Outside Online – Chad Kellogg – 5/17/10
Chad Kellogg, the 38-year-old Seattle-based climber attempting to break the speed ascent record on Mount Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen, stopped by Expedition Hanesbrands’ site at Base Camp last evening to check in on the progress of his buddies Jamie Clarke and Scott Simper. Clarke and Simper summited this morning at 8:40 a.m. (check out climbwithus.com), but Kellogg’s summit window–May 23rd–is still a week out.
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Essential Gear for Everest Base Camp
This spring I’ll be at Everest Base Camp for a month as the expedition journalist for Expedition Hanesbrands, a team led by Jamie Clarke, a Canadian mountaineer who will attempt his second summit of the world’s highest mountain. (You can follow the expedition at climbwithus.com and atOutside Online.) I’m staying close to Base Camp, but even so, the weather at 17,500 feet can get pretty nasty. To prepare for all that wind, snow, and high-altitude UV, I’m not packing light–the list below isn’t even half of what I’ll bring. I’ve tested this gear in Santa Fe, where the mountains top out at roughly 12,000 feet. Here’s to hoping all of this gear works just as well 5,500 feet higher.
OR Women’s Gripper Gloves: These Windstopper gloves, designed for doing cold- weather chores, will keep me warm on the trek in while still allowing my fingers to function. The big loop on the cuff will make them a lot easier to pull on if my fingers start going numb. ($49; outdoorresearch.com)
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Outdoor Research will be documenting Chad Kellogg’s Mt. Everest Solo Speed Climb
Chad Kellogg, 38, will attempt to set a speed record on Mt. Everest without oxygen.*
Kellogg will spend five to six weeks preparing, learning the route, and establishing camps. For the journey, he plans to start going up through the Khumbu Icefall to get to Advanced Base Camp, climb up the Lhotse face, reach Camp 3, go up to South Col, then cross into the Death Zone. The goal is to make the entire trip in 30-something hours. The possibility of an accident occurring is three times more likely without oxygen, and Kellogg is aware that he has to go smoothly and slowly for safety, especially the closer he gets to the summit.
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Gear Girl mentions Neoplume Hoody
Q: I’m doing the John Muir Trail this summer and am trying to decide between a down sweater (like the Rab Microlight Alpine jacket) or a down vest (like the Western Mountaineering Flight Series vest). The vest is lighter, but I’m concerned about warmth.
— Nana
New York, New York
A: When it comes to choosing between weight and warmth, I always go for cozy. There’s nothing better after a long day on the trail than to be able to zip into something more comfortable, especially if it comes with a hood and sleeves. Your Rab pick is right on. The 750+ fill goose-down Microlight Alpine Jacket ($215; us.rab.uk.com) comes with a Pertex laminate coating that makes it tougher than your average nylon, allowing for jabs with the tent pole or close encounters with sharp kindling. Best of all, if you’re lucky enough to get some hot summer nights, the 340-gram jacket compresses into the size of a baseball and can live at the bottom of your pack until you want to take it out and use it as a pillow.
An equally warm alternative to down that you can use as a mid or outer layer is Outdoor Research’s Neoplume Hoody ($150; outdoorresearch.com). I was skeptical that such a lightweight piece could keep me warm in the waning days of late August in Alaska, but I put it through the ringer on a soggy four-day trip down the Yukon River, and the PrimaLoft Eco insulation kept me warm, mostly because the rain slid right off.
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Women’s Gear Advice – Featuring Aria Down Vest
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\r\nWhat’s the secret to testing gear?\r\n\r\n— The Editors\r\n Santa Fe, New Mexico\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\nFirst, I get outside in every kind of weather Mother Nature can manufacture. Second, I pass it around to athlete friends who will put the items through the ringer and give me objective feedback. Third, I take a look at where and how the product was made. But perhaps my most unorthodox gear-testing tactic is to take a spin through Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.\r\n\r\nSo, what does a grocery store have to do with good gear? Excellent technology, functionality, and environmental responsibility are essential in gear, but if it doesn’t look good it’s not going to go very far. In Santa Fe, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are the most likely spots in town where I’ll run into a critical mass of fashion-forward gear junkies. It never fails that if I’m wearing something new and interesting, a fellow shopper will stop me somewhere between the produce section and the checkout counter for the lowdown on where and how to get it.\r\n\r\nA few weeks ago, I stopped at Whole Foods after a chilly full-moon hike bundled up in Outdoor Research’s Aria Down Hoody ($190; outdoorresearch.com). I’m a down fanatic, and this 650-fill ultralight down jacket is one of my favorites. It has a hood, fits well on a lady, and the chocolate exterior contrasts beautifully with the scarlet interior. (It comes in many colors.) Sure enough, as I was standing in line, the guy behind me asked where he could buy one for his daughter–a good omen for the Aria.\r\n\r\nClick here to read the original article
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