ALPINE ASCENTS BLOG

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  Not on the Gear List, But in our Backpacks

  Off-List Must-Haves Gear lists are honed utilitarian tools for packing for a trip. Our gear lists represent years of carefully considering only and exactly what is needed for a given climb. You might wonder: are there things worth bringing into the mountains not on our gear lists? Absolutely! Loaded Smartphone (the Electronic Multi-Tool) A smartphone […]

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  Wash Down Gear When It Gets Dirty

  Cleaning Down Gear: What’s The Real Deal? Today’s down can be chemically treated so it is hydrophobic, and is available in super-powered 900 or 1000+ fill-power. These fancy, lightweight, and expensive items naturally give us pause at the laundry room door. We automatically know not to treat our down gear like a cotton t-shirt. So what’s […]

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  The Pee Bottle and Pee Funnel

  The Flats, Ingraham Glacier, Mount Rainier – 10:00 p.m. It’s the night before your summit push, and you’re lying in your tent wide awake. Your tentmate is fast asleep next to you. Adrenaline and nervous energy made it difficult for you both to settle down after dinner, especially since the Pacific Northwest sun was still […]