Backcountry Gifts
1. Salewa Insulated Capisco Shoe-Sandal-Slipper ($119; salewa.us) Wear it like an insulated après-ski shoe or fold down the heel to wear as a quick slip-on. Insulated with warm, water-resistant Primaloft and featuring a sticky car-tread sole, the Capisco belongs in your ski bag … and beyond. Swap for the uninsulated version come summer. Awesome.
2. Brooks Range Ski Scraper ($3.99; brooks-range.com) The perfect stocking-stuffer, especially for anybody skiing tech bindings. Use the long, bottom edge to scrape ice off your ski bases or even topsheet. The pointed end gets beneath bindings to make sure they engage properly. A cheap necessity for the skimo crowd.
3. Black Diamond Ski Straps ($5.59; bdel.com) They’ll help assemble a rescue sled, close your boot top if you nuke a buckle, even lash crampons to the back of your pack – the venerable ski strap and Black Diamond’s are the best. Stretchy, durable, and grabby, everyone in your group should have at least one.
4. Dynafit Primaloft Neck Gaiter ($24.95; dynafit.us) It’s a hat, it’s a neck gaiter, it’s an eye-shade on an overnight flight. Dynafit builds theirs out of warm Primaloft fibers. Available in three colors, these are indispensable, period. Sunny days on a glacier tour and you’ll use it to protect you from sunburn. Hateful winds above treeline in winter, laugh off frostbite by wearing it around your ears, cheeks, and mouth. Love it!
5. Rab Neo Guide Jacket ($425; us.rab.uk.com) Let’s start with materials. The Rab Neo Guide uses Polartec NeoShell, a waterproof-breathable membrane that’s 200 percent (yes, that’s a 2 and two more zeroes) than the well-known brand. You won’t sweat like a hog in this thing. Next, the fit: long arms, narrow body, so the jacket doesn’t ride up and above your harness or pack’s waistbelt. Pit zips, so on the uptrack, you won’t overheat. The
hood’s fashioned for beatdown weather, too – it cinches around your goggles, accommodates a helmet, protects your cheeks and chin. Dialed.
6. Cassin X-Lite Ice Ax ($199.95; camp-usa.com) Just off the boat from Italia, where it’s made, the C.A.M.P./Cassin X-Lite is an ultralight, but fully tech tool. T-rated, so the shaft and pick are as strong as they come. An adjustable (no tools!) finger rest slides up to hide or deploys in seconds for steep sections. Modular, too; change out the adze for a hammer or nothing at all. Super-light alpinism or burly skimo, the X-Lite is a sexy little tool.
7. Rab Meco 165 Hoodie ($120; us.rab.uk.com) Do yourself and your partners a favor, blow the $120 on the Meco Hoodie; it won’t stink and you’ll wear it year-round. Surprisingly, I found the 165-weight merino-Cocona fabric as warm as my beloved Patagonia R.5, but could wear the Rab Meco for a week straight without inciting a bio-terror panic at the hut. Protects the neck, head, and face in the sun, and also wears well under a helmet on tough days. Pull that Dynafit Neck Gaiter over it and you’re weatherproof.
8. Laundromat Sweaters ($80-$180; laundromatstuff.com) Casual wear, designed in France, handmade in Nepal. Warm, weather-resistant wool surrounds a soft fleece layer, so you get the gentle touch of synthetic with the natural looks and warmth of sheep’s wool. They come in a variety of men’s and women’s designs, some buttoned-up and sleek, others rough-hewn and casual. Beautiful.
9. Dermatone Medicated Lip Balm ($2.69; dermatone.beaumontproducts.com) Another bang-for-the-buck choice, the Dermatone goopy (this one looks like Vaseline; they make a white paste that’s great, too) lip balm has been tested by the U.S. Army and ranked as the best choice for protection from frostbite. Windy, cold day (toured in Rocky Mountain National Park yet?!), just slather the stuff on your nose, cheekbones, and lips and it’s like a weather shield. Marry with the Rab Meco and Dynafit gaiter and you are golden!
10. Lorpen Socks ($15-$60; lorpennorthamerica.com) A relatively unknown brand, Lorpen makes durable, comfortable socks geared for the alpine. Based in Etxalar, Spain (in the Basque country), Lorpen makes everything from casual socks to techy ski models. Drop by the site and check out the models crafted out of Polartec PowerStretch and PowerDry – they’re brand new, so I’m angling to get a pair soon!
–Rob Coppolillo is an IFMGA/AMGA mountain guide and co-founder of Vetta Mountain Guides.
