Mountain Hardwear SuperMegaUL 2 Tent Review
Bottom Line: An Ultralight, 2 person, 3 season tent that’s perfect for those fast and light missions when saving a bit of extra weight is going to make all the difference. First Impressions and Observations: The SuperMegaUL 2 is a beautiful tent, sexy even! It’s light (minimum weight: 2lb 2oz), sets up easily and accommodates two individuals on mummy sleeping pads with room in the vestibule for packs and boots. To make this tent as light as it is the designers at Mountain Hardwear have clearly gone over every feature in this tent and shaved grams wherever possibly. It’s this precise attention to detail that gives this tent its beauty. The space inside is at a minimum, but this was expected with an ultralight tent. I’ve slept in it with another person and had no issues. I’m used to sleeping in small Winter tents so I am accustomed to tents with an interior space of this size. Some might say it’s cramped, I’d say it’s cozy. If you want more space then be prepared for your back and shoulders to have to haul more weight uphill. Those are the tradeoffs. Some of the features that I appreciated are: The toggles on the fly attachment points: They make connecting the fly to the tent body extremely easy and the design is so simple, light and functional that I don’t know why every tent doesn’t use this method. The pole design: This tent utilizes a pole design that I hadn’t seen before. It allows the tent to be freestanding while also simplifying setup and reducing pitching time. It has two main poles that are permanently joined together via a soft rubber joint that is positioned at the apex of the tent. Reflective points on the tent: The tent utilizes quite a few reflective points so that you can spot it easily with your headlamp and also avoid tripping over the guy lines around the tent. Pros: Weight: If you aren’t familiar with Ultralight tents then picking this one up will shock you. At 2 lb. 2 oz. (0.98 kg) this is the lightest tent I’ve ever owned. My back is going to thank me! Design: It’s incredibly well designed. You can tell that every inch of this tent has been discussed and altered to have only the essential features included. I also find the aerodynamic profile of this tent appealing to the eye. Vestibule: Not only does the vestibule aid in ventilation it adds extra space outside for storing my pack and boots. Cons: Durability: The materials used in this tent are ultralight which means they need to be managed more than heavier,...
The Amazing ACC Clubhouse in Canmore
Bottom Line: The Alpine Club of Canada Clubhouse in Canmore is a hostel like no other we’ve ever seen. We almost don’t want to let the secret out about this place as we want to keep it to ourselves. But that wouldn’t be fair. If you are staying in Canmore for it’s access to adventures and want to immerse yourself in mountain culture then you simply have to book a stay at the ACC Clubhouse. Observations: We’d heard rumours on the grapevine of some well furnished, cozy cabins on the outskirts of Canmore filled with the positive vibes of mountain people featuring spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, for the low price of $36 a night ($25 for ACC members). We had to check it out! We’ve been members of the ACC and we’ve visited a few of the Cabins they maintain in the mountains on the West Coast. Something that always strikes us about them is how comfortable they are considering where they are located and how cheap they are to stay in. We’ve stayed in other Cabins in the mountains that are sometimes nothing more than a wooden garden shed, with shelves to lie on. Hey, when you are moving in the mountains you appreciate any kind of shelter you can get. The ACC Cabins that we’ve stayed in though have always gone above and beyond in providing facilities and comfort in really wild locations like high ridge crests or at isolated alpine lakes. We had a trip to the Rockies planned so we wanted to see what the ACC would offer at their Clubhouse in Canmore, which is near a large town, but still in a pretty wild location, located a few kilometres outside of town, nestled in the trees below Grotto Mountain. More than simply a Hostel. What I found did not dissappoint. I’ve stayed in “Hostels” in Europe and they can tend to have a bad name for being noisy, crowded and not relaxing. They are somewhere you crash after a night of partying. I did that through my 20’s and while affordable, I didn’t get much sleep there. Now in my 30’s I’m motivated to sleep well, get to bed early and get up and out before dawn to make use of the daylight in the mountains. The ACC Clubhouse is a different type of Hostel. It has shared rooms, eating areas and facilities but that’s where the similarities with the City Hostels I’ve stayed in ends. The feel is much more like the mountain cabins that I love to visit now. The views from almost every window are breath taking and inspiring....
Arc’teryx Women’s Ski Camp Review
I have owned skis for a few seasons now but with only a handful of days spent inbounds at resorts and an equal amount trying to backcountry ski, I have to admit that there has been more frustration with the sport than there has been love for it. So the decision to sign up for a ski camp was easy, but which one would I choose? A few months ago I discovered the 2 day Arc’teryx Women’s Ski Camp being held at Whistler Blackcomb. I will confess though that the thought of participating in an all women’s camp wasn’t appealing to me and all women events are typically something I try to avoid for fear that they may be too “pink”. Would the atmosphere be overly girly - an estrogen charged atmosphere of emotion and snack breaks filled with chocolate and group hugs? But they did advertise that you would leave with “more confidence guaranteed”. I had nothing to lose, so I signed up. The weeks went by and when the camp weekend finally rolled in I was excited to see what it offered. I arrived at the meetup point, Merlin’s at the base of Blackcomb which would also serve as our Après ski location, and found the room packed. I was amazed at how many women showed up, clearly not everyone is as apprehensive as I am about all women’s environments. That first morning we were given the opportunity to meet each other, provided with coffee, tea and a healthy breakfast spread that included yogurt, granola, seeds & berries (a very nice touch) and we separated into groups based on our self-designated ability levels. Despite the large turnout, each group maxed out with a 6 to 1 ratio of clients to guides and some even as low as 2 to 1. Our first day was spent on Blackcomb mountain and our group coach, Connie Baker, immediately sent us down a slope to assess our abilities. Right away Connie was able to critique my technique and provide me with advice and tips on how to improve. Within a few hours, I was already starting to feel more confident and feeling a vast improvement from all of my other previous days on the hill. Connie was there watching each of us individually as we skied each run and provided feedback. I was so impressed with how much individual instruction we received. We spent hours sessioning specific moves until they felt natural. Connie was patient, funny and very dedicated in her teaching and by the end of the second day on Whistler mountain our group of 5 women were all skiing more confidently. Not...
Sky Pilot Race Recap
From reading some of our past posts you may have realized that the Sky Pilot is one of our favorite mountains around Squamish. It’s a spectacular alpine area where backcountry adventure is around every corner. So when we heard that the Coast Mountain Trail Series was bringing a trail race to this area, we knew we had to run it! The inaugural race was scheduled for September 21, which could mean beautiful fall weather or torrential rain; it could go either way here on the west coast. With the race being set in such a rugged area there was a lot of trail building happening weeks before the race. Everyone involved in creating this race wanted to make it a unique mountain running experience. The excitement was building when there was talk of roped sections, boulder fields and ridge running. However,days before the race, the endless summer sunshine we had been experiencing changed to the autumnal rains, which meant all of the fresh new trail became streams of mud. The steep trails were now too wet to run and it would be too risky to send all of the runners out onto this terrain. But if I have learnt anything about the Coast Mountain Trail Series races, it’s that they do not disappoint, and with literally hours before the start of the race, a change of route was put in place. They were going to make sure everyone got the mountain running experience they promised! This was some of the rugged mountain trail. Mt. Habrich from the summit point of the race. Checking out the view from the summit. We showed up to the starting line, on a sunny blue bird day at the top of the Sea to Sky Gondola, not totally sure of the new route and curious where exactly it was going to take us. Leigh and I were running this one together and decided to run it as a fun run. No need to race, just enjoy the new course, take a few photos along the way and revel in the scenery. As usual the starting area was buzzing with the energy of runners antsy to start, one of my favorite parts of racing. Just feeding off of that energy can carry you for miles! And we needed that energy to carry us. This course was unforgiving in its ascent. Starting on the tame and gentle uphill Sky Pilot ridge trail, we would eventually be taken straight up to a ridge that connected to Mt. Habrich. Running or rather power hiking up steep, loose, duff covered forest trail, straight onto a boulder field. Crossing the...
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 ...
