GearFlogger

Zeal Link PPX goggle

Zeal makes some great eyewear, and having had a few weekends to wring out their Link PPX goggle on the slopes we are suitably impressed once again: polarized and photochromic goodness in one 100% UV-protecting lens.

The Link PPX lens goes from low light to full retina burn almost immediately, so skiing from a sunny slope into the shadows and back again won't throw off your carve. It lets through 43% of light in low light conditions and only 13% in the brightness. It helps even in flat light conditions, maybe not quite as much as a yellow lens but close enough that the versatility will have you reaching for the Link PPX as your go-to goggle.

Peripheral vision is a bit constricted but not the worst goggle we've tested. Helmet compatibility with a Smith Variant Brim was perfect, and in one very important area - antifog - the PPX was a stellar performer, with no fogging problems during downhill use at all. The Zeal Link PPX also is Rx-compatible with a $25 adapter that your optometrist can fit with lenses. What's not to like? Nuthin!

$159..95 at Backcountry

Ortovox Haute Route 45 pack

Ortovox - not actually a transformer, it turns out, although with all the features it shames Optimus Prime - makes rock-solid gear for serious backcountry touring. Their Haute Route 45 is named after the famed 112 mile high country ski tour from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. It has everything you could possibly need to navigate the route and then some.

The 45 liter pack is the biggest of four in the Ortovox Tour series, one of which is a woman's specific pack. Specs for the 45 claim a 3.5lb curb weight, but ours weighed in at over 4lb with all the extra straps and whatnot, a not insignificant difference, but still not a bad overall weight given the features. And oh, what features there are!

The main compartment can be accessed two ways: a smaller half-moon zip on the top front, or a 3/4 zip on the inside of the pack where it rests against your back. That could be useful in a number of situations, mostly involving wanting to throw your pack on the ground and get to everything quickly. A hydration pouch and velcro tie downs let you set up your preferred liquid quickly. Quick access is kind of the mantra for this pack. A second full-height compartment has red zipper pulls to indicate that it holds emergency gear, in this case shovel (broken down into shaft and blade) and probe. There's also a smaller mesh zipped pocket here. Finally a third full-height pocket has a small zipped camera pocket, pen sleeves, etc.

On to external attachments. The a-frame ski straps take up to 135mm of tail width (for some reason the vendor web site says 120mm...), or you can carry any size diagonal if that's your fetish. Extra included straps affix your snowsoes or snowboard to the front. A hypalon pocket hides most of your ice tool picks, and various other external attachment points mean you'll never be without an option. Finally, a stretchy mesh panel attaches at four corners to hold your helmet or any light item that can be secured by compression.

The Haute Route carries very well, with a thin and stiff dual-pull belt that sports a gear loop on the right and a small zipped pouch on the left. The vertically adjustable sternum strap has a whistle, and the shoulder straps are curved for all-day comfort on the move. All the details are fully dialed in, including water-resistant zippers for all external compartments, a stiff shield to protect your head from getting shoveled in a fall, and a bendable adjustable frame. Even the pack material against your back has an anti-microbial treatment called Polygiene. Bottom line: a seriously organized pack for those serious about organizing their pack. Really if you're anal-retentive about organizing your pack contents, you should already have ordered the Haute Route at this point.

$149.97 at Amazon

DMM Revolver Screwgate carabiner pulley

Introducing the ayatollah of lock-and-rollah! DMM has had their kick-butt Revolver wiregate pulley carabiner out for a few years now and it has proven itself in the field. See that review for how to put together an ultralight crevasse rescue hauling system. Now our fine Welsh friends have done it again, this time with lockability.

Available in three different locking formats, climbers will want the screwgate. The action on the screwgate is buttah smooth, and unlike the wiregate it's a keylock nose for snag-free unclipping. The screwgate adds minimally to weight for a total of 2.2oz. The gate opening is a little tight but workable at 16mm.

The Revolver is fully certified as both a carabiner and as a pulley. The pulley makes wandering ropelines pull smoothly for less leader effort, and the ease of lowering saves wear on your 'spensive thread for top-roping. If you're still wandering the icefields with old-school pulleys, do yourself a big favor and chamber some Revolvers.

$34.95 at Moosejaw

Nuun Active Hydration Tablets

Nuun, which is pronounced... hell, I don't know how it's pronounced. If you're dsylexic you probably shouldn't even look at the packaging or you'll go into seizures.

Whatever it's called, the damn bottle contains 12 tablets that when added to 16oz of water each will give you the following boost: 360mg of sodium, 100mg of potassium, 37.5mg vitamin C, 500mcg riboflavin, 12.5mg calcium, and 25mg magnesium. More than what it gives you is what it doesn't: simple carbohydrates. Most "hydration" products load up on sugar, but Nuun is a sugar-free electrolyte replacement supplement.

I've never been a big fan of Gatorade-type drinks because of their sugar content: I saw a friend's Camelbak bladder turn into a fungus infested penicillin farm after too much of that stuff once. Plus, too much sugar at altitude can cause that chainsaw-in-your-gut feeling that no amount of Tums will conquer. Nuun is a great way to get the essentials without the added sugar. Available in five flavors, one of which (Kona Cola) contains caffeine.

$6.50 at REI

Black Diamond Whippet self arrest pole

When a problem comes along, you can Whippet! C'mon, put your hubcabs on your heads! Ah, the kids these days don't know what they missed in the eighties. Probably better that way. But they have cool stuff like Black Diamond's new Whippet self-arrest pole, so I guess we're even.

You have to love a product where the instructions actually tell you, "try to avoid self-evisceration should you wipe out." Do that and the Whippet will be your new best friend. I've carried the original Whippet instead of an ice ax for years now, and you've all been asking how the new model compares. The new (still two-section) Whippet is slightly shorter when collapsed (about 39" v. 44"), barely lighter (14.3oz v. 14.7oz) and has a redesigned handle and integrated pick, complete with cool orange elastic cover. The top of the Whippet is now encased in rounded plastic instead of the slit plastic tube on the original. Finally the upper barrel on the new version is a smaller diameter, so it won't take the old Whippet lower.

On the old Whippet you could replace the aluminum lower section with the carbon fiber lower from the old BD Carbon Fiber Flicklock pole with an adapter, adding point three ounces to the weight. The new Whippet doesn't need the adapter and will take their carbon fiber probe lower section with a small increase in weight of point four ounces. You have to get the probe lowers from BD directly for $11 plus a few $ shipping; if you're going for a pair make sure you get a male ML and female FM, and know that the shorter 125cm length sticks out an extra inch when collapsed. On the plus side you can just pull the lowers out and they're just under 36" so they'll stow nicely.

The same caveats for use still apply: practice with it to get used to the difference in self-arresting with a ski pole v. a shorter axe. Once you do you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much terrain you can cover with the Whippet and not have to swap out to a traditional axe. With a Whippet in each hand- an expensive proposition, no doubt - you can really engage four points of contact and move quickly over pretty steep terrain.

$99.95 at Backcountry

Grivel Rambo 4 crampon

I have an embarrassing secret: I used to do all my vertical ice with dual horizontal frontpoints. (Pause for gasps of disbelief) In my own defense, none other than Will Gadd recommends this approach.

Then I noticed that young wanker master Gadd is never, ever wearing horizontals in any pics I've seen. You bastard! I went right out and bought the scariest looking teeth I could find, the Grivel Rambo 4.

These monster fangs have a big-ass monopoint and removable heelspur, plus a second half-size frontpoint outboard from the mono and a third vestigial mini-point inboard. Length and points are single-screw adjustable, and the asymmetric footprint that seems too extreme nonetheless matches most boots. Integrated anti-balling plates and a simple yet solid clip system, with little shock-absorber coils in the front bail, round out the package.

So how do they climb? In a word, OMFG. They sink like an Argentine battleship, and with a little toe-up kick the aggressive splayed secondary points seat firmly. The most amazing thing is the feedback; with a suitably sensitive boot it actually feels like climbing rock. I could go on, but I'm too lazy. Suffice it to say the Rambos are at the top of food chain for climbing ice and mixed, and I'm never going back to horizontal frontpoints again. I don't care what Gadd says.

$235.00 at Moosejaw