Essential Alpine Climbing Gear Guide

Alpine

Our guide team puts a lot of time into testing and reviewing some of the best gear in the industry. This catalog of our team's alpine climbing gear is broken into categories: Clothing, Gear Essentials, Alpine Specific, and Overnight.

The alpine kit can be very ambiguous because there are many environments where we, as climbers, climb. We focus this kit on mountain ranges such as the Cordillera Blanca, Cascades, Bugaboos, and Chamonix to give a large breath of alpine terrain.

Each link above is a toggle to move you down this page to the style of climbing you would like to review. You will stay on the same page and can scroll up or down to preview other category information at any time.

CLOTHING

FOOTWEAR

• Spring Glacier / Rock Boot- La Sportiva Aequilibrium Speed GTX

  This is your 3 season alpine boot and most likely your go-to spring alpine boot for most climbs. Seek comfort on the approach, waterproofness for the snow, and rock climbing functionality in more manageable technical climbing sections. Pro-tip: Dot-rubber the front section of the sole for better climbing performance if you are in a lot of technical rock terrain.

• Mountain Boot - La Sportiva G-Summit

  The G-Summit or comparable style boot from other manufacturers is the boot style of choice for colder weather, alpine conditions, or when climbing more ice on the route and needing a more stable climbing platform for your crampons. The integrated gaiter and slipper sock design provides a high level of waterproofing and increases warmth without sacrificing weight. For these reasons, you will see many experienced climbers and guides in this boot over a more traditional leather boot. We highly recommend paying the additional upfront costs for the integrated gaiter when purchasing boots for the first time; you won’t regret it!

• **The Fast and Light - La Sportiva TX4 Mid GTX

  When you focus more on rock climbing capabilities in areas like the Bugaboos, where glacier travel is mostly easy and minimal, you can get away with a mid-top approach shoe. You can cut weight on the hike and gain a lot of climbing performance for easier routes like the West Ridge of Pigeon Spire or even the North East Ridge of Bugaboo Spire. It’s an option we use often when we are not working and need to go a little faster and lighter.

• High Altitude Boot (Above 500m)- La Sportiva G2 Evo

  Alpine climbing environments change depending on location, and in the high alpine, think South America and 6000m peaks, a warm and light double boot is critical. These routes often necessitate camping/bivying on the glacier. A liner that can be removed is key for drying out the inner boot and ensuring your feet are warm at the start of the day. A single boot will freeze overnight, making them ice cubes in the morning. Liner boots can be stuffed in your sleeping bag overnight, allowing them to dry and be warm in the morning.

• Socks - Smartwool Mountaineering Extra Heavy Crew Sock

  Wool retains heat when wet, so the heavyweight option will provide the most so the heavyweight option provides the most warmth. As a bonus, you can use these socks when you size your climbing boots at the shop.

UPPER LAYERS

• Layer 1- Synthetic Sun Hoodie

  Mountain Equipment Women’s Glace Sun Hoody and Men’s Glace Sun Hoody

  Sun hoodies have revolutionized layering. They’re lightweight and breathable for the warm approach and protective enough when the weather cools a pre-dawn starts. If you do sweat, bringing two of these layers, one for the approach and one to swap at the base of the climb will offer the option to stay dry, even if working hard on the morning approaches. The hoodie feature also blocks much of the sun's UVA rays, protecting your body from burns, which is critical in snow.

• Layer 2- Fleece

  Mountain Equipment Women’s Lumiko Grided Fleece Hoody and Men’s Eclipse Grided Fleece Hoody

  Grided fleeces are a proven technology. They breathe well and add more warmth than a sun hoody. This piece has a good chest pocket for storing a phone and other small valuables. We interchangeably swap this layer and the sun hoody based on the day's temperature and output. An optional hood may be preferred and should be supplemented as needed.

• Layer 2 Addition- Mid Layer Insulation

  Mountain Equipment Switch Pro Hybrid Fleece Hoody

  An additional synthetic jacket is used as a layering and active climbing piece. The Switch Pro Fleece breathes flawlessly and is essential as a mid-weight layering piece in colder weather. This piece insulates the core, keeps you warmer, and breathes when needed during high-output activities.

• Layer 3 or 4- Insulated Vest

  Mountain Equipment Women’s Frostline Vest and Men’s Frostline Vest

  Vests keep your core insulated and warmer, promoting an overall sense of warmth without adding bulk to the sleeves. We wear vests year-round, typically over our insulation jacket in the cold or over our fleece during cooler weather. Synthetics or down work well for this layer.

• Layer 4 Windshell/Softshell Jacket

  Mountain Equipment Women’s Squall Hoody and Men’s Squall Hoody

  High wind is often the weather event that makes most climbing uncomfortable, even with sun and mild temperatures. To help block the wind, we prefer a very light and durable layer. This layer can also be the key to keeping you warm when wearing a fleece, there isn’t enough warmth, but adding more insulation is too much.

• Layer 5- Hardshell Jacket

  Mountain Equipment Women’s Tupilak Gore-Tex Pro Jacket and Men’s Tupilak Gore-Tex Pro Jacket

  Hardshell jacket performance has improved tremendously in the past half-decade, providing the best of protection and breathability. For those reasons, more often than not, we keep softshell fabrics at home and bring the hardshell into the mountains. In an alpine environment, we want to blend weight and durability, which seem to be in contrast. These jackets have a good balance of both and won’t fail you.

• Layer 6-Cold Weather Insulated Climbing Jacket / Alpine Rock Belay Parka

  Mountain Equipment Women’s Oreus Hooded Jacket and Men’s Oreus Hooded Jacket

  Our team moves fast in the mountains, which starts with efficiency. In the summer, we carry this layer in our backpack but pull it out when winds pick up on ridges. In winter, we climb in this layer when snow and wind are constant. The Oreus line is a warm, lightweight package with a thoughtful design that will make climbing tasks easier when the weather is not.

• Layer 7- High Altitude Belay Parka

  Mountain Equipment Women’s K7 Parka and Men’s K7 Parka

  Originally developed as an insulating last line of defense for hard, Alpine-style climbing at altitude, the K7 has seen use on everything from Denali’s ultra-committing hard test piece, the Slovak Direct, to a Piolet d’Or winning first ascent of Nyainqentanglha’s South East Face in Tibet. It’s quickly become a much more widely used down jacket, a popular choice everywhere from Nepal's 6000m peaks to Aconcagua and Polar regions. The characteristics that see it relied on by those at the leading edge of mountaineering are just as relevant if you’re planning your first more remote expedition.

  A large emergency parka is nice, even if it just sits at base camp. Cold mornings and nights can get uncomfortable without a little extra insulation. In the high mountains, we sleep in this layer to help keep our sleeping bags smaller and save weight without sacrificing warmth. And, of course, when the weather is horrible and we still need to climb, we need a storm shelter.

BOTTOM LAYERS

• Layer 1- Synthetic Base Layer

  Mountain Equipment Women’s Rho Heavyweight Bottoms and Men’s Eclipse Bottoms

  Adding a base layer to your bottom half can keep heat in when it’s cold. This is a classic recommended rock, alpine, ice, and skiing piece.

• Layer 1 or 1.5- Synthetic Shorts

  Women’s Dynamo Twin Shorts and Men’s Dynamo Shorts

  The following active layer for your lower half offers a nice trekking layer option for the hike into base camp.

• Layer 2- Softshell Mountain Pant

  Mountain Equipment Women’s Chamois Mountain Pant and Men’s Ibex Mountain Pant

  The Gamma collection is currently the standard colder weather softshell pant for snow/ice/rock environments and we prefer softshells for this layer because of the additional durability you receive from the fabric. This is your outer layer and will go over the top of your other pieces. These layers move well in the mountains and haven’t let us down yet!

• Layer 3- Stormshells

  Mountain Equipment Women’s Tupilak Pant and Men’s Tupilak Pant

  Active blizzarding? Wet outside? You need a storm shelter to keep you dry. These full-spec mountaineering pants give total protection and mobility in the worst conditions imaginable. Using GORE-TEX Pro 80D fabric throughout, they easily resist abrasion in ice-choked chimneys, and further reinforcement protects against cuts from racked screws. We always pack a hardshell pair of pants in the mountains, even if seldom worn. This layer should fit over all of the above pieces. Full side zips are important for ease of putting this layer on over all your other layers, including when in boots and on the move.

• Layer 4- Insulated Pants

  Mountain Equipment Men’s Nuclei Pant

  Light, packable, and built for belays, or any place exposed to biting cold, the Nuclei provides warmth that frees you to focus on your task. 80g Coreloft™ Continuous insulation goes from waist to knee, with 60g at the lower leg to balance appropriate warmth and lightweight. The light, tough Arato 15 fabric blocks wind, and GORE-TEX reinforces the seat and knees. Full separating side zips make on-and-off easy - even on hanging belays - and an accessible thigh pocket doubles as a stuff sack.

ACCESSORIES

• Approach Glove

  Mountain Equipment Mugi Grip Fleece Glove

  It's great to sweat in and wet out on the approach and then toss them into your bag at the start of the climb.

• On Route/Rope Work Climbing Glove

  Petzl Cordex Plus Gloves

  A great all-around climbing glove when it gets colder on the rock, and you need to climb in gloves. They are dexterous and well-built for climbing granite cracks.

• Warmer On Route Climbing Glove

  Showa TemRes 282

  This is a great all-around climbing glove. It is truly waterproof and is ideal when it gets cold, your route has more snow, or the conditions are very wet. However, the gloves run small, so size up one or two sizes…

• Colder Weather Climbing/ Belay Glove

  Black Diamond Patrol Glove

  High durability, high warmth glove for cold climbing and belaying. We like this glove since it also transfers to a fabulous winter work and ski glove. Versatility counts in your kit!

• Emergency Glove/Mitt

  Mountain Equipment Redline Mitts

  When facing extreme cold, mitts are often the only option for keeping hands warm or rewarming when needed. The Redline is one of the warmest mitts, designed for the harshest sub-zero environments and extended cold weather use. Extensively proven in the world’s highest mountain ranges and on the most serious polar expeditions, the Redline Mitt provides essential protection for mountaineers, climbers,, and extreme skiers venturing to the coldest corners of the globe.

• Sun Hat

  Smile Mountain Guides Happy Camper 5 Panel Hat

• Water Bottle

  MSR 2L Dromlite

  A bladder-style water bottle conserves space as you consume more water and these are still very durable.

• Food: Energy Bars, Fruit, Sandwiches, Trail Mix. 100 Calories an hour!

• Sunglasses

  Julbo MONTEROSA 2

• Goggles

  Smith Brand

  When there is high wind and extreme cold, you should change from sunglasses to goggles to better protect your face. A bright low-light lens is best for improving visibility in poor conditions.

• Sunscreen/ Lip balm

  Utu’s Clean SPF50+ Mineral Sunscreen Stick

  Look for Zinc products when searching for sun protection. Utu’s stick opt is great for easy application, and they have a low-impact ethos as a company.

• Buff

  Smile Mountain Guides Neck Gaiters

  Buffs are multi-functional making them great pieces for warmth in colder environments and as sun protection in warmer or sunnier ones.