I'm getting psyched to back in the States and pursue my non-career non-international affairs passion. Climbing. Whether you care or not, and I'm no one famous, but if you are a slendar 5'9 woman trying to figure out what gear you like, I'm putting down my personal faves and things I can't live without:
Women's Patagonia R2 vest - without a doubt, my favorite essential layering piece. Wear it around town or for just a little extra warmth over an expedition layer on a warm (27 F) sunny ice climbing day. Has pockets to vent, furry, great shape.
Women's Icebreaker Expedition Hoody - awesome, it's 100% Merino wool, has thumb holes for extra warmth, an adjustable hood that fits over and under helmets. I use it for everything from running errands around town, a light jacket on cool spring evenings, to an essential layering piece on a cold day of mountaineering. Also has a great shape. For 2009 they've changed it a bit, you can check out the link.
Women's Outdoor Research Aria Down Hoody - great mid/outer layer down sweater for cooler days and belaying/ice climbing on the sunny side. Fits nice over all of the above, and stylish.
Women's Arcteryx Beta AR Gore-tex Pro-shell - built for climbing, tough fabric is shred resistent, I use it on all my ice climbing ascents. I have long monkey arms so I wish when I raised my arms it would not go down as far, but thankfully I have really awesome longish Black Diamond Samurai ice climbing gloves (in small for my woman hands).
Women's Mountain Hardware Subzero Parka - I have it in pink, although often mistaken for a 'bar jacket' because of its great looks, I've proved its awesome performance in keeping me warm on descents in the winter off of Mt. Katahdin in Maine and ice climbing in super cold conditions in the Adirondacks. Hood designed to fit over a climbing helmet. Even my male climbing partners have warmed themselves in this jacket when they left their's back in the car. Fits over all the above mentioned layers.
Men's (they don't have my size in women's) La Sportiva Nepal EVO's GTX - I'm just another fan ... great boot for ice climbing and mountain approaches. Keeps my feet warm without warmers down to 20 degrees. Below that, I stick in warmers. I have a narrow heel, and even though it is a men's boot, it still accomodates my flatish- low- volume feet.
Cold Cold World Chernobyl Pack - the must have piece of gear. I gotta say, I have a huge internal frame Gregory that I've only used on two expeditions (the Palisades), but after getting the Chernobyl, I left the bulkier Palisades at home. This pack is great for the summer to haul a 60m rope, double rack, and all your personal gear, snacks and water. During the winter, it carries my crampons, ice tools, warm clothes, thermos with hot drinks, snacks and more without a hitch. I used it on a January overnight ascent of Mt. Marcy, and the frameless pack served as a perfect lower-body bivy sack over my sleeping bag in a lean-to shelter (one where we woke up the next morning with a dusting of snow between each of us).
Mammut Schoeller Softshell Castor Trouser - um, these pants are hot, meaning they make my butt look pretty good in 'em. I basically threw my gore-tex shell pants into the bottom of my pack as a back-up after I bought these. A little pricey, but well worth it, extremely durable, warm, vented pockets, internal gaiters, breathes awesomely so I never feel like I'm too warm or too cold, water resistant, and importantly, shred resistant from clumsy footed-ness in crampons. Even my guy climbing partners have wondered if they have something similar for men.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 02, 2009
looking back at '09
We make resolutions, and some of us the same ones ... save money, lose weight, exercise more. I feel like I just roll my resolutions over. Last year it was go on a mountaineering adventure and finish graduate school. And the latter was a resolution I had from 2007. Well what did I do that was new in 2008? Here they go:
1. Did my first gully climb, in New Hampshire
2. Did my first winter alpine ascent, on Mt. Katahdin, Maine (unfortunately this did not meet my threshold for a mountaineering adventure as my other requirement for it was to be at altitude)
3. Bought a sports car, a very expensive sports car
4. Lived in another Middle Eastern country, but not one in a war
5. Took my first trad leader fall on Laurel at the Gunks (red C3 caught me but also took up my precious handhold for the crux move)
6. Finished my graduate degree
7. Passed the bloody GWU Arabic assessment after 9 weeks of language study hell at Middlebury
8. Climbed the longest single technical route in a day ... 800+ feet, swapping leads on the Standard Route, White Horse Ledges, New Hampshire
9. Hiked up the tallest peak in NY and didn't even see it (spectacles iced over on Mt. Marcy)
10. Shot a long gun, repeatedly for days
11. Learned to give someone intravenous fluid, and actually prepped and poked someone to achieve said I.V.
12. Lived with my cat for over six months since college, until my sister cat-napped him
13. Bought a blackberry, giving up living with a laptop or internet service
14. Went to Jerusalem, somehow remembered the opening chapter of the Quran, thus proving I was Muslim and able to enter the Dome of the Rock and the interiors of the two mosques
1. Did my first gully climb, in New Hampshire
2. Did my first winter alpine ascent, on Mt. Katahdin, Maine (unfortunately this did not meet my threshold for a mountaineering adventure as my other requirement for it was to be at altitude)
3. Bought a sports car, a very expensive sports car
4. Lived in another Middle Eastern country, but not one in a war
5. Took my first trad leader fall on Laurel at the Gunks (red C3 caught me but also took up my precious handhold for the crux move)
6. Finished my graduate degree
7. Passed the bloody GWU Arabic assessment after 9 weeks of language study hell at Middlebury
8. Climbed the longest single technical route in a day ... 800+ feet, swapping leads on the Standard Route, White Horse Ledges, New Hampshire
9. Hiked up the tallest peak in NY and didn't even see it (spectacles iced over on Mt. Marcy)
10. Shot a long gun, repeatedly for days
11. Learned to give someone intravenous fluid, and actually prepped and poked someone to achieve said I.V.
12. Lived with my cat for over six months since college, until my sister cat-napped him
13. Bought a blackberry, giving up living with a laptop or internet service
14. Went to Jerusalem, somehow remembered the opening chapter of the Quran, thus proving I was Muslim and able to enter the Dome of the Rock and the interiors of the two mosques
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