Gear Reviews

Petzl Cordex Belay Gloves Review

David Lottmann Gear Reviews, Glove Reviews , , ,

In 20 years of climbing I have only recently started carrying belay gloves with me on a regular basis. When I first started climbing it seemed like an unnecessary extra item. My hands could handle a little rope burn from time to time right? After joining the local Mountain Rescue Service I started carrying them on rescues due to heavier loads and lots of rope work (and some BSI protection).

In the last two years I have switched to carrying them 100% of the time, and now feel like I am missing something if I leave them at home. Perhaps it is because I am climbing & rappelling on skinnier ropes than I was 15 years ago, but the added security and comfort they provide easily justifies their cost & weight on the back of my harness.

Petzl Cordex Belay Glove (Medium Weight)
Petzl Cordex Mid-weight Belay Gloves

For this review I tested both the mid-weight and lightweight versions of these gloves. When I first tried on the mid-weight Petzl Cordex Belay Gloves in the store they felt a bit stiff. The double goat leather palm and fingers definitely looked durable but I could tell they would take a little breaking in. In just about 5 days of use they softened up nicely.

For a rugged belay glove they fit my medium sized hands quite well, and the neoprene velcro cuff made them feel secure when in use. The convenient carabiner hole in the cuff is also substantial enough that there is no fear of of the carabiner attachment failing (unlike some models that just sport a thin sewn loop). I carry these on an oval biner’ that sports two prussic’s, a micro-ascender (Petzl Tibloc), and my knife.

The only downside was these gloves felt a bit hot during last week’s upper 80’s lower 90’s temps. After searching online I found a good deal on a pair of the lightweight version of this glove:

Petzl Cordex Lightweight Belay Gloves
Petzl Cordex Lightweight Belay Gloves

They feel just as durable in the palm and fingers as the midweight version but the back is almost 100% breathable stretch nylon. These will be much more comfortable climbing in warm weather and will definitely outlast the cheaper suede style belay gloves some of my fellow guides use.

Manufacturer Description and Technical Specs:

  • Ergonomic cut for great dexterity without being too tight
  • Made of high quality leather for the perfect balance of durability and dexterity
  • Durable double layer of leather in high-wear areas: fingertips, palm, between thumb and index finger
  • Back made of breathable stretch nylon for excellent fit and ventilation
  • Neoprene cuff with Velcro closure
  • Carabiner hole to attach gloves to harness

Specifications

  • Material(s): goat skin leather, stretch nylon
  • Certification(s): CE EN 420, CE EN 388 (3133)
  • Weight: 100-120gr (depends on size)

If you haven’t used belay gloves before I’d suggest you try it out. They make a lot of sense for multiple styles of climbing. Catching sport climbing falls will feel more secure. Rappelling skinny rope in steep terrain will feel more secure. Even quickly coiling rope to move on to the next route is easier when the rope can quickly slide through your palms without nylon on skin friction. You can find them on Amazon here.

If you have an opinion on using belay gloves please share it below! Let us know what model’s you’ve tried and liked (or not liked) in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

See you in the mountains,

-NEAlpineStart

Disclosure: I purchased these gloves with my own money. This post contains affiliate links.

Colonial Knife Product Review

David Lottmann Climbing Gear Reviews, Gear Reviews

Read on for a chance to win one of these great knives!

BC102-2013-w670

A fellow guide introduced me to this knife early this past winter and while I was originally from the “a knife is a knife” camp I have come to see that not all knives are created equal, and in fact this one stands out above the rest by quite a margin. The one-handed operation of this blade needs to be seen to be understood and for that reason I put together this short product video:

Pros:

Super Lightweight

Bombproof/Durable

Convenient one-handed lock-ability

Lifetime Warranty/Made in USA

Cons:

A bit bulky for inside pocket carry; not a real issue considering it is either on my harness or in the top pocket of my pack. It does fit well in the coin pocket of my jeans.

You can order through their website here, but check back here soon as I have been told a discount code might set up for my readers.

PRODUCT GIVEAWAY (Drawing on May 26th, 2015)

There are multiple ways to get an entry in the drawing for one of these knives ($69.99 value). You can get up to four entries into the contest!

1) Like this post through WordPress below

2) Comment on the post below (what knife do you use?)

3) Like or share the post on Facebook here

4) Like the video on YouTube here

Entries must be in by 11:59PM EST on May 25th, 2015. We will draw the winner from all entries on May 26th.

Congrats to bearbait2016 for the winning entry!

Thanks for reading and see you in the mountains!

-NEAlpineStart

Disclaimer: While this knife was provided to me at no cost my opinion on its features and performance are certainly my own formed after 20+ days ice climbing and back-country skiing with this in my kit.

Black Diamond Convergent Shell Jacket Review (and contest winner announcement)

David Lottmann Clothing Reviews, Gear Reviews

After 3 ascents of Mount Washington, a half dozen days of ice climbing, and 24,000 feet of skiing powder at Wildcat Ski Mountain today, I’m ready to share my thoughts on the Black Diamond Convergent Shell Jacket I received earlier this Fall.

Black Diamond Convergent Shell
Black Diamond Convergent Shell

I’ll be honest when I received this jacket my initial assumption was it was a typical high-end hard-shell. Since I prefer the breathability of my EMS Fader Softshell Jacket for most of my mountain excursions I didn’t think I would be wearing this hardshell often for in my experience hard-shells simply don’t breathe enough for high output. The exception in my book is extreme wind-chills (like Mount Washington Ascents), and skiing in cold temps (like today).

What I didn’t realize, was this really isn’t a hard-shell, it’s a hybrid. The lack of stretch panels had fooled me. This jacket does not claim to be waterproof. It uses “Windstopper Active Shell“, which is windproof, water-resistant, and highly breathable. Like the Epic fabric that I was introduced to through Wild Things Equipment many years ago this is a superb mix of highly water-resistance and breathe-ability.

tech-highlight_S15_breath-protect

Run after run today I confirmed this jacket is 100% windproof as we dealt with -20 to -30 wind chills. The hood easily fit over my ski helmet and adjusted to move with me as we shot through the glades that have really filled in with the 2 feet of snow this past week.

24,000 feet of skiing is a good day :)
24,000 feet of skiing is a good day 🙂

Let’s hit a few more highlights of this highly technical piece;

1) Weight: 13.5 ounces with the performance of a hard-shell.

2) Pack-ability: Easily crushes down to the size of a large grapefruit

3) Convenience: 2 chest pockets that are easily accessible when jacket is tucked into a harness plus 2 hand pockets. The left chest pocket has this cool internal soft pocket to stow a smartphone with a small port to feed your headphone cable through. Brushed microsuede liner collar lining.

More technical information and a product video from the manufacturer available here.

Bottom Line: A very technical high-end hybrid jacket that looks & performs like a hard-shell but is more breath-able than any hard-shell I have ever used. If you shy away from hard-shells for fear of over-heating, or if you need more wind protection than your well loved soft-shell, this jacket should be on your radar!

You can also purchase one directly from Amazon here and doing so will help support this blog!

Disclaimer: While this jacket was provided to me via my employment with EMS Schools the opinions above are certainly my own. This post contains affiliate links.

January Ice Screw Contest Winner: Congrats to Mechanicalchris who has won 2 brand new Omega Pacific ice screws in my first ever contest. Thank you to the 80+ people who liked North East Alpine Start on Facebook last month and the 18 folks who subscribed! It’s really nice to know that time spent trip reporting and reviewing products is worth it. New contest coming soon… stay tuned…

See you in the mountains,

NEAlpineStart

Cinema Gully to Cauliflower, and REVIEW of EMS Packable Pack

David Lottmann Gear Reviews, Ice Climbing, Mountaineering

Today was the perfect wrap up to a great three days in the mountains. Friday I had the opportunity to be the “turn-around guide” for a group heading to the Mount Washington Observatory for an overnight. Having an extra guide on these groups makes sense if someone isn’t feeling well during the ascent. At Lion’s Head everyone was feeling strong so I parted ways and made my way back down the mountain.

Yesterday I had a 3 person AMC group for a 101 Mountaineering Course. We worked on basics at the North End of Cathedral in pretty cold temps, and even worked in a hike to the top of Cathedral after a short lunch break.

AMC chillin' out on the North End Slab
AMC chillin’ out on the North End Slab

Today I met Seamus for a private day of ice climbing. Seamus had a fair amount of rock and ice climbing experience so we set our sights high and made our way to Mt. Willard. Before I get into the climb I want to mention a product I would like to review today. Earlier this season during internal guide training EMS Schools Manager Keith Moon suggested the use of the EMS Packable Pack inside a more substantial alpine pack like the EMS Prez Pack that I reviewed here.

pEMS1-10534421venh

The idea of carrying an ultra-light packable pack like this is excellent for a day of cragging where a large pack is comfortable to haul all your climbing gear to the destination but a bit too bulky once emptied of the rack, harness, and helmet. In these situations where you are returning to the ground an ultra-light pack would be ideal for keeping your “puffy” jacket, water bottle, first aid kit, and a couple snacks with you while you climb a couple pitches. Today I pushed the use of this pack a bit further by racking up at the car and leaving my alpine pack behind. More on this later…

We hiked in to the base of Cinema Gully (650 feet Grade 2) by about 10am. Lots of sluff piles reached the tracks before we reached the route and I spotted well known guide Marc Chauvin getting started with two clients on the first pitch.

Cinema Gully, 650ft, Grade 2-3
Cinema Gully, 650ft, Grade 2-3

The fall lines can be managed fairly well on this route and knowing Marc would cruise we decided to follow suit. The start was quite thin requiring a couple moves or two on rock before reaching decent ice 20 feet up, with the first screw going in around 50 feet from the start. As typical it was just shy of 200 feet to the steeper ice where we had a nice natural thread anchor backed up with a full length screw. The next pitch is kept short, just about 50 feet, to make the 3rd pitch “reachable”.

Looking down 2nd pitch
Looking down the 2nd pitch

Another 200 foot pitch from here brought us to the base of the last pitch. Marc’s team took the direct finish and I grabbed a shot of the father/son duo while I headed left up the traditional finish:

Cinema's Direct Finish
Cinema’s Direct Finish

After gaining the treed ledge we refueled and we started the uphill waist deep snow swim to the base of Cauliflower Gully. This was a full 40 minute all body work-out and I was quite happy Seamus offered to partake in some of this trail breaking.

Cauliflower Gully, 200 feet, Grade 2-3

This is a long-time favorite of mine. The setting is spectacular and the top out lands you about 200 feet from the well traveled and packed Mt. Willard trail which is an excellent descent after a full day of climbing. The climb was in typical condition, great ice down low, then a bit thinner but mellow, then the hollow-ish awkward-ish grade 3 crux, then fun swinging right up to the top.

Looking down Cauliflower Gully
Looking down Cauliflower Gully

We topped out right about 3pm and cruised down the packed Willard trail in 25 minutes. 850 feet of pitched climbing plus a few hundred feet of uphill tree swimming had built up quite an appetite for Super Bowl Appetizers and we drove back to North Conway with thoughts of good food & beer. Seamus has a few more days planned with us so I’m sure I’ll be seeing him in the mountains again soon!

To wrap up today’s post I want to finish my call out on this EMS Packable Pack. It’s almost Halftime so I will keep my thoughts short and to the point:

1) It weighs 9 ounces.

2) It can be stuffed into any large alpine pack with out notice

3) It has 1,500 cubic inches, so I carried: One puffy belay jacket, one very warm pair of Kincos Gloves, one first aid kit, one Petzl Myo Headlamp, one knife, one 32oz Nalgene bottle of water, 4 handwarmes (unused), a bunch of snacky food.

4) It only costs $40!

This gear doesn’t have a noticeable weight so lack of padding/suspension is not an issue.

Eastern Mountain Sports Packable Pack
Eastern Mountain Sports Packable Pack

OK, time to focus on the game. Pats are up 14/7. Alex will be drawing the ice screw winner during Half-Time show and I’ll announce the winner tomorrow on Facebook and NEClimbs & NEIce!

See you in the mountains!

-NEAlpineStart

Outdoor Research Alibi II Gloves Review

David Lottmann Gear Reviews, Glove Reviews

High Performance Sticky Technical Perfection!

Outdoor Research Alibi II Gloves
Outdoor Research Alibi II Gloves

A couple months ago I mentioned I would be reviewing these after I reviewed Kincos gloves as an affordable alternative to high end climbing gloves. While Kincos are great for general mountaineering and back-country skiing  sometimes the cost of fancy specified gloves are worth it. The Outdoor Research Alibi II Gloves are a perfect case in point.

Getting ready to descend Goofer's Delight today on Cathedral Ledge
Getting ready to descend Goofer’s Delight today on Cathedral Ledge- Photo by EMS Schools Guide Mike Lackman

My go to glove for leading harder ice climbs the last few years has been the Black Diamond Torque Gloves. While I have never formally reviewed the Torque’s, they are still a well loved model in my current selection of ice climbing gloves. At $20 more than the BD Torques I was interested in seeing how these might out perform the Torques. They win out over the Torques in three important ways;

1) Warmth. While still an un-insulated “thin” glove with excellent dexterity the Alibi II is a bit warmer than the BD Torques. I still opt to wear my EMS Glove Liners with either glove, as this dirt cheap glove liner adds a bit of warmth and comfort to either of these gloves and makes them both feel a bit more comfortable against skin, especially when using the Alibi’s as the inside of the Alibi can get a bit clammy during a day of climbing.

2) Grippy-ness. The Alibi II uses quite a bit of “Pittards® Oiltac Leather Palm for Enhanced Grip and Optimum Control in Wet or Dry Conditions”. This material is simply the stickiest material I have ever found in a climbing glove. It almost feels un-natural how “tacky” this proprietary leather is. My climbing partner today showed disbelief that this leather was not actually a synthetic rubber compound. You really need to feel it in hand to realize the reality of how sticky the material is.

3) Durability. This same unique leather boasts a lot of durability over the non-slip synthetic materials used in similar gloves. After trashing multiple pairs of BD Torques while rappelling & belaying over the years I think I’ve found a thin pair of technical gloves that I do not always have to swap out with my more durable Kincos for every single rappel. To be honest a couple full rappels on the BD Torques could show visual signs of wear in the palm. Today a hasty full length rappel from a Cathedral Ledge ice climb showed no noticeable wear on the palm. While I can burn through a pair of BD Torques in a full season from what I have seen so far I may be able to get 2-3 full seasons out of the Alibi II’s.

Two other small convenience features add value to these ultra-light technical gloves. First, the “carabiner loops” on the middle finger that let you clip them quickly to a Petzl Cari-tool or carabiner while you fiddle with something requiring glove liner, or bare hand, dexterity. Second the re-enforced pull loops at the cuff that help you pull the snug fitting glove in place. No need to bite the cuff while trying to slip these on!

In summary, these should be on your radar if you are leading Grade 3+ and above ice. Having excellent dexterity while placing & clipping ice screws is a huge boon when leading. I’ll still fall back on my insulated BD Ice Gloves for leading in really cold conditions, but for the fast majority of ice climbing days you’ll find me happily swinging away in my new Outdoor Research Alibi II Gloves which you can purchase here.

Buy on Backcountry

Disclaimer: I purchased these gloves with my own money. This post contains affiliate links that help support this site.

 

KINCOS Gloves Review

David Lottmann Gear Reviews, Glove Reviews, Uncategorized

KINCOS are an amazingly affordable alternative to the high end gloves at your local specialty shop.

Photo from Kincos.com
Photo from Kincos.com

Every few years I would wince at having to purchase another pair of high end technical climbing gloves to replace the beloved pair I had blown out after countless days of mountaineering, skiing, and ice climbing. Nothing destroys quality gloves faster than rappelling, and I wasn’t sure if there was a solution. Then I discovered Kincos.

After seeing these are priced between $18-$25 on Amazon, and available at your local Lucy Hardwear store, I decided to try both popular models. What could I lose at that price?

Kinco Gloves
Kinco Gloves

First off the “Lined Grain Pigskin Leather Palm with Knit Wrist”, which is pictured on the left, have a patented “HeatKeep” lining that was warm enough to keep my partner Bob’s hands toasty for a recent 8-hour day on Mount Washington climbing Pinnacle Gully.

Bob finishing up Pitch 1 with Kincos gloves
Bob finishing up Pitch 1 with Kincos gloves, 11-20-14

Bob wore these gloves exclusively from the time we left the parking lot to picking our way across the Alpine Gardens with -20 wind chills. His hands were toasty through-out.

I like very dexterous gloves when leading ice, so I opted to wear my new Outdoor Research Alibi 2 Gloves (review forthcoming) for the technical climb, but once we topped out I donned the Kinco Ski Gloves. These kept my hands incredibly warm as we crossed the Alpine Gardens and descended down the Lion’s Head Route. Yesterday I took them skiing at Bretton Woods and confirmed they are the bees knees.

Yes, those are new skis, and yes, those will be reviewed soon too.
Yes, those are new skis, and yes, those will be reviewed soon too.

While the Ski Gloves are pre-treated with “REVIVEX waterproofing solution” I opted to bust out the Nixwak Waterproof Wax that I use on my boots & hiking shoes. Rubbing this stuff into the leather with bare hands adds an extra layer of protection, protects the leather, and brings back fond child-hood memories of trying to break in a stiff baseball glove. If you really want to waterproof the model with fabric on the back you could also use this.

Advantages: Affordable, Durable, Warm

Disadvantages: Not a “Precision Fit” but just fine for mountaineering, skiing, and seconding hard technical climbs, needs some maintenance to treat & break in.

In summary, KINCOS are an amazingly affordable alternative to high end climbing/skiing gloves. They are not however an absolute replacement. High end gloves definitely have their place, as an upcoming review for the Outdoor Research Alibi II Gloves will allude too, say stay tuned for that and thanks for reading!

You can find the lowest price on Kinco Ski Gloves on Amazon here!

Ortovox Kodiak Shovel Review

David Lottmann Gear Reviews

I have used a lot of different back-country shovels over the last 10 years of avalanche courses and last year I had the opportunity to review a Brooks-Range Sharktooth Pro Shovel. This year Ortovox sent me a Kodiak Shovel to demo and I’ve been extremely pleased with it, so much so that I have tried convincing fellow Mountain Rescue Service members to pick one up.

Ortovox Kodiak Shovel Review
Ortovox Kodiak Shovel

There are a lot of positives to this shovel and only one negative, so let’s get that negative out of the way first.

Weight: At 1lb, 12oz (790g) this shovel is a bit on the heavy side for someone who only visits the back-country occasionally and doesn’t do a lot of pit work. However it still breaks down and easily stores in the avalanche gear front pocket of my EMS Wintergreen Backpack.

And now for the positives that make this shovel a digging machine;

Blade: This large blade, (11.8 x 9 x 2.4″), has almost 2 square feet of volume. It easily moves more snow per stroke than any other shovel I have used. The sharp serrated blade cuts through hard debris (and parking lot snow banks) like no other edge I have used. It also is flat on the bottom axis allowing for smooth pit walls to aid in quality snow-pack observations. Finally the top of the blade has some non-slip step grooves to facilitate using your ski boots on the blade to cut through cement if need be.

Shaft: This telescoping shaft extends from 20″ to 28″ but still fits easily in my avalanche gear pocket when collapsed. The oval shape of the shaft is really comfortable to dig with compared to traditional round shafts and the rubberized portion adds control when wearing iced up or slippery gloves. The shaft quickly inserts and self locks into the blade due to a well designed self-feeding slot that guides the locking button into place with little effort.

Handle: While D-shaped handles add a little weight to a shovel they add a ton of control, especially if wearing mittens. T shaped and J shaped handles are very hard to operate with mittens on, and since our avalanche terrain is often brutally cold and half of my students often have mittens on this style of handle should preferred, especially if you deal with cold hands alot.

Added functionality: This is the first shovel I have used that has a 90 degree clearing function, essentially making it an entrenching tool (memories of USMC Boot Camp coming back). While using this mode did not feel effective at first I quickly realized this is a great mode for secondary shovelers moving snow further back from the main shovelers in a companion rescue scenario. I think it would also be quite handy for digging a quick snow cave while on a mountaineering trip.

Ortovox Kodiak Shovel Review

 

I put a quick video review of the shovel up on my YouTube Channel:

Final thoughts: This is an aggressive powerhouse of a shovel perfect for avalanche professionals, search & rescue teams, and hard-core mountaineers. While slightly heavier than other models it makes up for it in utility & durability. Final grade: A

Five Ten Camp Four Approach Shoes

David Lottmann Footwear Reviews, Gear Reviews , , , ,

I bought my first pair of Five Ten Camp Four Approach Shoes in 2009. Over the last 4 years I have worn them on hundreds of miles of White Mountain trails, dozens of guided trips, and quite a few search & rescues. They have served me so well that when I finally wore them out I had no doubt that I would be replacing them with the same shoe. They are the perfect 3 season supportive hiking shoe for a number of reasons.

While stick when wet
Will stick when wet

Support:

I only wear boots when their is snow & ice on the ground, so from April to November these are my most worn shoe for hiking in the Whites. It’s important to note even when carrying a heavy pack I don’t need the ankle support that some folks do, so if you question the strength of your ankles you might prefer something with ankle support. However these do offer excellent support for your foot from a full length nylon shank and comfortable EVA mid-sole. This under-foot support is a big difference from my softer Five Ten Guide Tennies, which I prefer for moderate rock climbing, but are to fatiguing when covering many miles of rugged terrain.

From EMS.com:

  • Proprietary molded PU external heel cage adds rear-foot support and stability, allowing you to hump heavy loads for long distances, without the need for a high-top boot

Traction:

The Stealth C4/S1 high-friction soles provide amazing friction on wet & dry rock. This is also probably the beefiest sole I have seen on a trail shoe which is probably why these weigh in a bit heavier than similar trail shoes at 1lb 12 ounces, but I’ll take a few extra ounces for the great durability and support this out-sole provides!

Comfort: It’s a no brainer a shoe with great traction and support isn’t going to be worn if it isn’t comfortable. I would consider this a low to mid volume shoe. As mentioned on EMS.com :

  • Lace to toe closure can be worn relaxed for a long-distance fit, or tightened – for climbing and scrambling

I’ve put a few 12+ mile days on these, much above tree-line, and they are the only trail shoe I’ve put so much abuse on that I haven’t wanted to take off the second I get back to the car. They are that comfortable.

The only con I can think of is they are not waterproof. No biggie there, since they are made with Nubuck leather I would waterproof them myself with Nikwax Waterproof Wax every other year or so.

Bottom-line: I hope they never stop making this shoe. I plan on finishing the 48 four-thousand footers with these, and continuing my red-lining of the WMNF. I think these would be the PERFECT AT Thru-Hike shoe, though I imagine it might take 2 pairs to complete the 2,100mi trip. Check em’ out!

Buy on Backcountry

Petzl Sirocco Helmet Review

David Lottmann Gear Reviews

I finally got my hands on the new Petzl Sirocco Climbing Helmet and I gotta say this thing is a game-changer. Climbing gear technology steadily improves from year to year with big advances only happening about every decade, so it has been awhile since I have been excited about something as standard as a climbing helmet. Enter, the Sirocco!

Screenshot2012-11-29at20327PM

 

The first thing you’ll notice when you pick this helmet up off the rack, other than the color, is the weight… or lack of. At 165 grams it is ridiculously light. Many of us don’t think in grams so lets break it down a few other ways.

That’s 5.82 ounces.

That’s one ounce more than two Clif Bars.

Ironically, that is exactly half the weight of my long time favorite Petzl Elios helmet.

It’s 30% lighter than the well known ultra-light Petzl Meteor III helmet.

Ok, I think you get it that this thing is light. But helmet weight is definitely secondary to the protection it offers right? How can a helmet that weighs next to nothing protect you better than one that weighs twice as much? The answer is in the material the helmet is made out of, Expanded PolyPropylene, or “EPP”. Without getting to techy this stuff can take a hard hit, absorb the energy reducing potential energy, and retain its shape after. Other “ultralight” helmets like Petzl’s own Meteor III can absorb the energy of a hard hit, but can be destroyed in the process. This makes this helmet more durable at less weight. Win win IMO.

Petzl demonstrates some of this stress testing in this video.

Ultralight? Check. Durable? Check. How about comfort?

Well, a quick look at the helmet shows there is a ton of ventilation and the straps easily adjust to fit my big head. But today was the first hot day I got to test the helmet. How hot? Well I just got in from 3 pitches on Cathedral Ledge and this is what I’m pulling up online:

90°F

  • Humidity42%
  • Wind SpeedVrbl 5 mph
  • Barometer29.93 in (1013.4 mb)
  • Dewpoint64°F (18°C)
  • Visibility10.00 mi
  • Heat Index91°F (33°C)

Last Update on 31 May 4:54 pm EDT

I put the helmet on hiking up to the Thin Air Face of Cathedral around 9am. We climbed Toe Crack, then Turner’s Flake, and decided to walk over to the North End for They Died Laughing. About 1:30 PM I was flaking out the rope when I 2nd guessed if I had grabbed my helmet after rapping from Turner’s and had one of those “Where’s my glasses?” moments. Yup, enough said… this thing is super comfy.

Eastern Mountain Sports Climbing Guide Keith Moon rockin' the Sirocco
Eastern Mountain Sports Climbing Guide Keith Moon rockin’ the Sirocco

To recap, so light it is weird, safer than any helmet I’ve owned, comfy enough you forget it is on even when it is hot & humid. But there has to be some negatives right? Sure. Let’s hit em:

1) Color. You will be highly visible at the crag. Apparently this material can not be dyed, so don’t expect a choice in colors to be coming.

2) Price. OK. It’s close to double most of the other helmets on the wall, Petzl or not. But what are you getting in return? The LIGHTEST SAFEST climbing helmet on the market. For such an important piece of safety equipment I don’t have a problem with the MRSP of this helmet, and climbing gear sales abound (EMS Club Day and Upgrade Your Gear sales).

I do have two questions for the manufacturer that I will post here and update once I get responses, so follow the blog if you are interested or would want to know.

1) How does Expanded PolyPropylene, or “EPP”, hold up with UV degradation.

2) How does it react, if at all, with DEET?

Well that’s it. I plan on getting some more reviews up over the next month so if you want to follow it’s that little spot at the top right of the blog that says “follow”. Happy climbing!

Sharktooth Longneck Pro T Shovel Review

David Lottmann Gear Reviews

A couple weeks ago I received a Brooks-Range Sharktooth Longneck Pro T Shovel to test from our Tech Sport buyer at Eastern Mountain Sports. The fact I was given this shovel to test has in no way influenced my opinion of it. I’m not even sure if I can keep it, but after testing it during avalanche courses on Mount Washington and in the Adirondacks I hope I can!

Sharktooth LongNeck Pro
Sharktooth LongNeck Pro

When I first grabbed the shovel I felt like it must be heavier than my current touring shovels, and I was right, but not by much. It’s 9 ounces heavier than my lightest shovel I carry, the Black Diamond Deploy 3, and only 2 ounces heavier than my more serious back-country shovel, the Black Diamond Transfer 7. What it gains for those added ounces though is quite impressive!

First, this thing telescopes to 40.75 inches! That’s huge, and more than 6 inches of length over my BD Transfer 7 and still collapses small enough to easily fit in the avalanche gear pocket of my EMS Wintergreen Backpack, which BTW I reviewed here.

Second, the T handle has option to be used at a 90 degree angle. This can be very helpful while scrapping snow away if you are a secondary shoveler in a rescue, though personally I always find a flush T grip more comfortable to dig with, so I probably won’t be using this feature.

Third, and quite impressive, is the “Sharktooth™” edge of the blade, an aggressive serration. Chopping through wet slab debris in Tuckerman Ravine and those concrete parking lot snowbanks I so often find myself burying avalanche beacons in for course practice is pretty manageable with this blade, and it’s only available on Brooks-Range shovels! I also found it quite easy to create smooth snow pit walls for making quality snow-pack observations.

Smooth walls = better info
Smooth walls = better info

Fourth, Brooks-Range has built in some functionality that would be welcome to any serious alpinist. Deadman holes allow for use as an emergency anchor with potential advantages during glacier rescue and while climbing snow routes. The shovel shafts can also double as stretcher bars when used with the Brooks-Range Mountaineering Rescue Sled™.

Finally it comes in a multitude of colors for those who like to coordinate. Are there really people looking to coordinate their shovel color? I guess so…

My wife wants "Choas Pink"
My wife wants “Chaos Pink”

So, to recap; slightly heavier, WAY more functional than any of my current shovels, digs better due to the “Sharktooth” blade and extending longer, added versatility of being able to use it as a dead-man or in conjunction with a rescue sled, and comes in many different colors. What’s not to like?