When it comes to "Technical Climbing Jackets" there are few as notorious as the Arc'teryx Alpha SV. This jacket is designed with nearly every modern feature a climbing jacket should have and is routinely revised to ensure that the latest version is always constructed with the best materials available. Naturally this also means that there is a hefty premium associated with this product which begs the question about whether it is worth the cost. Having owned this piece for a couple years now I can offer some insights into the good and the bad so that hopefully you can decide for yourself! For...

Sarah and I officially started dating on November 2nd, 2011 and to celebrate our first year together we decided to return to the site of one of our favorite adventures. The plan was to drive up to Carlsbad, NM on Friday the 2nd and then get up early to climb Guadalupe Peak on Saturday the 3rd. Unbeknownst to Sarah, I had also made a few other plans for the trip as well. When we originally climbed Guadalupe Peak last winter we had no idea what to expect or how difficult the endeavor actually was, still through snow and fog we fought our way to the top of the mountain and for a moment we stood higher...

It was early December and 2011 was winding down to an end when my girlfriend Sarah asked me how I would rate the past year as a whole? Naturally I noted that I had met her that year so it was the best year ever, but I felt that there was still a void. I had started Grad School in the Spring and competed in the Texas Mile in May, but something was missing. I thought about it for a while, before I realized that I could not recall having gone on any grand adventure that year. As we discussed the topic, Sarah casually mentioned that she would go on any adventure that I wanted to so that I could finish...