Alaska Ice Winter Kit 2022-23

Clothing by Mountain Hardwear

Clothing Overview: For me it’s all about flexibility to change layering throughout the day. The Synthetic top and bottom Compressor Alpine set allows for traveling and belaying warm and protected. Underneath, a comfortable kit for technical climbing is ready at a moment’s notice. All of these pieces featured are best in class in my opinion and stand up to the rigors of Alaskan winters. Having synthetic equipment is clutch as it allows us to get wet without much worry- which happens often in Knik River Valley!! The sneaky piece in this line up is the Ghost Whisperer UL, at less than half a pound, and packing to the size of your fist- it’s nearly the size and weight of any other brand’s wind jacket. With 1000 FP down and it’s ultralight construction, having one of these tucked away in your backpack is a no-brainer.

Hands + Packs

• Dry Tooling Glove: Mountain Hardwear Rotor Gore-Tex Glove

• Primary Climbing Glove: CAMP Geko Ice Glove

• Secondary Climbing Glove: CAMP Geko Guide Glove

• Warmer Gloves: Mountain Hardwear Unisex Exposure/2 Gore-Tex Glove

• Warmer Gloves: CAMP Geko Hot Glove

• Approach Glove: Mountain Hardwear Unisex Power Stretch® Stimulus™ Glove

• Climbing Pack: Mountain Hardwear Peak Seeker 45L

• Climbing Pack: Mountain Hardwear Peak Seeker 30L

• Multi-Pitch Pack: CAMP Outback 5L

• Head: OuterU FaceGlove, Heavy Beanie, Skullcap Beanie, Buff.

The gloves on the list have become standard kit for me. CAMP Geko gloves are best in class for insulated dextrous climbing gloves and paired with Mountain Hardwear’s longtime expertise in manufacturing gloves- the line up is complete. Mountain Hardwear’s Rotor glove is my glove of choice for hard pitches. I’m happy to compromise on insulation for the mega-dextrous Rotor glove. With it’s Gore-Tex construction, the glove can handle pitch after pitch with the hands remaining dry.

For backpacks, I’ve been using a 3 pack system. The Mountain Hardwear packs shown here will be out in the future and in my opinion represent a new gold standard for climbing backpacks. They are waterproof roll-top, and feature very few seams. The ultralight build still comes equipped with many features including removable straps that allow for building out carrying abilities or stripping it down to a streamlined construction. I think these are the best packs I’ve ever owned.

As a lead climbing and multi-pitch pack, I decided to try going as small and light as possible. I got a running pack from CAMP called the Outback 5. In this I can fit a Ghost Whisperer Jacket, spare gloves, repair kit, headlamp, InReach, beanie, and snacks. When I’m soloing, I put a 70m Beal tagline in this pack and still have room for several items. The pack has an extremely basic shoulder strap system that sits low profile and climbs great without restricting any movement- it moves with you not against you. 10/10.

Hardware by CAMP

Standard kit here for the most part. It’s hard to argue against any CAMP Ice products. Now with the ice screws in their lineup its a complete set up. The X-Dream is, IMO, unquestionably the best ice tool in the world and this season I got the Blade Runners which took my game to the next level. Excellent footwork is an easy ask with these on your foot. When Drytooling or climbing mixed, I love using the Alpinist Tech- totally boss!!

This season I began wearing the SCARPA Phantom Tech. I love these boots. Amazing comfort and a very techy feel. The H-Dry tech is fantastic and the boot stays dry even if you splash into an Alaskan creek once or twice throughout the day ;)

New to my kit is the High Mtn Gear Screw Cannon. This absolute hoss holds an array of screws with slots crafted for different lengths and offers a bag feature within the circle of them. I like to put pins, spare parts, some hardware, and even gloves in the cannon. When it’s empty, it finds it’s second use as a harness bag for keeping a warm jacket with you during the climb. Beautiful product. High quality manufacturing and lightweight.

Accessory Kit