apparels

BIKING

i bought those biking shorts , jersey and shoes 15 years ago pro deal when i worked at footloose sport in mammoth lakes california. very durable …

Strafe

I met with Pete Gaston one of the owner a while back and i saw the progress they made with their apparels collection. I have been using their one piece suit for a while mainly for stormy resort skiing ( unpractical with harness and stuff in the mountains) . I somehow inherited their next year suit , it didn’t fit my friend Thor. I was very surprised at the quality of it. They now make their clothing with polartec which i think is way better and lighter than gore tex. They also used a very thin and stretchy version of it which makes the jacket and pants super light and comfortable. The cut is tight and ergonomique and light , perfect for huge days out there in the high mountains, ideal for ski-alpinism.The front pocket are huge and vents well placed. I believe their price range is much bellow all the other mainstream brand . perfect. made in china.
strafe-link

Marmot

I went on a job with Marmot so they gave me a jacket and pants. They make it with polartec which i think now is better than gore tex. That suit is insulated yet on a trip on the haute route i felt comfortable in every conditions (hot and cold), it was very breathable . the cut is classic alpinism style.You could use it for skiing but you’d look like an alpinist. you dont want that? Made in china.

Oakley

Oakley worked a lot in the past few years towards a more alpine light goretex style. they made huge progress and they are now as good as any other alpinism brand with the oakley style that i like. all of those are durable, practical in the high alpine with the oakley touch. rad! (my friend Greg works at oakley , he is pretty generous with the ski bum community in chamonix…

Seth morrison gave me his Oakley puff and pants. the puff is great, compact and light. It keeps you warm at those raps or those endless apres ski. The pants are with the jacket pretty well thought for skiing in the high alpines. gore tex

Ive had those oakley pants for 10 years, i am using them for storm riding, they are awesome, comfy, look good, warm still waterproof after 10 years, didn’t fall into pieces. I bought those pro deal when i worked at footloose sport in mammoth lakes.

PATAGONIA

Patagonia is trying hard to respect the environment and be a good brand overall. Most outdoor brand should at the very least align themselves with patagonia. It is viable economically .I would love to see patagonia bring the industry back locally. I believe they are careful that none of those factories use bad chemicals: they were not on the greenpeace list. They are the only mainstream big brand that is at least trying! which i think is good.
I don’t have a real patagonia hookup yet but oh god do i love those light puffs. their light alpine stuff are the best in the market. Some day i will invest in more puffies. until then , i will just get second hands for free…seconds hands patagonia still works great and still looks good…

vertical attitude

Fair trade brand made locally.

For base layers i use mostly Merino wool. I love it. I have some from every brands. The queshua one are fine. vertical attitude had me try some of their synthetic layers and they work great. Seamless and very tight made with a fabric which doesn’t stink as much as regular synthetic .