The Patagonia Alpine Wind Jacket is a super lightweight layering piece that is amazingly versatile. This jacket is warm, it breathes, it stays dry in light rain and is totally windproof (as the name implies). I got to try out the Alpine Wind Jacket over the last three months or so, and put it to the…
Category: Gear Reviews
Novara Gravitron Bike Jersey review
Bike jerseys these days are like rock climbing clothes of the ’90s. Skin tight, multi-colored monstrosities are the fashion and hopefully, 20 years from now, we’ll be smacking ourselves in the face for poor style judgement. Until then, it will remain difficult to find a jersey that doesn’t make you look like a circus clown. Thankfully, Novara offers the…
CGear Sand Free Multimat review
Camping in the desert of southern Utah means there will always be one thing to contend with on every trip. Sand. Not only is sand everywhere, it gets everywhere. Sand fills your shoes, gums up zippers, dirties backpacks and pockets, and always gets tracked into the tent. Although there will never be a way to totally…
Camelbak Vantage 35 backpack review
Camelbak has seriously expanded their product line in recent years, releasing a pack for just about every outdoor pursuit. From backcountry ski packs to backpacking haulers, Camelbak has a hydration pack for pretty much everything. New this year is the Vantage 35, a 2400 cubic inch pack made for long day hikes or overnight trips….
Mountain Hardware Jalapeño Gloves with OutDry review
OutDry is a new technology in the realm of waterproof, breathable membranes, and the makers of OutDry have so far been putting their tech into gloves and footwear. They showed off how the product works during the Outdoor Retailer 2010 Winter Market in Salt Lake City, and the results were pretty impressive. Back in 2009,…
Salomon Quest 12 all mountain ski boot review
Backcountry skiing has seen a popularity explosion in recent years, and a sure indicator of this is the current trend of ski companies releasing their own lines of alpine touring ski gear. In the fall of 2010, Salomon will enter the backcountry with new additions their Salomon Quest all mountain ski boots. There will be six…
GoPro HD Helmet HERO review and video
I’ve never been the type of person who even considered owning a helmet cam. I mean, who the hell wants to watch a POV of my sorry ass skiing down the mountain, when they could be experiencing a first-person view of a pro athlete doing backflips off a cliff or flying around snow-covered peaks in a…
Lorpen Tri Layer ski socks review
Socks are never the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about ski gear, but cold, wet feet can easily ruin a ski day. Thankfully, ski socks have come a long way since the scratchy wool of childhood. Lorpen is a company that for years has been on the forefront of making high-performance socks….
Clik Elite SLR ChestPack review
Photography has been one of my passions for years, which I guess is good since it’s what I do for a living. But even during my off time I always have a camera at the ready in case I see a cool shot. Recreating in the Utah outdoors presents uncountable opportunities for photography, especially while backcountry skiing in the Wasatch Mountains. For years I used a small point-and-shoot digital camera on ski-tour excursions, but those types of cameras never had the chops to capture good photos of my friends skiing by. Frustrated by too many images of skier’s backsides exiting the frame, I decided I needed a digital SLR, pronto.
Kuru Rapid Shoes review
Kuru is a Salt Lake City-based shoe company that makes footwear for active people. They specialize in focusing on quality, including the midsole and foot bed (which most shoe companies cheap out on.) Kuru uses new technology in their foot beds, which makes the shoes better for the overall health of the foot. I got…