What is the best store for mountaineering gear in or near Orange County? I need snowshoes, maybe light crampons, meals-in-a-bag, stove fuel, etc. Thanks.

REI man!

I made a big mistake by "gearing up" at a socal REI store when I was getting ready to go climb in Canada.

I don't think you can find a good selection at REI or any store in SoCal for Ice Climbing and winter mountaineering equipment.

Or knowledgeable sales people to help you with your selections.

They have like 3 kinds of crampons in stock.......... 2 kinds of boots.... 2 ice axes.....(maybe)

we hit a Real climbing shop in Jasper, I did not know that there are more than 30 kinds of crampons!

They dialed me in, sold me some pons that didn't bail up with snow, adjusted em so they never came loose or fell of ( like the BD ones did)...... Those guys knew all about real winter climbing, heck their summer climbing is like our winters

So I resolved to never to buy more stuff from people who don't know shit.

Besides it is much easer to get through an airport with cash than an Ice Axe...

just saying.

I live in LA and I used to buy a lot from REI. REI can be good if you know what you are looking for (much like any big box retailer i.e. Walmart, Bestbuy, Home Depot, Costco, etc - same business model), but I try and get specialized gear when im up in Mammoth or Bishop (or even Flagstaff). I like Mammoth Mountaineering, but that's just me. I have been to 15+ REI's and they are fairly region specific (Anchorage and Seattle REI's being among the best for snow/climbing gear). Unfortunately the REI's in Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach mostly sell strollers and nalgenes to soccer moms (not that there's anything wrong with that), but when you ask for crampon advice, you really are hoping the one guy in the place that knows a little something about crampons is working that day...

Adventure 16 is also good, but I got "sold" there one time a few years ago, so I try not to spend big $$$ there.

Does Bishop count as SoCal? There's Wilson's Eastside Sports. And as grammys11 mentioned, Mammoth Mountaineering in Mammoth has pretty good selection, and their annual sale has good discounts.

JHH60 wrote:Does Bishop count as SoCal? There's Wilson's Eastside Sports. And as grammys11 mentioned, Mammoth Mountaineering in Mammoth has pretty good selection, and their annual sale has good discounts.

Dude.... the City of Los Angeles owns Bishop. Lock stock and barrel.

harsh but true......

gk

Guyzo wrote:

JHH60 wrote:Does Bishop count as SoCal? There's Wilson's Eastside Sports. And as grammys11 mentioned, Mammoth Mountaineering in Mammoth has pretty good selection, and their annual sale has good discounts.

Dude.... the City of Los Angeles owns Bishop. Lock stock and barrel.

harsh but true......

gk

They certainly own the water. And Mammoth is basically North LA.

Sam Page wrote:What is the best store for mountaineering gear in or near Orange County? I need snowshoes, maybe light crampons, meals-in-a-bag, stove fuel, etc. Thanks.

eBay..

For the basics, REI in Santa Ana will do. More specialized gear, not so much. Someone suggested Nomad Ventures to me for mountaineering boots. I might check them out sometime.

I know that the O-side A16 has at least one good person who knows what hes talking about (his name is Evan) and he will set you up. They have like BD cyborg crampons, and the Contact crampons, and the BD raven Ice Axe, so not much in stock as far as that goes. As far as Nomad Ventures, THEY ROCK! I love that place!

-Jace

Nomad Ventures in Escondido. Depending on where you are in Orange County, it might be an option.

Nomad in Temecula too.

Because it is only 15 minutes away, I went to the REI in Santa Ana. Nice store. I came home with lots of goodies, but not the big fish: snowshoes. They have a decent selection, but I just wasn't ready to shell out $150+ for something I haven't researched. I almost bought a pair of large Yukons, which were on sale for ~$80, but the binding system is terrible. I was surprised to find only two pairs of snowshoes on Craigslist.

Guyzo wrote:I made a big mistake by "gearing up" at a socal REI store when I was getting ready to go climb in Canada.

I don't think you can find a good selection at REI or any store in SoCal for Ice Climbing and winter mountaineering equipment.

Or knowledgeable sales people to help you with your selections.

They have like 3 kinds of crampons in stock.......... 2 kinds of boots.... 2 ice axes.....(maybe)

we hit a Real climbing shop in Jasper, I did not know that there are more than 30 kinds of crampons!

They dialed me in, sold me some pons that didn't bail up with snow, adjusted em so they never came loose or fell of ( like the BD ones did)...... Those guys knew all about real winter climbing, heck their summer climbing is like our winters

So I resolved to never to buy more stuff from people who don't know shit.

Besides it is much easer to get through an airport with cash than an Ice Axe...

just saying.

There ya go. Fly(or roadtrip!), to Canada to buy your mountaineering gear.
Test it out and climb while you're there. Have some tea in one of the huts for me.
Say hi to lake Louise.

dskoon wrote:There ya go. Fly(or roadtrip!), to Canada to buy your mountaineering gear.
Test it out and climb while you're there. Have some tea in one of the huts for me.
Say hi to lake Louise.

Tea.... Heck, a few snorts of Yukon Jack, and hit another frozen waterfall....

I really did feel stuuuuupppppiiiidddd with my gear they sold me at REI..... ax to short, very technical crampons...

IMHO we don't have a quality gear shop in the southland anywhere.

Once you know the products from years of climbing and usage, you can dig up the correct parts in the sizes you like, online, used etc. but if you really know zero (as I did) relaying on the sales folks will most likely lead to some dissatisfaction with your toys.

The money you save, by not wasting money, will pay for that shopping trip to Canmore. It's just to bad the exchange rate sucks today.

and don't miss lake Louise..... just beware of the speed trap the RCMP set up on the downhill run from the place..... got me.