Chances are if you are reading this you have a climber, skier, hiker, mountain biker, or trail runner in your life. You’ve probably already started to see “holiday guides” come from various retailers and bloggers. Here I present my personal hand selected gift ideas for the adventurous mountain traveler in your life. Some are locally hand-crafted ideas from friends and others are time tested national brands so please take a look!
Hydro Flask ($25-$40)
This socially responsible company makes the coolest water bottles and tumblers out there! Super high quality stainless steel technology keeps cold drinks cold for 24 hours and hot drinks hot for 6 hours! Customization and tons of color and style options means there is a Hydro Flask out there for just about everyone! Check out their Holiday Gift guide here.
Friendly Foot Shoe Deodorizer ($11)
I’m pretty sure the 10 seconds of silence from my girlfriend after asking her to marry me was enough time for her to accept that she loved a man with some seriously stinky feet. Luckily she said yes and I would soon find this foot powder, seriously the only product that works on my feet! 7 years later she is quick to remind me if she notices my supply running low. This one is a PERFECT stocking stuffer, pick it up on Amazon here.
Life Straw ($20-$55)
Another socially and environmentally conscious company Life Straw makes getting safe drinking water possible with innovation and effective products. I have been using the Life Straw Steel model over the last couple months and it’s becoming a standard part of my day kit.
SPOT Gen3 Satellite GPS Messenger ($149.95 Sale $74.89)
This device allows someone to summon help even when they are far away from cell phone service. It provides piece of mind to my wife when I’m out on a week long trip in the mountains by allowing me to send “check-in” messages that show her where in the world I am. This is an excellent gift for the adventurer in your life!
VSSL Supplies ($50-99)
I’ve had the VSSL Supplies model for two years now and it’s an integral part of our home emergency kit (extended power-outs) and comes with us on road trips as part of our “on the go” kit. While it’s a little heavy for me to take climbing I know a few hunters that have added it to their day kit and it has a lot to offer the casual back-packer and car-camper. See my detailed review I posted here!
Darn Tough Socks ($15-$27)
Possibly the best socks I’ve ever owned and made right over the border in Vermont! For mountaineering and ice climbing check out this model! These socks come with an unconditional lifetime guarantee and make an excellent stocking stuffer!
Mountains For Breakfast Cozies ($18)
My friend Brittni started this hand-crafted company just last year and I’ve been seeing her work at local coffee shops and at the crags! The iconic “drink sweater” is right at home keeping that pre-climb coffee warm or that post-climb beer cold! I’m definitely excited to be giving something handmade to some of my loved ones this season!
MaxxDry Heavy Duty Boot and Glove Dryer ($55)
Every home in the Northeast should have one of these! It’s effective enough that I can easily dry my boots and gloves along with my wife’s in just a couple hours. No balancing them over the floor base heaters or getting them too hot near the wood-stove and risking early de-lamination! You can pick on up on Amazon here.
Anker PowerCore 10000 Re-charger (25.99)
This charger sees almost daily use as I use my iPhone extensively while out climbing and for most of my video editing. What I like most about this charger is that I can get at least 3 full charges from it and it charges much faster than a wall outlet. You can pick this stocking stuffer up on Amazon here.
Sea to Summit Reactor Sleeping Bag Liner ($57.95)
This goes with me everywhere. It’s super comfy on airplanes as a blanket and in hostels around the world. I also like that it keeps my expensive down sleeping bag clean (extending its life) even after weeks of grimy sleeping!
Buy on Backcountry Buy on Amazon
Sea To Summit Delta Spork With Knife ($3.95)
Simple lightweight option to make meal time easy!
Buy on Backcountry Buy on Amazon
Petzl CORDEX Lightweight Belay Gloves ($34.95)
If ropes are involved these come with me. They were perfect for the warmer daytime glacier temps and offer great protection for rappelling, short-roping, etc.
Buy on Backcountry Buy on Amazon
AMK .7 First Aid Kit ($32.95)
I customize mine a little but this is a great base kit at the price!
Buy on Backountry Buy on Amazon
SOL Emergency Bivy Sack (13-$23)
Super affordable and weighs less than 4 ounces means there is never a reason not to bring this!
Petzl Actik Headlamp ($44.95 sale $33.71)
I recently upgraded from my older Petzl Myo model and this new model is awesome! Up to 260 hours of burn time and able to through light 90 meters! If you’re due for a headlamp upgrade I highly suggest you check out this model!
Buy on Backcountry Buy on Amazon
Quality Survival Lighter ($14.99)
Fire-starter is on every gear list, and this one is a good value!
Big Ticket Items!
GoPro Hero 5 Session ($299.99)
A great little HD cam with advanced features beyond this post. You can see some of the footage about a minute into my Forbidden Peak video!
Buy on Backcountry Buy on Amazon
Garmin Fenix 3 HR GPS watch $300-$700)
My current favorite GPS navigation capable smart-watch with optical heart-rate! This is the watch I used to create the GPS tracks linked in the trip report. It also allows one-button waypoint saving and the built in barometer/altimeter was a nice plus to our navigation plans. I would like to upgrade to the new Fenix 5 soon!
Buy on Backcountry Buy on Amazon
Ortovox S1+ Avalanche Beacon ($489.00 sale $391.20)
My personal favorite avalanche beacon with a host of advantages over other beacons on the market. Super fast processor and “Smart Antennae” technology helps you find and be found faster. On sale on Backcountry.com now!
Revo Goggles
These high end goggles out perform every other brand I have ever tried. As a brand ambassador I can share my promo code “ALPINESTARTF&F” which will get you 20% off when ordering directly from www.revo.com!
Education!
Perhaps your loved one has been talking about taking an ice climbing course or avalanche safety course for a couple of years now but hasn’t pulled the trigger? Give them the nudge they need with a gift certificate for a course at Northeast Mountaineering! Also be sure to use promo code “DavidNEM” when you book a course for a chance to win a free guided adventure of your choice!
Memberships ($35-$80)
UPDATE: A couple readers pointed out an excellent gift idea is a membership to an organization dedicated to access, education, and conservation. To that end I’m embarrassed I didn’t think of that without the nudge so may I also include a membership to the Access Fund and/or the American Alpine Club, two organizations I have supported through membership for over the last 15 years!
Shop Local!
While I do love these online deals I want to take up this space by encouraging you support local businesses, especially small specialty climbing shops, with your business! To that end if you can physically visit this stores please do!
International Mountain Equipment, North Conway, NH
Ragged Mountain Equipment, Intervale, NH
Outdoor Gear Exchange, Burlington, VT
Well that’s my list! I guess it was 25 items. I hope this helps you shop for your loved ones this holiday season!
See you in the mountains,
Northeast Alpine Start
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Northeast Alpine Start 
Great suggestions in this list and especially the “Education” gift. I wish more mountaineers had proper climbing and general mountaineering formation.
Well done and thanks for sharing
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