Regarding gloves, this is something I learnt not a long time ago, just regular wool gloves from any hardware store combined with large leather gloves are often the best and cheapest solution. Glad to see this advice here.
I'm a mountain guide so having dexterous gloves is a must! A pair that I've found that work incredibly well are the RAB Guide Gloves, you should definitely try them... They're warm enough for most alpine conditions and ice climbing but they feel soooo nimble and good too when climbing or working with your gear. And the leather palm will last forever.
Definitely agree with this. The Rab Guide 2 are warm, and have fantastic dexterity. Much better then the BD Guides. Though, the BD Guides have their applications as well.
julian Roffman. Hi my name is Josh im 12 and when i grow up i want to be a mountain guide. where do you guide? i want to live in switzerland to guide all over the alps. Also i want to go up alot of high alltitude mountains eg Everest, Lotsy, K2.
@@bennevis6843 Mcnett gore tex patches. I carry several every winter. I always rip at least one hole in something, be it a pick through my jacket or crampon through my trouser. My trouser cuffs are now stronger than new! They're super sticky and nice and hard wearing.
They make different types of gloves... The ones you have, the really burly ones seem more like expedition style gloves. So attempting to open a carabiner with them is pointless. For boots, you didn't mention the difference between B1, B2, or B3 rated boots. For simple classic Mountaineering any B1-B2 will suffice, B3s are overkill. Mountaineering is an expensive sport which requires the right tools for the job. You'll never have a do-it-all set. I don't take my mixed climbing/alpine style climbing gloves on extremely cold expedition style climbs. I also usually have two sets of gloves with me when I climb (as do most serious and responsible mountaineers).
As for gloves, i would Look at hestra or Mountain equipment, The pair you have the OR look like they have very 'boxy' finger tips look for something with a more rounded finger tip and good leather palm. I have single and gloves with a liner and have no issue opening locker or rope work.
More props for the Rab Guide 2 gloves. They’re amazing. Another important thing for beginners in my opinion is don’t go without a map and a compass and obviously know how to use them. Smart phones and watches are great but don’t rely on electronics.
Thanks for the tip about the gloves! I didn't realize that you should be able to manage your gear without taking your gloves off. I will be looking into the gardening gloves because for what I am doing on only need them sometimes.
14:30 for pure mountaineering/via feratta I can definitely recommend the Petzl Altitude as one of the lightest and still decently comfortable harnesses
Great informational video! I just got into a bit of mountaineering this season. Buying all the gear was a heavy investment but I know I will get good use over time.
I have the Scarpa's one step up, the Phantom 6000 double boots (so called as they are designed for 6000 meter peaks, 20,000 ft). They are so comfortable I got rid of my old single boots. Lots of my lower altitude ice climbing is done is fairly serious cold weather so it actually works out pretty well. I am sure that in modest cold the Phantom Techs are fabulous. For gloves I use very heavy liner type gloves even in very cold weather and tuck a pair of mittens in my jacket that go over the gloves to put on when belaying. I find that works well for me, but I have pretty warm hands.
As a dude with naturally hot feet I wanna thank u for the warningXD No seriously as a baby my mom could put socks on my feet because i would just sweat through them. even in cold af Illinois/michigan winters
Hi Chase. Great content, lots of really useful stuff on your channel. I have done lots of thruhiking and multi day hikes / treks and a bit of winter stuff work with ice axe crampons and skis in Scotland and on one occasion, the alps. The main thing I want to work on is all rope work and setting protection etc. I'm in the UK during lockdown and reading the mountaineering textbook you recommend (amongst others) in prep for better days. I'm looking to buy some rope to practice knots. What length / thickness would you recommend as a general rope for mountaineering? Cheers!
The phantom tech is definitely not a beginner's boot. It's stiff and warm and meant for more technical climbing than easy mountaineering. Maybe if your goal is Mont Blanc, it is appropriate. But for 4000ers in the Alps in Summer, definitely the wrong boot.
Hi your video is very helpful as I am super beginner, I am also overweight but I want to reconnect myself to nature and this is why I am doing the hiking/trekking. I live in the Philippines and wanted to visit places here before I embark my journey to other countries as well.
Hey, thanks for the video. I was wondering if you would consider doing a similar video again but, this time with more intricate details, like how useful it is if HMS crab has the least amount of revolutions to screw/unscrew, or which type of material to go for when choosing a helmet, maybe even, why a back-up glove instead of a backup mitt, those types of details I mean. Thanks again.
I have boots, jackets, pants and gear that I have replaced with newer and lighter gear. I blame many of the guide companies for creating gear lists for their clients that are heavy and bulky. Once you get into climbing on your own.. You discover what actual climbers are using and it renders the initial stuff you bought as basically being dinosaurs in your closet. I try to stay up to date by watching video and written online reviews from people who go to the outdoor shows in Europe to see what is coming the next year from all the European manufacturers. I also learned a ton from being in the Alps and seeing what the shops in Europe carry and the way European climbers climb and what they purchase. Our gear shops in the States are nowhere near what you find there.
Thanks for the tip about isolating the iceaxe(-s). I think I should have doen that years ago ;) I'll do it right away. What is best lasting and holding on in cold weather? Kind regards.
Nice video, thanks. I can totally relate to the gloves thing, I've had so many pairs over the years and never found a good pair, yet...Never yet needed really decent ones though as winter so far has been limited to local walks and winter days out (largely hands in pockets kinda territory) I got crampons and a basic axe (Grivel G1plus) last year, total cost was under £100 UK but the crampons are Grivel Monta Rosa (bit like their G10) and i'm wondering if I've spent £52 on them and they're not quite what I want/need considering I'm doing roped up stuff in the summer months... Still, I should be able to get £80 or so back if I sold them on.
For summer mountaineering in the Alps here is what I would recommend: Harness: Cilao Oz 37 Pro or Petzl Altitude Gloves: Climbing gloves: Black Diamond Kingpin / Belay gloves: Hestra Army leather goretex mittens Boots: Scarpa Ribelle OD (but you need to try them on) Helmet: Petzl Sirroco Axe: Petzl Sum tech (or Petzl Quark if you want to do harder stuff) Belay device: Petzl Reverso + Petzl Attache screwgate Crampons: Petzl Vasak I realize its a lot of Petzl equipement but what can I do if they just have really good stuff ;)
Scottish winter best with multiple pairs of gloves and over mittens, they just get wet and cold so you need to swap them out. Summer alpine I use leather work gloves, work great
Yes, plus on the approach your hands may sweat. Lots of ways for hands to get wet and cold. Light gloves weigh very little, carry a few pairs. Put a dry pair inside your jacket. Pulling on warm gloves is really great.
@@spday9909 the first boots I bought were la Sportiva spantiks and i think they were just as expensive. That's because I was doing NZ winter and Himalayan climbing at the time. There's certainly cheaper option for basic summer mountaineering boots but they can be pricey too. It's not the cheapest pastime that's for sure.
I have the same wild country harness, retired it because the gear loops would always get in tne way of each other and i continuosly would clip my gear into 2 loops due to their overlapping nature. Caused me no end of shits and gear management headaches. Went with a nice arcteryx harness for Trad with ice clipper loops and a ultra light petzl for alpine scrambles. Both better than the wild country for gear mgmr. Otherwise it was comfortable, and better off for indoor climbing rather than outdoor use. After buying numerous "mountaineering" gloves also settled on all leather tight fitting "rigging" work gloves, unless they are leather they wear out in a single trip. But must say the edelrid sturdy gloves are a good substitute. Used to use a pair of Cactus climbing winter gauntlet gloves (all leather) for when things got nasty but require lots of snow wax to seal against water (not bery well) so might try the Rab 2 guide glove as mentioned elsewhere after having them for 20 years lol 15:58
But what if you want to do everything from Yosemite rock to ice in Valdez to Haut Route in the Mt Blanc Massif and don't want to buy new boots/harness/ax for every trip? And yes, super thin glove liners are great. I also recommend mitten keepers (string from mitten to mitten over your shoulders) so you won't accidentally drop your mitts down the face when you do have to take them off.
@@ChaseMountains Not quite. Over the shoulders but NO into the sleeves. Actually, you need need two pieces of cord. One piece about 1.5 meters long (length depends your arm length and the size of the mittens/gloves) that goes from mitten to mitten over your shoulder and behind your neck. Attach this cord firmly to the mittens. Tie/attach a second piece of cord to the first piece at two points 20 or 30 cm from the center of the first cord. When using the mitten minder, the long piece goes behind your neck as mentioned above and the shorter piece goes across your chest, preventing the long piece from falling down behind you. Adjust the long piece so it pulls the gauntlets on the mittens or mitten shells up over the sleeves of your jacket. When you take your mittens off, they now hang at your side and are a kind of extra pocket that allows you to stash a bit of your lunch while you take a drink of water or the like. Here's a link to instructions on how to make a set yourself. But I don't like the clips; I prefer to attach the mittens permanently to the cord. greenpromisegrows.com/2017/06/06/how-to-make-quick-mitten-keepers/
For 3 seasons I recommend you put your feet in a Scarpa Ribelle HD to see how it feels - I love mine (I even use them sometimes in winter). For mountaineering harness I would go with the Cilao OZ 37 Pro, again I love mine
It’s a French brand. Really good products for mountaineering, expedition and ski touring . Their tapcal 2D backpack is brilliant for 2/3 days mountaineering projects. You seems to live in Europe so it shouldn’t be too hard for you to see/buy
What about water filters? In the summer its easy to find water and purify it, but how do you do it in winter? When you melt the snow its going to be full or dirt and nasty stuff. How do you filter that out?
I kinda like to be insulated and smelling of sweat than not be insulated and smelling of something else :)) (gangrene)....that about the boots And steel crampons are the way to go if you're the mule of the team and on the heavy side too.....aluminum and light crampons just shatter or bend, if you're 90 kg and carry 50-100kg. Well I'm more confortable with 100 grams more on my feet, than 2 spare pairs in my backpack.
I have to say that I really dislike many things you are saying. E.g.Having proper safety equipment, for example warm gloves, is very important. Working gloves won't do the job. Also for any kind of mountaineering I would always recommend the more versatile tube. Talking about boots, the ones you are showing are technical boots and therefore too advanced and stiff for beginners. Showing these technical boots next to a straight ice axee seems a bit weird. And I wouldnt want any holes in a pair of boots that cost me 500€, so I would recommend using extra gaiters for most types of mountaineering boots, especially if they arent super high and you dont have hard shell pants. I also want to point out, that crampons with vertical and exchangeable teeth are suitable for nearly every terrain and I personally think, that they horizontal teeth are only preferable in very easy terrain. Although looking at weight es generally a good idea, trading safety and durability for light weight equipment can be a bad idea, especially for beginners. Saving weight is a thing that often needs a bit experience, so I would tell beginners to not buy extremely light products. And it safes for example weight, to not "tune" your ice axe with a cord and tons of tape. Furthermore there are many products that are exactly able to do everything, so you just need to buy it once and can do everything with it. Of course you should know where you want to go in your future climbing career and buy stuff for it. But having in mind that you will evolve and maybe try other disciplines of mountaineering aswell, buying versatile equipment is very useful. I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want, need and will need, before I buy something and that leads to buying stuff only once and not regret it, even though it is versatile. All in all I struggled with this video a lot, because I think it can lead beginners to a few false assumptions. And because you showed so much advanced stuff in your video, I think you missed the point in some parts of it ^^
Hey I high recommend The North Face Monata GTX Gloves or mitts they have Really good grip so good in fact you can use them with your phone, Plus they're waterproof and have HeatSeeker insulation so they're super warm, so carbianers aren't a problem and you can get them on sale now for 100 dollars if not now they're 150 dollars HIGHLY RECOMMEND
thats the problem isn't it. if you want to do everything, you kinda need / will want to buy stuff specialized for each individual thing. expensive but probably a good take away
Hey Chase, thanks for this video - I'm actually just at that stage where I'm buying all my 1st outdoor gear. Two questions: What do you suggest for the icepick? As they come in different weights - some are super light starting as light as like 280g - some are heavier +/- 700g. As a short and light woman - I tend to go for gear as light as possible, but I've once heard that the light(er) picks are not necessarily better, as they (some say) are then too light to get enough force into the ice (so the impact on the tip is/would be too shallow) - any experience on this? And since you mentioned it: what is your view on crampons? Would you (now - given your experience) suggest aluminium (lighter) ones over normal steel ones then if given the choice? The difference for the ones I'm looking at is 230g for the pair - is that worth investing the extra money?
n elle depends on what you will be doing, ice axes are usually either: basic, marked with a “B” or technical, marked with a “T”. If you are walking at lower levels where it’s not too steep then you will only really need a basic model for simple balance and self arrest, if however, you are on steeper ground and need to use them for belaying for example then you will need a technical axe that’s of a stronger construction. I know you might be able to use a B rated axe but lighter axes are more likely made with aluminium parts which are lighter that steel but not as strong. Also size, and therefore weight, will depend on your personal preference to some degree, a shorter axe will weigh less that a longer one. Generally speaking the length of axe depends on the individual, if you hold the axe with one hand covering the spike at your hip, angle the axe diagonally across you body so that your other hand covers the head at shoulder level with pick facing away from you body and the adze tucked into your shoulder then that’s roughly the right size however some prefer it a bit longer others shorter. Outdoor kit is expensive so I would recommend you join a club, do a course or use friends’ equipment if you can to try as many different styles, brands, sizes to see what works for you before splashing the cash. Same with crampons, what will you be using them for? Walking or ice climbing? The more technical the activity the heavier and more expensive kit is (generally speaking). Also don’t be tempted to buy second hand safety critical gear such as ropes, harnesses, helmets etc you don’t know the history of them and they may look perfectly fine but may be damaged or worn without you knowing. Good luck and have fun.
@@Charliened1 Hey Charlie, thanks.. I've since "levelled up" - I got 3 different crampons now ;) I got a Grivel 12 point, a Petzl Vertically (mixed materials) and a Stubai Anti-slip Grödels..
Nice video mate, cheers. I'm UK based so nothing huge here, but what they lack in sheer size is made up by variety. Not done any outdoor climbing yet (aside from via ferrata in Briancon) so no idea what kit I'll need, picked up a pair of B2 La Sportiva Trango Towers recently worn once, decent all rounder B2s just need some crampons to go with... G12s or similar would be a better option for me I think. Strange how once you start doing one thing you get invited to do other new things. No way I'm doing Nepal or anything like anytime soon though, but French /Swiss/Italian peaks up to 3500m maybe... Horses for courses mate, keep up the good work 👍
Neat trick with the leather glove. If you turn them inside the seams out be hurting the tips of your fingers, also if it's sharp rock Tthe inside kf the glove holds up to cutting way better
On the topic of gloves For summer mountaineering I would recommend something like the BD Kingpin or as a much pricer option the Hestra Army leather Ascent. For winter go with at least 2 pairs (or 3 or 4) with climbing gloves such as the BD Terminator and heavy weight mittens for belays such as the BD Mercury or Hestra Army Leather GTX
Hi great video when I was diving in drysuit , showa 660 gloves from anywhere with a wool glove underneath and I used to make them dry with si tech wrist connect . Under a fiver for a pair .
I use a light isolated waterproof skin/synthetic working glove from the hardweare store. I bring my military mittens for cold weather, but normally I only use the shell layer over the working glove. It has to be really cold before I use the wool mitten inside. A shell glove or mitten must have a string around your arm, so you never lose it if you have to take it of shortly. I would recommend steel alpine style crampons for normal mountaineering, if you not are going to climb alot steep ice and rock. They are lighter and you can climb some ice. If you diong real ice climbing go for technical.
when you need good gloves then i can recommend the ES winter evertouch gloves. I use them for pretty much everything in cold conditions now. And they are also rather cheap.
Belated reply after a year lol. Might help someone else though. It depends what you are doing and your height not necessarily in that order. If just glacier walking and traversing basic slopes, a long straight axe is ok, the length should be appropriate to your height and should go down to about your feet or longer, depends on your preference if you like to use it as a substitute walking pole or just as a self arrest tool (then shorter) or step cutting (hard snow/Ice). If you climb steeper slopes it tends to get shorter about 60 or 70 cm shaft length. These lengths are easier to handle on a climb, the longer the axe the more awkward when climbing up. On slopes about 45 or higher you'd want shorter lengths and preferably with a bend in the shaft otherwise your knuckles will hate you and gives you better leverage on slight overhangs. The steeper the slope or wall you climb the more bend you'll have in the shaft. Unfortunately the more bend in the shaft, the less useful they become for self arrest on steep slopes, or your ability to use the axe as a (vertical) snow anchor so you have a trade off to make. I don't think it's a great idea to stick so much tape and gunk around the head of the axe, you'll be compromising your safety on steep slopes when using your axes in dagger mode or self arrest by not being able to get the pick in deep. Some might be ok, what is shown is way too much.. Just get warm gloves. I do put hockey stick tape on my axes on the shaft though for better warmth and grip when using axes in dagger mode. This won't compromise safety. So in terms of axe size, it depends what you'll be doing. Do a course first, for what you want to do you'll get a much better idea that way.
OH cool! glad that youtube is pushing the video out to new people! Welcome to the channel! Are you just into mountaineering or a bit of everything mountain wise? I cover a pretty broad topic hahhaa. Mountains in general :)
@@ChaseMountains I'd say definitely into anything mountain related for sure! However, I'm primarily into peak bagging and mountaineering though. Real Alpinism is my dream, but the biggest I've been able to pull off so far is Grand Teton in Wyoming. I can see your media being very helpful and inspiring, man! Thank you!
Haha well, I am now am expat but yes! If you're an Aussie mountaineer check out the Mountaineers Downunder Facebook group or insta account. Good place to get Aussie related advise and meet climbing buds!
I don't get it either! Is there two versions?? I bought mine in Australia, maybe there is a euro/US version too, or maybe mine are old? I bought them in 2018
The problem with the “integrated” gaiter on the boots is once they get shredded by rocks, ice, crampon points etc. (and they will!) you boots are compromised. I think you’re better off with a “naked” boot and a regular gaiter that protects you boots and pant legs and is easily replaced once they’re shredded.
Not sure about those boots but I think I would definately recommend Red Wing boots made in Red Wing Minnesota. They are some of the best boots I've ever had!! :-D
