I find personal gear reviews on the web really useful when shopping, so I decided to add some of my own reviews to the site. Here are my thoughts on some of the stuff I use.
Winter Gear
Atomic TMX
The TMX has been my go-to, quiver of one ski for years. I use the 177cm length (I'm 5'10" and weigh 160 lbs.) I've mounted them with Dynafit Comforts and brakes. Pros - the ski is quite light (foam core) so it's a good choice for regular touring (95%+ of my skiing is backcountry) and it had decent turn initiation for trees and couloirs. Cons - On hardpack it tends to chatter and doesn't feel stable and it feels squirrelly in high speed GS situations. I've really enjoyed this ski and i found it great for ski mountaineering but after several years of consistent use they feel a bit pooched. I'd like to replace them with a wider ski (Black Diamond Verdict?) for fatter GS turns and a light ski of similar dimensions for ski mountaineering.
Trab Duo Freerando
These are my skis for long, lightweight trips, traverses and spring tours. I really love these skis. While not nearly as light as the MX20, they ski far, far better. I use the Trab skin attachment system, which works very well, and the Dynafit TLT Classics without breaks. I have a short length that makes skinning and switchbacking a breeze. Of course, the narrowness of the ski and the short length make then a bit squirrelly, but they are still quite a reasonable ski for touring and on good spring corn I really can't tell the difference between these skis and anything else.
Garmont Dynamite
These have been really great boots for me as I've transitioned from a tele skier to AT gear. They are nice and light and the touring feel is very comfortable. I have a low volume foot, so I just can't get scarpas to snug up on my foot. The lower volume of the Dynafit last give me much better contact on the foot of my foot after I had the buckles remounted to be a bit shorter and tighter (this required carving away at the tongue of the boot to accommodate the shorter buckle). Design is pretty good, though the bottom two buckles are constantly getting disengaged during bootpacking. I've replaced the powerstrap once after it wore out. I've used these boots for everything from traverses like the McBride Range to descent of the Y Couloir and Pencil Couloir on Mt. Currie. The boots are probably nearing the end of their life and I'm planning to replace them with something burlier like the Garmont Radium. The boots have been great for touring, but I think a stiffer 4 buckle boot will give me more control on more serious ski terrain and for bigger, faster turns. I'll keep these boots for longer tours where the low cut and soft flex will be much appreciated.
Dynafit TLT Classics
Currently mounted on th Trab Duo Freerandos without breaks. Since I'm not using breaks, these bindings are very light and super easy to switch from tour to ski mode and back using the pole flick technique. The only problem is that I worry about they popping off and flying down a glacier into a crevasse. So far, so good (knock on wood) though I did have a close call on the Ashlu-Elaho traverse while traversing across the head of the glacier without the toe piece fully engaged. The lightweight and durability of the dynafit line make me a complete convert, but they do require a bit of extra fiddling and a considerable attention to detail during use. Clearing snow from below the toe piece mechanism is crucial to ensure a solid engagement - otherwise you risk an escaping ski.
Dynafit Comfort
Currently mounted on my TMX's with brakes. Again, I love the dynafits for their light weight and durability. They require constant vigilance to ensure they are properly engaged, but this is not a major issue for me, especially since I have brakes on these bindings. One major complaint I have with these is auto rotation of the heel piece during skinning, especially in mashed potatoes snow. I think the problem is largely due to my body mechanics, but it can be quite frustrating, especially when it happens every few steps and my heel keeps locking in. However, this is an infrequent problem and overall they are a great binding.
Dynafit Vertical
My next binding which I bought at a good price a while back. I'm looking forward to mounting these on some big planks for big, fast turns!
MEC Alpinelite 30
This has been my day pack for ski touring and ski mountaineering over the last several years. It's super light and stripped down but can still carry skis for boot packing. Two things I would change - more durability of the pack fabric and snow collar stitching, and an improved ski attachment system. However, I chose it because it was light and that usually comes at the expense of durability and features.
Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone
For 3-4 day summer and winter trips I love this pack! It's very light (and consequently durability will probably be pretty low) and it carries very well due to a great suspension. The pack is built without a top pocket, you simply role up the powder cuff and close the fastex buckles.
Serratus Alpinelite
My big pack for longer trips. Stripped down and lightweight but very durable. It's a great pack for longer summer and winter trips when I need to carry a big load.
MEC Dissident
This is the shell I take on all ski touring trips. It's very light, has a great cut and hood and is reasonably stripped down of features. I'm really happy with this shell.
Voile XLM Avalanche Shovel
I carry Voile's lighweight aluminum shovel. I find the handle a bit short for moving snow so I usually replace it with Voile's longer handle that contains a snow saw.
Camp XLC 390 Aluminum Crampons
Fantastic, lightweight aluminum crampons. I take these on most of my ski mountaineering trips. They are light enough that I don't twice about bringing them and they provide me with the comfort of knowing I'll be able to get up and down most things regardless of conditions. Part one of my ski mountaineering insurance policy.
Cassin Ice Axe
I can't find an image of the axe I have, but it's very similar to this Camp Corsa Axe. Very simple 50 cm 7.4 ounce axe. Light enough that I never think twice about brining it - it comes on all my scrambling and ski mountaineering trips. Part two of my ski mountaineering insurance policy.
Dynafit Ski Crampons
I love these things! For skinning or traversing on hard surfaces such as summit rime or spring morning melt freeze crusts, these crampons make for much faster and safer travel. I almost always carry them and thus they are part three of my ski mountaineering insurance policy. My one complaint is that they have a free pivot that flips up and down with each step. While this is nice for easier travel, when using my climbing bars to ascend steeper slopes, the teeth of the crampon don't get fully pushed into the snow providing less traction. I would much prefer a ski crampon that locked down to the ski and was always held in that position, or better yet, one that had the option of free pivoting or locking down.
Camp XLH 130 Harness
This harness is very basic and I would never want to hang in it for long, but for a lightweight glacier travel harness, or for a short rappel into a couloir, it's a great harness. This harness has been replaced by the similar Camp XLH95.
Beal 8mm Dry Rope - 30 m
This is the glacier rope I carry for ski traverses or ski mountaineering where a rappel is necessary. The upside is it's low weight, the downside is it's short lenght. I think it's actually too short for setting up a good crevasse rescue system if someone falls down into a slot, so I'm trading off that security in the hope that it would provide a self rescue option and maybe a Z pulley rescue option.
Black Diamond Carbon Fiber and Whippet Poles
Without question, the Black Diamond flick lock system is the best adjustable pole I've seen. They are very reliable - I've used them summer and winter for 9 years of heavy use with failure of the lock mechanism. The carbon fiber poles have a great feel to them, I replace the grip with the Whippet (and an adaptor for the carbon fiber lower shaft) for ski mountaineering. I'm still not totally confident that the whippet would stop me in a fast crash on firm snow, but it gives an increased chance. The whippet is fantastic for steep bootpacking as a pair or, more commonly, combined with an ice axe.
Integral Designs MK1 XL with Vestibule
This is my serious weather and traverse tent. I opted for the light floor and carbon fiber poles to reduce weight. The tent is super bomber and has a good vestibule for the option of cooking in the tent. It's a bit small inside, but the tradeoff for increased security without fear of a destroyed tent is worthwhile. I'm a big fan of this tent.
Black Diamond Mega Light
For lightweight tent with 3 or possibly 4 people, this is a nice minimalist option. Of course, it is a very light way to travel, but proper set up takes more tie and skill to ensure you don't have snow blowing in through the bottom. It's a sil-nylon tent so durability will be an issue, especially with extended use. You need to treat these tents carefully to avoid what could be catastrophic damage to the fabric.
Black Diamond Beta Light
Similar to the Mega Light, this is a great tent for 1 or 2 people when you're really saving weight. I've used it on my own in the summer and winter and it's worked out well. Of course, you're sacrificing comfort for the weight.