SPONSORS

I’m lucky to have such great sponsors and would be cold, naked, broke and depressed without them. I have been working with most of these companies for years and use their gear for the simple reason that it is the best.

After skiing in lesser quality outer wear for many years, I had a chance to go to Antarctica with Mike Libecki who introduced me to Mountain Hardwear. Eight years later, I’m all Mountain Hardwear, all the time. Not only do they have a comprehensive product line, their gear is absolutely bulletproof. I spent three days in a Trango Four tent thinking it was going to explode from the hurricane force winds in Patagonia, and not only did it survive, it is still going strong three years later. There are enough things to worry about on an expedition–tents and clothing shouldn’t be one of them. Click here for a YouTube video of an EV-3 and Kiva tent taking an Alaskan beating and coming out smiling.

I love outdoor gear shops and when it comes to having the biggest selection of high quality gear at the best prices, none compare to Backcountry.com. Need a titanium spork from Japan? Backcountry.com will get it to you almost before your finger hits the “send” button. As an added bonus, backcountry.com is located right here in my Park City, Utah backyard and although they all use the gear they sell, they stay away from my private powder stashes.

I’ve been skiing in Scarpa ski boots for so long I’m not sure if they fit my feet, or my feet have been permanently molded to the shape of the boots. I don’t care either way, as I’ve never had a blister in my Scarpa’s and have no intentions of changing boots. Scarpa has been making backcountry AT and Tele boots for decades and is always one (or two, or three) steps ahead of the competition. Not only that, but their boots work perfectly, are reliable and crafted with Italian attention to detail. My current favorites are the F1 for long/lightweight outings, F3′s for almost everything and the Spirit 3′s for when the going gets serious.

Buying skis is a bit like buying tires – they all kind of look the same, but you don’t know how they are going to work until you’ve spent some time getting to know them. One of the biggest advantages of K2 skis is that they just don’t make any dogs – all of their skis are good, and it is mainly a matter of selecting the right one for your activity. Another thing I like about K2 is that they value quality over quantity; they may have less skis in their line-up, but they are all excellent.

I “discovered” Dynafit bindings by accident and now own nothing but these ingenious little marvels. I first started using them for ski mountaineering races (mandatory equipment for the podium as they are so light) then started using them for regular touring. To the uninitiated, think of them like clipless pedals on bicycles – they have a small learning curve, but once you get over that, you will never go back to anything else. Not only are Dynafit bindings the lightest units out there (by a LONG shot!) they are also the best touring. Can such a tiny little binding be reliable? After skiing on them for five years, I’ve stopped taking spare Dynafit parts with me on extended expeditions as they just don’t break. I love’m.

Ropes are an important part of Ski Mountaineering and every time I tie into a Sterling Rope I appreciate the quality that goes into them. Climbing ropes are a blend of strength, stretch, durability and tieability (aka the “hand” of a rope) and it is the careful balance of these elements that differentiate great ropes from the average.  Sterling is one of the few rope companies that offers a wide variety of ropes in the shorter lengths (30 meters) that work well for skiing.

I started using Suunto watches (also known as “wrist computers”) when they first showed up in the USA around 1999 and feel naked if I go skiing without one. Not only do they track your vertical, which is important for talking bar smack, but they will warn of storms coming in, monitor your heart rate and tell you which direction you are heading. As is that isn’t enough, the sexy titanium version shown above has unlimited sex appeal. O’lala.

Based out of Ketchum Idaho (Sun Valley), the Boyz & Girlz at Smith Sport Optics know how to party in the outdoors and make sunglasses, goggles and helmets that work perfectly for whatever you are doing. My favorite feature of Smith Optics is their durability, followed up with a close second place by their excellent Warranty for those no-questions-asked high impact faceplants.

I love Black Diamond gear enough to have spent 13 years of my life working at the company as a Product Designer. At times where there is just one piece of gear separating you from a nasty injury, make sure the gear has the Diamond C logo stamped loud and proud on it. Among my favorite BD pieces are the Whippet Self Arrest poles and HotWire carabiners.

Few things can tank a winter skiing expedition faster than a broken stove, which is why I chose MSR stoves – they don’t break, and if by chance they do, they are easily field maintained. Nothing melts snow faster than an MSR XGK II, and nothing delivers a good nights rest better than a Cascade Designs (MSR’s parent company) ThermoRest mattress.

Dermatone is the sun screen of choice for cold weather outings. The classic “Blue Tin” travels well and has the added benefit of being slightly thicker than standard issue sun screen, which helps prevent frostbite.