Team member Dante Rabbai and partner Jeff McKeough tackle the Rockies classic North Face of Mount Athabasca. With skis on their back, they travelled across the glacier, up the face on rock, ice and snow, summited and skied down the Silverhorn.

With upwards of 16 hours of sun in Canmore’s Spring and Summer, the equipment needed is more geared towards warmer temps and sun protection but, weather and temperatures can turn quickly in the mountains. Let’s see what equipment Dante chose to wear bring up on this climb.

Dante’s wearing:

  • Thin merino wool ski socks
  • Patagonia Baggies light shorts
  • Patagonia Triolet Pants
  • Patagonia Sun Hoody
  • Patagonia R1 TechFace hoody
  • Hestra Titan Rope Handler gloves
  • Hestra Ergo Grip Alpha gloves
  • Sunski Treeline Sunnies

In Dante’s pack he also has:

  • Patagonia Nano-Air Ultralight
  • Patagonia M10 Storm Hardshell Jacket
  • Extra Pair of socks

Dante’s equipment includes:

  • Petzl Meteor Helmet
  • Petzl Aquila Harness
  • Petzl Dart Crampons
  • Petzl Gully Hammer
  • Petzl Nomic
  • Selection of Petzl Ice Screws
  • Zoleo Satellite Communicator

“I generally run hot, so typically I don’t wear much underneath my hardshell pants, the Baggies Light are perfect for when I need to rip my hardshell pants off and hike on rock. The Triolet pants’ full zip make it really easy to switch from hikers to ski boots and I can open them wide for lots of airflow while in the sun. 16 hours of sun can also mean 16 hours of sun exposure. I love my sun hoody and pairing it with the R1 Techface jacket is my go to combo. I find my hardshell often stays in my pack and my R1 Techface jacket is almost always all I need. Still, I do have my M10 Storm jacket in my pack. Because I rarely need it having an ultralight and packable jacket made for the alpine is nice to have stowed away taking up little space. When I need it it’s light and articulates enough that I can send hard. Because the North Face of Athabasca is primarily in the shade all day, I have my Nano-Air Ultralight stowed in my pack as well if I feel a chill coming on.

I have a thin pair and thicker pair of leather Hestra gloves. Having very dexterous gloves is important when you’re manipulating climbing equipment and rope and I prefer a fitted leather glove that breaks into the mold of your hand. Having Ergo Grip on my larger gloves makes a usually bulk glove that much more dexterous. Lastly, having eyewear to protect you on in the alpine and while travelling on glaciers is super important. My Sunski Treeline sunnies are ultralight and durable, polarized and have side shields for added protection.

I’ve got all the climbing essentials needed to mitigate risk in the mountain along with more climbing and glacier travel specific gear. I paired the Gully Hammer with a Nomic for this climb. The Gully Hammer allows me to ski the descent without greater risk of puncturing myself if I need to ski with an axe, is ultralight, and still climbs beautifully. The size and hammer make it easy to place and remove pitons if need be. I brought a Nomic just to make the climbing portion more comfortable on the more vertical sections. I prefer to keep my Dart crampons configured with single front points when on mixed climbs.

More than gear, I had a great partner who was stoked the whole way up and down Mount Athabasca.”