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Whipperj's Gear Review #10

TASC Bamboo-Merino Base Layer Level B 1/4 Zip

Activity: Mountain Guide Training Camp

Place: Rupal face Nanga Parbat northern Pakistan

Time of year: Early spring season.

Conditions: Hot alpine sunny days with a day or two of snow and cold alpine nights. 

Work load: 16 hours a day of climbing for 14 days. 

Question: What would you wear for a base layer?

Okay grated this is a question few people would ever have to answer but I do. Training mountain guides in Pakistan has been my privilege for many years now. And, in doing so I have been at the brunt on the Karakorum, Himalayas, and Hindu Kush weather systems on many a day. So the question is what to wear?

Up until this year like many people I wore a Polyester base layer and anyone who has had to wear a Polyester base layer for a few days in a row, well lets just say the name for my shirt was yak killer! Polyester drys fast but never really wicks well. So when the rep for TASC here in Canada approached me about trying TASC’s Bamboo-Merino 1/4 zip on my next trip to Pakistan, I was up to try something new.

TASC’s hype was the funk-free smell vs Polyester’s nostril killing odors. The thing is I can live with the smell but in my job keeping dry & warm equals life. 

The TASC Bamboo-Merino Base Layer Level B 1/4 Zip combines 65 percent bamboo, 30 percent Merino Wool, and 5 percent Elastane.  The bamboo gave the shirt a soft and more comfortable feel that I ever had from Polyester. The Merino Wool did have a slight itch to it for the first day but after that I have never noticed it again.

The environmental impact of bamboo viscose is not the best. TACS has improved on that by using a closed loop system to recover and reuse 99% of the caustic soda solution used in the manufacturing process. Tasc’s bamboo is certified organic by the OCIA.

As far a warmth goes, dry equals warm and the wicking abilities of the bamboo Merino Wool combo stunned me. Pushing hard day after day on Nanga Parbat the base layer’s face wetted out but I stayed dry. Warm days of up to 20C and cool night at -10C. 14 days in the same base layer. This is where even the best products start to fail. So what failed? Not one aspect of what TASC advertised their product does. Yes, this includes the odder reducing aspect of the Bamboo-Merino wool. 

After 14 days in the same base layer in Pakistan, you burn it. For there is no hope that the smell will ever come out. But, TASC more than lived up to the hype. I have never had a base layer I could keep or better put, I would wanted to keep after an expedition before. My TASC Bamboo-Merino Base Layer Level B 1/4 Zip after only one wash smelled like new and performed like wise.

With all that said the one thing that stood out for me was the SPF 50+. Yes, of all the thing that the TASC Bamboo-Merino Base Layer Level B 1/4 Zip offers this is the one thing that is over looked. One afternoon I was up on the mountain running a anchor building course and I pulled up my sleeves to half forearm just to get a little more freedom well building anchors. 3 hours later at base camp I started to feel the sunburn kick in! This photo sums up the difference between the SPF 50+ and none.

To sum up the TASC Bamboo-Merino Base Layer Level B 1/4 Zip. Well, I’ve recycled all my old Polyester base layers and don’t miss the smell at all. For once a company’s product does what it claimed to do. Don’t take my word for it try some of TASC’s stuff out and see for yourselves.

http://www.tascperformance.com

[whipperj]

Whipperj's Gear Review #9

There are a lot of tools that a climber can not live with out, or at least we think we can not live with out. One of the most important of these tools are carabiners. More so wire gate biners these days.

There are a lot of supper light weight wire gates on the market now day and being an alpine climber I love the weight reduction. But, the one thing I have learned over the years is if it sucks it doesn’t matter if it’s light! If the  carabiner doesn’t perform under all alpine conditions it’s not going on my rack. For to many of us fall into the shinny, cool looking, yet crappy gear trap.

The first thing you notices about the Spectre 2 is the I-beam construction. Created by the hot forging technique that DMM uses on Spectre 2 as well as many of their products. Moving the metal to the areas where it is most needed creates a lighter, stronger biner. DMM have never shied away from letting the creative juices follow in their gear design. Looking at what a carabiner should be and not what they are has pushed DMM into the forefront of carabiner design. Gate openings have always been a problem with small wire gates . That may not be a big problem for a sport climber for an alpinist who wears gloves for a hefty percentage of their climbs, gate opening is a big deal. DMM has put a lot of work into the shape of the gate and the wire gate itself. The gate is large enough for a gloved hand to easily manipulate. The gate has a clean crisp close, that snaps securely back into place with every clip even in the ice and snow.

  The weight saving is significant with these biner but like most savings you will not notice it until you change most of your rack over to these pumps. Like I said at the beginning of this article weight savings are useless unless the gear performs well. I must say that after two years of using these the Spectre 2 it has past my alpine test. With trips all over Canada and to Pakistan these have been the first draws I always grab. Not for the weight savings but importantly for the trust they have earned in my books. Please don’t take my word for it, try them yourself and see how they perform.

Check them out at DMM

Whipperj

[whipperj]

A Day at the Office

This week I was able to do something I love to do, teach people to climb. Well in this case it was not hard for an old friend wanted to try his hand at ice climbing. It’s funny for he has always been such a strong rock climber but never wanted to climb ice.

A warm day in Canmore was just the ticket for a few hours of chopping up some blue ice. It doesn't matter how long I’ve been climbing for the joy of seeing people enjoy the mountains in winter always makes me smile. I find my passion for the mountains grows more every time I see people enjoying the mountains like I did my first time so many years ago.

It’s alway good to give back and give back more than you take.

  Whipperj

[whipperj]

Prairiedise fisrt winter climb

Winter Prairiedise.

Being from Canada means you have to come to embrace the cold but, being from Saskatchewan means you have to learn to love it!

Today was -8ºc with ice fog. The fog cut out any warmth from the sun but, the rock was dry and fairly clear of ice. It was a perfect day to get out on the rock enjoy what might be the last day on the rock for the year.

The rock at Prairiedise is limestone but it is very sharp. So add in a cool day and sharp holds my fingers as well as everyone else’s quickly became shredded. It was worth every minute of the pain. 

Fueled by the need to be out of the gym and on real rock for a while the crew embraced the cold and the pain and got on with climbing some of the boulders classic lines before setting to work on a long time project. Hours went by but no one seemed to care about the weather or the state of our fingers for the rock just kept on giving.

As the day drew to the close the rumor started maybe we could come back before it gets to cold just maybe. Time will tell.

Days like today is why I climb! 

Whipperj

[whipperj]

Banff Coaches Conference 2012

Nestled in the heart of the Canadian Rockies it would be hard to find abetter place to host a climbing coaches conference then in Banff. So here we are again for the fifth round. 

This was my forth time at the conference and it just keeps getting better and better!

The conference included presentations from various climbing & non-climbing professionals who have a career’s worth of experience, with topics like “Planning Effective & Efficient Instruction,” “Emotional Control,” “Red Flags for Injuries,” “Goal Setting,” “Effective Use of Sport Supplements,” “Sleep, Recovery, and Human Performance,” “Training Diet Fundamentals,” and “Debunking the Myths and Fallacies Surrounding Strength Training for Adolescents.”

There were tons of great presenters as well like:

★Michael Cook & Lindsey Materi – Alberta Sport Development Centre

★Kelly Anne Erdman – Health & Performance Nutrition Inc.

★Jesse Emery – Center for Sleep & Human Performance

★David MacLeod – competition climbing and Scottish power house

★Alayne Hing – Elite Edge (goal setting)

And those were just a few of those who spoke and presented at this years conference.

It was a great time to come together and learn, set, and climb (saying nothing of the times a days end) together with other coaches from around Canada, the USA, and Scotland!

Thank to everyone who put on this years conference and I’m looking forward to next year.

  Whipperj

[whipperj]

Whipperj's Gear Review #8

Grip it! Climbing shoe testing time again!!! So with a new pair of Scarpa Boosters in hand it's off to the test grounds, my home in the Canadian Rockies and back to the gym to finish it off.

Once again Scarpa has come out with a sick shoe in the form of the Booster. The first thing you that goes through your mind when you see the Boosters is holy crap those things are down turned! But as your eyes wonder over these puppies a lot of other things stand out right as well. The X-Tension active midsole which gives it the radical down turn shape also cuts a lot of rubber off the back end of the shoe making it much lighter. The heal is a standard affair with a good amount of rubber and yet still is sensitive for those precise heal placements. A nice patch of rubber on the toe box area make toe-hooking much easier. The bottom strap of the Velcro closure is also covered in rubber adding even more options for toe-hooks and scumming. Okay, that's all great but how dose it fit? Well like most high performance shoe in is a willful act of torture on your toes. The older I get the more I hate this fact but Scarpa set out to do something about it with this pair of shoes. By making the toe box out of Lorica (a soft synthetic like leather) I was able to climb much longer and the shoe seemed to mold to my toes better. 

This shoe puts all your weight down on your big toe and with the new Vibram XS Grip rubber there is not much you cant stick to. I found on the steep over hanging rock and plastic these shoes pulling in well keeping my weigh in on the holds. Toe hooks is a dream in these puppies, with a good amount of rubber over the top of the shoe. You not only toe hook like mad in these babies but you save your shoes from a ton of wear and tear with the rubber protecting the top of your shoes. 

The down side is to these shoes is climbing any but vertical or over hanging. I found that my feet just could not last long climbing on easy terrain in the Boosters. And God help you if you get on to a slab with these on your feet!!

The out come with the Boosters is that once again Scarpa has made a outstanding shoe! Whipperj gives the Boosters four Yaks out of a possible five Yaks. 

From the Whipperj review

[whipperj]

Whipperj's Gear Review #7

Growing up in Canada the word cold conjures up many degrees of pain and suffering in my mind, but as a climber in such a place it takes suffering to a place most climbers are unwilling to go. Lucky for those of us who choose to climb in such a place there are belay parkas! The only problem is finding the right one and with so many out there these days this can be a daunting chore.

I have gone through a lot of belay parkas over the years. Some I wore until they had more patches then original fabric and others I tossed off routes for they wouldn't keep me warm in Florida let alone in the Canadian Rockies and they weighed more then I did by the second pitch. So when it was time for me to find a new belay parka last year I found myself at a loss? Thanks to Wild Things Gear I found the answer very quickly.

The Wild Things Belay Parka falls into the category of technical belay jacket due to the fact it was designed for climbing not just wearing around town. Hats off to Wild Things for this extremely well made jacket. What stands out with this parka is the thought and craftsmanship that went in to this product. Wild Things light is right modo really shows in this this jacket. The Epic microfiber shell sheds water well and is breathable. The Epic shell has held up for me to the ware and tear of and being with me for a year of climbing in Pakistan. I would say that is outstanding for any fabric. The hood is large and slips easily over any helmet with a 'T' style drawstring. A beefy layer Primaloft keeps you toasty at belays on all but the most extremely cold of days. It also sports one inner water bottle pocket, one inner zippered pocket, and two front zippered pockets. With all that in a jacket and weighing in a 960 grams you can't go wrong.

The only thing I did not like with this jacket was the zipper. Its just hard to get started, even without gloves on. With gloves on God help you and with mitts on starting the zipper can be an epic. I should say that may just be the zipper on my jacket and not a over all problem.

So out a five Yak rating I give the Belay Parka from Wild Things a four and a half Yak rating.

From the Whipperj’s review

[whipperj]

Whipperj's Gear review #6

TAA-K-OON?

Ok, you may just look at this review and say what the heck is a TAA-K-OON? Well to tell you the truth I have no idea what the heck this word stands for but I do know that it is one of the best all around ice tools Grivel has ever made. I just found out from Grivel that TAA-K-OON is a patois word used to describe a strong wind the blows from the mountains and knocks down all the trees, boy that clears it up!

The TAA-K-OON was originally designed as a dry-tooling specific tool but quickly made the transition to the ice and mixed arena. The pros that the TAA-K-OON's brings to the table is just what you see at first glance, the shaft. The clearance in the upper shaft area is the same (22cm) as Top Wing, Tech Wing (which Taa-K-oon replaces) or Racing Wing while the lower dogleg curve places the hand further from the ice (or rock), providing more overall clearance than any other Grivel tool. The Horn (pommel) and trigger are removable to use Taa-K-Oon as an alpine tool, and the spike is ChroMoly steel to stab easily into ice or drive through hard snow.

The first couple of times out with these tool scared me to death. Every time I had to match on a tool I almost ate it. Which is not a good thing when your soloing on a route (bad habit I have when testing new tools). It seems like the dogleg curve polls your weight outwards a little more then I care for. But with time I have really come to love this tool. This is one of those tools that grows on you with time. I've never had a leash on these tools and I don't think I'll ever need to. They handle so well with out leashes that I would hate to ruin the performance and feel by restricting them so.

So out of a possible five Yaks Whipperj gives the Taa-K-Oon a four Yak rating.

From the Whipperj’s review