It’s hard to tell how long the snow will last in SoCal, so I took the opportunity to join the SoCal Hike & Peakbag Meetup for some ice axe & crampon practice. It was also my first opportunity to get out with my new Oboz Beartooth BDry boots; with the foot pain I’ve been dealing with lately, I was excited to see how … Read More
While there’s still snow in the area, I am trying to get out as much as possible to test my winter gear. With the warm temperatures in Southern California over the last week, the snow is melting fast. Since I knew there was lots of snow within a few miles of the South Fork Trailhead, we decided to head to the … Read More
I finally participated in my first meetup hike. I joined meetup in 2012, but since most of my hikes were summer hikes on established trails with a group of friends, I didn’t see the need for meetup. Thinking back, I think it’s been three years since I went on a hike that I did not plan. This year I am going on … Read More
If you regularly hike or backpack in California, please join our Facebook group, California Hiking and Backpacking! It’s a great place to ask questions and share your photos, trip reports and gear recommendations. Having received some new gear over the last couple of weeks, I was very eager to get out on the trail to find some snow. I recently learned about … Read More
Here is a table comparing the features of Kahtoola’s MICROspikes and line of hiking crampons: MICROspikes K•10 Hiking Crampon KTS Aluminum KTS Steel # of Points 12 10 10 10 Point Length 1.0 cm 1.9 cm 1.9 cm 2.5 cm Front Points No No No No Weight (Large/Reg) 408 g / 14.4 oz 608 g / 21.4 oz 540 g / 18.9 oz 662 g … Read More
_____________ Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen some confusion regarding the ‘winter traction devices’ that Hillsound Equipment produces. Here is a table showing the 4 models I’ve seen hikers mention and their distinguishing features. FreeStep6 Crampons Trail Crampon Trail Crampon Ultra Trail Crampon PRO # of Points 21 11 18 10 Point Length 1.2 cm 1.6 cm 1.5 cm 2.0 cm … Read More
Why Buy? I purchased a set of Hillsound FreeSteps6 Traction Devices for my father-in-law earlier this year in preparation for our Mt. Whitney. Looking at their construction and materials, I thought they were very similar to my more expensive Kahtoola Microspikes. I began to wonder why I had not seen FreeSteps recommended on the several hiking forums and facebook hiking groups I belong to. … Read More
The Plan I decided to take advantage of my (sometimes) flexible work schedule and get out for a hike before work. At first I wasn’t exactly sure where I should go, but I had a few goals in mind: Get in a good workout. I have a tough hike coming up December 27th. Take some nice snow & sunrise photos Use … Read More
The Plan We weren’t going to hike – we were just planning on going up to Icehouse Canyon to play in the snow with my son. The Outcome When we arrived at Icehouse, there wasn’t much snow at the trailhead and there weren’t any parking spots left. We decided to drive up to Manker’s Flats and walk up Baldy Road for … Read More
The Plan Due to the late snow storm in the Sierra this year, I came up with several different plans. The different options I came up with can be seen here: Trip & Hike Planning, June 1-4 2014 (Mt. Whitney, Yosemite & Mammoth) In the end, this is the option that we ended up doing: Option 1, Mt. Whitney June … Read More