Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody Review
Bottom Line: The Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody is the perfect lightweight shell to take on a summer mutli-pitch climb when you think it might get a little windy on the wall and it also makes an excellent Alpine running jacket for the cool days or as a windshell on the descent. First Impressions and Observations: I was looking for a jacket that was versatile to use in a lot of different scenarios, but still light enough that I could stuff it in my running pack or attach it to a harness without being too heavy or bulky. This is a basic shell jacket and I love just how basic it is. There is only 1 pocket on the jacket which serves as its own stuff sack. Inside the pocket is a webbing loop to attach a carabiner to enable you clip to your harness. There is the standard Arc’teryx die-cut velcro cuff adjusters, adjustable hem and adjustable hood. That’s all there is to this jacket and I love its simplicity. When you’re up on a multi-pitch climb in the summer and a cool breeze comes in this is the perfect wind resistant shell. It also has a DWR coating so is able to resist light rain. However, don’t expect much from this jacket in a downpour as it’s wets through pretty quickly with consistent rain. When trail running I found this to be a great jacket in cool conditions. Especially when briefly stopping for a snack and I didn’t want to cool down too much. I also ended up wearing it on the descent as I wasn’t working up as much of a sweat and found it too chilly without the extra layer. Starting the next pitch in my Squamish Hoody On the descent on a cool alpine run. Early summer alpine snow. Photo: Adam Ciuk Pros: Ultra lightweight Packable & Compressible (packs inside it’s own pocket) Great colors Water resistant Wind resistant Cons: Not waterproof Beating the chill in my Squamish Hoody. Photo: Adam Ciuk Running in the Squamish Hoody Buy it if: You are looking for a super light, compressible jacket that can attach to your harness as an emergency shell or fit inside your running pack. This jacket is the perfect windbreaker for a gusty late summer day on a multi-pitch climb, trail running in the cool breezes of the alpine or just a lightweight summer shell jacket around town. Places to Buy: Women’s Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody Men’s Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody...
Scarpa Crux Approach Shoe Review
Bottom Line: A comfortable approach shoe for getting to the base of your climb. Useful also for light climbing and bouldering to warm up. Rubber soles stick to rock really well, and the side webbing allows for increased precision when balancing on small foot holds. I love them! First Impressions and Observations: Before getting the Scarpa Crux approach shoes I had never tried them on before. I just picked my size and when they arrived they fit perfectly out of the box. Awesome! Scarpa has achieved an exceptional balance between making these comfortable but also functional. The suede molds to the shape of my foot well allowing for a relaxed feel. However, these shoes also perform well for climbing. Scarpa has reinforced the forefoot by using webbing with kevlar. This holds the shoe tight to ball of the foot allowing for better precision. The rubber toe rand is also a nice feature for getting a bit of extra protection where it counts. The Vibram Vertical rubber on the soles of these shoes is amazing. It grips to rock and gives a sense of confidence similar to rock shoes. Previously when I’d get to the crag I’d change into my rock shoes and do some warm ups on the rock. Now, I stay in these approach shoes for my warm up. Pros: Comfortable for use all day Light and simple construction Sticky rubber soles for rocky hiking, scrambling or light climbing Kevlar reinforced webbing around the ball of the foot Cons: Feet can get warm on hot days. Not very breathable. Friends may become jealous and steal them while you are climbing in your rock shoes Buy it if: You’re tired of going climbing and wearing your sneakers, which don’t work well on wet rock. It’s a pain to constantly be switching from rock shoes to your normal shoes just for some light bouldering or warm up climbing. You want a shoe that you can wear around town and use at the crag. Places to Buy: The Scarpa Men’s Crux is available at Altitude-Sports.com ...
Kitchen Sink Cookies
As an avid snacker I am always on the lookout for delicious treats that taste amazing and are still somewhat healthy for you. One evening at my job I was offered a fresh-baked cookie from one of my customers and couldn’t believe what I was tasting. I asked her what it was and she said it was a grain free recipe called “Kitchen Sink Cookies” . I went home that night and found this recipe. Turns out that after making a few batches and sharing them with friends, they now happen to be a favorite of everyone that tries them. I have one friend in particular who is crazy for these cookies, so this recipe is for you Jo! There have been a few small adaptations and this is the recipe as I make it. Ingredients: 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 2/3 cup blanched almond flour (if you don’t have almond flour on hand, just buzz some almonds in a food processor until it’s the consistency of flour) 1/2 tsp of cinnamon 1/4 tsp of salt 1/3 cup of flax seeds 1/4 cup maple syrup 3 tbsp almond butter (I have also made these with sunflower butter, it’s cheaper and they were just as tasty!) 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil (the amount of coconut oil can vary depending on how many extras you add to the recipe, so don’t be afraid to use more or less if needed) My additional ingredients: 1/3 cup chopped nuts (usually whatever I have on hand - walnut, cashew, almond or pecan) 1/2 -3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (quantity depends how much you love chocolate!) 2 tbsp hemp seeds 2 tbsp chia seeds handful of sunflower seeds handful of pumpkin seeds Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a cookie sheet (I use coconut oil) but you could also use parchment paper as noted in the original recipe. 2. In a bowl mix all of the dry ingredients together. 3. In a separate bowl whisk together the maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla and melted coconut oil. 4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. 5. Using a large spoon scoop the cookies onto the baking pan and bake for 13 minutes. 6. Allow the cookies to cool before removing from the pan as they will break apart very easily. 7. Once cool I recommend keeping them in the fridge to allow them to harden up. They tend to be crumbly at room temperature. Now get eating &...
“Déjame Vivir” Review
“Déjame Vivir” or, translated into english “Let me live” is the second installment in the “Summits of my life” series about Kilian Jornet. Kilian has been a household name in Ultrarunning in Europe for a while now but I only found out about him last year when I started seeing trailers for the first installment of his “Summits of my life” series, called “A fine line” bubbling to the top of my news feed. It instantly grabbed my attention because here was a guy, wearing basic running clothes, bouncing along precipitous ridge crests with ease without any of the modern accoutrements that mountain goers use, such as crampons, ice axes, helmets, etc. There was something mesmerizing about the purity of an individual, unencumbered, moving swiftly over technical terrain that drew me in and made me take note of this person. “Déjame Vivir” covers Kilians exploits in 2013, centering mostly on his goal to break the speed record on the Matterhorn. Were the first installment “A fine line” introduced Kilian and explained his upbringing and motivations, this second installment does an excellent job of filling out the details about what keeps him driven now and how he lives day to day. What the viewer learns is that Kilian is not a man driven by ego or competition or fame but by a childlike curiosity to simply explore. To simply be in the mountains and see what can be accomplished with the human body. We are introduced to his circle of friends, his girlfriend, the equally talented Emelie Forsberg and close friend, the 22 year old, Mathéo Jacquemoud, who has the face of a 12 year old but the Ski Mountaineering skills of a veteran. Mathéo also has a hilarious Grandmother who downplays his skyrunning as “going for a walk with friends”. Throughout the documentary we are given a brief overview of the history of Skyrunning in Europe, Kilians interest in it and the exploits of one Bruno Brunod, the athlete who originally set the speed record on the Matterhorn. Kilian admired Brunos achievements from a young age and wishes to repeat them himself. The culmination of Kilians year of racing, skyrunning and training on the Matterhorn is his attempt to beat Brunos record in the last act. The footage is simply amazing and Kilians POV video from running along the knife edge ridge towards the summit is dizzying. I don’t believe I blinked once while watching Kilian descend from the summit in an almost free fall along the fixed ropes on the route. The documentary left me wanting more and inspired me to push myself further and expect more from...
Review: Run or Die by Kilian Jornet
In Run or Die, Kilian Jornet tells the story of how his passion for competitive running and wild places blossomed from being a child running in the hills around his home to a world-class record-setting ultra runner. In it he tells the stories of some of his most notable and personally rewarding feats. He tells it like it is, the ups and downs, the struggle and the pain. Despite the fact that he is performing seemingly superhuman feats you can feel a human connection to him through his passion and love for what he does. He describes in detail the search within himself for the age-old question of why? Why does he run? The overall tone of the book is one of inspiration. Just through describing his physical & mental ups and downs he captures the absolute essence of pushing the human body to its limit. He is trying to tell his personal journey and through it inspire others. I personally enjoyed this book for its honesty. As a person determined to try to push my own limits in running, I found the unwavering devotion to the the sport extremely inspiring. He never lost touch with his love for nature or the beauty of the mountains. It made me contemplate how fortunate I am to be able to move my body and be able to enjoy beautiful places along the way. If you are someone interested in feats of endurance or in getting inspired to push your own limits, then I would definitely recommend reading this book. It’s written by someone who just loves to run. It doesn’t contain a definite story line or the words of an experienced writer, but what it does contain is passion, dedication, suffering and a great love for running which surpasses the need to compete and rises into something much greater than just sport. “You don’t need to compete to be able to feel the intense emotion of finishing, the excitement of crashing through the finish tape. It is a happiness you alone feel as you experience that strength powering you to succeed.” ~Kilian Jornet~...
Salomon Speedcross 3 Trailrunner Review
Bottom Line: These runners were extremely comfortable right out of the box. I didn’t encounter the usual “breaking in” period that I have experienced with other running shoes. They are a fairly lightweight trail runner with a burly cleated tread which is great for technical trails and all-weather conditions. I have found that the tread wears out fairly quickly on Salomon shoes, but overall they are such a comfortable trail runner that I highly recommend them. How I chose it: I had owned Salomon trails runners previously, before I was doing any serious trail running, and loved them as an all around walking/hiking shoe. I also had a few trail running friends that highly recommended the Speedcross. Observations since using it: The lacing system is excellent. Unlike traditional style laces the Kevlar Quick-Fit system works with one pull and won’t loosen. There is even a handy tongue pocket to tuck away the laces, which I personally love as it keeps things from flapping around. It is a one-time tighten before you leave the house and you are good to go for hours. When I ran my first 50km trail race last year I used the Salomon Speedcross and I didn’t have to adjust them once in the 8 hours I was out on the trails. There was no breaking in period required for these shoes. I took them out of the box and went for a run without any issues with rubbing or blisters. They are as close as feeling liking like a slipper as a trail runner could. The fit is very precise. I have narrow feet and find that once I tighten the shoe it molds nicely to my foot which makes for a secure fit, making for more confident footfalls when running on technical trail. The toe box provides enough room to not cause issues with any rubbing or pressure points, which also helps to delay the onset of black toe nails. There is an 11mm drop in this shoe, which is simply the difference between the height of the heel and the height of the toe when standing; zero is the equivalent to standing barefoot. So there is a pretty substantial drop in these shoes which is more akin to a traditional running shoe and will support people who are heel strikers. I personally mid-foot strike, but haven’t found these shoes to cause me any issues. Pros: Lacing - Excellent lacing system with tongue pocket to keep lace ends out-of-the-way. Comfort - Super comfortable from date of purchase. Fit - Secure, precise fit due to locking lacing system and the mold of the shoe. I feel...
