Winter climbing trips are often extended from one to two day affairs, or even longer. Trailhead access can be further away as only main roads remain open. And then approach hikes take longer due to difficult conditions, as well. If we need more time out in the backcountry, and now need to set camps, we may want to haul, rather than carry in all that bulky, winter gear. Here is how to build a Pulk Sled that is light and efficient enough for those local trips but also robust enough to stand up to expedition rigors.

I’m not a big man. I’m 5’ 6” or a little less than 1.5 meters tall. I weigh about 140 pounds or less than 65 kilograms. While that is good for not having to take a lot of bulk up alpine objectives, it does mean that fitting into equipment can be hard. The most troubling, for me, was getting my small boots to lock in at the toe of my crampons without having room to slide around from side to side. Here is a deeper dive into crampon toe attachment options for people with smaller boots.

Each new climbing season brings with it a group of climbers who are new to climbing in that season. And now it is winter. It's always someone's first time peak bagging through the snow drifts after years of dry-weather hiking. It's always someone's first time on ice. It's always someone's climb up that choss-filled gully that is now covered in an inviting blanket of consolidated snow. These new winter climbers probably have equipment questions, and the one I get the most is about why the different front-point styles for crampons? Well, let's get into it.

As new materials are developed into climbing tools, and as my needs on my climbs have evolved, I've changed up some elements of my standard climbing rack. Here is a look at some soft goods (slings, prusiks, and cords) that I have begun carrying on all my climbs including some pros and cons.

For nearly four years, I have been taking the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Prism pack for most of my alpine climbs, whether that be on rock, snow, or ice. After that long of throwing the pack on my back, here are some of the pros and cons that I've experienced while using it.

Ever hear climbers talk about “insecure climbing” and the fear that brings to them? Well imagine feeling insecure at every step up a rock face. This is what a scramble, which should be a fun romp, can feel like in the wrong footwear. Scrambles are examples of where approach shoes can really make a difference in our enjoyment of the outdoors. Here’s how their specific features combine to make such a big difference.

An obscure material was developed by 3M, with an unusually high friction coefficient when two strips of it come into contact. It is purported to perform well when both wet and cold. It is available with an adhesive backing and also on a glove. So, could wearing the glove and wrapping an ice tool with the adhesive prove to provide superior grip when ice climbing? Today we talk about the material I am going to try out for this ice climbing season.

Camping comfortably can mean the difference between being restored every night of our camping, backpacking, or alpine climbing adventure, and reaching our goal, or slowly getting drained to the point where we have to quit. One of the first things to consider about our camp strategy is whether to take a single-walled or double-walled tent. Here are some of the pros and cons of each.

Our twin boys run, climb, scramble, hike, backpack, swim... you name it. We try to find items that can be used - and used well - across many different disciplines. We've been using the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II Jr shoes for life on the trail as well as scrambling on the rocks. How well have they performed as trail runners, hikers, and approach shoes? Take a look at the full review.

Our boys, now age 8, have been using the Deuter Climber 22 Liter Kid's backpack for over three years. It's been the pack they take on just about every hiking, backpacking, camping, and climbing adventure. So, with that much wear and trust put into the backpack, we thought it would be worth a review. Here's what we dislike, like, and love about this pack.

A semi-rigid, extended quickdraw is sometimes called a "cheater stick" for rock climbing, but it can be a good tool when we find ourselves on a sport route that has critical bolts placed just beyond our reach. It does introduce new risks that need to be managed, however. This video shares what this tool is, how we can use it safely, and how we can either buy or build one of our own.

Our twin boys have diversified their climbing disciplines, moving from top rope to multi-pitch climbing, ice climbing, and even sport climbing on lead. As they've moved into climbs that demand gear management, we needed a new harness that had gear loops but still fit their small frames. That harness is the Ocun Webee Kids' version. Check out the review.

Maybe you have kids and this will help, or maybe just thinking through carabiners more rigorously will help you think through if you want to make changes to your own rack. My twin boys are starting to take on multi-pitch rock climbing and single-pitch sport climbing leads. Both require that they handle quickdraws. In order to make sure they had as easy of time as possible with managing the rope, managing climbing, and managing the gear, I searched for specific carabiner choices for their draws. Here's the criteria we used and the carabiners we've selected.

As my twin boys' rock climbing advanced, they were ready to make the jump from an entry-level shoe to a more performance-based shoe. Here's what we've learned about the Scarp Drago Kids' climbing shoes after a few seasons of use.

If you've ever had a carabiner freeze shut or freeze open, you know how troubling or potentially dangerous it can be. While we always want to try to find the right carabiner for the job, when we add in snow, ice, and cold we need to also consider how resistant our carabiner styles are to freezing. I ran a little experiment to compare how well (or not well) different gate styles stood up to harsh, cold conditions.

For the past two winters, I have been experimenting with battery-heated gloves as I've gone out camping, hiking, and climbing. Like all niche gear, they are good at some things and not so good at others. Here is a full review of the Lenz Heat Glove 6.0 Finger Cap.

While the choice about taking ice screws or nuts or cams or pickets will always depend on route conditions and the route, itself, there are a few items that I take climbing on every trip, whether dry rock, snow, or ice, whether at the crag, in the alpine, or on a glacier. This gear helps me deal with any eventuality from standard climbing needs to terrain beyond my free climbing ability, to rescues.

Blue Ice produces some excellent minimalist and ultralight gear for alpine climbing and ski mountaineering. This video reviews the Choucas Pro harness and discusses the pros and cons as well as some climbing genres where the harness may excel.

La Sportiva created three versions of the Aequilibrium boot to help alpinists lose the weight of needing multiple shoes for trips that contained dry approaches with backpacking, snow filled mountaineering, and technical climbing. Can the boot accommodate all of those disparate needs? We provide a full review.

I use trekking poles to help reduce the impact on my surgically repaired knee from my hiking, backpacking, climbing, and camping... anything that requires a pack and an approach. But I now only use the style of trekking poles that fold up just like tent poles. For me, it's a safety issue. This video describes the safety problem as well as discusses some of the trade-offs I must accept by using this style of pole.