GearFlogger

Outdoor Research Gorilla Balaclava

One of the best things about mountaineering is being able to wear a balaclava without getting pulled over by the police or kicked in the head by Chuck Norris. When it's time to get your inner ninja on pull on a Gorilla 'clava from Outdoor Research.

The Gorilla goes normal clavas one better with a collection of features: it's Windstopper, it has a nose shield that directs your nasty booger spray away from your shades, a fine mesh covers your mouth, and the face shield is removable via velcro straps on either side.

The Gorilla fits very close because it's not a pull-over; instead it has Velcro on the side to open the face up for putting on and taking off. It's cut lower in front to cover your chin, and higher in back so you'll want a high collar to cover the gappage; if you've got a hood you're all set. The inside is supersoft fleece. All in all, very nice and suitable for extreme conditions where you want no square inch of skin uncovered. Be aware: like all Windstopper headwear it muffles sound a little, and when you rip off the Velcro closure it's pretty loud inside.

$49.95 at Backcountry

Marmot Fjell women's jacket

Holy sweetness and light. The Marmot Fjell women's jacket is a beautiful execution of Gore-Tex Pro Shell that hits all the right notes. Weighing in at a feathery 1lb 1oz for a size small the Fjell is equally at home frontcountry, backcountry and just about anywhere else.

The design has a sculpted fit, dropped hem and looks that kill, but don't be fooled: the Fjell is all bidness. It's waterproof and eminently breathable thanks to the Pro Shell. The hood slips over a helmet (or really big hair), and there's a removable powder skirt that reduces the weight another few ounces for serious go-fasters. The cuffs are rip-and-stick adjustable to slide under gloves easily, and the two zippered external chest hand pockets also function as vents. There's a zippered mesh interior pocket for your stash.

Hem and hood drawcords with nifty keepers inside will fit you up. A full length zipper flap with Velcro tabs will keep the bad out. For laying a skin track uphill, or just wearing in the rain on a warmish day, crank open the pit zips. Gore's Pro Shell is a sublime material, venting well, not nearly as crinkley when cold as early versions, and without the clammy feel of some waterproof/breathable materials. The Marmot Fjell is a perfect mating of form and function. On the outs with the SheFlogger? On a get-out-of-the-doghouse scale of 1 to 5, the Fjell rates a six.

$425.00 at Moosejaw

DMM Wallnuts passive pro

The name Wallnuts reminds me of a drinking game in college where you face a wall while holding a ping pong ball above your head. Upon dropping said ball you attempt to pin it to the wall with your forehead. If you miss you drink. Ah, good times.

DMM's Wallnuts are a considerably smarter investment, especially by the set. Every rack needs some good old-fashioned passive pro, and every climber should know how to place nuts and hexes. The Wallnuts are lightweight, inexpensive and work like champs. They have a concave taper on the sides and the front is convex with a little trough running top to bottom. This complex (for a nut) shape makes the Wallnuts work better than anything else in irregular slots.

The color coded heads make it easier to grab the right size with a little experience, and anything that helps with efficiency of placement on the sharp end is allright by me. At under a Benjamin for a full set #1 to 10 you just can't go wrong. As with all nuts, make sure you have a nut tool to extract after loading.

$89.96 (on sale from $99.95) at Backcountry