New Balance 749

, February 7, 2012

The New Balance 749 has a discreet label inside the shoe which says ‘Made in the UK’. In these days of austerity, with all the naysayers decrying the ability of British manufacturing, if I was New Balance I would be shouting this fact from the rooftops.

Püf – Ubak Mountain Safety

, February 2, 2012

Püf is the sevem year old creation of Arieh Visocekas, a keen mountaineer who is aspiring to bring a new dimension of avalanche safety to skiing and snowboarding. Originally from Paris, Arieh settled in Chamonix to continue his father’s passion for extreme mountaineering. Unsatisfied with the equipment that was used to protect a rider in the event of an avalanche, Arieh sought the help of the local Piste Control, Mountain Guides, rescue teams, medical staff and the Gendarme to clarify a detailed list of requirements for survival in the event of an avalanche: Flotation; Air Supply; Head, neck and side impact protection; Quick extraction from the avalanche.

Obermeyer Coco Jacket

, January 29, 2012

Since 1947, Obermeyer has endeavored to create the finest gear for the inexhaustible snow adventurer. For women looking to invest in an outer layer that will not only keep up in the harshest of conditions, but function as a lightweight wind barrier on warmer days, the Coco Jacket’s array of versatile features make it a necessary addition to your snow get-up.

Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sack

, December 7, 2011

The Sea to Summit brand has vested themselves as a company that provides the adventure traveller with useful accessories to make life on the road, and in the water, far easier. Over the last two decades they have produced lightweight and durable products, with the Ultra-Sil Dry Sack being a good example of innovative, amphibious product. This highly recommended outdoor accessory made my adventure experiences far more convenient, keeping water from harming my valuables any longer.

Petzl MYO RXP Headlamp

, November 24, 2011

Most of us do our sports during the day, spending evenings to resting or relaxing with friends – usually anything other than getting our heart rates up with some exercise. Word is out that there are countless new nightclubs that few are aware of. It might not be the typical dance scene that you expect it to be. Ladies, gentlemen, and especially those adrenaline-seeking freaks, I bring you the Petzl Myo RXP; a headlamp that will bring light to your darkness, show these new “nightclubs” and unlock these long-hidden nocturnal instincts inside of us all.

Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra 2

, September 13, 2011

Having relied on Salomon products for freestyle skiing because of their reliability and quality, I was curious as to whether their footwear could achieve similar results. Selecting the XA Pro 3D Ultra 2. The trip would take me through a number of different environments, ranging from cities to arid steppe and snow-covered mountains to endless desert – a bunch of conditions that I thought the ‘run-hike’ model would really enjoy.

Bridgedale X-Hale TrailBlaze Socks

, August 1, 2011

The X-Hale TrailBlazes are a trail running specific sock found within Bridgedale’s recently developed ‘Fast and Light’ range. Designed with warm conditions and quick movement in mind, the TrailBlazes were just … Read more

Columbia Mobex Sprint Backpack

, July 27, 2011

The Columbia Mobex Sprint is a scaled down version of the original Mobex, a forerunner to Columbia’s trail running launch collection. If anything, the smaller nature of the Sprint has further … Read more

Vivobarefoot Neo Trail Running Shoe

, July 25, 2011

Vivobarefoot and its parent company Terra Plana offer a range of ‘barefoot’ shoes that cover everything from smart office wear to serious athletic shoes. Barefoot footwear bases itself on the idea … Read more

Old Favourite: Helly Hansen Lifa Stripe Crew

, July 3, 2011

I’m moving towards the core with this review, away from the shell garments discussed in the earlier ‘old favourites’ blogs. The Helly Hansen Lifa Stripe Crew is my favourite baselayer and in twenty years of running, mountaineering, climbing and cycling I’ve tried many alternatives, but none do everything a baselayer needs to do as well as the humble Lifa.

Aqua Sphere Vista Goggle Review

, June 20, 2011

Promoted by the growth of triathlon and participation by high profile adventurers, open water swimming’s reputation is rapidly being revitalised. Endowed with fresh water lakes, rivers and temperate coastal waters, the UK is perhaps the best starting point for the sports rebirth. Romantic and natural, open water swimming benefits from the lack of gear and an unrivalled connection with a novel environment. Goggles are however a must-have item, and require a certain degree of specicifity in the open water. Aqua Sphere specific focus on swimming gear and are particuarly relevant for open water swimmers with their collection of wide-angle swim goggles. I’ve been testing the Vista in the Great Swim Series – here’s what I thought.

Old Favourite: Montane Slipstream GL Jacket

, May 25, 2011

The Montane Slipstream GL Jacket shares a common thread with the first ‘old favourite’ review in that this too is a pertex garment. As you may have gathered in the previous blog I’m quite a fan of this brilliant windproof material. Essentially the Slipstream jacket is an ultra-light, single-layer windshirt made with the very lightest pertex available: Pertex Quantum Gossamer-Light. Montane, like Rab, are a British company which designs in the UK but manufacturers abroad. They have an established reputation with outdoor professionals and their products are deservingly popular with mountain rescue teams, the emergency services and the military. Montane specialises in windshells, softshells, hard-shells and pertex and pile garments.

POC Sports Print Glove

, March 9, 2011

Founded in 2004, POC are a young Swedish company who started out specialising in snow sports protection. They have now seamlessly segued into three main areas: snowsports, cycling and eyewear. Pushing environmental awareness, POC’s ‘Bug Series’ is an innovative range of protective gear of which 1% of each purchase is donated to an project in the Amazon Rainforest.

Gore Bike Wear Cross Glove

, March 5, 2011

After a wet and cold winter season over 2009/2010, I decided to go big for this winter. I’ve been riding the Cross Glove from Gore Bike Wear. These gloves are Gore’s most substantial offering and are packed with features; A fully waterproof GORE-TEX® lining, adjustable elasticated cuffs and a soft thumb, ideal for winter snot-mopping. They are much bulkier that the Endura glove with a noticeable reduction in control over the bike, making them unsuitable for mountain bike duty. On a recent 5-hour training ride in the Scottish highlands these gloves coped with wind, snow and rain. My fingers remained tepid during the long decent from the Cairngorm ski centre, with past experience telling me my hands should be freezing. From now on these gloves will be my first choice for cold, wet days. However if I think I can get away with a lighter weight glove then I will switch out for the Endura Strike.

Armada JJ (2011) Powder Ski

, February 2, 2011

Although relative newcomers to the snow scene, Armada have quickly risen to become market leaders in freeride skiing and boarding equipment. Their focused product range and professional technology puts their skis are at the top of their class. The JJ is their flagship all mountain powder ski. With all the aspects that a modern powder ski should have – tip and tail freeride rocker, AR50 sidewalls, a 50/50 Base and a hybrid ultra core – I thought a testing was in order.

Giro Atmos

, January 22, 2011

Five years ago, there were a number of superficial reasons to purchase the Giro Atmos. As the brand’s top offering, it represented the protection of choice for a number of Pro … Read more