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

Arc'teryx Acto MX Hoody Review

One day, while reading Jason Kruk's blog, I came across these lines:  "If you read through the archives of this website you will see a distinct lack of gear reviews or blatant product placement. I don't really roll that way. . . .   As an alpine climber, . . . you gotta use the best stuff.  Simple.  Consider this a public service announcement: You need to know about the new Arc'teryx Acto Jacket!"


http://blog.jasonkruk.net/2011/09/acto-psa.html

Arc'teryx Acto MX Hoody, Cardinal Red, $300 retail

I read further and by the end of the post, I was 99.9% sold.  I "needed" to get my hands on an Acto.  Soon after that I came across a second blog post about the Acto, this time from Dane at Cold Thistle.  He said, among other things, "After seeing the Acto I can say I am a little disappointed on the fit and detailing on this $300 garment. And like my previous garment before it, I am not sure I can find a place in my clothing system, either climbing or skiing, that the Acto makes much sense compared to others I now use . . . .   The Acto promises a lot and doesn't do much for me @ $300. The Gamma MX seems a steal at $350 by comparison as does the Epsilon SV Hoody @ $225. "


http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-arcteryx-soft-shell.html


After that post, I was 65% sold on the Acto.  Maybe I trust people's opinions too easily.  But Jason said he had climbed in Patagonia with it and it worked great for him.  I decided the best way (though also the most expensive way) to figure it out was to get one for myself and try it out.  So, I tried one on at Backcountry, decided I needed a Large (I'm 6'2", 185lbs, and Medium fits me well in most other Arc'teryx products).  The medium was just a bit too tight to layer and too short in the torso, which is weird for me because I have a short torso (18").  A month later I was the proud owner of a red Acto MX Hoody.

Size Large with climbing helmet layered over NWAlpine spider hoody.  Fit is trim.  I'm 6'2", 185lbs.

I'm sure, at this point, you understand that I am a bit partial to Arc'teryx products.  Back in the day I had a lot of Moonstone, Mountain Hardwear, and Marmot product.  I never bought Arc'teryx because I couldn't afford it.  Finally, I got a good deal on the Gamma MX Hoody, and I was totally sold on the quality of Arc'teryx.  After that point, I made affording their product a priority.  I have a number of Arc'teryx pieces now, but I'm happy to say that I don't buy exclusively Arc'teryx product.  I shop around through all the brands for what I feel is the best product and buy that.  I still have a number of newer products from Marmot, OR, Rab, NWAlpine, Mountain Hardwear, Mammut and others.  I do still find that attention to detail is usually a bit higher in Arc'teryx products.  Price usually is too.

In the Field

Anyway, I took the Acto snowshoeing the day after I got it.  The weather was in the mid 20s and partly cloudy.  While hiking through the trees I felt comfortable in just a baselayer and the Acto.  It wasn't until I started going  up a long, steep uphill section that I started to overheat.  Pretty soon, however, we were out of the trees and into the wind (about 30 mph gusts).  Whatever sweat I had worked up quickly dried and I was back to comfortable.  I ended up hiking comfortably the rest of the day in just the baselayer and Acto.  The Acto quickly became my go-to jacket for snowshoeing.


A day or two later I took the Acto on its first ice climb.  On previous trips I had climbed in a baselayer, the NWAlpine Black Spider lt hoody, and a gore-tex shell.  This time it was about 20 degrees, slightly windy, and I decided to try just a baselayer and the Acto.  I'd throw on the Atom lt at belays.  I felt totally comfortable the whole time I was climbing.  I even stood under a dripping part of the waterfall for about 10 minutes to check out the water resistance.  Thanks to a good DWR, the water rolled right off.  The little bit of water that didn't roll off quickly froze and fell off.  The Acto quickly became my go-to jacket for Ice Climbing.

Ice Climbing, 4am, Ogden, Utah

A week or so later, my wife said she wanted to climb the Pfeifferhorn in Little Cottonwood Canyon.  Last year we got caught and spent the night (in a tent) in a nasty blizzard on the south face of Ben Lomond.  That trip convinced her she didn't want to go with me to Mt. Rainier anymore.  So when she suggested we go on a winter climb of the Pfeifferhorn, I was very pleasantly surprised.  While packing for that trip, I took the Atom lt out of my pile of clothes and replaced it with the Acto.  It was a hard decision to make.  The Atom and I have become very close over the last few years.  I didn't wear the Acto the first night as we were hiking to red pine lake.  I had a heavy pack and I was comfortable in just a baselayer.  But the next morning I put on the Acto at our camp and didn't take it off again until we had climbed the Pfeifferhorn and were almost back to the car.  The temperature was about 25 degrees that day but very windy, and I was totally comfortable in the acto the whole day.  When hiking up steep slopes, I unzipped the front zip a little.  When resting in the wind, I zipped it up and tightened the hood.  I don't think I got sweaty on that trip, except under my pack.  The Acto quickly became my go-to jacket for mountaineering.

The summit of the Pfeifferhorn, Kelsey in Atom lt Hoody, Me in Acto MX Hoody

The Jacket

The Arc'teryx Acto MX Hoody is designed to be a very breathable, but protective jacket for high-energy exercise in cold weather.  It is made of Aerius Gridloft, which is a lightweight grid fleece laminated to a wind- and water-resistant shell fabric.  Or in other words, take the Patagonia R1 Hoody and make it highly water- and wind-resistant, but don't take away very much of its breathability.

The wind- and water-resistance is due to the tightness of the weave of the face fabric, not a membrane (like windstopper or conduit, etc).  Therefore, it breathes significantly better, though it doesn't block all of the wind.  I would guess, based on my own experience, that it blocks about 95% of the wind.  That 5% that it does let in helps to move water vapor out of the garment and speeds up drying if somebody has already sweat.

The features of this jacket are simple:  two chest pockets, a helmet-compatible hood with two-way adjustment (Needs a different adjustment system, imo.  More about that later), and that's about it.  I absolutely love the simplicity of this jacket.  No pockets where a harness or hipbelt go.  No pit zips (not necessary)  The seams are taped to increase comfort while wearing as a midlayer, not for increased water resistance.  The cuffs and hem are impeccably finished, but I think Arc'teryx could improve the function of those as well.

Two mesh-backed chest pockets

Abrasion resistance on this jacket has been top-notch so far, though it is only about 2 months old.  I have dry-tooled in it and scraped up against rocks and bricks and so far no sign of wear.  Time will tell, I guess.

This Jacket is beautiful.  While ice climbing in it, I ran into a friend.  From about 50 feet away while hiking up toward us he said, "Dang.  What jacket is that?  That looks nice!"  And then he inspected it for about 5 minutes.  And the compliments keep coming.  Pretty much wherever I wear this jacket, people are making comments about how nice it looks.

The Gripes

I love this jacket and I use it almost everytime I go into the mountains, but it's not perfect.  First of all, the cuffs and hem that i said were finished so nicely, need a little work.  I thought I'd love the cuffs (because Arc'teryx always nails the cuffs - see Atom lt), but I don't like that they're not adjustable.  When I climb in them, they're great.  But when I want to put the jacket on or take it off, I have to take my gloves off as well.  I didn't think that would be a problem, but I was surprised how often I would get slightly annoyed that I couldn't get my jacket off with gloves on.  Maybe if they were just a little stretchier.  I'm not sure the best solution, but the cuffs need a little work.

The hem also needs work.  There is no hem drawcord on this jacket.  Again, I didn't think I would care about this when I first got the jacket, but because I usually use this as my outerlayer, I would like to be able to keep cold wind out of the jacket a little better.  A hem drawcord would be nice.

Hem, Cuff, and Material detail

Finally, I think that the hood needs a little work.  It works pretty well while wearing a climbing helmet, but I can't seem to get the hood adjusted right when I'm not wearing one.  I like a hood to move with my head when I turn.  This one doesn't very well, especially without a helmet.  The size of the hood is perfect, but they need a drawcord to cinch the hood to the head from behind.  Again, I'm not sure exactly what the best solution is, but I think the hood needs work.  Arc'teryx has been making the best products for years, I'm sure they could figure something out.

Helmet-compatible hood with two adjustments.  The lower adjustment takes volume out of the hood when not wearing a helmet.  The other adjustment cinches hood around the face.  I think a third cinch from the back of the head would help when not wearing a helmet.

The Verdict

Though not the perfect jacket, there is something to be said about a jacket that is my first choice for almost every outdoor trip, from ice climbing to snowshoeing to mountaineering to looking good at the movies.  This jacket has all but replaced by Gore-tex shell, occasionally replaced my Atom lt, and totally replaced all my other fleece midlayers.

The material is top-notch.  I haven't ever seen or used a better softshell (Arc'teryx calls it a hard fleece) for high-aerobic activities, including my gamma mx hoody.  If I expect to be in absolutely horrendous weather, I still take the waterproof shell.  For everything else, I take the Acto.

Worth its $300 retail price?  I guess that totally depends on your income and how much time you spend in the outdoors.  If  you have $300 to spend on a softshell, this would be a great way to go.  If buying this means your family goes hungry, probably not.

I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.  5 out of 5 stars for the fabric, but 4 out of 5 overall.

Getting Out, Winter Layering intro.

A couple nights ago my friend Phil and I decided that a drytooling session was in order.  After a month (December) of great ice climbing in Ogden, UT, the weather turned a bit fickle and drytooling has become the best option.  A few days after Christmas, the weather went from nighttime lows in the teens and low 20s to lows in the mid 30s and highs near 50 degrees.  This continued for about a week and then got cold again.  After four days of cold weather, Phil and I headed up to Malan's Waterfall.  The skies were covered with clouds that morning and the temperatures hovered around 30 degrees F.  The ice definitely looked thinner than a couple weeks previous, but we both agreed it looked thick enough to safely climb.  While I was leading the lower pitch (the only pitch that was in), a refrigerator sized chunk of ice fell off one of the upper pitches and hit the top of the first pitch, about 50 feet left of where I was climbing.  It shattered  and sent shards (baseball-size shards) of ice at Phil and me.  Once at the top of the route, I quickly belayed Phil up to me and we rapped off the route and called it a day.

First Pitch of Malan's Waterfall (WI4+ according to Mountainproject, 140ft)

I haven't been ice climbing since that day.  Don't get me wrong, I wasn't scared off.  I can't wait to get back on the ice!  However, school has since started back up, Phil is back to work full-time (which means we will start our 3am assaults again soon), and the weather has been too warm!  In order to try to stay in shape, I have been snowshoeing (still not enough snow for good backcountry skiing), doing pull-ups on hangboards and ice tools, doing push-ups and crunches, and running. 

Nearing the top of Ben Lomond with Kelsey

On our way back from Lewis Peak

The primary focus of this winter has been about perfecting our systems--not only our technical systems (building anchors, transitions between pitches, etc), but also our physical bodies (though perfecting is far from what is happening to my body) and our clothing and gear systems.  Perfecting one's system is critical for moving fast, light, and safe in the mountains.  In the past, I have been held back from moving fast for these three reasons (one or the other, not usually all three reasons at the same time).  We have a relatively big objective in mind this winter, and having our systems dialed could be the difference between success and failure.
The next few posts will focus on my clothing system and some other good options.