  I didn't get many pictures of Phil because I usually couldn't see him as he followed.  

After following a few pitches, Phil decided his head just wasn't in the game for the day and I gladly continued to lead.  Phil is every bit the ice climber I am and would have cruised these pitches just fine.  I've taken some falls, never as big or as bad as his recent fall, and took longer to recover and get back out climbing than he did.  I'm impressed at how quickly he was back at it and don't blame him one bit for letting someone else lead.

I didn't get any pictures of Pitch 4.  It was a shorter, albeit steep pillar.  I'd guess it was about 25-30 feet.  WI4.  This ended up being one of the more difficult sections for me, simply because I got a tool stuck and had to fight for about 5 minutes to get it out.  I swung the tool into a depression and sunk the pick fairly deep, with the top of the pick flush with the ice so I couldn't pry it up to get it out.  I tried and tried for a few exhausting minutes before I put a screw in, shook out, and went at it again.  I was afraid to chip at the ice above the pick for fear of having that pick (the one weight-bearing pick) come loose.  So, I sunk my other tool about 4 feet above my stuck tool, matched on the higher tool, hiked my feet high, and kicked at the ice.  Looking back, I think that was a pretty dumb thing to do.  I could have potentially kicked the tool loose and lost it into the snow below (which was really only about 20 feet below) and been stuck with one tool.  Oh well, it worked, I got the tool loose, and I topped out on the 30ish foot pillar, somewhat pumped and tired.  What normally would have taken 5 minutes to climb probably took about 20.  But I didn't get any pictures of this pitch and Phil didn't either.  I think he was watching intently, waiting for me to do something stupid and fall.

Anyway, I pulled over the top and got a look at Pitch 5, the crux of the pitches that were in.  We were hoping that they would be in up to Pitch 7, but no luck.  

After the short pillar on Pitch 4, there is a small snowfield and then some low-angle ice leading up to the P5 pillar.  I belayed at the base of the pillar.

This is another view of P5 on the descent.  It was a really fun pitch.  There were a few bulges that almost made the climbing feel a little overhung in places, though I doubt that was the case.

Myself traversing out onto the pillar.  I had gloved stuffed in my jacket.  I'm really not that fat.

The views of the canyon from this high were incredible.  There was ice all over the cliffs on both sides of the canyon.  I couldn't believe it.  There was as much ice in just this small section of canyon as there is in all of Ogden and its surrounding areas.  

With that said, I think I'd put Ogden's ice climbs up against almost any other ice climb of similar size and difficulty.  I'd put Malan's waterfall up against almost any 3-pitch, WI5 climb around.  I'd put Willard Waterfall up against almost any multi-pitch WI3 climb around.  The beauty of the surroundings and the exposure (of Malan's 2nd pitch in particular) make these climbs incredible and classics, in my opinion.

Ok, back to Stairway.

Phil at the belay.

Though Pitch 5 is steeper, there was a narrow runnel that allowed for a little bit of stemming lower on the pitch.  The whole pitch went pretty smooth.  Up high I got a tool stuck again (same way as before), but got it out much quicker this time with a little bit of chipping from the other tool.  It did wear me out though.  This pitch was about 100 feet of steep climbing, followed by about a 75 foot snowfield to the anchors.  There wasn't enough ice on pitches 6 or 7 to climb, unless we wanted to do some mixed climbing, which we weren't really prepared for (in time or enthusiasm).

More stemming.

A bit higher.

More of the same.

After topping out on P5, we started rapping back down.  At the top of P2, I dropped a glove which slid down over the edge of the waterfall.  We had to work around another group that was heading up, which led me to forget about the glove.  We rapped down to the bottom of the waterfall before I realized I forgot to find that glove.  Phil hadn't come all the way down yet, so he headed back up and I belayed myself back up while he looked for the glove.  By the time I'd climbed back up the first pitch, Phil had been looking for 15 minutes without any luck.

I decided to climb halfway up the 2nd pitch to see if I could find the glove.

The glove slid down through the gully that is just up and right from where I am on this climb.  When I peeked my head up over the ice, the glove was sitting right there smiling at me.  This glove was a recent gift from my wife for Valentine's Day.  There was no way I could have gone home without it.  I'm grateful to her for the gloves.  They worked incredibly well on this climb.  Rab M14 gloves.  I recommend them.

Why luck is so important in the mountains!

I just watched two videos of some very lucky people in the mountains.  There have been many times in my own life when I got back to the car after a climb and thought, "Wow, I'm lucky to be alive."  Well, these climbers, especially the ice climber, are about as lucky as they come.

Another view of the same avalanche can be found on this website:

http://slc-samurai.blogspot.com/2012/06/denali-part-4-messner-avalanche.html

Pretty crazy. Here's another one.

Unbelievably close!  Getting out into the mountains is great, of course, but be careful!  Lots of ways one can die.  I'm sure, especially in this situation, there were a lot of reasons why this guy should never have been in this situation, but a little luck has allowed him to learn from his mistakes (hopefully) and climb another day.

To all you Ogdenites, be careful.  The snakes are out in force.  A good friend of mine took off the other day to solo a big climb and stepped on a rattlesnake less than two minutes into the approach.  He then ran into many more.  Phil and I ran into two rattlesnakes the other day coming off a big 12hr climb. 

Anyway, everybody have fun and be safe! 

Ice Climbing Anchor tips from the American Alpine Institute

Recently the American Alpine Institute has posted tips for building anchors for ice climbing.  These tips aren't ground-breaking new information, just good, safe technique.  I find any information on anchor building to be helpful, either as a review or for learning the first time.  When I first started trad- and ice climbing, I was constantly reading books and articles about building anchors.

Anyway, I thought these were helpful posts, so I thought I'd pass them on.

Part 1: http://alpineinstitute.blogspot.com/2012/06/ice-anchors-part-1.html

Part 2: http://alpineinstitute.blogspot.com/2012/06/ice-anchors-part-2.html

Arc'teryx I-340a Harness Review

*You can read this review and others at http://www.gearthirty.com/blog/2012/06/08/arcteryx-i-340a-harness-review/.  You can also find information on hiking, climbing, and paddling destinations and outdoor news from around the world.  Please check out www.gearthirty.com.

Let me preface this review by saying that I am not really a harness specialist.  I have been using the same harness for years and years.  In fact, my BD harness was 7 years old before I replaced it (wouldn't recommend that and neither would BD).  I was so nervous about climbing in that harness that I would borrow one of Phil's when we would climb together.  I have hung in most BD, Petzl, and Arc'teryx harnesses on the market, but I have only climbed in the BD Focus and Xenos harnesses, and the Arc'teryx X-350a and I-340a harnesses (and various ultralight webbing harnesses while mountaineering).  When it comes to all of the harnesses on the market, I can't tell you which one is best.  But, if you're debating about one of the harnesses mentioned above, this may be helpful.

The Stats and Features

From Arc'teryx's Website

The I·340a is an ice specialist with the ultimate combination of lightness, suppleness and support. A wide Warp Strength® Technology swami gives greater support without adding weight. Brawny tie-in point adds more critical strength where needed and adjustable leg loops are patterned with an anatomical conical shape for greater comfort while hanging. Fourteen slots present more options for clipping ice screws.

Harness Features

• Two drop seat buckles
• Wear safety markers on belay loop and tie-in points
• WST™ load is evenly supported across entire harness structure
• Low-profile webbing haul/gear loop
• Fourteen ice clipper slots
• Belay loop
• Thermoformed tie-in point
• Self locking buckle
• Extra Large width WST™ (Warp Strength Technology™) swami belt
• Four injection molded reversible/ removable gear loops
• Adjustable leg loops
• $170, ouch

My Experience

I have been using this harness for the past two months and I can't say enough about it.  The few complaints I had about the X350a harness have been remedied and, in my opinion and according to my limited knowledge on harness design, this harness couldn't get much better.

This harness is light, flat, and supple enough that hiking in it is very comfortable, even while wearing a backpack with a wide, padded hipbelt.  The gear loops on the hipbelt are removable and reversible, so if one were to do a lot of hiking with a backpack, the plastic could be removed for increased comfort.

Arc'teryx's Warp Strength Technology makes this harness very comfortable to hang in.  In my experience,  the BD Xenos was as comfortable or maybe slightly more comfortable than the X350a, but also a little heavier and bulkier.  Well, I would have to now say that the I-340a is more comfortable than either of these other harnesses.  I think this is due to a wider swami belt and a slightly different shape of the leg loops.  I have also found that it breathes a little better than the Xenos.

One gripe I had (and so did Phil) with the X350a was that the ice clipper slots were just a little too big for my BD ice clippers.  This meant that the little flange on the ice clipper that is meant to keep the ice clipper oriented properly wouldn't catch, and the ice clipper would rotate through the clipper slot and hang funny.  This problem has been remedied by making the ice clipper slots out of elastic.  This means that the slots are tight enough to catch the flange and keep the ice clipper oriented properly.  The elastic also has multiple slots so that multiple ice clippers can be used and you can customize the position of the clipper.

Photos and Explanations

Arc'teryx I-340a Harness.  This harness has 4 gear loops, many ice clipper slots, and comfortable, warp strength technology.  This harness is a size Large.  I have a waist of about 34 inches and this size fits well with and without layers under it.

Self-locking buckles.  No need to double back.

These ice clipper slots are made of elastic which allow one to use any ice clipper or carabiner to rack ice screws or hold tools.

Removable gear loops.  You can remove the plastic, or you can switch it so that they're angled in the opposite direction.

Switching/removing plastic gear loop.  If using a harness with a backpack that has a big hipbelt, it is more comfortable to carry the pack without the plastic gear loops.  It is a nice option, but it is a pain to remove them. It's not particularly easy and I'd hate to try to do it in the field with cold hands or gloves.  Luckily, the gear loops hang down far enough that the hipbelt on my pack doesn't cover the plastic.

BD Ice clipper.

The flange on the BD ice clipper helps to keep the clipper oriented properly.  These ice clippers don't work very well with the X350a but do with the BD Xenos and I-340a.  In my opinion, the Petzl ice clippers are better than the BDs anyway, and will work well on any harness that has ice clipper slots, no matter what size they are.

You can also use carabiners as ice clippers, but they don's stay oriented as well as the real deal.

The belay loop and tie-in points are reinforced and have wear markers for safety.  Or, in other words, when they start to wear out, you will see red showing through.

Some of the ice clipper slots are too far forward and the ice screws hang in the way of one's leg.  When ice climbing and the teeth of the screws are exposed, that can be a problem.  That's only a problem on the right side.  Easy to avoid.  Just don't use them.

Screws in the way of one's leg.

This is one of the lightest and smallest, full-featured alpine climbing harness.  About the size of a nalgene.

This harness weighs 13.8oz with its stuff sack in a size large; 13.4oz without it.

The Verdict

This is the best harness I have used up to this point.  Admittedly, I haven't used a ton of harnesses, but I have used a few.  The only down side is the price.  $170 is definitely not cheap.  But, if you spend a lot of time in a harness and you want to make sure you're comfortable, this is worth it, in my opinion.

A Fairly Successful Trip to the Cirque of the Towers

I just got back from a fairly successful trip to the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind Rivers, Wyoming.  The original plan was to climb a couple new ice and mixed lines that we had noticed a few years ago.  These lines have caused many a sleepless night.  One of them looked to be about 1000 ft of WI 4-5 M5 or so, the other looked significantly harder.  Unfortunately, after 15 miles of snowmobiling to the trailhead and 10 miles of skinning with heavy packs, we found that neither of the lines are in.  In fact, there was hardly any ice to be found in the cirque.

It took a few hours for the bad news to sink in before we were making alternative plans.  We decided to climb Pingora the next day via the South Buttress Route (left crack of k-crack variation; 4 pitches, 5.8, 500ft).  We only brought rigid boots, so the crux pitch that goes from a hand to finger crack was a little saucy.  It was a really fun route, though, and the weather was very nice.

On the way down from the climb, Phil noticed an ice line on a smaller mountain (not sure of the name; it's the lump of a peak just below overhanging tower in the picture below)

This ice line became our objective for the next day.  It didn't look too difficult or very big, but it was, as far as we could find, the only climbable ice in the whole cirque.

The next morning we woke up to very strong winds (approximately 60mph gusts) and cold temperatures. It was very difficult to want to get out of our sleeping bags.  When we finally got ready and skinned across the cirque to our new line, the wind had calmed a bit and the sun would occasionally peek out from the clouds.  We thought the ice section of the climb looked about 200ft tall, but when we got up to it, it was only about 115ft or so.  

Because Phil had led the majority of the rock pitches the previous day, I got the honors to lead this pitch.  The ice was pretty thin, only taking stubbies in most places.  The ice started out with about 20ft of lower-angle steps until it steepened up to about WI4 difficulty for about 100ft.  The climb narrowed near the top and required some exciting, slightly trickier footwork to climb up and around a final rock bulge to a decent belay.

The second pitch was a 200ft gully of 65-degree unconsolidated snow.  We decided to stay roped and protect it with rock gear just in case the snow slid.  The first 15 feet was 10 minutes of wallowing before I wisened up and decided to use the rock to make progress.  There were nice cracks in the rock all the way up the gully, allowing for rock gear placements every 40 feet or so.  I climbed about half on the rock and half on the snow.  Every time I would commit again to the snow, my progress stopped.  I finally reached the end of the gully and my rope and found a good rock to sit on for a hip belay.  Phil and I scrambled another 200 vertical feet to the summit and decided that was probably the only first ascent we would have in the cirque this year.  We then headed back to our skis and skied back to camp.

The trip was totally worth the effort (I say that now that I am home, rested, and have eaten a good meal), but there was a lot of effort involved.  To approach the trailhead involved two snowmobiles and about 15 miles of riding.  This wouldn't have been difficult but we had many problems with the sled we were pulling and we occasionally got one of the snowmobiles stuck (Neither Phil nor I have much experience with snowmobiles).

Upon reaching the trailhead, we put our skis on and started the 10-mile slog into the cirque.  My pack was about 60 pounds (I brought way too much food) and Phil's pack was about 20 pounds and was pulling a 50ish pound sled with most of the climbing and group gear.  It was a long, slow hike full of blisters and sled frustrations.

Good rock climbing and the discovery of this small ice line saved the trip for us.  We are still crossing our fingers that the other ice lines will form on another, wetter year, but it is a long way to go just to be disappointed.  Who knows, maybe next year.

I'll post pictures and videos of the trip soon.

I'll be gone for a week

Phil and I have been planning a climbing trip for the last six months or so, and the time has finally arrived.     So, I'll be in the mountains until next Saturday and won't be able to post.  Hopefully we'll return with some good pictures.

See you next Saturday.

A few thoughts on the Scarpa Phantom Guide Boots

*You can also read this review at http://www.gearthirty.com/blog/2012/05/04/a-few-thoughts-on-the-scarpa-phantom-guide-boots/.  You can also find information on hiking, climbing, and paddling destinations; how-to articles; and local, national, and world news from the outdoor industry.  Please check out www.gearthirty.com.

I mentioned about a month ago that I now have Scarpa Phantom Guide boots in my possession to test out.  After a month of testing, I now have a couple comments to share.  I plan to write a much longer, more comprehensive review of them in a few more weeks after I get a few thousand more feet of climbing done in them. 

I have currently done about 1,500 feet of ice climbing, about 200 feet of rock climbing (without crampons) and about 15 miles of hiking in them.  That is not a ton, which is why I want to climb and hike in them more before totally reviewing them. 

So far, here are a few thoughts:

The Phantom Guides have a softer shank than I was expecting.  This makes hiking nice but I was afraid that it may cause problems with the fit of my crampons.  So far I haven't had any problems with crampon fit due to the little bit of give in the shank, but the narrowness of the front welt means that only my dartwins fit well.  My Grivel G14 bars are too wide, but I haven't tried the bars from the G20 or G22.  Black Diamond bars are a better fit, but still not as solid as the Petzl bars.  Once my darts are on the boot and snug, there is absolutely no give in the shank.  I think that it is a very good design; a little give for the hike, no give for the climb.

Phantom Guide seems to fit well with the Petzl bars on my Dartwins.

Another thing that I am extremely impressed with is the fit in the heel.  These boots really lock my heels down.  500 feet of steep ice gets my calves burning in my other boots, but these boots lock my heels down so well, I haven't noticed any calf burning at all.

I did about six 150' laps without the slightest bit of calf burning.  That same amount would have meant burning calves in my other boots.  Climbing WI4+ ice in these boots really felt effortless.

I generally wear a size 45-46 in most boots.  These boots are a 46 and, though they seem to be the right length, they are a higher volume boot than I was expecting.  There are a couple advantages and disadvantages to the extra volume.  (My foot is not extremely narrow, nor is it very wide, but it is a little bit lower volume than the average foot)

First of all, I notice my forefoot sliding around laterally a bit in these boots while I hike, especially on the downhill.  This isn't usually too much of a problem, but my feet did get a little sore after traversing a steep slope for about 45 minutes.  My heels don't slip one bit while hiking or climbing.

Second, these boots don't seem to be as warm as my single leather boots (Salomon Super Mtn 9).  I was expecting them to be warmer, but I think the additional volume means there is more room for my feet to keep warm, which isn't as efficient.

For the advantages, the higher volume boot does allow me to wear a combination of thicker socks which helps with the warmth factor and the lateral sliding (though it doesn't solve the problem).

Finally, the higher volume is slightly more comfortable than the narrower fit of my Salomons for general trail hiking.  The Salomons seem to hold my foot in place better on traverses, but the majority of the hiking I have done in them has been on trails while hiking to a climb.

These boots feel significantly lighter than my Salomons and feel much more sensitive, especially while rock climbing.  I am much more confident edging on rock in these. 

I love the built-in gaiters.  I normally hike with semi-loose boots to the climb, and then tighten my boots just before I get on the ice.  This also means that I usually have to untie my pant-gaiters to tighten my boots.  With these boots I don't have to use my pants as gaiters (though I still occasionally may) so it's easier and faster to adjust the tightness of my boots.

Another advantage to the gaiters is that they keep the boots very dry.  These boots are insulated with Primaloft and they use OutDry technology for the waterproof gaiter.  This, in my experience, makes for a waterproof, extremely quick-drying boot.  My leather boots dry quite slowly (think a day at room temperature) and these boots dry in an hour or two at room temperature, depending how much I sweat in them.

Super-gaiter outer with Tizip waterproof zip

Again, my experience with these boots is still somewhat limited, but I plan to climb in them quite a bit in a couple weeks and I hope to have a much more conclusive opinion after that trip.

A Little About Myself

I just realized this morning that I have been writing this blog for almost two months, but most people still don't know much about me.  I'm not sure if this will give me more credibility or less, but I still think that it is important for people to understand a little about me before they decide whether or not to trust my opinions.  So here we go. . .

I am 25 years old and have been active in the outdoors my whole life.  I rock climb, ice climb, mountain bike, road bike, trail run, canyoneer, ski, snowshoe, etc.  I am most passionate about rock, ice, and alpine climbing, but I use all of the other activities as training.

I have been rock climbing for about 13 years, ice climbing for 5 years, and combining the two for a couple years.

I've been mountain biking for 15 years, many of which include competitive racing.  I have been road biking for about 7 years, most of which have included competitive racing.

 I started skiing when I was 10, which soon became an addiction.  I bought a season pass to Snowbasin every winter through junior high and high school and averaged between 50 and 70 days of skiing per year.  My desire to ski more technical terrain and find better snow led me to the backcountry, and the majority of my skiing in the last five years has been backcountry or side-country skiing.

I don't claim to be a runner, but I have done a decent amount of running over the last 10 years. I originally started running competitively in school, but that has evolved to mostly trail running.  I ran a 28-mile trail race last year and really enjoyed it and considered getting more involved in ultra-marathons, but I realized that I enjoy climbing, biking, and skiing more than running, so I mainly run to stay in shape for the other activities.

I have also been a gear addict since I was about 8 and would order catalogs from all the main outdoor companies and compare all their products.  I got a job at a local outdoor retail store at 16 and worked their for a total of 5 years, with a 2-year break in the middle.  I didn't make any money while I was there; most everything that I made went straight toward gear.  I have worked at the Weber State University Outdoor Program for 4 years as a trip leader/guide, and in their rental shop for about a year.

I have taught mountaineering and backpacking courses at Weber State for 3-4 years and have led (not guided) climbing trips to places like the Tetons and Mt. Rainier and have guided some outings around Ogden.

I married my beautiful wife last year.  She is an avid backpacker, hiker, and road biker.  Last year, her first year of road biking, she decided to ride in the LOTOJA with me, which is a 206-mile race from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming.  Being her first race, she wasn't expecting much, but ended up taking 1st place in her age group.

I have never been a world-class anything, but I've always been pretty active in just about everything. The hardest climbing I have done is V7 bouldering, 5.13- sport, 5.11 trad, WI5 ice (WI5 ice feels fairly easy, but I've never had the chance to lead harder), M7 mixed.  I have spent a decent amount of time climbing in the Tetons and Wind Rivers, but the majority of my climbing has been in Ogden and Salt Lake.

While looking for gear, I have always found it helpful to read other people's opinions on a particular product, the good and the bad.  I find it especially helpful when that person has similar interests as I do.  I also find it helpful to see lots of pictures, including pictures of the person wearing/using the products.  These are all things that I have tried and will continue to try to incorporate in this blog.

I hope this information will help you understand a little more about my background and the focus of this blog and help you decide whether or not this will be a helpful resource for you.

Thank you to everybody that has started to follow this blog!  It definitely helps me stay motivated to write and share when I know others are benefitting from it.  Please feel free to share your opinions with me and let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to hear about or gear you would like to have reviewed.  I'll do my best, as money and time allows, to address those things.

Thanks again,

Greg, Gear:30

Marmot Zion (Neoshell) Jacket Review

My friend, main climbing partner, and fellow gear addict Phil graciously agreed to write a review on his Marmot Zion Jacket.  I have eyed this jacket all winter with envy and was anxious to get an in-depth summary of his thoughts.  Here they are:

Marmot Zion Jacket

Phil ice climbing in his Marmot Zion Jacket

Size Large

Catalog weight:  18oz (probably a medium, maybe a small)

Scale weight: 28oz (large); Really, Marmot? Really?  10oz difference?  I guess maybe if they measured a small.

W.L. Gore and Associates patented their first WPB fabric circa 1976 and revolutionized the outdoor clothing industry. Many companies since then have worked to improve the waterproof-breathable category with some nominal improvements (mostly in the total weight of the membrane/treatment and the face fabric that they match it to), but you and I both know that waterproof AND breathable usually aren’t on speaking terms when you’re out huffing it up some canyon. Sure some fabrics will lose that clammy feeling within a few minutes or they may have some pit zips that alleviate the symptoms but unless temps are really low and/or you are not sweating, feeling clammy comes with adding a shell.

Well. . . that’s not exactly the case anymore. Polartec’s new Neoshell membrane has come a long way from our old and beloved Gore-tex partners.

Hiking uphill, 20 degree weather, comfortable in t-shirt and Zion Jacket

For disclosure purposes, I sweat. I sweat a lot! When hiking up to our usual ice cragging area with temps in the 20’s and only wearing a t-shirt, I drip sweat from my brow, my back, my legs, and usually have some beading up on my forearms. I know that is gross. I understand; my wife tells me about it occasionally. However, you need to know that in order to understand how great Neoshell is. This past winter I have used Marmot’s Zion Jacket (featuring neoshell) almost exclusively (I have dabbled in dry-Q elite). With the Zion Jacket I make that same approach wearing my usual silkweight long-sleeve tee, plus the Zion! The results? I still sweat a ton…. But now it gets moved outside the jacket like I’ve been promised it would by so many other fabrics for so long! I dump my pack to get racked up and I’m already dry. Literally.

But enough about the fabric (which is awesome), the jacket as a whole deserves some consideration.

6'3", 185lbs, Zion Jacket in size Large

Hood is a little tight across the mouth/lips with helmet on

I am 6’3” 185lbs. and I have the Zion in a large. The medium fit well, ridiculously well in fact, but had one drawback: on the official harness/jacket untuck meter it was a 9 (totally un-tucked from the harness within 2 ice moves and moving over my gearloops). So I compromised by going with the large that bellows out a little above a harness or hipbelt because of the additional volume (not too much of a compromise in my opinion). Dave Searle's un-tuck meter: http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-2-pence-on-midlayers-by-dave-searle.html

Marmot paired the neoshell membrane with a super comfy liner fabric (think brushed suede or butter-jersey) and a burly shell fabric that will probably hurt the rock more than the rock will hurt it. It is a soft-shell format that most other companies aren’t doing with neoshell. At first I was a little disappointed with the heavy-handed construction, but have found solace in a few key facts:

First and foremost, the Zion has impressive insulative properties. Good enough in fact to help eliminate a mid layer piece in your layering system. This helps compensate for the heavier nature of this shell without sacrificing too much versatility (more layers can usually handle a broader temperature range) because of how breathable it is – it acts like your midlayer, with the benefit of being stormproof. For example, a normal layering system could be MHW’s wicked lite long tee (5.6oz), Patagucci’s R1 Hoody (12.8oz), and Arcteryx’s Alpha Lt (super sick and 12.9oz); total weight 31.3oz. A layering system with the Zion that will easily handle upper teens and low 20’s while climbing is as follows: MHW’s wicked lite long tee (5.6oz), and the Zion (28oz). That’s it. Simple, and with a total weight of 33.6oz. I figure for 2oz more I have a broader range of comfort without having to stop and remove or add layers. That's pretty sweet. The best part is, when the jacket is on, I really don't notice the extra weight; and this jacket rarely comes off.  If you are venturing into colder climes take the R1 and the Zion (40.8oz for an action suit that will take you to around 0˚ F).

Second, the face fabric has and will continue to stand up to my abuse. I have scuffed this jacket against Ogden quartzite and SLC granite without any sign of wear.

Lastly, the combination of fabrics is exceptionally stormproof and doesn’t make that awful hardshell noise. ‘Nuf said.

The Zion includes 5 pockets: 2 handwarmer pockets, 1 napoleon pocket, 1 sleeve pocket, and 1 internal pocket. All are fleece lined and very comfortable. The two handwarmers are spacious enough for keeping your lead gloves warm and dry and to stash your skins in, while the napoleon is big enough to hold a 12oz drink along with your lip balm and has a headphone portal. I have found that the sleeve pocket works great to hold GU packets or chomps and the internal pocket never gets used. The Velcro adjustment at the cuff works very well for the wrap-around tab configuration they used.  The hood is helmet compatible, and has two adjustments: the usual hood aperture pulls and a rear circumference pull cord help you batten down the hatches and take out volume.

Harness/Hipbelt-compatible pockets with water-resistant zips

One internal zip pocket and soft brushed lining

Now for everyone’s favorite part…the nitpicking!

The two handwarmer pockets that are purported to be hipbelt compatible have a problem I find happens a lot among climbing jackets. The upper portion of the pocket is visible and usable above a harness; still, the lower offending portion is cut off – effectively making the pocket opening smaller. Such is the case with the Zion’s pockets. Though to be fair, the zipper pull is at the top in the closed position so the pockets really are usable with a harness on.

 In my opinion, and for my head, the hood is a little low on volume. With the hood up over a helmet and fully zipped, my chin and lips abut the zipper area forcefully enough for me to usually keep the zipper slightly undone. If it were a perfect hood, it would fit over my helmet, fully zipped, with some room inside to make adjustments or at least offer some more stretch in the fabric.

The last thing is the fit. Like I said, the medium offered a much more trim fit which I usually look for, but the angel-wing technology failed a bit and it would come untucked. The large has extra volume in strange areas that l notice when I’m at home critiquing the jacket, but actually really don't notice when I’m out using it. However, the angel-wing mumbo-jumbo still fails compared to my standard - the Arcteryx Alpha. The Alpha's hem moves about 3" from arms down to arms up. In contrast the Zion moves at least 5". When pinned under a harness the stretch of the fabric helps in this area. In Marmot's defense (I really like their products), many of their other jackets that I own don't move nearly as much as the Zion.

At least 5" of lift in the hem when arms are raised.  I guess they forgot the angel-wing on this one.

All in all this is a very nice jacket. As with all pieces of gear, it could be improved upon. Anyone can take their favorite piece of kit and say, "if this small problem was fixed, this would be perfect." This jacket falls under that category. Yet, even the way it is made right now, it does what I want all gear to do: go unnoticed. I don’t ever have to think, “I’m starting to overheat I’d better fiddle with my pit zips/take off a layer,” or “this is way more wet than I expected, I wish I had brought my hardshell.” And that is well worth its few short comings.

Overall I would give the jacket 4 stars out of 5.  I love everything about this jacket except the minor hood issue and that I had to get a large to keep it tucked into my harness.  It easily establishes itself among the best winter ice and alpine climbing jackets available.