Valandre
Made in France, Valandre produces
a select offering of down filled outerwear and
sleeping bags for high altitude performance, and
this is all they do. No logo'd tee-shirts, no
bumber stickers, no annual brochures, no packs
or luggage, no tents, and no "lifestyle"
clothing to go with the line. Valandre's entire
focus is and always has been performance down
outerwear, and sleeping bags. Relatively new to
the US mountaineering market, Valandre has a long
time proven big mountain reputation in Europe,
and Asia.
Every Valandre product is filled
with premium selected down from the fat Gray Goose,
from the foremost suppliers of goose down out
of the South West of France. In this region where
the gray goose production is centered, the down
qualities in Valandre products are selected
right at the source, even before they ever enter
the markets for raw down. The strongest and most
mature qualitys of down, are systematicly reserved
for Valandre's High Altitude vital needs, and
these down selections never enter the general
market, and are not used by any other down clothing
or sleeping bag manufacturer in the world. No
goose/duck blends, no blends of downs from multiple
supliers across several countries to hit certain
end-product consumer price points. No second grade
down pods, for Valandre, its only genuine premium
selected down out of highest grades of the best
down in the world, French Down.
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Every down jacket, bib, mitt,
bootie, or sleeping bag is engineered for performance
via maximization of insulation and functionality,
not price points for mass appeal. Valandre leads
in strides in every categorical comparison, on
a very short list of perhaps only two other competitive
brands that even come close in craftsmanship and
performance. Now that's a bold statement, one
that calls for providing the proof, and if you
have ever studied the Valandre
website, they tell the story of why they are compelled
to do what they do. In the world of down insulative
brands, the remaining very long list of are very
general market driven, driven by national marketing
instead of intense, smart fuctionality, and are
very far down the spectrum of down integrity,
and usage classification. Most brands allocate
a high percentage of their product development
dollars in marketing, and sourcing manufacturing
methods to save costs. Valandré is the
only specialist in the world willing to elevate
down gear production to a technologically influenced
art form, to give the user a the highest performing
product. Down products that contain as many as
91 individually cut pieces deliver the ultimate
fit – more insulation around the torso and
foot box, and full insulation around the head
and forehead. In short, nothing performs as well
in terms of weight and packability as a Valandré
product. Valandre doesn't enjoy being the highest
priced down outerwear and sleeping bags in the
world, they enjoy delivering the performance that
big mountain enthusiasts need, and if that renders
Valandre the highest priced equipment, so be it.
With valandre, you are not paying for a name,
your are not paying for the company's real estate,
marketing budget, and layers of management, you
are paying for equipment that plays one of the
most vital roles in getting you to the summit.
With Valandre, your dollar goes to what it takes
to deliver you what you need at high altitudes,
in the greatest cold temperature extremes around
the world. Isn't this what "value" really
means....unless of course, the product is out
of the scope of the requirements of your particular
endeavors. Valandre is not for every climber,
every mountain enthusiast, for every budget.
All of Valandre's outer fabrics
are sourced from Asahi-KASEI in OSAKA-JAPAN. What?
Did you want a bag that is waterproof, made with
waterproof and so called "breathable membranes"
like other down bag and jacket brands? Check in
with the "other brands", and they will
sell you a down bag or jacket for cold weather
and high altitude evironments that have your well
marketed to "thirst" for these bells
and whistles. Valandre does not
use a laminated membrane fabrics for very calculated
reasons having to do with simple physics and practicality.
Valandre's response to waterproof membranes on
jackets and bags designed for cold weather is
this; why would you want to offer a sleeping bag
or outerwear with methods that add bulk, add weight
and a hundred or more bucks to the price, to provide
a "solution that is born out of warmer temperatures
at low altitutes, and that is inefective in colder
weather, in higher altitudes, and that can be
dangerous in some situations. All that, and then
let you pay for it? Thats marketing for you, that
is general market appeal for you.
Here's why they don't do it. As
the temperature lowers, the air holds less humidity.
So in low temperatures, be it 20,000ft or 15 miles,
you are in a very dry condition. So no there is
no need for a waterproof membrane. Waterproof
membranes are designed to be used in warmer temperatures,
not in freezing conditions where our products
are meant to perform. So,
take a water molucule, and try to let it pass
through a frozen membrane. That molucule will
intantly freeze once it comes in contact with
the membrane, and this will eliminate the breathability,
and turn the waterproof membrane fabric into a
sort of plastic bag by sealing up all the pores.
As water is turned into a solid mass of frozen
ice, the volume of the mass expands. This is the
caise of a molucule of humidity, that frezes in
the pores, and by expantion blocks the breathability.
It's the same effect, that can create a delamination
of the fabric (Ice expansion between membrane
and fabric).
 
Imagine a down gear construction
technique that is based on pure geometry, leaving
nothing to chance. Using the human form as a guide,
fabric is formed into shapes that surround every
part of your body, minimizing excess weight while
keeping consistent levels of insulation at every
point of your body. This is the foundation of
Tubular
Bell Construction, this is Valandre. In addition
to this technological approach to maximizing performance
instead of pricepoints, Valandre also utilizes
simple methods to achieve their defining quality
of high temperature to weight/bulk ratio. Overfilling
a down has no qualitative increased effect on
insulating the body. Down is not warm by itself,
what insulates is the exceptional capacity of
down to trap body heat. In Valandre products,
they use certain calculated density, which is
the relation between compartment volume and injected
quantity. Overfilling changes this balancing point,
and creates compression, and compressed down of
any down quality grade, will not trap more body
heat.
No other
brand of down outerwear or sleeping bags performs
as well in terms of weight and packability as
a Valandré product.
See
the Valandre Down Outerwear
See
the Valandre Sleeping Bags
Valandre
Sleeping Bag Comparisons to Western, Marmot, and
Feathered Friends
See
everything Valandre
Coming soon to Bradley Alpinist
Introducing the new Immelman Jacket by
Valandre....coming late Summer 2011.
Named after the famous aireal acrobatic move,
the Immelman is the most technically advanced
jacket ever made.
Watch why: Valandre
Immelman Video
Video-Valandre
Imellman Jacket Video
All
Valandre Product Videos
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Wild
Things Gear
  
Bradley Alpinist is focused on
offering products that will function in altitudes
above 15,000ft, products that are everything you
need, and nothing you don’t, and as a result,
our product selections tend to be hard to find.
Wild Things was born synonymous with High Altitude
Climbing, and since their beginning in the 1980's,
Wild Things still remains a "cult status
product line" among the alpine climbing elite.
At Bradley Alpinist, we stay clear
of gear you can just find everywhere, gear that
many of our industry’s manufacturers design
to be appealing for all ranges of functionality
and audiences…all things to all people,
complete with bells and whistles intened to bedazzle
rather than function up high. The gear we sell
discriminates, and is targeted for the discerning
climber, backcountry skier, and Alpinist.
We have chosen to bring you Wild Things products
because they are designed for and made by climbers
and skiers. If your Wild Things clothing or gear
doesn’t have a certain feature, gadget,
gismo, bells and whistles, its because it has
already been determined by climbers, Alpinists,
and skiers and even the US Military, that you
don’t need it. Wild things was born in 1981,
and remains designed in New England, Made in the
USA. Wild Things makes state of the art lightweight
climbing equipment and clothing for expedition,
alpine, ice and rock climbers. All gear is produced
"alpine style" by keeping production
runs small, new ideas can be constantly tested
and improved. "Light is Right" has always
been Wild Things’ focus. They design functional,
lightweight gear allowing you to be faster and
safer, and will help minimize your exposure. No
trendy colors or features, nothing you don’t
need.
The “Light is right” philosophy is
the gospel for modern climbers, utilizing gear
that is simple, durable and just right in functionality.
Three decades of climbing experiences - elation,
misery, epics and near misses go into the design
of every piece of gear made by Wild Things. Wild
Things products utilize eVent, and Polartec fabrics,
Epic by Nextec treatments, and Primaloft insulations.
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Dachstein
Wool
  
Wool is growing in popularity again. Why? Its
natural, sustainable, recyclable, and it works.
By itself, with no chemical coatings, wool wicks
moisture, sheds water, insulates when wet, and
in some cases of clothing with thicker wool, its
nearly windproof. Some of the thickest wool sweaters,
hats
and mitts,
are that made in the heritage ways of the Dachstein
Region of Austria. Dachstein sweaters have been
iconic in Alpinism since the beginning, and these
authentic pure wool sweaters are now available
again in the US. The sweaters are available in
both the "Button
Neck" version, and never available before
in the US, the "Rounded
Neck" version. Bradley Alpinist is one
of few, and perhaps the only retailer bringing
you these retro, but modern classics. These are
made today, exactly as they were made over fifty
years ago. Whether or not wool ever became less
attractive as performance outerwear for alpine
use, the "Dachstein Wool" has remained
in high demand among climbers, and now they are
available again in the US.
  
Care for your Dachstein.
Always hand wash, warm water only. Use real soap,
no fancy chemicals. Here is a good
link to information about handwashing your
sweater. For the Dachstein Sweaters, some small
amount of agitation is ok, as this is what has
made these sweaters what they are, and you can
actually increase the matting some to your desire.
Always do this in baby steps to ease the results.
NEVER DRY in a machine. ALWAYS air dry. The link
gives the scenario for drying (no rolling or wringing).
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Alpinist
Jewelry by Bradley Alpinist
Pictured
above we have one "Ice Pick Ale" from
the Silverton
Brewery, an absolutely delicious IPA by the
way, served up as a draft or in a can in the high
mountain town of Silverton Colorado. Next, an
Alpinist Piolet Cuff, a Dachstein Pullover, and
a bald guy sporting the Bradley Alpinist bar
stool cap.
There is "lifestyle clothing", and
then there is "Bar Stool Fashion". Its
not a concept, its not a trend, it's definately
not "Apre Climbing"....it...it just
is. You climb hard all day, and naturally you
may end up sharing a drink or some sort of celebration
with your climbing partner and friends. You find
yourself belly-up to a bar in some mountain town,
sporting your torn & tattered, perhaps spot
duct-taped down jacket, chalk remenence on the
knuckles, bloodied up hands, and the like. Our
cosmic, super burley Alpinist Jewelry line has
no business in the mountains...but in town, break
it out. It completments a down jacket and flip-flops,
shorts and a touque...you get the picture. No
wine and mussles for you...you'll have a 22oz
draft and a plate of fries, extra ketchup. Bottoms
up!
Pictured above is none other than a
Dachstein Wool Sweater, serving as nice backdrop
for the Alpinist
Piolet cuff. This cuff is burly, hopefully
you have enough strenth left in your arms to hoist
it and your beer, to toast the day.
See the entire line of climbers
jewelry, most all selections are for both
men, and women...for a mountain town. Its a mountain
thing, and you won't find it anywhere but here.
  
Left to right:
Piolet Amulet, Ice Climber Pendant (super burly),
and my tracks frozen in silver on the AT/Tele/Splitboard
Pendant (also burley).
 
The Telemark Pendant, and the Chamonix Cuff.
Below is the Cairn Pendant.
 
Above is the St. Bernard Amulet(Patron Saint
of Skiers and Alpinists), and to the right is
the Alpinist Piolet Cuff. The Alpinist Cuff was
inspired by the Chouinard-Frost Piolet made in
Premana Italy by the famous Codega Family. The
inside of the cuff features the Dolomites in Italy.
Click
here to see all the Bar Stool Fashion.
Hope you'll have as much fun with
this "fashion statement" as I have.
These pieces just can't be found anywhere else.
After a day on the ice in Valdez,
Alaska, I'm Up
for a Tall Cold One? Found
the one open bar in Valdez in March, climbed up
on a stool, belly'd up to the bar..."may
I have a Porter please?". Cheers!
Lance Johnson
Bradley Alpinist
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DMM
Wales
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Grivel
Grivel is over 190 years old,
established in 1818, and is centered in Alpinism.
Based in Courmayeur, Italy, at the foot of Mont
Blanc, Grivel is the world leader in the producion
of crampons. There is not another company as focused
on ice climbing and alpinism than Grivel. Grivel's
history
in mountaineering includes the invention of the
twelve point crampon in 1932 by Laurent Grivel.
If there are any Grivel products
you don't find on our site, we can special order,
usually delivering the item to you within ten
days.
Grivel Crampon Models
we offer:
| Model |
#
of POINTS |
Semi-Rigid |
Binding
Options |
Range
of Usage*
|
G10 |
10 |
Yes |
New Matic |
A
B C D E
F G H |
AIR TECH |
10 + 2 (Spurs) |
Yes |
|
A
B C D
E F G H |
G12 |
12 |
Yes |
Cramp-o-Matic
New Matic |
A
B C D E
F G H |
G14 |
11-12 (Mono Point, or
Duel Points) |
Yes |
Cramp-o-Matic
New Matic |
A
B C D E F
G H |
RAMBO 4 |
11-12 (Mono Point, or
Duel Points) |
No, Rigid |
Cramp-o-Matic |
A
B C D E F
G H
|
*KEY
A=Ski Touring, Glacial Travel
B & C=Steeper Traverses, to Easy Climbs
D & E=From Classical Mountaineering, to Technical
Alpinism
F & G= From Ice Falls, to Goulottes(couloirs)
G & H=From Modern Mixed, to Dry Tooling
BLUE
denotes the suggested use, and RED
denotes the perfect usage
|
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| G10 |
AIR
TECH |
G12 |
G14 |
RAMBO
4 |
Go
to our Crampon Page
We can special order any other
crampon model by Grivel. To see the
entire line up of Grivel Crampons click
here.
Grivel Crampon Binding
Types:
A well known system which relies
on a nylon speed lever at the rear and a stainless
steel front bale to hold the boot. Quick to put
on (also known as Step-In Bindings), these bindings
are perfect for plastic mountaineering boots(and
some brands/models of leather boots) that have
a rigid sole and substantial heel and toe welts.
The stainless steel safety strap, which was invented
by Grivel, is permanently mounted on the front
bale and prevents total loss of the crampon should
it be forced off the boot. This system can work
with leather boots, but not all makes. For leather
boots, consider the New Matic Binding version
(described below). If using the Cramp-o-matic
binding option with a Overboot, some trimming/cutting
of the Overboot to accomodate the front bale may
be required.
An evolution of the Cramp-o-Matic
system which utilized the C-O-M rear bale and
lever. The plastic harness system is hinged from
two front posts which retain the boot securely
even if it has a shallow, worn front welt or if
Overboots (may not require trimming/cutting of
the Overboot) are being used. It is a simple and
efficient binding, which is far more versatile
than the original Cramp-o-Matic style, in terms
of accomodating many types of boots, including
leather and plastics. Made in bi-component plastic:
the black part is the stronger, bearing the strain
whilst the yellow part is softer, increasing adherence
to the boot. The harness is made from the strongest,
most durable plastic available-Zytel DuPont, which
was developed for the manufacture of alpine ski
bindings. Obviously it cannot last forever, so
please, after long and severe use replace the
harness the same way you would resold trekking
boots or rock climbing shoes.
Grivel Ice Axe Models
we offer:
We can special order any other
Ice Axe model by Grivel. To see the
entire line up of Grivel Ice Axes click
here.
We can special order any other
model of ice screws by Grivel. To
see the entire line up of Grivel Ice Screws click
here.
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Rock
Exotica
The founder of Rock Exotica, Rock Thompson, started
making precision equipment in 1987. Rock Exotica
made a variety of unique climbing hardware products
that had never been available anywhere before,
among which several are still made today, such
as the Soloist (self belay device), and the Wall
Hauler. Today, Rock Exotica still guarantees that
they have the most unique manufacturing in all
the world, and the smallest marketing department.
Its not about the cost of development, or what
design will sell the best; its about what can
the company produce that they will be proud of,
fulfilling a specific need, and perhaps a technical
equipment need the market didn't realize could
be filled. Every hardware item is designed and
manufactured in the USA. The Rock exotica gear
was so innovative and high precision, that they
were approached in the early 90's by a large well
known European climbing gear company to make carabiners
and other items. So, Thompson formed a joint venture
company, Thompson Manufacturing and also began
making gear for this very well known French climbing
gear company.
  
The Rock
Exotica brand continued to grow, and demand
grew round the world, and eventually the European
company had Thomspon also make many Rock Exotica
favorites under "their" brand and they
distributed them. During this time, the focus
on the Rock Exotica brand disappeared some. Some
time later, Rock Thompson bought all the shares
of Thompson Manufacturing, and then brought back
into focus, the Rock Exotica brand.
Rock Exotica manufactures very high grade carabiners,
pulleys,
wall haulers, swivels,
rigging
plates, solo devices, and descenders.
They design and manufacture hardware for climbing,
arborists, work-rescue (such as the famous Vortex),
and the US Military.
At Rock Exotica, this is their motto: to manufacture
the most innovative technical hardware equipment
in the world, and to make the best gear in the
world, regardless of cost, producing equipment
unavailable anywhere else, for the expert user.
Made in Utah, USA.
If we don't have a Rock Exotica product in stock,
Bradley Alpinist can special order any climbing,
arborist, work/rescue or military product available
from Rock Exotica.
  
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Hunersdorff
High Altitude Water Bottles
Another hard to find item. We are one of few
retailers that offer these water bottles, everyone
offers Nalgene. Made in Germany, these BPA Free
bottles hold up to extremly cold temperature,
remaining completely pliable. Made of PE Plastic
primarily for the medical and research industry,
they have a wide mouth, which is a feature that
makes a bottle less prone to fully freezing across
the opening, and the wider opening best accomodates
stuffing the bottle partially with snow, and provides
ease in pouring in water. The lid material is
the same as the bottle body, and thus has the
same physical characteristics in extremely cold
temperatures, resisting cracking or splitting..
The threads on the lid are wide tracked, which
helps when opening to clear any ice that may have
formed. The lid also has wide vertical ridges
on the outside, giving you plenty to grip (gloves,
or no gloves) to open when frozen shut. Hunersdorff
bottles are recommended by many well known guiding
companies that guide the big peaks. For many companies,
these bottles are an essential part of the client
required gear list. Nalgene bottles are adequate
for warmer temperatures, but the lids are very
susceptible to splitting (material is different
than the body), and the lid's threads are easily
frozen shut and very hard to clear as they are
very narrow and fine. Nalgene lids are also narrow
in depth, and without significant texture to aid
in the gripping to open. Nalgene bottles are rigid
in the body, which makes it impossible to help
clear any built up ice on the inside of the body.
Hunersdorff High Altitude Bottles are soft and
pliable, giving you the ability to squeeze and
clear and ice on the inside. Available in 1 Liter
or 1.5 Liter. Every bottle will always require
an insulator in the extreme cold. For the Hunersdorff
bottles, the 40-Below
Bottle Jacket is recommended, and its the
only insulator that will work for the 1.5L size.
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Hilleberg
Tents
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Forty
Below
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Outdoor
Research
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Julbo
Eye Wear
 
In the Jura Mountains of France, the 120-year-old
eye wear company, Julbo, continues its heretage
in alpine-mountaineering, high-altitude and glacier
exploration optics. Julbo creates the finest of
mountaineering sunglasses for high altitude and
extreme conditions, many equipped with removable
sideshields for extra solar protection. Julbo's
eye wear are designed to perform superiorly in
high altitude environments, where mountaineers
are overly susceptible to eye damage from sun
and reflections.
Julbo’s many lenses, include the glass
AltiArc, which allows as little as 4% of visible
light to pass through the lens. Other mountaineering
sunglasses and glacier glasses feature a photochromic
that promote the needed vision in inhospitable
environment. Choose Julbo goggles for full eye
protection in howling wind and snow.
   
We offer a broad selection of Julbo's alpine-mountaineering
line in sunglasses and goggles, including several
models of "over the glasses" goggles
for those who wear corrective lenses full time.
For those who do utilize presciption lenses, as
an option, Julbo sunglasses can be purchased and
then sent to a select vendor for lense correction.
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