The North Face has a long history in the climbing and mountaineering world. From the early days of Doug Tompkins, they were innovators, and fairly out-there…
Author: Nate Fearer
Nate Fearer
Nate Fearer is an outdoors enthusiast based out of Bellingham, WA. He grew up in Southern California, became entranced by Sierra Nevada alpine trips, and now finds that same sense of wonder in the North Cascades. Whether it's rock climbing, mountaineering, running, fly fishing, mountain biking, etc. etc., Nate just wants to be outside with the rocks and trees. When he's not in the forest thrashing gear, he might be behind the computer doing tech-y stuff or spending some quality time with his family. (Note: Nate receives sample products in exchange for authentic reviews. He is not paid, nor influenced to share anything other than his honest opinions.)
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When I think Mammut, I think alpinism. Theirs has always been the world of ice, rock, and snow; jagged peaks, and cutting edge climbing, all with…
Remember the bike shoe brand DRZ? Well, they’re back to life as Drift, and they’ve just made their foray into the mountain biking world with the…
I have to say, I am not unbiased when it comes to approach shoes. I’ve worn various pairs of Scarpas, 5.10s, AKUs, Salewas, etcetera, etcetera, but…
7mesh knows their way around a bike, and in recent times, they’ve been expanding outwards from there. Not too long ago, I tested their foray into…
It seems like a lot of companies have been putting out their own competitor to the Patagonia Houdini lately. No guesses as to why on my…
Tifosi has long offered budget-friendly sunglasses for active folks, especially in the biking and running realms. A couple years back, I was particularly impressed with the…
Black Diamond was born from Chouinard Equipment and has been climbing-centric through and through from the beginning. From a market entry based on piton production to…
As an alpine climber, I’m always keen to try a new light synthetic jacket. If it packs down, weighs little more than a feather, and seems…
La Sportiva has a name known all around the world for their climbing footwear. From approach shoes to technical rock shoes of all focuses to mountaineering…
There was a time not too long ago when the great monolithic player in the smart watch game was Garmin. The big G makes many things…
There are a handful of big players out there making true alpine jackets. Jackets like these are meant to repel the kind of weather that Ernest…
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: everybody is piling into the grid fleece game. I remember when the Patagonia R1 felt like it…
Shoes that skirt the line between categories end up being the hardest to test. So often, the reality is that they serve one purpose really well…
When the miles are reasonably short, but you want to keep some water or various technological trinkets on you, a handheld can make a lot of…
An ultra-thin, wind-cutting layer that packs down to nothing comes in handy more often than a person might think. Yes, they’re basically worthless against rain, and…
The various types of climbers demand different things from a pack. Craggers want a full pack zip, maybe a built in rope tarp. Strict mountaineers want…
Cold weather activity calls for clever layering, and in the world of base layers, nothing does it quite like merino wool. In garments that get the…
It’s no secret to any climber that no matter what safety protocol you follow, you will be ridiculed by someone. Personal Anchor Systems (PAS) are no…
Ibex has a long history of quality merino softgoods, but the Springbok shorts are something of a deviation from the brand’s trend towards high quality shirts…