GearFlogger

CAMP Corsa Nanotech ice axe

When light is right, CAMP has proven they are the go-to guys. The bigger players in backcountry hardware have followed their lead in the past few years, releasing ultralight crampons, axes and more, but CAMP is still a great benchmark.

We've been using their Corsa Nanotech axe for years now. They took their Corsa ice axe, added a curve to the shaft and a steel pick and spike. This adds negligibly to the weight of otherwise all-aluminum axe, which now tips the scales at all of 8.7oz. About the only way it's going to get any lighter is to fill the shaft with helium.

Available in 50, 60 and 70cm lengths, we like the shorty for a number of applications. As a safety axe for scrambling, the Corsa Nanotech won't weigh you down when it spends most of the trip riding on your pack. As a tool for short sections of more technical ascent, e.g. the 2,000 feet of 50 to 60 degree snow and ice in the Chicken Couloir on Denali's West Rib, it likewise saves the weight during the other two weeks you're on the mountain. The pick is aggressive enough for this type of climbing, and at just over a pound for a pair the weight is certainly attractive.

The curved shaft makes it handle like a tool, and the grip-strip really does its thing. Chopping steps, plunging and otherwise banging it about in the Chugach front range didn't seem to loosen anything up, so we're confident that it's good for the long term. It's not going to sink effortlessly into bulletproof alpine ice, but for its intended applications its a great piece of kit.

$159.00 at Backcountry.com

CAMP USA Tour 350 Crampons

When it comes to your feet, lighter is definitely righter. Don't bring more foot-weight than you need, and in the case of glacier travel it seems like you see a lot of full-steel crampons where something a little racier will do. Exhibit A: the CAMP Tour 350 crampon.

An aluminum ten point crampon is fine for snow and ice duty, and the Tour 350, built from 7075 T6 aluminum, performed great for me this past season on Denali, paired with my trusty Oly Mons boots. For a size 43 boot the spreader bars were at their maximum extension, so if you're sporting bigger dogs you'll want to scout out a longer bar, aluminum only please as steel bars will ream out the aluminum frame.

The step-in setup functions flawlessly, and the simple ankle retaining strap is a nice change from some of the more complicated setups out there (looking at you, BD!). If you're really worried about the lack of a nylon strap to the toe bail just add one yourself; I didn't worry about it and had no problems.

At just over 12 ounces you really can't beat the Tour 350... except you can! The Race 290 crampon is basically the Tour 350 with a special heel bail for Dynafit compatible boots, and the metal spreader bar is replaced with Dyneema for an overall two ounce savings. The Race 290 even has different colors for hte left and right feet for those of you in a hurry - you know who you are, rando-freaks. I haven't tried the Race 290 and probably won't, but the design did give me the idea that if a spreader bar failed I could use a section of dyneema or even nylon webbing to replace it temporarily.

CAMP makes some phenomenal lightweight mountaineering gear. I've used and loved their Alp 95 harness, Corsa Nanotech axe and Nanotech crampons, not to mention the wonderful-ness that is the Nano 23 biner. None have ever failed me either on Denali or Rainier, but then again I tend to be pretty light on my gear. If you're one of those ogres who just seems to mangle gear every time out you might want to stay heavy, i.e. walk on steel. For the rest of us, give your feet a break with aluminum crampons and save the steel for those gnarly mixed routes and rocky approaches.

$139.95 at Amazon

CAMP USA Alp 95 harness

Sometimes when I'm alone at home I like to put on the SheFlogger's thong. It helps me feel special. Now I can get the same feeling on the mountain with the CAMP Alp 95, a butt-floss of a harness for low-angle alpine and adventure racing use.

The Alp 95 weighs in at 3.5oz, about as much as a locking carabiner. An upgraded version of CAMP's XLH 95, the Alp adds a tie-in point and an adjustable waist belt. There is a loop on each side if you want to add a 'biner to rack gear, but the Alp really shines underneath a pack. The Alp lived under my Mchale hip belt on Denali this year and was not even noticable, as long as you don't get the little pad behind the buckle underneath. And make sure the waist belt lies flat before putting your pack on.

I didn't spend much hang time in the Alp for obvious reasons, but properly adjusted it is comfortable enough. The leg loops run small, and that can present a sizing problem; measure your thighs first if you're ordering online, because you might have to move up a size. That will mean you'll have to crank the waist down all the way. I'd like to see the leg loops an inch or two bigger for each size. Other than that the Alp really cuts down on weight. You see a lot of climbers sporting pound-plus harnesses on routes like Denali's West Buttress and Rainier when the Alp would do just fine.

$39.96 (on sale from $49.95) at Moosejaw

CAMP Warehouse Sale

If you live near Denver this is your lucky weekend. From the press release: CAMP USA Announces Spring Warehouse Sale in Broomfield, CO. The late season dumps are over, spring is in full effect and with it the climbing season. Launch into the season with new gear at great prices.

CAMP Technical Adventure Equipment (makers of all things climbing) will be holding its Spring Warehouse Sale in Broomfield, CO (directly between Boulder and Denver on Hwy 36) from Saturday, June 20 – Monday, June 22. Join us for the best prices on climbing gear you'll see this year. The sale will be in full effect from 8-5 each day.

Hundreds of closeouts, overstocks and samples on sale. Killer deals on harnesses, carabiners, protection, axes, crampons, helmets, packs, backcountry ski gear and other climbing and alpine equipment. CAMP USA - 580 Burbank Street, Ste 105 - Broomfield, CO 80020.

CAMP XLC Nanotech crampons

CAMP is really going nuts innovating lightweight alpine gear these days. Their latest products use aluminum for everything except the pointy parts, and even there they have some hocus-pocus nanotechnology inserted to make the steel even lighter. I learned all about nanotechnology from reading Michael Crichton's Prey, and I'm happy to report CAMP's XLC Nanotech crampons did not transform into a cloud of flesh-shredding nanoparticles.

The Sandvik steel points are attached under the frontpoints of the all-aluminum 12-point frame. They stand up well for their intended use: snow routes with the occasional moderate ice patch. You would not want to use them on vertical ice, sustained alpine ice or mixed rocky conditions. Also available in automatic bindings, I used the semiautomatic. The softer frame really sucked into the soles of my boots so that there was no detectable slop in the system, which is unusual for such a lightweight setup.

These spikes combined with a lightweight boot like the La Sportiva Trango S EVO GTX results in a nimble set of footwear that really improves your fast and light options. I'll be keeping an eye on long-term durability, but at under 20oz for the semi (17oz for the auto) the XLC Nanotech with steel frontpoints extends the range of CAMP's XLC crampons while maintaining a category-leading low weight.

$111.96 (on sale from $159.95) at Backcountry

CAMP Nano 23 carabiner

It's getting difficult to keep up. A month ago I bought a CAMP Nano Wire carabiner. Before I can even get off my lazy keister to review it what do I see while strolling through the aisles of REI - hey, I was there to buy a snowsuit for my 2-year old - but this little beauty.

The CAMP Nano 23 sets a new high mark for logical product naming: it weighs 23 grams, or .8oz for the rest of us. This is versus 28 grams or almost a full ounce (fattie!) for the Black Diamond Oz. Other specs are equivalent to the Oz, with a slightly slimmer gate opening of 21mm versus 22m for the Oz.

Again, I feel compelled to do the math: my partner carries BD Positrons at 49g each. So twenty Nanos would save you 520g or over a pound. Hmm, maybe if I return that snowsuit I can replace my whole rack...

$7.95 at REI

CAMP Joker v-thread tool

Yes, you can make a v-thread hook yourself out of a spare coat hanger. Go for it, McGyver. Just don't come whining to me when it straightens out on you three pitches up your worst frozen nightmare. Or you can buy a Camp Joker v-thread tool for the cost of a six-pack of good beer.

The Joker is an improvement over other abalakov hooks because it has a rigid stem instead of a flexible one. Also, the hook itself is nice and beefy so you can really crank on it. I usually run the rope itself through the v-thread rather than using cordelette, and I've had other hooks straighten out on me under the increased force required to snag a 10mm line. The Joker had no problem at all.

The hook was not very sharp from the factory, but a few seconds with a file solved that. A handy coil at the end clips into a 'biner and you're good to go.

$9.95 at Boulder Mountaineering