The North Face Etip Recycled Gloves review: the thin glove every winter kit needs
A thin, stretchy fleece glove with a grippy palm and touchscreen fingertips. Our pick for the liner, cool-day glove and dry spare pair every cold trip needs.
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Hiking alone: how to stay safe when nobody is with you
How to hike alone safely: which trips suit going solo, leaving a plan with an exact time to call for help, carrying a satellite messenger or PLB on your body, tighter turnaround rules, and what to do if you are hurt or lost with nobody there.
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Bear spray: how to carry it and use it under pressure
How bear spray works and why it outperforms firearms, choosing a can in the US and Canada, carrying it where you can draw it, when and how to spray a charging bear, what to do afterwards, and the practical rules for cold, heat, expiry, flying and the border.
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Flash floods: slot canyons, washes and the storm you cannot see
How flash floods form from rain you never see, where and when they strike, how to read NWS watches and warnings and the canyon itself, where to walk and camp, what to do when the water rises, and why the drive to the trailhead is the deadliest part.
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Avalanche safety: how to recognize avalanche terrain and stay out of it
How to recognize avalanche terrain and stay out of it: how slab avalanches work, the nine avalanche problems forecasters name, slope angle as the master variable, reading a public avalanche forecast, the danger scale, planning a route that avoids avalanche terrain, what to do if you are caught, and companion rescue in the ten minutes that matter.
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Hiking after 50: how to keep hiking well for decades
What really changes when you hike past fifty, and what to do about it: your heart, medications, balance and falls, knees, heat and cold, recovery, carrying less, and insurance when you cross the border.
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La Sportiva TX4 Evo (women’s) review: sure-footed on rock, if the fit suits you
A precise, sticky, supportive approach shoe for scrambles and rock approaches. Excellent if it fits, but it runs narrow and small, so try it on first.
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La Sportiva TX4 Evo (men’s) review: a technical approach shoe with a fit you must check
Vibram Megagrip, a climbing zone and a resoleable leather build for scrambles and talus. Superb on rock, but narrower and shorter than the original TX4, so fit it before you trust it.
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Altra Lone Peak 9 (women’s) review: a trail shoe shaped like a foot
A wide, foot-shaped toe box, zero drop and a wide option. The trail runner for long days when your toes need room, with average grip on wet ground and early collar wear.
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Altra Lone Peak 9 (men’s) review: the long-trail shoe with room for your toes
The long-trail favourite: a foot-shaped toe box on a zero-drop platform. Superb fit for high-mileage hikers, with average wet traction and a transition that needs respect.
