This past Saturday I had the pleasure of taking Alex, Ben, and Eric ice climbing at The North End of Cathedral Ledge for a Winter Climbing 101 Program. We spent much of the day with another EMS Schools group taking the same course led by EMS Guide Cheyenne Chaffee.
Cheyenne explains the differences between various types of traction devices and crampons
After some not-so-fast self arrest practice on the Cathedral Ledge Auto-road we started working on our footwork.
Chaffee demonstrates the differences between “French Technique” “German Technique” and front-pointingBen tackles some steeper ice armed with footwork and sharp toolsA participant shakes outNearby EMS Guide Keith Moon instructs a Private Ice Climbing LessonAlex takes a break halfway up the North End Pillars
While the North End Slab & Pillars were quite mobbed for most the day with the Ice Fest going on there was plenty of ice for us to play on. The ice to the right of Thresher has come in quite well this year, and survived the multiple thaws we have dealt with, providing a great spot to learn the basics without trying to thread the needle with a half dozen ropes on the Pillars. At the end of the day everyone was content with the mileage they had put in and we hope to see some return for the next step, either Mountaineering 201 or Ice Climbing 201.
I’ve been looking forward to getting this review published since November when a Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Pack arrived at my door. Seeing HMG’s new re-brand and website launch today was the kick in the pants I needed to finish this review. So here it is!
As soon as I took it out of the plastic I knew I was holding a well designed pack. A 55 liter technical backpack that felt indestructible in hand but only weighed 34 ounces, made out of waterproof highly durable fabric. At the risk of sounding cliche… it felt like the future of high end backpacks had arrived. A month later it waited patiently by the door for its first trip up Mount Washington:
Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Ice Pack
I’ve since enjoyed a dozen days of ice climbing and a couple back-country ski tours with this pack and have formed more than just a first impression. I want to share with my readers what makes this pack… and HMG in general… one of the coolest outdoor gear companies I’ve come across.
The Company:
Only 6 years old, Hyperlite Mountain Gear has quickly risen to compete with the best of the best in the outdoor gear industry. Their philosophy boils down to making bombproof technical gear that will perform in the worse possible conditions outdoor recreationalists throw themselves at. Design feedback from a diverse team of ambassadors goes right to head of the company. From bombproof HMG shelters to technical basic essentials like stuff sacks this company doesn’t take outdoor function for granted. To top it off, their products are all made in good ole’ USA, only a few hours away in the great state of Maine!
So what really sets this company apart from most competitors? It’s obvious it’s their choice of fabric for their products. While most companies use various “deniers” of affordable rip-stop nylon and Cordura, Hyperlite Mountain Gear uses Dyneema® + Dyneema® Composite Fabrics (Formerly Cuben Fiber) Technology to provide incredibly lightweight, long lasting, water & abrasion resistant products. Read more on these materials here.
I went with this model as I wanted a pack I could guide both ice climbing and back-county skiing with. For those end uses there are some differences in how the pack performs that I will dive into, but first the manufacturer supplied description and specs:
“We designed the 3400/55L series of Ice Packs to function perfectly for passionate adventurers trudging through snow, climbing big ice or alpine lines and spending multiple days in wintry landscapes. Streamlined and minimalist, this ultralight backpack becomes a seamless extension of the athlete wearing it, enabling light and fast alpine ascents. Achieve your optimal self on your one- or two-day FA in the Ruth, Alaska or while attempting a Teton’s Grand Traverse-style link up. Given a four-star review in Rock & Ice magazine’s 2013 Photo Annual issue, this pack offers exactly what you need and nothing more (i.e. no frills, gizmos or the latest trending colors). Made from 100% waterproof Dyneema® Composite Fabrics (formerly Cuben Fiber), the 3400 Ice Pack is highly durable and weatherproof. Use it with our Stuff Sacks for a nearly perfect waterproof kit.
We can custom fit this pack for skiers by adding reinforced Dyneema® side panels, bottom and ski holsters.
FEATURES
Made in Maine – External crampon and ice axe attachment system
Four external daisy chains
Removable, contoured aluminum stays
Dyneema® Hardline shoulder straps with 3/8” closed cell foam and spacer mesh
1/4” foam back panel pad
Compression System
Roll-Top closure system with side compression straps for vertical compression
Four side compression straps for horizontal compression
Top Y-strap compression — Designed to secure gear
Internal zippered pocket
Dyneema® Hardline hip belt with 1/8” closed cell rigid foam, 3/8” closed cell foam and spacer mesh
Hip belt option with gear loops or zippered pockets with #5 YKK zipper
Adjustable sternum strap with self-tensioning elastic
Proprietary seam sealing on all side seams and behind all sewn-on pack features”
So how does it perform? Well the closest pack I have extensive experience with that I could compare it to is my long loved Wild Things Guide Pack. Rugged? Check. Streamlined? Check. Lightweight? Check. Where this pack strides forward is in volume. Weighing only 6 ounces more than my 1600cu. in. Wild Things pack this pack more than doubles capacity. I find this extra room, even for a day of accessible cragging, to be a boon for two reasons;
1. It swallows all my gear without me getting OCD about my packing. While I start off a trip super well organized at the end of the day when you’re ready to beat feet to the car I just want to dump my gear in without trying to “put the puzzle back together”. This pack opens up wide so I can dump my harness, helmet, and rack in and start making tracks to the trail-head!
I can hold all of your gear!
2. Unplanned bivy. While I carry an AMK SOL Emergency Bivy Sack on every trip the 34 inches of unrolled length, half of which have has 1/4″ foam, would help insulate someone spending an extra night out.
I put together a quick video the other day showing what I typically pack for a day of ice climbing, so if you want a closer idea of what I shove in this pack check out this clip:
But how does it climb?
Performance:
I’ve lead over 4000 feet of technical ice climbing up to Grade 4 wearing this pack so far this season. That’s enough to know it climbs well.
East Face Slabs of Mount Willard, photo by Tom Carlson
The real beauty of this pack is it can haul 40 pounds of climbing gear to the route comfortably, then cinch down into a little streamlined assault pack that you can forget you are wearing. While the waist belt is remove-able I just opt for reverse clipping it when it’s time to harness up.
If I were to give this pack a grade based on end use it would look something like this:
Ice Climbing/Mountaineering A+++
Back-country Skiing B-
Ski Mountaineering A+
So why the lower grade for BC skiing? Well, because you can’t have one backpack that is awesome at everything. You just can’t. In the case of back-country skiing I want those convenient features like fleece lined goggle pockets and zippered compartmental access. A dedicated snow safety tool pocket is a must for those who ski in avalanche terrain a lot.
But you know what? Most great BC ski packs suffer in volume when it comes to Ski Mountaineering. Need to toss in some crampons and a bit of rope for when the terrain you’re accessing is getting a little gnarly? This pack has you covered. Heading into Baxter State Park for a few days of long alpine routes & maybe a ski descent off Hamlin Peak?
This is the pack I would bring.
Basically, if the route is demanding and technical in nature this is the pack to arm yourself with. If you’re sticking to wearing your skis in terrain under 40 degrees you might be better off with a dedicated touring pack like the Patagonia SnowDrifter.
But if you’re swinging the tools and getting into steep technical terrain this pack is an excellent choice.
Summit of Mt. Willard- photo by Tom Carlson
I’m excited to get some ski mountaineering trips in with this pack over the next few years. While this winter has really lagged in the Northeast I’m content knowing this pack will long outlive this El Nino by a decade or two. I’m also keen to test out more of HMG’s product line. If you are in the market for a top of the line ice climbing/mountaineering pack, this is definitely a company you should be looking at.
DISCLAIMER: While HMG supplied me with this pack for the review my opinions stated above are 100% mine, derived from 2 decades of wearing out packs ice climbing and skiing in the North East. Affiliate links help support this blog.
8/18/18 UPDATE: Originally reviewed in 2016 I’ve since taken this pack climbing in the Cascades and on dozens more trips. It has held up flawlessly and will be in my pack quiver for decades to come!
As soon as I took it out of the plastic I knew I was holding a well designed pack. A 55 liter technical backpack that felt indestructible in hand but only weighed 34 ounces, made out of waterproof highly durable fabric. At the risk of sounding cliche… it felt like the future of high end backpacks had arrived. A month later it waited patiently by the door for its first trip up Mount Washington:
Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Ice Pack
I’ve since enjoyed a dozen days of ice climbing and a couple back-country ski tours with this packthree winters and over a hundred days and have formed more than just a first impression. I want to share with my readers what makes this pack… and HMG in general… one of the coolest outdoor gear companies I’ve come across.
The Company:
Only 6 years old, Hyperlite Mountain Gear has quickly risen to compete with the best of the best in the outdoor gear industry. Their philosophy boils down to making bombproof technical gear that will perform in the worse possible conditions outdoor recreationalists throw themselves at. Design feedback from a diverse team of ambassadors goes right to head of the company. From bombproof HMG shelters to technical basic essentials like stuff sacks this company doesn’t take outdoor function for granted. To top it off, their products are all made in good ole’ USA, only a few hours away in the great state of Maine!
So what really sets this company apart from most competitors? It’s obvious it’s their choice of fabric for their products. While most companies use various “deniers” of affordable rip-stop nylon and Cordura, Hyperlite Mountain Gear uses Dyneema® + Dyneema® Composite Fabrics (Formerly Cuben Fiber) Technology to provide incredibly lightweight, long lasting, water & abrasion resistant products. Read more on these materials here.
I went with this model as I wanted a pack I could guide both ice climbing and back-county skiing with. For those end uses there are some differences in how the pack performs that I will dive into, but first the manufacturer supplied description and specs:
“We designed the 3400/55L series of Ice Packs to function perfectly for passionate adventurers trudging through snow, climbing big ice or alpine lines and spending multiple days in wintry landscapes. Streamlined and minimalist, this ultralight backpack becomes a seamless extension of the athlete wearing it, enabling light and fast alpine ascents. Achieve your optimal self on your one- or two-day FA in the Ruth, Alaska or while attempting a Teton’s Grand Traverse-style link up. Given a four-star review in Rock & Ice magazine’s 2013 Photo Annual issue, this pack offers exactly what you need and nothing more (i.e. no frills, gizmos or the latest trending colors). Made from 100% waterproof Dyneema® Composite Fabrics (formerly Cuben Fiber), the 3400 Ice Pack is highly durable and weatherproof. Use it with our Stuff Sacks for a nearly perfect waterproof kit.
We can custom fit this pack for skiers by adding reinforced Dyneema® side panels, bottom and ski holsters.
FEATURES
Made in Maine – External crampon and ice axe attachment system
Four external daisy chains
Removable, contoured aluminum stays
Dyneema® Hardline shoulder straps with 3/8” closed cell foam and spacer mesh
1/4” foam back panel pad
Compression SystemRoll-Top closure system with side compression straps for vertical compression
Four side compression straps for horizontal compression
Top Y-strap compression — Designed to secure gear
Internal zippered pocket
Dyneema® Hardline hip belt with 1/8” closed cell rigid foam, 3/8” closed cell foam and spacer mesh
Hip belt option with gear loops or zippered pockets with #5 YKK zipper
Adjustable sternum strap with self-tensioning elastic
Proprietary seam sealing on all side seams and behind all sewn-on pack features”
So how does it perform? Well the closest pack I have extensive experience with that I could compare it to is my long loved Wild Things Guide Pack. Rugged? Check. Streamlined? Check. Lightweight? Check. Where this pack strides forward is in volume. Weighing only 6 ounces more than my 1600cu. in. Wild Things pack this pack more than doubles capacity. I find this extra room, even for a day of accessible cragging, to be a boon for two reasons;
1. It swallows all my gear without me getting OCD about my packing. While I start off a trip super well organized at the end of the day when you’re ready to beat feet to the car I just want to dump my gear in without trying to “put the puzzle back together”. This pack opens up wide so I can dump my harness, helmet, and rack in and start making tracks to the trail-head!
I can hold all of your gear!
2. Unplanned bivy. While I carry an AMK SOL Emergency Bivy Sack on every trip the 34 inches of unrolled length, half of which have has 1/4″ foam, would help insulate someone spending an extra night out.
I put together a quick video the other day showing what I typically pack for a day of ice climbing, so if you want a closer idea of what I shove in this pack check out this clip:
But how does it climb?
Performance:
I’ve lead over 4000 feet of technical ice climbing up to Grade 4 wearing this pack so far this season. That’s enough to know it climbs well.
East Face Slabs of Mount Willard, photo by Tom Carlson
The real beauty of this pack is it can haul 40 pounds of climbing gear to the route comfortably, then cinch down into a little streamlined assault pack that you can forget you are wearing. While the waist belt is remove-able I just opt for reverse clipping it when it’s time to harness up.
If I were to give this pack a grade based on end use it would look something like this:
Ice Climbing/Mountaineering A+++
Back-country Skiing B-
Ski Mountaineering A+
So why the lower grade for BC skiing? Well, because you can’t have one backpack that is awesome at everything. You just can’t. In the case of back-country skiing I want those convenient features like fleece lined goggle pockets and zippered compartmental access. A dedicated snow safety tool pocket is a must for those who ski in avalanche terrain a lot.
But you know what? Most great BC ski packs suffer in volume when it comes to Ski Mountaineering. Need to toss in some crampons and a bit of rope for when the terrain you’re accessing is getting a little gnarly? This pack has you covered. Heading into Baxter State Park for a few days of long alpine routes & maybe a ski descent off Hamlin Peak?
This is the pack I would bring.
Basically, if the route is demanding and technical in nature this is the pack to arm yourself with. If you’re sticking to wearing your skis in terrain under 40 degrees you might be better off with a dedicated touring pack like the Patagonia SnowDrifter.
But if you’re swinging the tools and getting into steep technical terrain this pack is an excellent choice.
Summit of Mt. Willard- photo by Tom Carlson
I’m excited to get some ski mountaineering trips in with this pack over the next few years. While this winter has really lagged in the Northeast I’m content knowing this pack will long outlive this El Nino by a decade or two. I’m also keen to test out more of HMG’s product line. If you are in the market for a top of the line ice climbing/mountaineering pack, this is definitely a company you should be looking at.
DISCLAIMER: While HMG supplied me with this pack for the review my opinions stated above are 100% mine, derived from 2 decades of wearing out packs ice climbing and skiing in the North East. Affiliate links help support this blog.
This past Sunday I had the pleasure of taking David, Charlene, and Sam out to Cathedral Ledge for a Winter Climbing 101 Course. David had attempted Mount Rainier last year and was returning for another attempt this August, so this course was intended to help hone the skills needed for such an objective.
We started the day with some self-arrest practice on the auto-road. An icy sled path that came down through the woods provided a great little spot to gain some momentum. We then worked on our crampon technique employing different styles to different grades and difficulties, all with an emphasis on conserving energy. As the day progressed we got a bit more technical with our ice axes as we took a climb up the North End Slab. After some lunch we rappelled the North End Pillars, learned and practiced a hand-rap rappel, then looked at some basic glacier roping up options, with a look at short-roping & short pitching to finish out the day.
David goes over the edgeThen Charlene…Sam leaning back on the rope with no fear… well, maybe a little
I wish David the best on his next Rainier climb, it’s obvious to see he has the climbing bug, and hope to see Sam back her for some focused waterfall ice climbing, as she showed a keen interest in doing more of that by the end of the day!
This summer I got to meet 16 year old Harry for a very rainy day of rock climbing. Most of the day was spent indoors covering rope skills, which he was keen to acquire. He would later climb with EMS Guide Ryan and was following 5.9 routes his second day out. Soon after he started leading traditional climbs. This kid is getting good fast! He returned today and was joined by Wildcat Ski Instructor Marissa for an introduction to winter climbing.
We pulled into Frankenstein around 9:30am. The upper parking lot was full and cars on the side of the road almost reached the lower lot. I wondered if Lost In The Forest would be swarmed.
Crossing the trestle at Frankenstein Cliff- sweet pack review coming soon! #hyperlitemountaingear
We saw one party on Chia and later heard parties climbed Smear, Hobbit, Pegasus Rock Finish, The Blobs, and Bob’s Delight… all looking quite good. There was no one in the Trestle Cut or at the Trestle Slab. When we arrived below Lost In The Forest we could easily see a large group, probably 10+, around Walk in The Woods/Lost In The Forest. On we walked…
My back-up plan was the slab to the right of The Hanging Gardens… we got there after passing a very busy Standard Route.
Standard Route, Frankenstein Cliff
We had the slab to ourselves and had lessons in crampon technique, ice axe use, and belaying.
Marissa prepared for her very first ever climbing experience while Harry provides a solid belayMarissa crushing our first route of the dayHarry getting after it
After a couple of laps here we ate some lunch and moved down and over to Standard Route right as a few parties were finishing. We opted for a quick climb up the center to the cave and rappelled.
Harry reaches the cave at the top of the first pitch of Standard Route
On our way out we had a quick lesson in ice screw placement and building V-thread anchors. Marissa seemed to enjoy her first experience in the vertical world of ice climbing and Harry is chomping at the bit to learn more. He’s heading out tomorrow with another EMS guide for some longer multi-pitch type climbing and I’m sure he’ll do well. At this rate I expect to see him climbing up a storm in the next few years. Get after it Harry!
I’m heading out again tomorrow with another group, so stay tuned and see you in the mountains!
A rare combination of a day off, day care, and no pressing household matters to attend to let me escape up to Crawford Notch this morning for a quick solo ice climb. I figured I’d grab some pics and try to get a sense of how this past weekends 1-2 inches of rain had impacted our late starting ice season. I was pretty happy with how well things held in there.
Driving by Frankenstein I noted Chia looked climb-able, along with Pegasus Rock Finish, but Pegasus proper was still a raging waterfall. I didn’t stop for pics here as Al Hospers of NEClimbs got some good shots yesterday:
I wanted to focus on Mount Willard and pulled over to get a shot of the south face:
Mount Willard South Face, Crawford Notch State Park
Gully #1 looked like it had survived, and while not “in” it looked climbable. Cauliflower Gully looked similar. Cinema looked scary thin. Climbable? Yes. Protect-able?…. ehhhh…
Higher up the notch both Silver Cascade & The Flume still had high volume open water on the main flows, with climbable ice to the sides. I saw one party of two when I was leaving working their way up the far right side of Silver Cascade:
Zoom into the top right to see the two climbers. Silver Cascade, Crawford Notch
Elephant’s Head looked good to go, the thin section getting into the upper right finish had really filed in and to me it looked better than last week. Great plastic growing ice at the start…
Elephant’s Head, Crawford Notch
I parked at the top of the notch and quickly threw my pack on. That has to be one of the coldest parking lots in the Northeast. I briskly followed a set of fresh tracks to the base of Hitchcock Gully, first grabbing a quick pic of the growing “Snotsickle”. That right hand start came in great last year and looks like it might be returning this year.
Snotsickle… not yet
I reached the base of Hitchcock Gully as two climbers where setting off and followed them up the washed out approach gully of Hitchcock. Quite a bit of frozen rock climbing but things were locked up enough to make the going quick.
Start of the washed out Hitchcock Gully
Jamie (from Boston) and his partner were heading up Lower Hitchcock so at the cutoff to Left Hand Monkey Wrench (LHMW) we chatted briefly and parted ways. I headed north and cut over to the base of LHMW. It was fat & plastic looking on the bottom half:
Left Hand Monkey Wrench
Side note… I’ve done the direct uphill tree swim to reach this route a half dozen times, as well as the Hitchcock Gully approach. Using Hitchcock Gully is without a doubt easier & faster than the uphill tree swim approach IMO. Just sayin’…
The climbing was plastic ice for the start, then drier and a tad brittle at the moderate “crux” of this route. A stem here and a stem there and I was hooking nice looking roots to the great frozen turf shots at the top. I realized at the top this was my first solo of this climb. Meh, it’s just ice climbing, no need to celebrate. Up I went to the base of East Face Slabs Right, which looked quite fat:
East Face Slabs Right
A quick walk over to check out fat & plastic Upper Hitchcock:
Hitchcock Gully
I decided to look down Lower Hitchcock and see if I could spot Jamie and partner, who were starting the last bit of technical climbing of the lower route. The route was pretty washed out but Jamie reported climbable ice to the sides and made quick work of the rock moves to finish that half:
Fun mixed climbing finishing Lower Hitchcock
After another social chat I headed up to my exit, The Cleft. The very bottom was washed out but thick ice came soon.
The Cleft
The climbing in here was actually slightly un-nerving. First off, the ice was very dry & brittle in comparison to LHMV. No speed soloing happening here. Second, the winds were being funneled up The Cleft in a way I’d never seen before. It’s usually dead quiet and serene in here but the wind chill was pushing me to keep moving in my light soft shell. I reached the classic chockstone crux I’d seen mentioned and pictured in FB posts over the last couple weeks and for a second wondered if it would go well. It is awkward… no question about that. I did get a spark off a pick trying for something I knew wasn’t there. I also managed one nice knuckle bash before relaxing, getting a solid 4mm stick in some fresh verglas, then stemming the right leg on that little rock edge, and pulling the move right before my leg would have cramped.
Most epic Grade 2 move ever. If only I had a film crew to capture it for Reel Rock 11. Oh well. The rest of the route was easy cheezy.
I spent a little time at the summit. I realized I hadn’t stood on a winter summit alone in over a decade. All my winter summits are shared with clients or friends. It was kind of nice to be up there for a bit alone. A feeling I almost had forgotten. I don’t intend to delve into this deeper now in a general conditions report but I might come back to it at some point…
Anyways, the descent trail, the Mount Willard Trail… looks like this:
Extreme micro-spike terrain!
I hiked all the way out in my Black Diamond Cyborg crampons as I did not bring micro-spikes. No regrets. Car to car in 2.5 hours. Ok, no more bragging. Summary of ice conditions:
We survived the rain. Things are pretty good in many places. Long range forecast is quite promising:
Snow. High near 16. Southeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Tonight
Snow, mainly before 10pm, then a chance of snow showers after 10pm. Low around 12. Wind chill values as low as -3. Blustery, with a southeast wind 10 to 20 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
Wednesday
A 50 percent chance of snow showers before 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 7 by 5pm. Wind chill values as low as -15. Windy, with a northwest wind 25 to 30 mph.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around -2. Wind chill values as low as -23. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 25 mph.
Thursday
Partly sunny, with a high near 15. West wind around 15 mph.
Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 9.
Friday
Partly sunny, with a high near 25.
Friday Night
A 40 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.
Saturday
Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 29. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Saturday Night
Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 18. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday
A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25.
Sunday Night
A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10.
M.L.King Day
A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 16.
Monday Night
A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 6.
Tuesday
Partly sunny, with a high near 14.
Final thoughts: Otterbox Defender case is trapping moisture in my iPhone6+ making pics “foggy”, didn’t notice that with my older 5s. I’m researching a solid point & click dedicated camera. I miss my old Olympus 1030sw and want something comparable. Suggestions?
Windchills were kicking my phones butt today. Will be making some revisions to previous smartphone navigation post. Don’t worry, I still think it’s an option… but probably better to stick with dedicated GPS for anything below 20F.
That’s it. Thanks for reading. See you in the mountains,
This past weekend I got to spend a couple fun days in the mountains. It started Saturday when I got to take Oklahoman’s Taylor & Stephanie and Vermonter Melissa out for our Mountaineering 201 Course. Expecting large crowds at classic Willey’s Slide and Mt. Willard I opted for an old favorite, Silver Cascade, Grade 2+, 800 feet (2 miles round-trip), pg. 211 in guidebook.
Only 2 parties of two were on the route when we arrived which gave us a little time to talk about some glacier roping strategies.
Silver Cascade
After giving the lead groups some space we started up.
Stephanie & Taylor enjoying the first pitch
A couple of pitches later we stopped to talk about ice anchors and practiced building V-thread anchors.
Learning about ice screw placement
We then finished off the last of the technical ice.
Melissa tops out of the last technical section
We explored a bit higher in the brook before making our way back down to the base.
Back at the base
That evening I attended a fundraiser at International Mountain Equipment for our local Mountain Rescue Service. It was great seeing the community support that came out for a showing of the Reel Rock 10 Tour. I especially liked the video of Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell documenting their traverse of the Fitz Roy range. Quite a few laughs and amazing cinematography, I’m hoping IME still has a few copies of this DVD so I can pick one up this week.
Rick Wilcox addresses the full house while most enjoyed free beer provided by event sponsor Tuckerman Brewery!
The next morning I met back up with Taylor & Stephanie and also met Portland based Mike & and Boston based Kevin. Out team of 5 would be heading up Mount Washington in some pretty full value conditions. The Higher Summits forecast called for Southeast winds around 80mph in the afternoon with heavy rain arriving in the afternoon. It would be… interesting…
Stephanie & Taylor are all smiles on the Summer Lionshead Route.
It was comical seeing some of the parties who had started early come down the trail. Most had 1-2 inches of clear water ice encasing ice axes, backpacks, even hair braids! The freezing rain they must have encountered above tree-line had lessened, but pellet snow hitting us at about 30 mph required goggles & face mask to stay comfortable.
We pushed on to Lionshead where we met up with the other EMS team on the mountain who had made it to the Alpine Garden trail before retreating. Conditions were dismal up high where we later learned the summit got a 100 mph gust (much higher than forecasted) at about the same time we started our descent.
The purple shaded area shows how incredibly “gusty” our winds were, going from 50mph to over 90mph from noon on.
Lionshead summit photo- from left to right: Taylor, Stephanie, Mike, Kevin
We made our way back down quite content with what we had just accomplished, but the day was far from over. We took a brief stop on a steeper section of the Lionshead Summer Route to practice an “arm-wrap rappel”, then cruised down to the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. From here progress slowed as the 1.3 inches of rain the mountain was receiving had completely saturated the thin snow pack that had started to smooth out the trail and footing was pretty tricky with 8+ inches of slush on top of the notoriously uneven path. We still reached Pinkham just before 3pm and hopped in the car, 5 very saturated, but content climbers.
A fun weekend to be sure and while it took a full 12 hours of wood stove heat to begin to dry my gear out I am anxious to see how great the ice will be forming with all this free water and dropping temps. Probably get out somewhere tomorrow!
The EMS® Men’s Feather Pack Hooded Jacket was my most anticipated item in last years Fall/Winter line at Eastern Mountain Sports and it returns this year! I was amped to pick it up just in time for a quick alpine climb on Cannon Cliff.
Built on the success of last year’s Icarus jackets (you remember, the ones that after the first production run EMS had low inventory right off the bat because employees snagged them all up?) this jacket falls in to the “light belay jacket” category. A few things set this jacket apart from your more casual winter coat and for me justified the purchase, even when my gear closet has no shortage of technical jackets!
1 fleece, 3 soft-shells, 1 hybrid, 2 hard-shells, 3 synthetic insulated and 2 down… of course I needed one more!
Weight:
The manufacturer states the average weight of a medium size is 15.5 ounces. My own scale measures my size large at 17.5 ounces. The closest insulated hooded jacket I have is my Wild Things Belay Jacket which weighs in at 24 ounces!
Pack-ability:
This jacket when stuffed into its internal pocket only takes up about 240 cubic inches of space, less than a football (pre-Deflategate of course). Dimensions when stuffed are about 8 x 6 x 5 inches with some room to squish smaller.
Stuff size of the EMS® Men’s Feather Pack 800 DownTek™ Hooded Jacket
Insulation:
This ultralight weight and extreme packability is achieved by using 800 fill DownTek. If you want to increase your knowledge of “fill power” in down products you can geek out on Wikipedia here. We’ve known for years that high quality down is the warmest insulation in outerwear, with one big disadvantage. Traditionally, when down gets wet, it looses 100% of its insulating capabilities and takes a decade or two to dry. Then came DownTek. Simply put it is water-resistant environmentally friendly ethically sourced down. You can dig into it deeper if you’re curious at DownTek’s Website. I just like watching videos:
Back to the jacket… and one other important piece of the “insulation equation”. Knowing that a jacket uses 800 fill power down is only useful if you know how much of that awesome fluffy stuff is shoved into your jacket. I had guessed it was 4-6 ounces but I wanted to know for sure and since this important tech spec was not listed on EMS.com I tracked down the Product Manager. The final answer? 5 ounces of 800 fill DownTek. That’s pretty darn good for a jacket in this price range!
Shell fabric:
EMS is using a 100% high denier ripstop nylon treated with a DWR (Durable Water Resistent) treatment:
“Woven with reinforcing threads in a crosshatch pattern, Ripstop Nylon prevents ripping and tearing. It’s one of the strongest forms of nylon around – they make parachutes out of this stuff.”– EMS.com
In hand it is very soft and light to the touch.
Color: As best as I confirm this will only be available in two colors this season. “Jet Black”, which is actually two toned (still boring), and “Warm Olive” which looks like no olive I have ever seen, whether warm or cold. Where do they come up with these color names?
Photos from EMS.com
UPDATE 9/18/16: The new colors are out for this Fall! You can see them here!
Hooded:
Pretty much every technical jacket I own has a hood. Even some of my long underwear has a hood. A hood makes a jacket so much more valuable in the mountains. This hood fits over my climbing helmet perfectly. There is an adjustment in the back to pull the sides back a bit so you don’t loose your peripheral vision and get ambushed by a moose.
Alpine Hoodlum
Pockets:
There’s four. Two hand pockets, not set high since this jacket would go over your harness and not be tucked in (like your awesome soft-shell jacket would be). One external chest pocket (it’s where I keep my phone warm). One internal chest pocket that has a “flipp-able” zipper for when you stuff the jacket into this pocket. One easy design fix here is to add a small zipper pull on the inside pull of this zipper. I like things that are glove friendly. That being said, I would probably only have this jacket stored in the internal pocket for two situations;
Pre-packing for the day to maximize space. Once the jacket gets deployed it’s probably going to be going on and off through-out the climb (that’s why they call it a belay jacket, you wear it while belaying, not climbing, unless it is really cold… but it doesn’t get really cold in NH does it?) Taking the time to stuff it back into its pocket would be silly, just shove it in the top of your pack and get climbing!
Single pitch ice/alpine climbing, to clip to the back of my harness if I’m leaving my climbing pack at the base. There is a small sewn loop here for this reason, but I would be concerned about that loop being the sole attachment between me and my warmth at the top of an ice climb so my solution was to make the added zipper pull a little bigger so it could be clipped with the loop.
Yankee Ingenuity
Fit:
Ah, EMS Sizing. So reliable. So time tested. So never-the-same-two-years-in-a-row.
Here’s the size chart from the website (note it is “universal” and the disclaimer on the bottom):
So will it fit?
Humans are hard creatures to fit. So this is what I’ll do. I’ll give you my measurements, and hopefully you’ll have a good guess at what size you need (since you’ve already decided to buy the jacket if you have read this far).
I’m 5’9″, 180lbs, 42 inch chest, 34 inch waist, broad shouldered, average ape index (nice way of saying normal length arms). I tried the medium on first at the store (over a t-shirt and sweatshirt I was wearing. If felt pretty good, a more athletic fit. A bit too tight in the shoulders when I stretched forward (remember, broad shoulders). When I would lift my arms up (ice climber pose) it got a bit too snug to have full range of motion. I tried the large. The large may be a smidge roomy for me, but it definitely didn’t feel like a boxy house. Plenty of room inside for my skin/mid-layers/softshell (or hardshell).
Summary:
This is an excellent cold weather jacket at a great price suitable for winter backpacking, hiking, ice climbing, or waiting for the bus. You can purchase this jacket in both men’s and women’s, hooded and not hooded, right here.
It’s been a fun filled 4 days with two ascents of Mount Washington, a multi-pitch ice climbing day at Willard, and a half-day of ice climbing with the excellent kids of Brooks School from North Andover, MA at the North End of Cathedral. Winter is in full swing and I have a day off tomorrow to attend to the less exciting things in life like laundry & dump runs but I’m looking forward to some multi-pitch ice on Thursday and a booked avalanche course for Sat-Sun-Mon.
Lately every day brings another couple inches of snow to Washington and we have an excellent outdoor classroom to run a course right now. Given the latest headline news of a couple young US Ski Team hopefuls (one quite local) losing their lives in an avalanche last week in Austria and another recent fatality in Silverton, CO I’ve been thinking a lot about the White Mountain Avalanche Fund set up by the US Forest Service and how I might be able to liaison between EMS Schools and this fund to get some potential “at-risk” high-school students into an AIARE 1 course next winter. Juniors & Seniors at high-schools with strong ski teams are the most likely to be entering avalanche terrain soon after High School and establishing some solid decision making skills at this critical age could hopefully help prevent some of these tragedy’s in the future.
EMS Schools Management is behind the idea so my next step is to find point of contacts at regional high-schools with strong ski programs. Kennett & Fryeburg Acadamy are most local, but the abundance of private high-schools with great ski programs in NH is quite long, and it will take some research to make sure the right people are aware of this educational, potentially life saving, opportunity. My goal right now is to have at-least 1 AIARE Course next winter comprised of 12 high-school students most likely to ski in avalanche terrain in the years following their graduations.
So far this year we have had 4 in country avalanche fatalities, plus the 2 out of county, compared to 5 in country this time last year. The more sobering statistic is we had 35 fatalities last season… there is a lot of winter left! If anyone reading this has the names or email addresses of High School Ski Program Directors in NH/ME/VT please let me know, this recent tragedy can be turned into a catalyst of preventive education if we can connect the right people to the right resources…
See you in the mountains,
NEAlpineStart
P.S. Contest running until 1/31/15 for two brand new ice screws. Simple to enter. Like North East Alpine Start on Facebook for 1 entry, follow/subscribe to this blog for a second entry (link is top right). Winner announced on 2/2/15.
A bunch of EMS Basecampers came up last week for a winter version of the “Climbapalooza” we did last summer. One day of ice climbing and an ascent of Mount Washington makes up this “Swing & Summit” adventure. I put together a quick recap of the two days using iMovie. Enjoy!
