My second trip with the Ribelle HDs involved a much longer slog up to Mt. Hector, a glaciated snow and ice peak in the Canadian Rockies. Once again, I felt pretty balanced in third-class sub-alpine trails through the talus. In fourth-class terrain, I was still a bit hesitant to completely trust the rockered sole. Once on ice, the HDs felt stiff and coupled well with the Petzl Irvis crampons. The snow was pretty bad, so I hit a few holes. I didn't wear gaiters, so eventually my feet were wet..." go to full review

After testing the Opera at the crags of Index, Washington, I embarked on a seven-week road trip in the Cascades, the Sawtooths and the Wind River Range. Before I took the rope into the mountains to try some technical and difficult alpine routes, I had my partner yank out the slack from the Grigri to simulate a lead fall, just to make sure the device locked up well enough on the thin rope. It passed the test. With a newfound confidence, we then hiked up to cast away on a sea of alpine granite..." go to full review