Holiday Gift Ideas for Dirtbag Skiers
A few holiday gift ideas from a guy who has been described as “impossible to buy anything for.”
Maybe not the fanciest or most high-end knife out there, but an excellent value at $16 and no great stress if you end up losing it. The blade holds an edge and it fits well in your hand.
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Bridgedale Endurance Summit Heavyweight Sock – $18ish
Eight years after getting my first pair of Bridgedale socks, I’m still using using the original pair and now buy nothing but Bridgedales. They are semi pricey, but very warm, comfy and incredibly durable.
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Patagonia Active Classic Boxers – $32
The Gold Standard of men’s underwear. Comes in many colors, last forever, and as a certain friend says “You can wear them for weeks without washing them.” You can’t go wrong giving these as a gift and they are much more useful than a tie.
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GSI Outdoor Fairshare Mug – $9.90
For someone who does a lot of outdoor camping, this is the Cadillac of mugs. The large size ensures you will get more than its namesake fairshare, unfinished food can be saved by screwing on the lid and the material is seemingly indestructible.
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Black Diamond Venom Ice Axe w/hammer – $140
A fitting high-end gift for someone you want to help reach summits, stop falls and cover technical terrain. I like the hammer version, but it comes as an adz as well. My “go to” ice tool for ski mountaineering.
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Black Diamond Slider Leash – $15.95
A nice stocking stuffer for the BD Venom Ice Axe. Simple, lightweight, strong and basic.
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Snow Peak Titanium Spork – $7.12
The ultimate “I give up – this person has EVERYTHING!” gift. Nothing shows you care more than a titanium spork. This one by Snow Peak was one of the first titanium sporks on the market (yes, there are quite a few out there…) and the clean, simple design has stood the test of time. Fork it, spoon it, or spork it. Lightweight and easy to clean.
Category: Gear Reviews
Great post, definitely gave me an idea or two for the holidays.
That just made my holiday shopping easier!
have you tried self arresting with the Venom axe? I am windering about the angle of the pick, looks pretty aggresive.
Hi Rod – no, I haven’t done a full-on self arrest with a Venom. It is not ideal (a classic pick/piolet is more adept at this), but it would probably work in the right conditions. For skiing falls, the classic self arrest position is going to be difficult to get into as you can skis on, so I mainly rely a pair of Whippets.