Ice is coming...time to start thinking about technique.

Photo courtesy of:http://www.alpineexposures.com/



Every fall I start thinking about ice climbing again, what I learned last year, and what I find are the important things I want to work on this year and the kind of climbing I most enjoy.



Over and over again for the last half dozen years I think the ability to use one tool in the most effective manner is the most importantadvantage with the newest ice tools. Some tools allow you to take advantage of that opportunity better than others.



But no matter the style of tool, being able to easily match hands on an ice tool and make the lest amount of placements per foot of vertical gain is what we are looking for and what is really important.



The fewer the placements the betteryour endurance. The more positions you can use on your tool the more your strengthwill last, short or long term. That will happen on vertical ice or less than as well.



The more you move your hands around and use them in slightly differing manners the warmer your hands will generally stay.



These are videos I have posted previous. But if you haven't seen them it is worth taking a close look at how the climbers in each use their tools. Both the videos are getting dated now for gear but the climbing techniques shown are not. Hopefully you'll get some new ideas of your own from what you see.









and another example here:



http://www.tvmountain.com/video/alpinisme/6769-goulotte-lara-toun-grand-capucin.html







I like havingoptions!

Mesa Verde :: Balcony House

After having first visited the Cliff Palace, the tour of Balcony House was as much about the ladders, passageways and tunnel that had to be traversed in getting there and back as it was in seeing the 40 rooms of the complex. The tour to Balcony House is touted as being the most adventurous of those offered at Mesa Verde and is definitely not for the faint of heart!

Getting down to the level of the Balcony House involved a series of metal stairways firmly attached to the sides of the cliff.

Then you had to go back up. To that level, up there.

The 32-foot entrance ladder. I got to go up first with the Ranger. I'll admit to being a little nervous. I kept repeating what she had told us: “Don't look down! Keep your eyes focused on the rock in front of you.”

This picture was taken from the second story of the Balcony House, looking down at the ladder and those who have yet to come up.



Upon leaving the dwelling we had to crawl through a 10-foot long tunnel, just barely wide enough for a large person (me) to get through. The Ancestral Puebloans were smaller people than we are today!

Once through the tunnel, it was awkward to get out and stand up again. There wasn't a lot of room to maneuver.

Oh, and then there were two more ladders to climb up. See that chain fencing? It's there for a reason.

Looking down from the base of the second (and final) ladder.

The Ancestral Puebloans wouldn't have had fancy ladders and chain fences to help them get up the cliff walls. How did they do it? The Ranger said they carved hand and foot holds out of the rock. I guess you get used to using what you have available, but I'm very glad we had the ladders and chains to help us along the way!

The Belay Jacket Tutorial

Ryan Johnson bundled under a Fisson SL and a Dually layered over an "action suit" base, photo courtesy of Clint Helander





I write about, study, worry about,buy and use a lot of belay jackets. It hasn't always been so. And until relatively recently (only the last 10 years) in my own climbing career never actually used a "belay jacket". While at the same time for the last 30 yearsI have been intentionally tryingto climb "light and fast", all while not freezing my ass off. With varying amounts of success.



Sure, on the rare occasion I have carried what some would refer to now as a "belay jacket". But they were really just part of my sleeping system that allowed me to carry a lighter bag. Not anything Iintentionally wanted to climb in. And even then it would have to be pretty darn cold for me to be able to climb in those same jackets without over heating.







With out a belay jacket, and more importantly, without the knowledge of how to properly use a belay jacket, the idea of "light and fast",generally will mean something other than: light, fastand no sleep till you were off the hill.



At some point your endurance and your gear willlimited what you do in the mountains. The limit (which seems pretty well proven @ this point) for us was 40 hrs of continuous climbing. Better plan on a nap by hour40. Oreven better, a good bit of sleep to recover and better rehydrate from the effort.



It is the decision that you will likely go over 40 hrs that will determine what additionalgear you'll need for the required nap. Andhow much you'll likely suffer for the decision.



From the email the blog generates and the typical Internet traffic on "belay jackets" I see, it is obvious to me that there is some confusion on how a "belay jacket" is best used.



If you have any doubts the first thing you should do is read Mark Twight's EXTREME ALPINISM. The current crop of belay jacketswere specifically designed around theideaon a "action suit" for climbing and easily added over layers of insulation ( the "belay jacket") when stopped, to maintain body heat.



But here is the rub. Like many great ideas, it is how that idea is applied that counts.



Coolmuscles work more efficiently than over heated muscles.

If you don't believe that or don't understand it try a simple test. With the same clothes and effortrun a 10K in the rain @ 50F degrees and runthe same 10K @ 95F degrees



Now apply that lessonto your own climbing. Sure you need to survive. So you'll want to take the amount of insulation required to do so. But you also want to be efficient in your own climbing. Which will mean cool musclesare much better than over heated ones. Take theleast amount of weight that enablesyou to succeed.What you need and nothing more.



A jacket designed for a 60hr ascent of Denali's Solvak route is not likely the same jacket you will need for your local 6 pitch mixed line in the lower 48.



The belay jacket is part of your belay system. It is not, by defnition,a part of your "action" suit.

One is for climbing. Theother is an addition to your climbing suit, to retain the body heat you have just generated by climbing, to limit theeffects of nomovement while belaying.



It is important to differentiate between the two. A 60g Atom LT or a Gamma MX shell that are the major part of your upper body "action suit" are not part of your "belay jacket" system. In the opening picture for this blog Ryan is using a Fisson SL (76g) and a Duelly (152g) as his "belay jacket" system. That is a full 200+ g ofArcteryx's Therma Tek insulation! Early Spring can be prettycold in the shade on the Kahiltna.



The Atom LT Ryanclimbs in or the soft shell you climb inas a the main upper layer of your "action suit" is not a "belay layer". My guesswhereclimbersget into trouble is by thinkingthat a 60g Atom LT and a 100g SV...as good as the combo is to climb in...will then be aswarm as a Atom LT and Duelly combo. The 60/100 g combois not going to be as warm. You are talking 160g verses 230g combos.Seems obviousdoesn't it? But I have seen others suggesting exactly that.



It is bad math to add your action suit insulation to your "belay jacket" insulation. In other words take the insulation required in yourbelay jacket....just don't take any more than required.



It should be obvious by now that could be 60g or 260g depending on your objective.



I can't tell you how many times I have regretted not taking my own advice. Freezing my ass off at a belay, and then because I was chilled, leaving my belay jacket on to follow the pitch. Then almost immediately over heating mid pitch because of thatmistake. That is with just100g insulation for my Belay Jacket, even @ -30C!I would have been better off to start off cold and warm up on the pitch by climbing. My clothes would have stayed drier. I would have stayedbetter hydrated. And most importantly I would have been stronger overall on route. I am a slow learner. But I do eventually learn from my mistakes.





Here is a list of what is available from Arcteryx and Patagonia as an example of insulation in their various models. Depending on the temperatures any one of them, or any combination of them, could be used as the perfect "belay jacket".


Arcteryx:



60g coreloft Atom LT

100g corloft Atom SV

140g Coreloft Kappa SV

153g of Therma Tek Duelly

153g of Therma Tek Fission SL with GTX Pro Shell



Patagoniua:



60g of Primaloft 1 Nano Puff Series

100g Primaloft Sport Micro Puff Series

170g Primaloft 1 DAS (/ version)

Midsummer Storm at the Spirit Tree

Yesterday throughout the day and all through last night we experienced one incredible thunderstorm after another. Some particulars from the weather warnings throughout the day: 70 MPH winds, possible golf-ball size hail, heavy rainfall and flood advisories. To top it off the power was out for most of the night as well. We ended up with anywhere from 2 to 4 inches of rain, depending on where the measurement was taken. The Pigeon River in Grand Portage State Park went from a discharge rate of roughly 4,000 gallons per second yesterday morning to about 28,000 gallons per second today. The storms also produced the best lightning show that we've seen so far this year.



As day turned to night I couldn't resist the light show that was going on all over in the sky. I ended up spending about two and a half hours standing on the Lake Superior shoreline trying to capture photos of the lightning. I went down to the Spirit Tree, which is not far from my home. I've always wanted to capture a "knock your socks off" photo of lightning behind the tree (similar to a shot that my dad captured on slide film years ago), but the photo I dream of still eludes me. I am getting closer, however. Last night's storms yielded my best results yet at photographing lightningbehind the tree. The photo you see here is the result of two hours of standing in the rain trying to capture the perfect bolt of lightning while thunder rumbled all around me. It was definitely one of the most uncomfortable periods of time I've ever spent outside with my camera, but an effort that I consider worthwhile when I view this image.

Crud Road Racer Fenders

My long-suffering Francesco Moser roadbikeis now sporting some fenders. A 1970s racing bike that originally came with tubulars, the frame has very tight clearances, and the rear brake bridge is particularly low. Even with 23mm tires it will not fit conventional fenders. That is why I wanted to try the Crud Road Racers - described as "mudguards for race bikes with minimum clearances." These fenders are rated to fit bikes with 4mm of clearance under the brake bridge. The Moser has just barely that.






Crud is an English company, and according to the packaging information the fenders are manufactured in Yorkshire, UK. Crud has recently become a sponsor, but the fenders pictured are mine and not a complimentary sample. My discovery of the Road Racers is owed to local randonneur Pamela Blalock, who uses them on her main brevet bike and prefers them to other fenders she's tried. Pamela describes the Cruds as highly durable, easy to install and remove, and extremely lightweight - a combination of characteristics that appealed to me. On a pure roadbike with narrow tires, I do not want permanent fenders. But I do want the option of installing them on occasion. While temporary clip-ons exist, they are flimsy and do not provide adequate coverage. The appealing thing about Crud is that they are real, full coverage fenders with the same easy on/off versatility.






Being entirely unfamiliar with Crud fenders to start with, it took us some time to understand how they are put together and what the installation procedure is. There is a brief instructions manual and an online video that might be a good idea to watch before starting. But once you know it's done, I would say the process should take 15 minutes tops.






The installation does not require any tools, and it does not require the hand strength to use real tools. Everything is affixed by hand using moderate pressure, with a combination of the plastic bolts, zip ties and rubber bands included in the kit.





The fenders are modular - the blade in 3 parts, plus the stays - making them easy to store and transport.






To install the fenders, the fork/stay attachment points are first installed using the double rubber bands provided. The fender is then partially assembled, slid under the brake bridge, and then the stays are attached to these points.






This is the attachment point for under the brake bridge. On some bikes it might be necessary to deflate the tire or remove the wheel to do this.






And here is the screw connecting the different parts of the blade.






Zipties are used to affix the fender to the brake bridge.






And also to affix the rear fender to the seat tube, above the front derailleur.





At the point where the fender attaches to the seat tube, there are two sets of holes that the zip-tie can go through, and we managed to tear one of them when adjusting the fender, so be aware. This point of attachment should be the last step, after the fender's position is set.







This part of the fender provides extra coverage. The clearances are tight here and it's close, but does not interfere with the derailleur.





As part of the installation,Crud provides these fuzzy adhesive pads to guard the tire from rubbing the fender directly.






Here they are peaking out from the sides.




The rear of the front fender is very close to my toe, but there does not seem to be overlap with my feet strapped in.





The front part of the front blade is a little skimpy compared to the rest of the fenders, but otherwise the coverage they provide is excellent.






Aesthetically, I think the Cruds look elegant and appropriate on a racy roadbike. When fitting bikes like this with fenders, the classic ones don't really look right and the clip-on ones are extremely ugly. To my eye, these look just right. And if you want to make them fancy, they can even be painted.





The clearance under the rear brake bridge on my Moser is only borderline adequate for these fenders and I am still deciding whether it's a good idea to use them regularly. But I will definitely use them on my new roadbike, where the clearances will be sufficient.



If the fit is right, I think the design is great for road/racing bikes that have tight clearances and no eyelets, or where you simply do not want the commitment of metal fender installation. While I can't speak for the fenders' durability at this stage, I am pleased withtheir full coverage,easy installation and removal, light weight, and subdued appearance. More pictures here.

Evolution of a Veranda

The word veranda didn’t come to mind when we first saw our house in ... We were focused on interior dimensions, gardening space, and price. The long front porch with two center steps and a ramp at one end was just another part of the house. Once the house was ours, however, I began to ponder the word, savoring the possibilities.

Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary defines a veranda as a large open porch, usually roofed and partly enclosed, as by a railing, often extending across the front and sides of a house. Did our space pass this test? The porch extends thirty-seven feet across most of the front of the house, with open sides, wooden columns and black metal railings on the front edge. The whole thing has an overhanging roof, shading the house from the Western sun. I began calling our porch The Veranda.

It sure didn’t feel like a veranda at first. The pierced metal ramp was handy when the movers rolled the piano to the door, but rain or water transformed shoes into skates. Visitors slipped and our family grew wary. After I flew off the slick surface twice, landing hard on the drive, Philo sawed off the ramp & then contemplated angles, as he designed and constructed new steps.

We added a wooden bench, a plant stand and two metal chairs from the deck of the previous house. Furniture and doodads made the porch feel more like a room, but greenery was essential to my idea of a veranda.

Philo attached metal hooks for hanging baskets; they’re stuffed with pansies in winter and they produce a veil of ornamental potato vines in summer. A parlor palm and houseplants spend most of the year out on the porch while the center steps are flanked by two large hypertufa pots filled with purple oxalis.

On many gardening sites, new owners describe how they transformed their older houses, removing old hedges to 'open up the view' to the porch. Abundant flowers replace the hedges, Smith & Hawken add pizzazz to the scene, and the happy owner stands on his new stage, while neighbors marvel at the improvement.

I like to read these stories, and am glad their homes have become the right setting for their lives.

But as someone who has spent years envisioning a Southern garden, I could not chop down my mature boxwoods . I rather enjoy hedges, shade, mystery, privacy and a feeling of enclosure. Rather than banishing our shrubs, we encouraged the boxwood hedge to grow slightly taller, clipping it level with the railing.

Now, after working in the yard I can lounge on the bench, waving hello and conversing with my neighbors, but my muddy knees & battered shoes aren’t on display. Instead of taking center stage, we prefer the Box Seats.

Life can be a little more civilized when you have a Veranda - a place to sit and sip, to read or talk, a place that’s not exactly inside, yet not quite outside.

Middle Falls Trail overlooks

Yesterday I posted a picture of Middle Falls in Grand Portage State Park and mentioned the ridge-top overlooks that are along the trail. The photo aboveis taken from the part of the ridge that overlooks Lake Superior. Out in the lake on the left side of the photo you can see a portion of the Susie Islands archipelago, on the right edge of the photo is Hat Point. In between lies Wauswaugoning Bay and Francis Island. It sure is a beautiful view and is certainly worth the hike up the ridge!





































After taking in the view of Lake Superior, you can continue to the back side of the ridge for a view of the Pigeon River Valley (above photo). This view, in my opinion, is just as impressive and enjoyable to take in as the view toward the lake. Near the middle of the photo you can see the river as it makes its way toward Lake Superior. High Falls of the Pigeon River is just out of sight on the right edge of this photo. Remember, the Pigeon River is the border between the U.S. and Canada, so all of the land across the river from this viewpoint is in the province of Ontario, Canada! You can also see a glimpse of Lake Superior to the right. FYI - this trail makes for a wonderful fall color hike :-)

Looking Down on Rainbow Falls

Looking Down on Rainbow Falls, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A wonderful, 101-foot waterfall in Devil's Postpile National Monument. The hike was interesting and the waterfall rewarding!

Mt Rainier Route Photos

The heavy snowfall from last week slowed a number of teams, many have not made the summit. Since we're lite on route conditions, I'll share these recent climbing route photos. Here is the Nisqually Cleaver taken on May 30th.

There are a number of climbers at Camp Muir this weekend, none have reported successful ascents. One Seattle party spent 15 hours pushing the route in from Camp Schurman, while another team summited on Liberty Ridge Thursday/Friday. The "Liberty" team took quite a bit of extra time and had to spend at least one night on top... They radioed from Camp Schurman on Saturday to report that one member had 7 digits with frostbite! We remind climbers not to underestimate how physically difficult it is to climb Liberty Ridge.

Photo by Mike Gauthier

Continue down to Ashville, NC

We leave the Blue Ridge Parkway to make a little better time and find that even the interstates are beautiful this time of year.

The People's Choice on shells!

A couple of weeks ago I had asked for your favorite shells and why.  Here is some of what I

got. Please bare with the email cut and pastes. No clue how to fix that. But the feedback is great. Thanks to all who took the time and contributed. Enjoy!

For ice climbing in Colorado, I am pretty happy with this:

1 - Eddy Bauer Accelerant jacket layered over a thin base layer.  It
is surprisingly warm, very lightweight, and has an excellent athletic
fit with long arms.  I sometimes use the thumbholes on the sleeves.
This jacket solves the annoying problem of hood wars.  I like one hood
under the helmet (this jacket provides that) and one hood over the
helmet (the next jacket provides that).  For fast moving in coldish
conditions it breathes adequately and seems reasonably durable.  The
Arcteryx equivalent of the Accelerant is probably just as good, but
more expensive and I do tend to trash these little lightweight
jackets.  Also I really like the thumbholes and lightweight hood of
the Accelerant.
2 - When it gets colder, or for belays, I add a Wild Things lightly
insulated jacket.  That one is compact enough I am happy wearing it
while climbing.  It breathes ok, is windproof and very water resistant
and durable.  It has a good over the helmet hood.  It could be warmer
for belays, but I don't like carrying a garment just for belays.  When
I am instructing and standing around a lot I take an old OR synthetic
puffy instead which is heavier, but toasty.
3 - Whenever I can get my hands on one of the waterproof/breathable
non-woven Dyneema jackets I'll throw one in the pack for hideous
conditions.

Bob Culp

Hi.



I'm Matti from Finland and I'm pretty active all round climber, skier and hiker. And
with ski I mean telemark, cross country and Nordic touring. The weather is normally
pretty severe here in northern Finland, Sweden and Norway where I do most of my
winter activities. -20C is pretty standard day during the Jan - Mar. My coldest ice
climbing week had average of -32C. I'm not very good at ice stuff, but I can lead WI
4-5 so it serves as "feelgood" activity during winter where I mostly climb
multipitch WI3 in Norway and Sweden. My main focus is in summer stuff (7c+ in both
sport and boulder and (well protected) trad up to ~7a). Anyho I get around 200
outdoor days (I also include after work stuff) per year.

My absolutely favourite is old 'Ryx Gamma MX hoody(polartec version). It works in
everything (as long as the weather is below zero degrees) and awesomely. Put thick
merino underwear under it and perhaps light down west (like Patagucci down west) if
it's real cold. You stay warm and dry even if you get totally soaked during climb
and it's -20C. First the stuff might freeze, but in few moments of high wattage
action and you are dry again. And unlike real hardshell the shit really breaths. You
can see the difference as huge cloud of steam :). This is very important fe in
Nordic touring, cross country skiing or when I'm skinning as you sweat up to 12
hours a day.

I must say that I sweat like a pig, but So Far (tm) I haven't tried a HS material
that would actually keep me dry even in dry if I'm active. And in really cold the
water just stays inside the HS jacket. Also they tend to rip.

Also the stretch cuffs are pretty much second best feature in the jacket. Combine
them with gloves (like those stupendously expensive 'Ryx leather gloves) you can
tuck in and you've got seal that's totally water and snow proof. No matter what you
do it doesn't open up. Also it' really robust. Velcros just break down. I know it's
probably not so much of an problem with you as you guys change to new apparel more
often than I change my underwear, but with us regular joe's we really appreciate
garment that lasts. I've gotten 7 years of active use out of my Gamma and now it's
totally destroyed.

Also the cut is fantastic. I love just how the garment fits just so and doesn't
leave any extra material to block my view to harness. Also at the same time it
allows good range of motion.

Regarding most of the stuff above I'm in a bit of a dilemma. New Gamma MX doesn't
just float my boat way old one did. Cut is more average consumer orientated,
material isn't as wind resistant (old one was spot on for my tastes) and seems
somehow less sturdy. This brings the problem that there really isn't any other
jackets with:
1. Good cut and quality
2. same cuffs
3. Powershield
4. Good hood
5. Wouldn't mind if it also looked good.

Ideas?

We've got custom shop here in my hometown (Oulu) that makes tailored outdoot gear
(www.shelby.fi<http://www.shelby.fi>), but polartec powershield isn't available
unless one gets few hundreds of meters of it -> they do not stock it.

-Matti Sillanpää-

Bruno
Schull said...

My choice for a softshell jacket is the Marmot tempo hoody. This is an
inexpensive non-lined softshel. Mot importantly, it fits me really well in XL. I
am tall with long arms, and I find it extremely difficult to find a jacket that
works for climbing. The Tempo has a long back and arms, and is one of the very
few jackets that I can tuck under a harness, and will not pull out when I raise
my arms over my head. The hood works well over a helmet. The cuff closures are
simple and effective. The pockets are located above the harness and out of the
way of pack straps. No pit zips. Simple and clean. It is not as waterproof nor
as wind resistant as some of the lined shells, but it makes up for that by being
extremely breathable; the inside stays dry and your body stays warm. Great,
simple, effective, inexpensive jacket. Also comes in some offensive florescent
colors for Dane! All the best.

Daniel
Harro said...



Arcteryx Gamma SL hybrid is a nice jacket as well as being truly light weight
at 13 oz.


http://arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Gamma-SL-Hybrid-Hoody

I
personally think "uninsulated shells" should clock in well under 14 ounces,
anything heavier is too much. My Alpha LT hardshell is 13.5 oz.





brian said...

Great discussion as always Dane. What about the Acto MX Hoody? I switched
last year after climbing in Gamma MX Hoody's and the first gen of the Venta MX
for many years. I find the Acto breathes much better than any other softshell,
and when it gets real nippy, i throw the Atom LT over it. No complaints other
than the "trim fit" versus the "athletic fit" on the mx line.

Andy said...

Hey Dane - totally second the comment by Brian about the Acto MX Hoody. I
agree it's perhaps best to call it a hardfleece rather than a soft shell. But in
terms of the fabrics properties and performance I find it similar to something
like the Rab Scimitar you reviewed above. But better. Very breathable, very
water resistant, amazingly durable, though not very wind resistant. Not too
different from most stretch woven fabrics though I reckon. I too was a long time
Gamma MX Hoody user, I find the Acto way better all things considered and it's
the best hardfleece/soft shell I've ever used.

Ian said...

In my mind the best hardshell is the one that never leaves my backpack. I
have yet to wear a hardshell I actually liked. I have a very lightweight Rab
shell but I've only ever worn it once.

First Place for me: Patagonia Supercell Jacket. Gore-tex paclite material,

weighs 13.5 oz. Great fit (for me - 5' 11'' 180 pounds size large). As

breathable as traditional hard shell gore tex gets in my opinion. Super

minimal design and great hood. This is my new go to shell for just about

any adventure in the mountains but especially for ice climbing. My favorite

shell is the one that stays in my pack until I really need it. In this

case, the supercell performs great, packs up into its hood, provides great

waterproof protection and breaths pretty damn well (vents still needed when

really working hard).



Zach Lees



Until last winter I was

using some lighweight hardshells from Mountain Hardwear and TNF. Neither

of them were really Alpine specific. The MH was too long and always

interfered with ropes and harness access. The TNF jacket was a nice

shorter cut and very packable, but more geared for warmer weather and I

never fully trusted its ability to keep me warm and dry in nasty

conditions. Last winter my goal became to find a high quality, high-value

alpine shell with Goretex Proshell, or equivalent. I ended up going with

the Outdoor Research Mentor

http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/or-gear/jackets/mens-mentor-jacket.html

I think the suggested retail price is very fair for a pro shell jacket, and

OR gear always seems to end up on sale or clearance. I scored my Mentor

for about half off. While I have yet to test it in any real nasty weather,

my initial impressions are strong. Seems to be of high quality

construction, and fit and style suit me well. It also feels pretty bomber

and will hold up to the New England granite and whatever else I put it

through. Here is a picture of me on Mt. Osceola (New Hampshire) last

winter. I think OR will be a good source of high-value outerwear for the

next few years as its clothing line expands ahead of its reputation. I

think they have always been well respected for their gaitors, gloves, hats,

etc. and I think their outerwear will follow suit. I am about to spring

for last season's OR Maestro down jacket which is on clearance on several

websites. At least on paper it stacks up to most of the 800-fill power,

quantum pertex shelled down belay jackets.



For a soft shell I wear a Rab Baltoro. I picked it up on clearance as

well. Does SteepandCheap.com ship to Canada? While I haven't used any

others, I can say that I really enjoy the Rab. Originally a soft shell

skeptic, it won me over. For soft shell pants, I am in love with my Wild

Things Mountain Guide pants. On one of my first winter overnights I

experienced some layering errors and ended up sweating into and soaking

much of my insulating layers. Those mountain guide pants wicked and

evaporated everything and stayed dry as a bone. My Rab jacket froze into a

solid lump when I swapped it out for my down hoody and hard shell on the

wind-blown summit.



Regards,

Tony



My weapon of choice is the Haglöfs fang. Sadly as far as I can tell it is

discontinued. I will just give you a short list of features I really liked, the

material, weight, etc. are on the web anyway.



+A huge hood, a meteor 3 fits nicely, is 4 way adujstable

+pit zips for dumbing heat ( I tend to sweat like a pig)

+the most durable softshell I had so far



Not much of a review but worth a look if you see one on sale, I'm 190cm and 78kg

and have L, if you want to wear some extra layers XL is fine too.
Bert