MEC Light Degree Hoodie Review
Even when our late Fall hikes turned into a full blown wintry adventure at -12 degrees, it always felt like I was being caressed by warm air in my MEC Light Degree Hoodie. When we spent 30 minutes taking in the “above the clouds” views on Mt Frosty that November afternoon, I never felt the chill of the cold mountain air reach through my jacket. I even wore it for the trip back and found it very comfortable. I am looking forward to doing some proper mountaineering in this jacket and see how it holds up mobility wise. Here is a quick run through the pros and cons of this jacket. Why I like this jacket: It’s super lightweight and with an 800 fill count it’s very compressible. Very warm for the weight as it comes in at only 334g It has a nice snug fit, meaning it’s not boxy at all and fits well around the hips. But it is not too fitted so it does not ride up when moving around. I am someone with long arms wide shoulders and found the arm length perfect. With elasticized cuffs it prevents cold air rushing up the sleeves when you move around. The super deep internal pockets are going to come in very useful for gloves, skins etc. Color options are great. I went with Purple Rain and love the purple/green contrast. As someone who is a firm believer in bright colors in the backcountry I am glad they offer these color options. Good price point. At $195 I feel it is good value for money as some of the other brand name down sweaters come in at a much higher price tag. Why I don’t like this jacket: The hood is described as low profile and they weren’t kidding. With elasticized binding around the hood it comes to a very snug fit. I am not crazy about the way the hood makes you look. But it is warm. I have only worn it a couple times but find a few feathers bleeding each time I wear it. So not too happy with that. Have a look at it for yourself at: mec.ca...
Just when you think you’re fit enough…
You have probably seen this video on our facebook page, but i wanted to post it again because it is MOTIVATING!! It’s one of those video’s that gets stuck in your mind. Stuck in the way ,that as I biked home from work in the torrential downpour that is Squamish’s endearingly wet winter, I think about pushing it harder today up the big hill I have to bike every night . I think about kicking it down to a lower gear till my quads are burning and I can’t catch my breath. I get to the point where I feel like I have to stop, but I can’t…no I won’t, I know it’s just my mind trying to convince my body it’s had enough, so I decide to take the longer route home. I can’t let my mind win, I refuse to give in. “To climb high altitude mountains you need be more than an adventurer, you need to be an athlete”. Today in my own small way I felt like an athlete. I felt like that extra push was making me stronger. I don’t know if I can ever be at the athletic level portrayed in the video, but I am definitely going to keep pushing that little extra every day! Now let’s hope I can actually get out of bed when my alarm goes off at 5:30am tomorrow to go running in what promises to be another one of Squamish’s endearingly wet winter mornings....
Arc’teryx Alpha LT Jacket Review
“With my Mack and my Merry’s I’m ready to hike!” A silly phrase I coined 2 ½ years ago as I went on some of my first real hikes wearing what was, at the time, my hiking uniform; a North Face DWR Rain mack and a pair of Merrell Siren Song Mid Sport hikers (my “Merry’s”). You can see me sporting these very items in the picture above. The items have changed but the phrase still applies. I now own an Arc’teryx Alpha LT Goretex jacket (and a pair of La Sportiva Evo Nepal Mountaineering boots, but we will save those for another post) which has come to be one of my favorite pieces of gear. Weighing in under 12 ounces, it’s so lightweight that I pack it on every trip, summer or winter. Here are some of the features that I have come to appreciate since owning this jacket and using it in the mountains: - Provides full on weather protection. It keeps out moisture whether it’s rain or snow and works double duty as a windproof barrier for those, more often than not, windy summit days. I have used this jacket in conditions ranging from full on winter snow storm, summit camping, lashing rains of the NWP and dry blustery days. It’s the most essential piece of my layering system. -What’s with the location of the pockets? That’s what I first thought when I put it on, fresh off the hanger, in the warmth and comfort of my living room. But, get out on a glacier or on rock, put on a harness, backpack and all the other gak that goes along with this type of awesomeness, and you soon realize that the strategically placed reach-across pockets are the best thing that just happened to you. The easy access pockets make for great storage of your mobile phone, extra slings or any other items you need to keep handy but out of the way. - Helmet Compatible Hood. I can’t speak for everyone but unless you are feeling some serious frigid temperatures, I personally don’t like to wear a toque under my helmet as I tend to overheat pretty quickly and it’s a real hassle to have to take off your helmet and toque whenever you get too warm. Which is why I love this hood. It fits right over my climbing helmet with room to spare and cinches in at just the right spots for a nice snug fit (which by the way is great for when you’re not wearing your helmet as these adjustable cinch points on the hood keep it from blowing off...
We are human beings, not human doings..so just be
The first time I heard this phrase was in one of the first Yoga classes that I’ve attended. At the time, when I heard it I giggled to myself thinking it sounded a little silly and maybe a little airy fairy. I’m sure at the time the Yoga teacher was just saying this to get everyone to relax, “be” in the moment and just breathe. But when I really think about what this combination of words is trying to say, it really hits home for me. I tend to be the type of person who takes things to heart, internalizes my feelings and then ends up feeling a lot of stress. But what am I doing? Why am I allowing myself to do this? I am the only one who can control what is happening in my mind and how I choose to accept external influence or opinions. Come on…… take a deep breath and just….. be. Just allow life to roll over you and through you, feel it, taste it; the good and the bad. Allow life to be the adventure it should be and allow it to shape you. Don’t fight so hard against its current, it’s going to ebb and flow and the more relaxed and more willing you are to face it straight on, the easier it will be to flow with it, rather than try to break through each wave as it comes at you. I guess that’s the funny thing about life. It’s so much bigger than ourselves that it feels like it should be something that needs to be in our control, like we should always have a tight grasp on what is about to happen next, to avoid feeling fear, disappointment, betrayal, all the truly uncomfortable human emotions. But if we didn’t feel the fear would we still feel exhilaration? If we didn’t know betrayal would we truly understand trust? We don’t need to seek out these uncomfortable emotions, but I don’t think we should run away at the first sight of them. Allow yourself to rise up to meet them. See how you transform in response to them; allow yourself to feel them so that they can refine you and let you know what is truly worth holding onto and what is worth discarding. Like any truly great adventure, life has transformative powers if we give ourselves over to it....
