South Fork TH to Christmas Tree Hill (and Beyond) Snow Climb, Feb 21 2015

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

Christmas Tree Hill, Feb 7 2015

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

Charlton Peak Snowshoe, Jan 31 2015

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

Alto Diablo Peak via ‘Duct Tape Ridge,’ Jan 17 2015

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

Hillsound Equipment’s Winter Traction Devices

posted in: Hiking Gear, Winter Hiking

_____________ 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

Gear Review: Hillsound Trail Crampons

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

Register Ridge Trip Report, December 18 2014

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

Mt. Whitney via ‘The Chute’ Trip Report, June 4 2014

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

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