Weekly Monday Gear Review: Revo Guide Sunglasses

One thing a Mountain Guide must have is a good pair of sunglasses. With the amount of time outdoor professionals spend in the sun, UV protection is paramount. I recently acquired a pair of the “Guide” sunglasses from Revo and they have been great. Personally, I prefer larger framed shades mostly due to my abnormally sized noggin, but also because of the greater surface area they cover on my face.

The Revo Guide comes with Serillium lenses to resist impact and scratching, making them ideal for a variety of outdoor pursuits. They also feature Revo’s patented Element Shed, allowing sweat, oil, water, or snow to simply just roll off your lenses keeping your vision unimpaired.

The Revo Guide aren’t just full of great tech features and style, they are sustainable as well. They utilize a nylon that is made from the Castor Bean plant as opposed to petroleum based nylon like many other eyewear manufacturers. This material is sustainable and environmentally friendly as well as lightweight and highly flexible.

Whether skiing, rock climbing, ice climbing, or just cruising around the block, the Revo Guide will not disappoint.

Hope to see you all out there.

-Eric Whewell
Colorado Mountain School Guide
800-836-4008 x3

2012 CMS In-House Guide Training - Photo and Video Montage

Each winter the guides of the Colorado Mountain School travel to a location to practice and stay current on their ski guide training.  With the snow the best in our very own backyard, the team decided to do the training in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Below are some photos and videos of their training.

As you can see, the skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park is really good right now.  We'd love to get out with you this season.  We offer courses for every ability level as well as private guiding.  Call us today to set up your outing.

-Colorado Mountain School

800-836-4008 x3

Weekly Monday Gear Review - Black Diamond Stinger

The Black Diamond Stinger crampon is the latest entry to the lightweight, steep ice and mixed category from our friends at BD.

This crampon is designed for anything and everything from steep waterfalls to mixed, roadside or alpine.

Stainless steel construction keeps the weight at 2 lbs. and the asymmetric platform fits my low-volume, modern ice boots perfectly. The hooded monopoints and aggressive secondary points guarantee security on any type of ice.

For me, as someone who has used BD crampons for years, one specific improvement stood out. They managed to significantly improve the fit of both the toe bails and heel wires by decreasing the profile of each. This makes a huuuge difference when you’ve got your feet jammed into cracks or when shuffling foot placements in tight quarters.

Also worth mentioning are the durable anti-bots that are included as well as the ability to easily change out the monopoint once it wears down.

For the alpinists out there….all hardware is easily replaceable and these crampons are some of the quickest to adjust or repair out of any that I’ve tried.

If you’re looking for a crampon to take you through the rest of the water ice season here in Colorado and continue well into spring alpine climbing here in the Park or abroad, look no further.

-Mike Soucy
Colorado Mountain School Guide
800-836-4008 x3

Weekly Gear Review: Black Diamond Express Ice Screws

The Black Diamond Express Ice Screw provides the ice-climber with fast and efficient placements. The design of the BD ice screw cuts through ice with remarkable precision and ease allowing for fast protection. The flip lever, which resembles a crank, makes putting the ice screw in and out effortless. I would recommend this ice screw to anyone who enjoys ice climbing from the novice to expert.

Tech Specs:

Weight :
10 cm – 118 g (3.2 oz)
13 cm – 134 g (4.7 oz)
16 cm – 145 g (5.1 oz)
19 cm – 159 g (5.6 oz)
22 cm – 168 g (5.9 oz)

Strength :
10 kN, 2248 lbf

Materials :
Screw: Chromoly
Hanger: Stainless steel

Stay safe out there,

Steve Johnson
Colorado Mountain School Guide
800-836-4008 x3