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 Clif Bar Seasonal Flavors: Flavor Flav
What faster way to hitch a ride down memory lane than via the flavors of holidays past? The tastemakers at Clif Bar trigger this gustatory nostalgia with their CLIF BAR SEASONAL FLAVORS ($1.29/bar, clifbar.com). It’s hard to play favorites when your choices are Iced Gingerbread, Spiced Pumpkin Pie, and Pear Apple Strudel, but if pressed, I’d give Pumpkin Pie my vote (reminds me of autumn’s primo temps). Click here to buy now from MountainGear.com  Metolius Climbing Rope Ranger: Open Ranger
The gear-closet conundrum: multiple ropes stashed in multiple bags . . . so which is the redpoint rig and which that 23.2-meter fuzzfest? Thanks to the METOLIUS CLIMBING ROPE RANGER ($45.95, metoliusclimbing.com) and its savvy, clear top window opening onto an internal tie-off loop, you can locate your desired cord without any undue rifling.  Petzl Bug: Buggin' Out
I’ll do anything to climb sans pack, but I’ve always found harness-clipping approach shoes and water bottle a clumsy solution. The problem-solvers in France have found a savvy answer with their PETZL BUG ($60, en.petzl.com), a sturdy, abrasion-resistant, 18L rucksack that weighs only 20.1oz. Click here to buy now from MountainGear.com  GU Energy Roctane: High Roctane
Too busy/fatalistic for proper nutrition, I surf my days on waves of salty starch and caffeine, beaching violently on the black shoals of low-blood-sugar despair come evening. I need hassle-free food that takes care of me. Thank heck for GU ENERGY ROCTANE ($3, guenergy.com), an “Ultra Endurance Energy Gel” engineered, after years of geek-tweaking, to be a superior, lactic-acid-reducing, 100-calorie energy shot. Click here to buy now from MountainGear.com  Outdoor Research Transcendent Vest: Get Down
You need a down vest, even if you don’t yet know it. Why? Because they’re one of the outdoor-apparel world’s biggest bangs for your buck — e.g., the OUTDOOR RESEARCH TRANSCENDENT VEST ($120, outdoorresearch.com).  La Sportiva Nago: Red Magic
No matter how much shredded gnar you leave in your wake, one fact remains: to climb well, you need good footwork. But it’s hard to know which shoes to pack, especially when you’re new to the game. This summer, a bomber toe-twinkler enters the all-around market: the LA SPORTIVA NAGO ($99, sportiva.com), a comfort-fitting performance lace-up. Click here to buy now from MountainGear.com  Tissot T-Touch Expert: Touching Time
Einstein broke the bad news to Newtonians: time is subjective, dependent on one’s reference point. But I know time is real, because I’ve touched it — with the TISSOT T-TOUCH EXPERT ($995, t-touch.com).  Bluewater Ropes Lightning Pro: Life Line
The HERA foundation, the climbing-souled org raising awareness and funding for ovarian cancer since the first Climb4Life, in 2002, has in recent years teamed up with climbing-gear manufacturers to co-brand products, often in its trademark teal and orange colors. A great new HERA offering is the BLUEWATER ROPES LIGHTNING PRO ($185.99 for 60m, herafoundation.org), a popular 9.7mm lead line in those hues, with $15 from each sale going to HERA.  Dyna-E International Lightload Towel: Expand-O-Towel
If Towelly from “South Park” were real, he’d for shizzle drizzle his bizzle with a DYNA-E INTERNATIONAL LIGHTLOAD TOWEL ($6 for a three-pack, ultralighttowels.com). When I first saw the towel, packed down into a 1.75-by-0.5-inch puck, I was skeptical — what, if anything, could I dry with something so wee?  Ecosmart Organic Insect Repellent: 'Em with Greenness
Everyone knows bugs dig sweet stuff. So when I checked out the ECOSMART ORGANIC INSECT REPELLENT ($6.19 per 6oz bottle, www.ecosmart.com), I noticed with some alarm that the all-natural formula uses such gustatory delights as rosemary, peppermint, cinnamon, and lemongrass oils.  The Climber 2005 Red Wine: Vinum Verticalis
Beer might be the American après-climbing drink, but the Euros savor their wine. Perhaps it’s wise: a few glasses leave you feeling mellow, and without all those carbo calories. Plus, studies have hinted at the anti-aging properties of resveratrol, a compound in red wine. Plus, studies have hinted at the anti-aging properties of resveratrol, a compound in red wine. So I was psyched to sample a bottle of clif bar family winery THE CLIMBER 2005 RED WINE ($17, clifbarfamilywinery.com), from Napa Valley, California. |
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