I’m starting to think that approach shoes are it for when you need something that kind of does it all. Commuting? Check. Actual approaches? Yep. Hiking? You got it. Lounging around because you’re lazy? They do that too. With its retro design and delightful colors, the La Sportiva Boulder X shoes are something you can rock 24/7.
“What are those things”, said the kiwi inspecting all my hiking gear and pointing at my boots at customs. He’d never seen anything like them, and I guess I hadn’t really either. Futuristic, Tron-esque boots, what? When Arc’teryx broke into the shoe market last year, I was a little skeptical. Don’t get me wrong, they’re the creme de la creme of the outdoors. But footwear? Not really sure if they could pull it off. When the Arc’teryx Bora Mid GTX boots arrived at my doorstep, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to try them out.
All my life I’ve been a gloves kinda girl. Mittens just weren’t on my radar. No dexterity, no thank you. Then last year, I decided I wanted to try out the one thumb and four melded fingers thing. The Outdoor Research Stormbound Mitts changed my snow sports game.
I’m a fan of hard shells for every occasion: the basic multipitch jacket, that jacket you shove in the bottom of your pack for rainy occasions jacket, that jacket for snow sports. The Black Diamond Liquid Point Shell is a jacket that does a little bit of everything but excels at nothing.
Climbing has taken a big hold on my life in the past couple months. I freakin’ love climbing. I mean, I’ve always loved climbing, but with having regular-ish climbing partners and getting outdoors a bunch, I REALLY LOVE CLIMBING. There’s a reason why you shouldn’t let climbers into the backcountry, and that’s summarized by days like today. The agenda was fairly straightforward. AJ and I would hike up to Harris Saddle, then out to Lake Mackenzie Hut.