Mountaineering
This versatile, two-person shelter handles high-altitude summers and winters with equal aplomb.
Tips for overcoming jetlag, gathering beta, and getting your summit gear to foreign peaks in one piece.
Crampons that switch between automatic and semi-automatic, for all boots and situations.
A high-performance axe for an unbeatable price.
An hip and multifunctional helmet for all uses.
The Aspect will take you anywhere a harness needs to go.
A solid mountaineering boot that handles distance.
Go high with gear picked by the editors of Climbing magazine.
A blend of nylon and merino makes these socks durable and fast-drying.
These mountaineering sunglasses keep perspiration away.
One of the world's lightest mountaineering boots designed by climbing phenom Ueli Steck.
Made for mountaineers who need overnight capacity or who carry huge day loads
On the third day of the 2012 Summer Outdoor Retailer show, our reader reporter team found some great boots and essentials for under $20.
Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is plenty hard with two strong legs. Imagine crawling to the top, like the first congenital quadruple amputee to reach the summit.
Plus, winter boots from Teva that fold as small as regular shoes!
Discover solitude on the Swiss border with this highlights tour of John Harlin's favorite trips—rope not required.
The editors of Backpacker and Climbing weigh in on their favorite pieces of gear and gadgets.
A scape of pulmonary edema sends this reader down the mountain, fast.
A summer snow slope gives this reader the scare of his life.
Perfect this move for on-a-dime turns in steep, rugged terrain.
Stay safe with these six ski-down tips.
Use telescoping shafts for stability on any angle.
Change your technique and style to manage any snow conditions.
Conquer cold with proactive hydration and calorie-packed nutrition.
Master the art of backcountry climbing and skinning.
Outsmart stiff boots and constant heel lifting with these anti-friction tips.
Recognize these avalanche-risk signs and learn how to choose routes that avoid them.
Hidden layers are the key to stable—or slide-ready—slopes.
All conditions affect avy potential.
Check forecasts and assess risk.
A broken binding or a skin that won’t stick could mean a night spent out in a snow cave, or worse. Have your kit tuned up before you go, but make sure you know how to fix common problems in a pinch.
You don’t need pro-level skills to ski off-piste, but honing your kick-turn technique and avoiding rookie mistakes will ease your transition to backcountry terrain. Here’s how to master the ups and downs when lifts and groomers are miles away. Plus: Prevent blisters, stay energized, and negotiate steeps.
Caused by variable weather, unstable snowpack, and steep terrain, backcountry avalanches claim an average of 25 lives a year in the United States. Your first safety step: Brush up on the basics below. Next, take a course accredited by the American Institute for
Avalanche Research and Education
On any wilderness trip, smart preparation is key. But it’s even more important when you’re backcountry skiing, due to the technical gear, low temperatures, potential for severe weather, avalanche risk, and tricky routefinding. Here’s how to start smart—before you leave home.
Start earning your turns–safely–with this primer on equipment, route planning, reading conditions, and more.
All the top mountaineering gear, picked for you by the editors of
Climbing magazine.
The perfect Merino sock for mountaineering or winter expeditions
Don't scrimp on survival equpiment.
The latest in skull science and safety
BACKPACKER and CLIMBING have teamed up to bring you a one-stop resource for scaling the best treks and technical climbs in the country.
Every backpacker dreams of a glory job in the outdoors. Here's what it takes to make the grade for 8 of the toughest ones out there.
Every backpacker dreams of a glory job in the outdoors. Senior Editor Shannon Davis heads to Mt. Rainier--and a grueling tryout with premier guide operation RMI--to find out what it takes to make the grade.
High-elevation glasses that have city street style.
Stainless steel crampons that bite into ice and repel slushy buildup.
The granddaddy of the Cascades looms above Seattle like a great white beacon for snow junkies. The mountain's 25 major glaciers hold enough ice to bury Manhattan 150 feet deep, and some of the planet's highest recorded snowfalls guarantee powder for all. Paradise, the park's winter epicenter, has year-round road access.
Head high with an axe, crampons, and more.
These heavy duty mountaineering boots are surprisingly lightweight and comfortable.
Even on steep, deep, and technical inclines these shoes performed mightily.
Snowshoes that comfortably fit on the back of a pack.
Find avalanche victims as quickly with this beacon.
Stay comfortable and safe with this easy on and off harness.
Dig quickly and easily with this all-aluminum shovel.
A great lightweight axe for mountaineering.
Keep your pack light with this twin rope.
These lightweight crampons will keep you safe without the added weight.
Indestructible ski poles
A built-in inclinometer means these poles can easily take quick slope-angle measurements.
Lightweight poles that can still take a beating.
A tried-and-true tele binding.
Boots built for touring.
If you favor long backcountry tours over rolling–but not supersteep–terrain these skis are for you.
A lightweight, slim ski built for experts.
A one-ski workhorse.
A ski that performs in all conditions.
Built for backcountry powder sessions.
The perfect touring/skiing binding.
This AT binding is the lightest on the market.
This telemark boot combines stiffness (for downhills) and comfort (for touring).
These alpine touring boots fit all are testers superbly and is comfortable going up or flying down.
Gloves that are rugged and cheap.
Gloves made with thermal-reflective Omni-Heat lining.
Tuck chemical handwarmers in these mitts for long-lasting heat.
Tough gloves that still let you use your fingers for delicate tasks.
The best gloves for wet and cold we tested.
Helmets are like any good protection; you'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
The roof of the world is open to everyone, and your personal Mt. Everest is waiting.
Stand alone atop Washington's Glacier Peak--a summit that others rarely see, let alone climb.
Knot tying is an essential skills for the backcountry, and knowing the lingo is essential to learning how to tie knots. Here's a vocab lesson to get you started.
Bag a peak every day (and a view every step) on the country's highest-elevation footpath.
Devour the world's best scenery, chocolate, and cheese on the Via Alpina.
This lightweight shell is mountain ready.
Women's glacier glasses that transform to daily shades
Take the 5.5 mile trek up Bellows Pipe Trail to the summit; while you're there, enjoy a local cocktail and a cup of chowder at Bascom Lodge.
You love mountains, but your legs don't. Here's how to fix four common problems caused by high-angle hiking.
Head up the mountain with these essential items: harness, rope, helmet, transceiver, crampon, and ice axe.
Insulated backpacking boots with enough support to carry a 50-pound pack.
Ideal for treks on packed snow, this boot is great for wintry day hikes.
Ideal for snowshoeing, or wintry day hikes, this boot keeps your feet dry and warm.
Whether it's snowshoeing, light day hiking, or sloshing through town, this boot does it all.
Sturdy yet light, this boot is great for the most extreme day hikes.
Made for big peaks, this boot is warm, and great for ice and snow
These Black Diamond crampons are low profile and razor sharp.
This Mammut transceiver has three antennae and an internal compass.
This Wild Country helmet offers full coverage against falling rock and ice, and it's under $60.
This 8mm Edelweiss rope is great for glacier crossings.
The ABC Guide harness is lightweight and utilitarian.
Multiple layers and materials make this boot perfect for the summit.
Take a fatherless herd boy from poverty-wracked Swaziland, endow him with an indomitable will and a few wealthy friends, give him the lungs of Ed Viesturs, and you have...
Ed Viesturs, Peter Whittaker, Dave Hahn, and young guns Seth Waterfall and Melissa Arnot are joining forces to create a new line of gear and attack Mount Everest.
This is one of the lightest, toughest four-season tent on the market.
Want to get a winter tent without breaking the bank? The Cirque is the tent for you.
This winter tent is long, lean, and livable.
Black Diamond's Stormtrack will keep even giants warm in the mountains.
Adequate space, bomber construction, and light weight make the String Ridge our pick for this year's best mountaineering tent.
Heavy loads and dangerous terrain are no obstacle for these waterproof mountaineering boots.
Trek across the roof of the Andes, mix in some trail riding–on bike and horseback–and climb a 19,000-foot volcano.
Test your self-arrest skills on Mt. Adams's 12,276-foot fractured glacier.
Get vertical on a tricky class IV route to the top of Granite peak.
Got guts? Good. Now learn what skills you'll need to bag America's Little Everest—a traverse of New Hampshire's Presidential Range in Winter.
Check out the Cloudveil Hobak, EMS Aurora Shell Pant, L.L. Bean Ascent GTX, Mountain Hardwear Dragon, and Sierra Designs Cyclone Eco
With a light climbing rope, shoes, and harness, you'll be packed and ready to hit the rock in no time.
With the right preparation–and a little help from a half-dozen friends, two exotic techno-gadgets, and one very sweaty hypoxic chamber–can a sea-level-dwelling rookie climb the highest peak in Colorado?
Animals can't talk. But Ed Newcomer can. As an elite U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service detective, he goes undercover to protect threatened raptors, bears, even butterflies–and bring poachers and smugglers to court. Inside the agency's latest covert operation.
Two Everest-scaling Sherpas face their biggest challenge yet–surviving suburban America.
Learn the mountaineer's secret for hiking up steep, high-altitude terrain.
When a scramble turns to a nightmare learn how to help yourself.
Rising treeline threatens the Northeast's best views.
By understanding your terrain, knowing your pace, and reading the map regularly you can stay on course wherever you are.
Want legs that can tackle any climb, any heavy pack, any mileage? Well, don't work harder–work smarter. We grilled fitness experts and scoured the medical literature to uncover the latest, greatest strategies for building strength, endurance, speed, and flexibility.
Thanks to melting ice and snow, climate change is effecting the future of our mountains
Bob Coomber is determined to become the first man in a wheelchair to ascend a 14,000-foot mountain.
Stand on the roof of Africa this winter with our all-you-need-to-know guide.
Got summit fever? The sky's the limit with a fitness plan and climbing tips from world-class mountaineer Ed Viesturs.
Feel good at 10,000 feet with advice from a Rainier guide.
Don't let a steep hike keep you from the best views. Put these vital mountaineering tips to use this weekend.
No gyms, no weights–and, with our easy-to-follow plan–no bonking on the trail.
Experience the nighttime sky from 20,320 feet up majestic Mt. McKinley -- but first read our guide to the trip.
Canyoning, mountaineering, kayaking, and camping, Kiwi-style
Unraveling a high-altitude mystery: why some iPods get sick in the alpine zone.
Hurricane-force winds and a snowfall average of 246 inches per year? Cake, compared to the challenge the mountain poses in summer.
Get to the top and you'll hear a joyous echo
Head through the Pearly Gates for a heavenly sunrise
Don't forget your sound judgment when summitting this high point.
The toughest high point in the lower 48
The longest and wildest approach in the bunch
No toes will be lost in these mountaineering boots.
A favorite among mountaineers
Will anyone ever climb the dangerous northwest face of Alaska's Devil's Thumb? Maybe they shouldn't.
Why are Sherpas so studly?
Why do we bonk at 14,000 feet?
Explore a glacier-covered forest near the Canadian Rockies' highest peak
This summit will put you high above what many consider to be Colorado's finest mountain range.
Calculate real mileage by accounting for slope in the mountains, and you'll avoid getting into camp after dark.
Just minutes from Anchorage lie dozens of world-class hiking and paddling trips. This guide gives you the best, plus gear and travel tips to smooth the way.
A definitive guide to the hottest, sweetest, looniest, and most colorful spots in the great outdoors.
It's as big as California, boasts more volcanoes than Alaska, and counts nearly as many geysers as Yellowstone.
Deep in the heart of the forbidden Tibetan kingdom, a long-awaited adventure inherited from the author's father takes an unexpected twist.
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Haystack Mountain offers a sweet climb in Wyoming's remote Wind River Range.
Try this ultra-scenic route if you attempt North America's third highest peak.
The Obelisk offers a remote climbing challenge far removed from other Sierra hotspots.
Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania
Tuolomne Meadows monarch Mount Conness has been a classic Yosemite climb for years -- and for good reason.
Dolomites, Italy
Try climbing the standout Banner Peak, just around the corner from Mammoth Lakes.
Mount Kenya offers classic climbing to all backpackers
Planning to climb Mexico's famous volcano Iztaccíhuatl? Start with our online guide.
Yoho National Park, British Columbia
Aconcagua's West/Southwest Face offers climbers more challenge on the Western Hemisphere's highest peak.
Matthes Crest features superb climbing deep in Yosemite's backcountry.
This spire deep in Wyoming's Wind River Range serves as the climbing pinnacle of the Cirque of the Towers.
The Bossi Bivouac Hut offers culture and comfort at the base of the Matterhorn.
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Oregon.
High above the trees you'll find the hike of your dreams: a ridgeline trail where your only companion is an occasional mountain goat.
Take the finest mountains in the world, add high-country meadows, glacial valleys, alpine lakes, pine-and-hemlock forests, and what do you have? A recipe for backcountry bliss.
Everything you need to know about hiking in the high country, from talus hopping to finding the right gear to dealing with wind and glaciers.
Hike into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness and you'll enjoy Colorado's best summer school.
High on a Montana mountain, the mystery of a long-lost climber continues to unravel for those willing to make the arduous trek and search for clues that literally lie at your feet.
A little motion brings the heat back.
After hours of searching through ice chunks and piles of snow on Shishapangma Mountain, searchers have called off an avalanche rescue mission to find American climbers Alex Lowe and Dave Bridges.
Jim Lockart of Pughtown, Pennsylvania is part of a unique group who have scaled all 50 states' highest peaks.
Who needs Everest when you can have these eight summits, all hikeable, all close to home, no sherpas or yaks required.
In every backpacker's life, there comes a time when you stare awestruck at a mountain and wonder, "What's it like to climb that sucker?"
What happens when you go from sea level to altitude too fast? One brave editor found out the hard way, and offers her blow-by-blow findings in hopes that you don't suffer a similar fate.
The Tordrillo Mountains are so rugged, you'd swear you're the first human to set foot there.
