SierraDescents | 2010
September 25, 2010
Beyond Survival
I have to say Les Stroud has acquitted himself nicely. When I first saw his show Survivorman, he was wandering the canyons of Southern Utah, cold, hungry, and miserable, (more)
September 23, 2010
Deuter ACT Trail 24
Think of Deuter's ACT 24 Trail as a well-executed example of traditional backpack design. You don't get anything anything particularly cutting-edge here, but what you do get is (more)
September 9, 2010
Nemo Losi
Nemo's Losi 2P makes a big impression right out of the box: with a packaged weight of five pounds, fifteen ounces, this isn't the tent I would normally carry for solo use. The (more)
September 6, 2010
Half Dome Cables & Crowds
Bill Henry and I made a go of Half Dome's infamous cables route on a very crowded August day. This marked the last year of the no-quota era. Rangers have subsequently instituted (more)
September 4, 2010
Half Dome via the Cables
It is perhaps the most famous hike in the United States. Every Summer, thousands attempt the 16 mile round trip from Yosemite Valley's floor to Half Dome's 8836-foot summit. (more)
August 26, 2010
MSR Carbon Reflex Tent
At a published weight of two pounds, thirteen ounces, MSR's 'hyperlight' Carbon Reflex 2-man tent sounds perhaps a little too good to be true. The Carbon Reflex employs a mostly (more)
August 17, 2010
Injinji ToeSocks
What the heck is this all about? That's about what I thought when I first saw Injinji's "ToeSocks"—socks with individually-fitted toes for your...toes. Injinji makes the (more)
August 15, 2010
The South Kaibab-Bright Angel Loop
It is only natural, standing atop Grand Canyon, to gaze into the depths below the rim and wonder if it's possible to hike all the way down to the river and back in a single day. (more)
August 1, 2010
Skiing Meteor Crater?
You have to feel like you're on the right track as a parent when you visit Arizona's Meteor Crater, and your three-year-old boy takes one look and asks if he can ski it. The (more)
July 30, 2010
Thermarest DreamTime Mattress
I may be biased toward ultralight gear, but a select few heavier items have a place in my heart as well. Case in point: Thermarest's luxurious DreamTime sleeping pad. Calling the (more)
July 13, 2010
Slings & Physics
If climbing's your bag you might want to check out this sling drop-test video by DMM, in which they conduct a head-to-head comparison of Dynema and nylon slings in Factor 1 and 2 (more)
July 9, 2010
The Bridge to Nowhere
You have to admire the audacity of the attempt to build a road through San Gabriel Canyon connecting Azusa and Wrightwood. The planned route, along the East Fork of Southern (more)
July 6, 2010
Osprey Exos
Osprey isn't joking when it calls its Exos-series packs 'superlight'—these overnight-capable packs come with a stiff and robust frame yet weigh about the same as most frameless (more)
June 22, 2010
Williamson Blues
This past weekend I and two friends made a go at Williamson via the big-big West Face/Shepherd Pass route. We made it as far as Anvil camp, but had to turn back the following day (more)
June 11, 2010
Split Mountain – South Face
Originally our objective was a fiercely ambitious loop in the Williamson area, but conditions didn't look favorable, or maybe we just weren't stoked about putting in that much (more)
