AMGA Guide Lindsay Fixmer reviews the Salomon X Alp Pro GTX boot with integrated gaiter. I tested out the Salomon X Alp Pro GTX ($280) boot with integrated gaiter working a spring Mt. Whitney trip in the High Sierra a few weeks ago. Due to our balmier weather, what typically would have been an ill-suited boot […]

American Mountain Guide Geoff Unger tests the Smith Variance ski helmet. I am going to come right out and say it. I have a negative bias against helmets for skiing. I don’t understand it. I wear one for climbing all the time, but I grew up without one on the slopes and it stuck. I […]

AMGA-Certified Guide Rob Coppolillo reviews the Smith Nomad sunglasses with “ChromaPop” lens.   At first, I was skeptical of the Smith Nomad sunglasses ($269) when I took them out of the box. They seemed too light, with a wire frame that would seemingly go destructo in less than a week. Turns out they’re titanium, so you […]

Our trusty gear tester and newly pinned American Mountain Guide/IFMGA Guide, Rob Coppolillo, recently submitted this review on Patagonia’s Nano-Air™ Hoody, which he tested over a few weeks in Boulder, Colorado, while guiding, climbing, cycling, chasing kids, teaching a self-rescue course, and just “during the madness of everyday life.” AMGA: What makes this piece ideal […]