A look back at this winter's favorite gear

I can't help it.  It's been 70 degrees and sunny in Ogden and my  mind is automatically shifting from ice to rock climbing.  I have been trying to stay focused on ice climbing because I have a trip coming up to some higher mountains and bigger lines.  I have been watching ice climbing videos, training on my ice tools, and playing with my other ice climbing gear, but the whole time I'm dreaming about all the long rock routes I want to do this summer.

So, as ice season is passing in Ogden, I want to briefly reflect on my favorite gear from this winter.  This is gear that has been with me on pretty much every outing and I am very happy with.  I will also add a few pieces of gear that Phil has been using all winter and loving.  I will not be adding pieces that I have taken climbing out of default (because I have no other option).  This is all gear that I love and therefore CHOOSE to take with me instead of a different option.

I have been able to ice climb about 30 days this winter, which isn't a ton, but I feel pretty happy with it, considering I'm a full-time student and in the process of opening a business.

The Gear

Black Diamond Torque Gloves- These gloves are awesome!  The grip is incredible and the dexterity is hard to beat.  I layer a light merino liner under them and my hands have been warm from 15-30 degree teperatures.  I think I only got the screaming barfies once this winter.  These gloves are a little light duty, I'm afraid.  30 days of ice, a few days of drytooling, some training on a plice tower, and some hiking and they are ready to be replaced.  I guess they're not really designed to be a a heavy-duty glove.  But, even though the grip is getting pretty worn, they have still been quite water-resistant.

Arc'teryx Rho ltw zip baselayer- I have a lot of other baselayers, but this is always my first choice.  If I have two or three outings planned in a week, I save this one for the best climb and use the others on lesser climbs.  This baselayer is super comfortable, wicks moisture well and dries quickly, doesn't stink, even after 3 years of using year-round, and fits extremely well.  It has long, stretchy sleeves which I really appreciate for ice climbing.  Sometimes I'll tuck the sleeves into my torque gloves to keep my wrists covered, which really helps to keep my hands warm.  It is also super durable.  I have scummed up chimneys, hiked countless miles with a pack, and washed it probably 150 times, and it still looks new.

NWAlpine Black Spider Light Hoody- I have already written many times about this piece (http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/03/lightweight-midlayers-my-favorites.html).  The combination of lightweight, quick-drying material, great design and fit, and affordable price tag make this one of the best base/midlayers I have ever used.  I do occasionally wear this as a baselayer and it works quite well.  I rarely go climbing without it.

Arc'teryx Acto MX Hoody- I have already done an in-depth review on this piece (http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/02/arcteryx-acto-mx-hoody-review.html), and my opinion hasn't changed.  I have been looking a lot at other softshell jackets, but I can't think of a better material for active use during the winter than what is used on this jacket.  Maybe Neoshell.  This jacket has pretty much replaced my hardshell (I used my hardshell three times this winter, two of which were skiing).  It does let a little bit more wind through than I would consider ideal for a shell, but when moving fast, I rarely get sweaty (I sweat, but it evaporates quickly).

Marmot Zion Jacket- This has been Phil's go-to jacket all winter long.  Whenever we were hiking or climbing and I was sure he'd be overheating and sweaty, I'd ask him how he feels and he'd reply, "I feel great!  I can't believe how well this jacket breathes!"  He'd often throw the jacket on to dry off once we got up to a climb and were racking up.  Read an in-depth review here: http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/03/marmot-zion-neoshell-jacket-review.html

Arc'teryx Atom LT Hoody- This jacket goes almost everywhere with me, winter or summer.  It has mostly been my belay jacket this winter because temperatures have been fairly mild.  On really cold mornings, it turns into my climbing jacket.  I love EVERYTHING about this jacket.  If you don't have one yet, you're missing out, in my opinion.  A better review here: http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/01/arcteryx-atom-lt-hoody-i-just-wanted-to.html

Mid-October climbing on the Middle Teton in the Atom LT Hoody

NWAlpine Fast/Light Pant- In-depth review here: http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/02/nwalpine-fast-and-light-pant.html.  I love the fit, simplicity, key features, and material of these pants.  They aren't perfect, but pretty close, and for $110 they are hard to beat.  My go-to pant for pretty  much all winter activities, especially climbing.

Cilogear Worksack- I haven't even touched another backpack this winter (except for my bc skiing pack), and I have seven other packs to choose from.  I imagine it will be my go-to pack on most summer climbing outings as well.  Full review here: http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/03/cilogear-worksack-60l-review.html.  My only regret with this pack is that I didn't also get a 30 liter worksack.

Camp Awax and Cassin X-All Mountain Tools- I have used many other tools over the years, including Nomics, Quarks, Vipers, Cobras, and Reactors, and I haven't found another tool that I like better than the Camp Awax and Cassin X-All Mountain.  I even spent a week in Ouray with all of these tools side-by-side (except the Cassins), and my consensus was that the Awax was my favorite (the Nomic being a fairly close second).  Phil has been climbing with the X-All Mountain tools this winter and ended up selling his other set (Reactors) because he didn't think he would use them again.  I think that the X-All Mountain is possibly the most underestimated tool on the market.  The picks on these tools penetrate all types of ice extremely well (sometimes too well, but a little modification to the picks help them pull out of the ice easier).  They have held up quite well to drytooling and even camming in horizontal cracks.  Great tools!

CAMP Awax Tools

Cassin X-All Mountain Tools

Petzl Dartwins- This is the first year I have owned Dartwins, but I have never used a better crampon for vertical ice and mixed.  They skate a little too much on low-angle ice, but I don't even want to touch my other crampons when I'm headed to climb a waterfall.  They do tear holes in my pants a little more efficiently than other I've used, but I was amazed at how much more secure my feet feel on steep ice with these crampons compared to some others I have owned or used.

Scarpa Phantom Guide Boots- After climbing vertical ice in these boots, I shudder at the thought of going back to my leather boots.  These boots hold onto my heel and foot so well, they have pretty much eliminated calf burning for me.  Now that's not to say that my calves wouldn't burn on a long, sustained climb in these boots, but my calves would usually start to burn while climbing on our local waterfalls, but I haven't had even the slightest bit of calf strain on these same waterfalls with the Phantom Guides.  Some more thoughts on these boots here: http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/03/few-thoughts-on-scarpa-phantom-guide.html

NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant

I was finally able to get back on ice again after almost a month.  Unfortunately, extremely busy schedules mean that 3am departures for ice cragging sessions before work and school are one of the only ways for me to get out. 

Phil on Malan's waterfall at 4am; Ogden, Utah

The climbing was great, though I fell asleep in classes and struggled to stay awake at work. When I was packing my gear, I noticed that I have many different jackets for many different uses.  Some are waterproof hardshells, some softshells, some primaloft, some down, and some fleece; each has its specialty, and each one I take for different climbs.  Pants are a different story for me.  Though I have 3 different models of softshell pants, I really only use one; the NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant.  I use these for winter hiking, snowshoeing, ice and rock climbing, etc.  They are the best softshell pants I have found.

NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant

I’m picky about pants.  There are certain features on pants that I feel are key for climbing and other winter activities in the mountains.  There is a certain fit that I look for in a climbing pant, and I won't use the pant for climbing if it doesn't have that fit.  First of all, grommets. Grommets at the hem of the pants can turn a pant into a gaiter, allowing for better breathability around the leg, a lighter and more comfortable fit, and it looks better in pictures J.  Also, heat from your boots will move out the top of the boot and up the leg, helping to keep the pants dry and your legs warm.  Gaiter often trap this heat exchange around the lower leg and mostly build up sweat, the opposite of what you want to happen.  I love gear that can pull double duty and allow me to lighten my pack.  Anyway, grommets=gaiters.  Some pant companies sew nylon loops at the hem of their pants instead of grommets.  This works too.  It’s not as easy to secure and probably not as durable, but it works.  I have had pants, however, that I have put grommets in, but the pant wasn’t long enough or stretchy enough, and the pant impeded movement.  I couldn’t high-step in them.  I only use those pants now for skiing because I never worry about having a gaiter while skiing.  Another thing I am picky about is having a good fit in the waist.  If a pant is too big in the waist, it will either fall down or come out from under a belt and look/feel horrible, especially under a hipbelt.  Most pant companies will either fit me in the waist and be too short in the leg, or fit me in the leg and be to baggy in the waist (though my waist is getting bigger, now that I’m married L).  The only pants I have found to fit well are the arcteryx gamma lt in a medium long and the NWAlpine Fast/Light Pant.  The gamma lt in med long is about the equivalent of  a 32 waist and 34 length.  But the gamma lt’s don’t have grommets.  Therefore, my pick for the best softshell pant:  The NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant.

NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant

These Pants are perfect, almost.  I decided to try out the NWA Fast and Light pant because they are designed specifically for alpine rock and ice climbing.  To be honest, the feature that convinced me to try them is the grommets around the cuffs of the pants.  I went through a stage where I put grommets in all of my winter pants (with some successes and a few big failures).  Now I prefer to buy pants that already have them.  I also like the pocket and waist design on the pants.  First of all, there is only one pocket on the pants; on the right thigh.  This is just low enough that it is not covered by a harness and just high enough that you don’t feel it on your knee.  It is also big enough to securely carry most topo maps, a few snacks, etc.  No other pockets mean they are great for climbing, but not real great for around town.  That’s what levis are for anyway.

Single thigh pocket with items for scale

The softshell material is very stretchy, so even though they are a bit short on me in the leg, they don’t restrict movement while climbing, even with the pants tied down to my boot as a gaiter.

.                          

 I got these pants in a large for extra length but was afraid they would be too big in the waist.  They have sewn in stretch panels on the waist, however, which pulls in the extra fabric nicely.  The waist really does fit perfectly, with a belt.  This is the only pant that fit this well in the waist with a variety of layering options (the pant alone, one baselayer, and even two baselayers underneath). 

Fast/Light Waist with stretch panels

note: these pants are a low-rise fit

 My arcteryx gamma lt pants fit very well in the waist too, but do not grow to accommodate a lot of extra layers underneath like the NWA pants.

The material is also fairly water resistant, though the gamma lt’s do have a better DWR.  These pants dry quite quickly, though, which helps if they wet out.  I have used these pants now for about 8 months and the DWR has pretty well worn off.  While ice climbing in December in fairly wet conditions, the pants wetted out after about 10 minutes on a drippy waterfall.  But, they were dry again in about 10 or 15 minutes of hiking after I got off the climb.  I’m sure if I re-treat them with a DWR, they would be almost as good as new.

Fast/Light fabric wet out after 10 mins, but dried again in with about 15 mins of hiking.

The DWR was great for about the first 6 months of use.

I have only two complaints about these pants, but one of them is really my fault.  First of all, they have a double layer of fabric on the instep for protection against crampons.  That is nice, but I put a crampon point through one of the layers and had to patch it.  I would prefer that they put a more abrasion resistant layer of material at the instep.  But, if you just don’t stick your crampon through the instep, you won’t have any problems.  Don’t know if it’s so much a design flaw as user error.  I do like gear though that is designed for my own stupidity.

Repaired instep

  My Gamma lt pants don’t have instep protection either, but their fabric has a little more stretch and a tighter weave, I think.  When I caught the instep of the gamma lt pants with the same crampons, nothing happened.  No tear.  No mark.  Nothing.

The other complaint is that, though they put grommets in the hem, which is a big thing for me, the fabric around the hem is quite stretchy.  They even put in an extra stretchy section in the hem.  If you’re post-holing in snow for a while, snow will work its way up through the stretchy hem, even when it’s tied to your boots gaiter-style.  I would prefer that they sew in a no-stretch material around the hem so that I can get a really tight seal around my boot and no snow will get in if post-holing for hours.

Stretchy hem (bad design, imo) with grommets (good design)

Even with these complaints, these are still my go-to pant for every winter trip.  I would probably choose my gamma lt pants if they had grommets, but they don’t, so the NWA Fast and Light pant gets my choice.  They retail for about $110, an absolute steal, especially compared to many of the other softshell pants on the market (usually between $150 and $300).  The Gamma lt pants retail for $170.  The Gamma Lt pant is my choice for the best all-seasons softshell pant.  They are cool during the summer, plenty water-resistant for winter, and very comfortable.  They just need grommets.

Check out the NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant here: http://nwalpine.com/fastlight-pant
Make sure to check out the other cool offering from NWAlpine too!
Check out the Arcteryx Gamma LT Pant here: http://arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Pants-Shorts/Gamma-LT-Pant#