The best mountaineering harnesses are ultralight, packable, and quick-donning over skis and crampons, and those three criteria drove every pick in this roundup. A mountaineering harness is not a crag harness with a lighter label. It is a stripped-down belt and leg-loop system built to disappear into a pack, be put on with both boots […]

After six weeks of field testing, carrying everything from ropes and crampons on Coire an Lochain to overnight kit on the Cascades volcanoes, I can tell you that the brands making the best mountaineering backpacks in are Osprey, Black Diamond, Deuter, Mammut, Ortovox, and Gregory. Each brand pulls ahead in a slightly different niche: Osprey […]

Mountaineering gaiters are tall, heavy-duty waterproof gaiters built to seal snow, ice melt, and sharp debris out of mountaineering boots during alpine climbing, ice climbing, backcountry skiing, and snowshoeing. They typically rise to just below the knee, pair a waterproof breathable membrane with a reinforced lower section, and seal at the top with a drawcord […]

I learned the difference between ski mittens and mountaineering mittens the hard way, halfway up a frozen gully in the Cascades. My trusty resort mitts were warm on the lift but useless on the belay: soaked through from snow, fingers going numb while I tried to rack a cam. Mountaineering mittens are built differently. They […]