Mountaineering Gear and Ice Climbing Gear

Mountaineering and ice climbing are harder on equipment than any other kind of climbing. Not only does the gear have to stand up to the harshest conditions, it also has to handle the abuse of being slammed and torqued into ice and rock. Only the best will survive more than a couple of seasons, and Climbing's field testers let you know what works and what doesn't, so you can trust your gear when you head into the mountains.
  • Goal-Zero-Sherpa-50-Kit

    Goal Zero Sherpa 50 Kit

    This solar recharger has been around for a few years, but it got a sizeable downgrade (in a good way) this year, now weighing just 1.1 lbs. The whole kit (recharger, Nomad 13 solar panels, AC inverter) can charge anything from a smartphone to a laptop.

  • Eddie-Bauer-First-Ascent-Katabatic

    Eddie Bauer First Ascent Katabatic

    We’ve given this tent a lot of ink (and our sister pub Backpacker gave it an Editors’ Choice Snow award), and for good reason. From Everest to Peru, testers raved about the ideal combo of mountain-worthy features and livability that’s rare in four-season tents.

  • Millet-Axpel-42

    Millet Axpel 42

    Swiveling waistbelts and “dynamic suspension” are becoming pretty common among packs, but for its new line of mid-sized packs, Millet is doing something unique. The pivot point lies several inches above the lumbar pad, in the middle of your lower back. Our testers said these innovations significantly increased stability and carrying comfort: “It moved with me when I was boulder-hopping on the way to the Petit Grepon in Rocky Mountain National Park,” one tester said.

  • Brooks-Range-Cirro-Pant

    Brooks-Range Cirro Pants

    Puffy jackets keep your upper half warm, so why not don some puff in the southern hemisphere? Our tester wore these PrimaLoft-insulated pants winter camping in four western states and raved about the light weight (11 oz. for a medium), packability, and warmth in temps as low as 8°F.

  • Cassin-X-Gyro-Leash

    Cassin X-Gyro Leash

    Leashless tools are great—until you drop one from the fifth pitch of an alpine route (though a guide we know met her husband that way). Cassin’s new tether makes drops inconsequential, and numerous innovations make this tether more versatile than its competitors. For starters, each of the three attachments (harness and two elasticized tethers) swivels independently from a connector at your waist.

  • Pieps-Alpinist-Pro

    Pieps Alpinist Pro

    A “workhorse for a variety of climbing” is how our main tester described the burly, 36-liter Alpinist Pro after using it for everything from ice routes in Washington’s Cascades to rock climbs in Arizona’s Cochise Stronghold. Despite weighing only 2 lbs., 10 oz., the pack has plentiful features.

  • Outdoor-Research-Lodestar

    Outdoor Research Lodestar

    After two seasons of ice climbing in this jacket, one tester compared it to an electric blanket. “It’s warmer than it looks,” he said. The secret is Polartec’s Power Shield High Loft, a precipitation-resistant, wind-blocking, stretchy fabric backed by a generously fluffy gridded fleece.

  • Grivel-G10-Crampon

    Grivel G10 Crampon

    Grivel has updated its classic G10 mountaineering spikes with a more secure heel spring called the Moletta, which locks the crampons down in the rear, so there is no accidental disengagement between the boot and the ’pon. The Moletta is also completely tool-free and “easier to adjust than other spring-pin systems I’ve used,” said one tester.

  • Athleta-Smartwool-Midweight-Bottom

    Athleta Midweight Pattern Bottom by Smartwool

    Finding a well-fitting, technical, and comfortable baselayer bottom for women can be inexplicably impossible. Athleta and Smartwool filled the void with their Midweight Pattern Bottom, which is 100 percent merino wool; testers praised it as “a lady’s baselayer dream come true.

  • Millet-Davai

    Millet Davai

    Twenty-eight ounces per pair is damn light for a 6,000-meter-ready, full-gaiter boot. But that didn’t limit its ability to stand up to harsh use in temperatures down to –20°F while scaling icefalls in Vermont, Quebec, and New York.

  • La-Sportiva-Galaxy-Hoody

    La Sportiva Galaxy Hoody

    Labeled as a “do-everything hoody for the do-everything athlete,” this full-zip midlayer really does all mountain sports well. Our testers took it (and the women’s version, the Avail Hoody) from boulderfields in northern California to the long multi-pitches of Red Rock to ski slopes in Colorado.

  • La-Sportiva-Stormfighter-GTX

    La Sportiva Stormfighter GTX Jacket

    The name says it all. This shell protected our testers from hail, rain, and eyelid-fluttering winds year-round in the Colorado high country. And at a whispery 11 oz., it’s stealth and compact enough to disappear into a pack and not be a weight liability.