Best alpine climbing gear reddit A mix of types works best, the phantoms are less bulky/cleaner, sit better on the gear and are quicker to place, so when you're climbing harder grades it is quite useful to have them. Thanks! Hey, so 10 years ago I used to do some rockclimbing, I dont own any equipment now, and Im doing mountaneering in the pyrinees now as my main activity, and got to that spot where I need a rope to do more routes, Im taking an alpine climbing and security course at the beginning of january and the one thing Im required to have its a harness 45L Tendon Gear Bag is the best crag pack ive had. 38 is right on the cusp of capable overnight for ski, but typically multi-day skimo trips require rock/ice pro, harness + rope, in addition to winter camping gear. Their climbing ropes are some of the best. For mountaineering expeditions with gear, tent, stove, boots, sleeping bags, many days of rations, etc etc. Spend the money and don't become a SAR call or worse. But carrying that much gear on a long approach gets really heavy and exhausting. Not sure why this was downvoted - sport climbing and alpine climbing/solo-ing are not the same and just because you're a strong sport climber doesn't mean you can or should solo 5. We want to go back in a month but are lacking outdoor gear. I personally think 12cm is a bit short to be honest, as I think it is more likely to lift nuts out as you climb above them, although you see pros using these Feels like it’s not there when you’re climbing. We came into it with a strong sport climbing background, understanding of pro, and general dos/don'ts. 5-3 C4 cam size. So far as climbing and gear goes be wary of anyone that has a hard and fast rule about anything, because the answer to most questions about anything is "it depends". 8ish, and in the mountains up to 5. 5mm single rope that has a second sheathe woven with burly Aramid fibers. Apr 4, 2025 · In most other types of climbing, a little more weight is acceptable, especially when durability is increased by bringing a heavy rope. there's a lot of information in the stickied post on this sub but standard rack is doubles . Apr 19, 2023 · At the time I had little money, was yet to be blessed with a gear-reviewing job, and had B-minus (at best) climbing tactics. It's great to have enough gear to go out with anyone, but until you gain the experience and knowledge to being leading and whatnot you will have to go with someone who has a rope/rack anyway. But for alpine climbing, where every gram counts, this rope is a godsend. 2 days ago · The Black Diamond Momentum ($65) has been many climbers’ first harness. 4 alpine routes. it would make zero sense to resell gear from amazon if you can't make a profit on it. For backpacking in non-alpine terrain r/ultralight is the place to be. See full list on outdoorgearlab. Most bags these days seem to be at least water resistant for alpine and winter stuff but that’s relatively recent. Aside from quality issues I’ve had with BD (recon bibs getting shredded in less than a season), I’ve found that their sizing is pretty whack across the board. But it's time to invest some real money. the 100L pack is super. They have a big database of mountaineering and climbing gear. Enter the Ascensionist. 75 1 2 Small-medium nuts Double ropes 2 10cm screws 2 13cm screws 2 pickets 2 double length slings 6 alpine draws Ropeman and prussic loop on Apr 29, 2025 · Best All-Around: Butora Mousai ($135) Best for Alpine Climbing: Arc’teryx Vertex Alpine ($220) Best Value: Astral Loyak ($99) Best for Cragging: Arc’teryx Kragg ($160) Most Durable: La Sportiva TX4 Evo ($169) Best Scrambler: Scarpa Gecko LT ($169) How to choose; How we test; Meet our testers; Don’t miss: The Best Climbing Shoes of 2025 Yeah that’s a great way of putting it, I struggled to characterize what turns me away from Patagonia snow gear despite their proven quality. Incredible views on the whole climb! If I’m not going to be doing technical climbing, I choose a heavier pack with a good suspension. I like that they make a lot of their gear for Mountaineering/climbing, so many (most) items have helmet compatible hoods and two way zip. I have the bare bones climbing gear. If you’re tackling a remote wall or an alpine bivy, you may find yourself needing of a pack that can fit more gear but still climbs well. Apr 4, 2025 · We include ideal all-around options, top alpine selections, great harnesses for simple sport and trad cragging, recommendations for the gym, and mountaineering harnesses. Others have their preferences for similar designs from other brands, but I am pretty confident more mountains have been climbed with the ATC guide than any other. I lead low 5. Save money on less critical gear. Ed Viesturs book on climbing the 14 8000ers was great too. With that said, I own a couple bags on the Outdoor Gear Lab link someone posted. 20K subscribers in the tradclimbing community. 4 . Raphael won a Piolet D'or for his 2013 FA of the northwest face of K6 West with Ian Welsted, and he was also a leading Canadian mixed climber ("sport wanker" as he called himself), helping to popularize bolted mixed climbing and sending some of the first M10s and M11s. They both have adjustable leg loops which is good for wearing multiple layers. harness, rope, carabiners, atc, and a couple slings I'm just trying to figure out what gear is an absolute must have. Needs 4 good size gear loops for trad rack. Honestly it was probably the single thing that got me into climbing in the first place. ). I have many items from Arc’teryx and Norrøna too, so I feel the quality is on that level and sometimes better. 8 months later on a whim I sign up for some 10 day course, focused on mostly alpine and mountaineering, but a bit of rock and ice. 10 outdoors and have climbed trad up to 5. I use a Petzl sitta for alpine and a padded thing for indoors. Maybe not the most used, but the easiest to place correctly are BD #2's. My hardshell is one of two pieces of gear I use for virtually every one of my outdoor sports minus spring/summer running. Rab makes the best soft shells (Kinetic Alpine: light, waterproof, breathable, stretch. A slight curve can also be ok, but generally speaking it's for more special use cases. You can usually find them on sale for 25% off. I've used it layered with my down hoodie for multiple seasons of skiing, used it to spend a week living in snowstorms at 14k feet, used it to summit literally everything higher than a handful of pitches. 22 is like a day pack, or also a climbing bag for short routes. It’s an alpine climbing harness, with all the features meant for alpine climbing. The only thing it's not good for is trad climbing because the gear loops are too small (yes even on the solution guide). You can't really have your cake and eat it too. I am a big fan of Mammut. It’s really lightweight and feels that way but it’s super durable. Climbing gear Helmet Deuter guide lite 32+ pack Ice tools Ice tool leashes Harness with ice clippers G14 Crampons - mono front point Cordalette with 3 lockers Belay biner + ATCGuide BD C4 cams . I was cleaning up my climbing gear today after an unfortunate incident during a muddy approach, and I started thinking about alpine draws. Easy TR access, easy gear, easy climbing. From what I’ve read, it seems like there isn’t an obvious choice; some people praise the Petzl Altitude, some hate it. It has 4 gear loops instead of 2 and looks more comfortable. I picked up a set of Trango phase alpine draws and I like them much more than the cobbled together with misc carabiners draws that I was rocking before. Expect a full day, I'd guess the average is 12 hrs car to car. Cheers Mock leading placing gear followed by the instructor going up and scoring pieces. We hired a guide for half a day and are hooked. I've slept with the Kodiak down to about 1°F ish. Heated socks if it’s cold cold. The other thing you'll need to learn is how to pack efficiently. 38L for summit attempts or day climbs with gear. There's no particular grade cut off at which you can start alpine climbing. We also love the Edelrid Canary Pro Dry's lightweight performance for alpine climbing. I've used 38L for single/overnight/3 days trips for alpine climbing. Of the two you listed I would suggest the Petzl harness. Third, if you'll need snow skills to access the climbs you want to do, you'll need to learn those skills. The obvious downside to Hyperlite gear is the Looking for a lightweight, packable harness for all things ski mountaineering: glacier travel, moderate ice climbing, rappelling. Yes. While I think you’re right, the Mt. No complaints on their climbing gear though. Don't play around with sleep systems. Specifically the Western Mountaineering Kodiak MF, and Marmot Col. It’s very alpine climbing/ice climbing focused though, so regular uses might find it hard to follow some of the jargon. the more your efficiency will improve. We have everything that's needed in a gym (shoes, harness, ATC, grigri, etc. We recommend these pants to any climber looking for a go-to pair Just goes to show that sport climbing and alpine climbing are wildly different beasts. Nov 15, 2024 · Mammut 9. Everything they list should be UIAA certified. I think it was worth it. I do a lot of backpacking, starting to get into grad climbing, and a solid versatile hard shell is an indispensable piece of gear. 6 or so alpine draws a few of your sport quickdraws, some 7mm cord to build anchors and some lockers. 5 . because climbing gyms are businesses that specialize in climbing and also get deep discounts on gear through actual, legit outdoor companies/resellers. it's dangerous. Those two, non-detachable low speed quads are the best season pass you'll ever own. every area is different but that one fits a large majority of climbs. you can supplement with bigger or smaller gear if you need to. We’ve seen innovations that have made climbing easier, more comfortable, and lighter, from pants and ice tools to backpacks and belay devices. I choose between racking on my harness with only a 1in webbing hip belt that stays out of the way (small pack/light load) or using a low profile harness and racking on the pack's padded hip belt (heavier loads). Traditional climbing: use at your own risk. This rope handles and catches falls I've got quite a number of Wild country tech and Helium friends too, but I don't use them all too often, except for a few for Alpine climbing, where I feel like they're a bit lighter. The first climbing book I read before I even started climbing. May 5, 2025 · Best All-Around Waterproof Jacket & Pant: Arc’teryx Beta ($300-400) Best for Alpinism: Patagonia M10 ($279-399) Best Lightweight Wind Jacket: Black Diamond Alpine Start Hoody ($189) Best Lightweight Wind Pants: Rab Phantom Pants ($150) Bonus: Best Softshell: Mountain Equipment Squall Hooded Jacket ($190) Best All-Around Arc’teryx Beta One thing nobody really told me about summer alpine climbing is just how hot it can get. Reddit's OG off-piste sub for all things backcountry skiing/splitboarding. I've found a few like the Temres gloves that are great for climbing ice or the 4 pack of leather work gloves from Costco that I sno-seal and keep love for ski touring. Crack climbing in Squamish you barely need draws if your cams extend. Comes with a rope tarp and has two loops inside to clip trad gear so it stays in one spot just hanging and can pack around them as well as straps for a rope on the outisde. There's also some weird cams like Metolius super cams, and the recently discontinued Omega Pacific Link cams, really big cams from valley giant, Merlin, and Alpine draws depend a lot on where you climb like all trad gear. When I did Mont Blanc the freezing point was around 4000m and even the summit was only -5. Summer alpine climbing, it’s t shirt, sun shirt (or kor preshell), + breathable insulation layer that may or may not come up on the wall w me depending on weather, route length, and if it’s in sun. 16 votes, 42 comments. Alpine climbing in the Canadian Rockies I used alpine draws almost exclusively as even with double ropes it could be hard to extend or make tricky placements work. May 13, 2025 · The simple and streamlined Basin Pull-On Pants ($79) from Mountain Hardwear are the most comfortable rock climbing pants we tested. 5mm Alpine Core Protect Rope ($290 in 60m) (Photo: Brad Kaminski) Climbing-rope security has come a long way since the days of stiff hemp cords, and Mammut has taken their ropes to a new level with the Alpine Core Protect: a 9. The black diamond one looks super light but not really useful for other kinds of climbing due to the lack of gear loops. It doesn’t feature the most state-of-the-art technology in load distribution, and it doesn’t have a very functional Related Mountaineer Mountaineering Mountaineering Climbing Outdoors Sports Outdoors and Reddit's OG off-piste sub for all things backcountry skiing/splitboarding Possibly getting the opportunity for a winter ascent of Mt Washington (yeah yeah, not real alpine mountaineering but it’s what I’ve got right now) Absolutely. I climb trad so I value the large gear loops and even the small rear loop (on the AR-385a). Like others have suggested, alpine club is a good idea to try to find partners. Particularly, which configurations I had seen at the crag, what I use, and what the best options were for putting more together with my current stockpile of gear. offsets nuts are really nice to have I've made it this far into the game by trying cheap gloves to look for those secret pieces of gear that are awesome but super cheap. Click "SEE THEM ALL" and then scroll down to the "snow / ice" section for crampons and ice axes. My first day climbing in it was in a chimney crawl climb haha Hi anyone have a recommendation for a climbing harness for mountain trad use? Needs to be fairly packable and light for carrying (about 300-350g) but also reasonably comfortable for multi pitch use and hanging stances etc. Blue Ice also meant to be Most alpine climbing you'd be doing shouldn't take more than a set of cams and a set of nuts unless you're doing big alpine rock routes like those in the Sierras. I have been using a sport climbing harness but that is not optimal since the legs are not adjustable and it is not comfortable when you have to change clothes often. Great community and a bit of reading allows you to break down the science of an overnighter into it's smallest units (a cut down bamboo kids toothbrush). Easy to pack and super durable. If you get into actual alpine ice climbing you're going to use ice tools not axes which are much shorter and are curved so that both ends are in constant contact with the ice and snow for better grip. also, a climbing gym should know what's safe and not safe just because they have to for liability. Mar 20, 2025 · It’s been a memorable 12 months for climbing gear nerds. 7 or so. Edit to add: also the Deuter guide packs and their other new alpine/winter ones look great. Plus, ‘Be prepared’ is forever drilled into my brain I like small and light. For a burgeoning trad climber these are a great start. If you’re never going to weight the harness or hang at a belay, by all means, buy a skimpy little thing that will absolutely cut off circulation or dig into your skin. 6/5. The correct number of gear is n+1, where n is what you own after buying new gear. The hyperlite packs are an exception to this rule, I’ve climbed up to WI4 M4 with my 70L hyperlite bag and find that it climbs really well while also remaining very comfortable for hauling big loads. com is definitely the best of you’re looking for in depth reviews that discuss more than marketing talking points and get into the nitty gritty of how things work. Hey everyone, I interviewed Raphael Slawinski and thought you would enjoy the chat. Hip belts and harnesses occupy the same space. Then just put it into a climbing pack with the rest of your climbing gear and you're set. Winter ice climbing swaps out an insulation piece for a big down jacket. set of nuts. It sits really nicely on my hips and is easy to adjust. The more you climb, place gear, clean gear, build anchors, etc. For all of that, I think 50-55L is minimum. Mileage is key. My partner Karl and I worked up quite the sweat breaking trail for six undulating miles that afternoon and stopped for the night below our intended route, a sweeping ridge of limestone and snow. Without breaking the bank. Admins, please delete if not allowed. Our favorite all-around harness is the Petzl Sitta. But lately Climbing’s field-testing team has raved about one product making climbing undeniably safer: Mammut’s Alpine Core Protect Rope. The 65L is mostly for backpacking and travel. The guys above you in practical terms gave you gear for basically all mountains, but which mountain you bring them on is what matters if you just brought all of that gear you would be massively heavy and not even use the majority on most mountains, let alone fitting all that in the recommend 60L pack, different gear models and brands pack down I've been climbing top rope for a few years now and I've burnt out all my local spots so I decided it's time to start sport and trad climbing. Obviously it depends on your definition of alpine climbing, but for me that just means trad (or mixed) climbing in the mountains. Washington trip is just an excuse for me to start collecting gear. r/Ultralight is the largest online Ultralight Backcountry Backpacking community! This sub is about overnight backcountry backpacking, with a focus on moving efficiently, packing light, generally aiming at a sub 10 pound base weight, and following LNT principles. In Scotland you’ll want gear that keeps you warm when it’s damp anyway so synthetic jacket instead of down. Eisenhower is much more of an alpine adventure, with more 4th class scrambling than proper climbing, and a more involved descent. The Black Diamond Solution is one of the most comfortable sport climbing harnesses you can buy. Dear mountaineering redditors, I have recently started to get into more technical activities that require usage of rope. Thealpinestart. For now, I would just get shoes, a chalk bag, harness, belay device, and maybe some slings or a PAS if you are going to be climbing outside often. If you have a trad climbing partner, you should ask him. When people first start climbing trad they bring way too much gear (which is a good thing, because it gives you lots of placement options). com Apr 13, 2025 · So, without further ado, here are my top three favorite climbing packs that won’t leave you feeling like you’re hauling a boulder: 🏔️ Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Ice Pack; ⛰️ Black Diamond Speed 40; 🧗 Patagonia Descensionist Pack; Stay tuned for the mini reviews and some nuggets of wisdom to help you on your packing journey! May 19, 2025 · Best Ultralight Alpine Climbing Backpack: Arc'teryx Alpha FL 30; Best Backpack for Mountaineering: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Halka 55; Best Work-to-Gym Climbing Pack: Osprey Zealot 30 May 14, 2021 · Best Alpine Climbing Pack: Patagonia Ascensionist Climbing Pack 30L. ATC guide is pretty much the gold standard belay device for mountaineering. Whatever gear he likes to place often and is practical for you to buy, it will be nice to have doubles between the two of you. My wife and I have been climbing in a gym for about a year and took our first trip outside last weekend. It was me and one buddy with an AMGA guide for 1/2 a day up at North Table in Golden, CO. ) Rab has a couple of great down pieces (ZeroG, InfinityG,) but the MHW Ghost Whisperer is a great all-rounder for something light. Ok, who am I kidding, I still rock the misc too, I just added more to the kit. This option measures in at 51 grams per meter. acydy zffwqll lqwmx zbirlc vfneq pjy glfm buu xlpqv kdif