Gear List
What equipment do I need for JIRP?
Figuring out equipment for JIRP can be overwhelming. Skiing and mountaineering, our two modes of transportation for most of the field season, are both technical and gear-intensive pursuits. If you're new to either (or both), you're not alone. Skiing and mountaineering equipment can be expensive, but planning and preparation can help keep costs down. Many items will go on sale at the end of the winter season (February-March); don’t necessarily start buying items immediately, but the sooner you start learning about the gear the better you’ll be able to spot a good deal when you come across it.
If you have questions about gear, stop by Office Hours or shoot us a question via email. Information on Office Hours will be sent to participants after they are accepted to the Field Course.
Gear List
The first step to rounding up all the gear you're going to need is to check out the Gear List. The Gear List includes a description of everything you'll need for JIRP, so it's long. Note that the last page is a checklist with quantities broken down by role. We've included pictures of many of the more unusual items.
The Gear List Supplement has detailed information about skis, boots, and bindings. If you already own any of these items, please consult both of these documents to make sure your gear is appropriate for the Icefield traverse.
Significant Gear List Updates of the Last Five Years
We make significant changes to the Gear List every few years. Participants who have been away from JIRP for more than five years should read the entire list thoroughly. Participants who are returning to JIRP after fewer than five years away should pay particular attention to these recent changes:
Mountain Boots - we require mountain (hiking/mountaineering) boots with stiff soles for optimal use kicking steps in steep snow.
Helmets - we now require helmets with foam protection surrounding the head.
Sunshirts - we recommend at least one UV protective shirt for all participants, two for full-season participants.
Microspikes - Block 4 participants should have both microspikes and crampons for the traverse sections on the blue ice of Llewellyn Glacier.
Skis & Bindings - We welcome both A/T and telemark bindings, however, we still (strongly) recommend fish scale/patterned bases.
Ice axes - Recommended ice axe length is significantly shorter. You do not need to be able to use your ice axe as a walking stick on flat ground.
Long pants - We require participants to wear long pants at all times on the glacier (abrasion and UV protection, cold protection in a crevasse fall).
Gloves - We require participants to wear gloves during many activities on the glacier (abrasion and UV protection).
There will be upwards of 60 people on the expedition on any given week. Many people have similar or identical clothes and gear. Personal space is tight and it is common to have your equipment get mixed up with your bunkmate’s, ropemate’s, or research partner's equipment. Please label everything you bring to JIRP clearly with your last name in permanent marker. The only exception to this is hard items that are difficult to write on (i.e. carabiners), which you should mark with a personalized combination of colored duct tape or electrical tape.
Labelling your equipment
JIRP Gear Rentals
JIRP has a small collection of gear that we rent to students, faculty, and staff every year. These include crampons, skins, ice axes, ski boots, skis, ski poles, and some “soft” goods like fleece jackets, synthetic jackets, and base layers.
We send out a Gear Rental Request form to accepted participants in early March. In years past, all requests received on the day rentals open will receive equal priority. We will do our best to balance rentals across the students who request them, and do not guarantee that students will receive all the equipment they request. In particular, we have very few “soft” goods in a limited selection of sizes. We prioritize student rental needs over faculty. We will let students know what gear they can expect to rent from JIRP within 10 days of the form submission date.
JIRP rental skis come with 3-pin telemark ski bindings mounted. JIRP rental ski boots are 3-pin telemark, hard-plastic boots. Skis are sized by height and weight and ski boots are sized by shoe size, so we cannot guarantee that we can rent ski boots and skis to everyone who requests them. If you accept the rental of one but we cannot get you a rental for the other, you will be responsible for finding the complementary gear (i.e. we can’t mount the rental skis with A/T tech bindings to match your A/T boots).
Rental Costs
Payment is due with field fees. It is non-refundable and covers normal wear and tear on the equipment. If you break the equipment in the course of normal use, we will not charge you further. If you break the equipment through misuse or negligence, we will require you to pay a replacement fee equal to the original rental cost (e.g., we'll charge you the $40 rental fee + $40 replacement fee = $80 total).
Crampons - $20
Ski skins - $10
Ice axe - $40
Ski boots - $50
Skis and poles - $70
“Soft” item - $30
Finding Gear on a Limited Budget
If you were to bring this list into your local outdoor store and purchase everything new, it would be exceptionally expensive. We do not advocate doing that. Instead, check out more the gear table on our Field Fees & Scholarships spreadsheet, and start with these steps:
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Figure out what you already have
You may already have suitable options for many of the items we require. We’ve described every item as generically as possible.
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Borrow
Ask around to friends and family to see if they own things you may be able to borrow. One advantage of JIRP is that our field season is the northern hemisphere summer - exactly when most people do not need their skiing and winter outdoor equipment.
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Buy used
You can find many of these items used online. With enough run-up time, you could buy everything used (other than underwear and socks). If you buy directly from an individual, this requires doing your homework — know how to tell if something is damaged, at the end of its lifespan, or not the right size. Also look around for local used sports stores. If you find something that looks promising but you're not sure, ask our staff. Check out the websites listed below (first section).
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Buy on sale
See what you can buy on sale. The end of the winter sports season (February-March) can be a great time to find gear steeply discounted. This takes a bit of looking around, but it can save a lot of money.
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College Outdoor Club/Earth Science Department
Check with your college/university outdoor club and Earth Science Department. Again, we're using skiing and winter equipment during what many people in the northern hemisphere consider to be the off-season. You may be able to borrow or rent equipment for the summer.
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Rent
Rent from JIRP! We offer ice axes, crampons, skis, skins, ski boots, and ski poles for rent. Rentals will be first come/first serve on a specific date. Check out the Gear Rentals form for more information. Rentals are prioritized for students over faculty/staff.
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Pro Deals or Gear testing
Many outdoor companies offer "Pro Deals", loaner gear, or other support to athletes who are using equipment for unusual (photogenic) trips. This support usually comes in the form of gear discounts or borrowing the gear for the summer in exchange for reviews or photos of the trip. Ask around. Make sure to tell anyone you talk to you that you're a climate science student working in the Coast Range of Alaska - JIRP is pretty cool! Check out pro-deal conglomerates like ExpertVoice or Outdoor Prolink. Try local companies or gear stores as well as bigger ones.
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Buying through The Mountaineer
We have historically worked with a well-regarded skiing/climbing shop in northern New York, called The Mountaineer, to outfit participants. They are familiar with JIRP and are happy to answer questions and provide recommendations for appropriate gear. They are also happy to mail gear if you order online or over the phone!
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Buy new
If you have to buy equipment new, check out rewards programs, shop around, and feel free to ask us before you make any big choices. Shopping at your local outdoor gear store can help if you find a knowledgeable retail clerk, but be wary of people who may not understand exactly what we're getting into.
Cleaning and sprucing up used gear and clothing
JIRP was founded on, and continues to celebrate, a philosophy of maintaining and repairing our equipment and clothing so it lasts as long as possible. Maintaining and repairing what is already in the world is almost always more affordable and better for the environment. We need a handful of truly technical items to do the traverse safely, but they absolutely do not need to be new technical items.
Cleaning and repairing modern technical clothing can be intimidating, and many of us never learned the art of washing older and/or pickier fabrics (especially wool!). We’ve compiled some pointers here. Whether you’re washing your shell between seasons of heavy use, reviving a thrift store fleece with a questionable smell, or you found your grandparent’s burly wool shirt from the 50s and you want to give it another adventure, check this page out!
Used and New Gear Websites
The following lists are crowdsourced from years of gear-hunting JIRP participants. We hope they’ll give you a place to start as you’re looking for gear!
USED
Most of these are marketplaces where individuals sell directly to individuals.
craigslist.com - depending on where you are, can be great for skis, sold directly by individuals.
ebay.com - again, surprisingly good for skis, sold directly by individuals.
Facebook Marketplace
FB Tele Ski Gear Exchange - skis, bindings, boots, sold directly (and quickly, often in hours!) by individuals
REI Re/Supply shops - no longer available online, but most stores have a used gear section with great discounts
geartrade.com - used gear sold online by individuals
Outdoors Geek - sells used rental equipment, especially good for sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and backpacks
MEC Gear Swap - semi-annual event at MEC stores (Canada) where members can shop for used gear sold by individuals
wornwear.patagonia.com - used Patagonia brand clothing, cleaned and refurbished by Patagonia
resale.arcteryx.com - used Arcteryx brand clothing, cleaned and refurbished by Arcteryx
thenorthfacerenewed.com - used North Face brand clothing, cleaned and refurbished by North Face
alwaystheadventure.com/sustainability/used-gear-stores - excellent blog post listing brick and mortar used gear stores in most U.S. states
freeheellife.com - used telemark skis, boots, and bindings
BCTalk Swamp Meet - used telemark skis, boots, and bindings
NEW GEAR
sierratradingpost.com - steep discounts, inventory changes often
steepandcheap.com - steep discounts (run by Backcountry.com)
publiclands.com - steep discounts (run by Dick’s Sporting Goods)
ems.com - wide range of products
theclymb.com - steep discounts, variable inventory
backcountry.com - wide range of products
rei.com - wide range of products, has a free rewards program
gearx.com - brick and mortar store in Vermont that sells online