The Ultimate List of La Sportiva Katana Alternatives

La Sportiva Katana alternatives

The La Sportiva Women’s Katanas were my first pair of climbing shoes. They’ve since been discontinued by La Sportiva, which is an absolute shame. The Katanas are the perfect all-around shoe, geared towards newer and experienced climbers alike. Once broken in, they could last on your feet for hours, without extreme pain. I currently have 1.5 pairs (lost a shoe bouldering at the Zephyrs, it’s size 35.5, holler if you find it), and I know that one day, they will no longer be resole-able. In anticipation, I’ve been testing out a bunch of other shoes from La Sportiva. Here’s my list of La Sportiva Katana alternatives.

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Ridge Merino Solstice Hoody Review

Ridge Merino Solstice Hoody Review

I love merino wool, so much that I once put it in my Tinder profile. I’m constantly on the hunt for new merino wool that I can put to the test. Mammoth Lakes-based Ridge Merino entered the market a few years ago, and I got my hands on the Ridge Merino Solstice Hoody to test out. Here’s how it fared.

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Asian-Founded Outdoor Brands to Support

Asian owned outdoor brands

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Month! 2021 has been a year (and we aren’t even halfway through!). I wanted to compile a list to support the Asian outdoor community, especially in light of the recent increase of violence against Asians. I’ve put together a list of Asian-founded outdoor brands to throw your dollars behind.

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How to introduce someone to the outdoors

This post is a paid partnership with Subaru of America.

I didn’t grow up outdoorsy. My parents did not either. I recently had the chance to show my mom around Lake Tahoe. I’m lucky because my mom had to go along with whatever shenanigans I concocted. Most people are not as fortunate (or unfortunate?). After three days of making my mom try things out of her comfort zone, I have all the tips for you to successfully introduce a loved one to the outdoors. If I could do it again, these are the things that I would keep in mind.

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Alpenglow Expeditions Women’s Backcountry 1.0 and 2.0 Review

This winter season, I decided that I wanted to get into splitboarding. The only problem is splitboarding is not an accessible sport. You can’t just go out and do it (especially this year, where the snowpack is all wonky in the Sierra!). There’s so much more knowledge, gear, and skill involved. I also don’t have many local friends who do backcountry snowsports, much less splitboarding. To safely learn the sport, I decided to take Alpenglow Expeditions’ Women’s Backcountry 1.0 and 2.0 course.

Alpenglow Expeditions Women's Backcountry 1.0 and 2.0

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