As some of you may know, Eddie Bauer is launching a new product line called First Ascent that brings them back to the technical side of things. They’re doing launch parties across the country with the guides involved in the design, all of which are involved with RMI. It was essentially a short (10 minutes perhaps) pitch about the gear, followed by an hour of Q&A with Jim Whittaker, Peter Whittaker, Dave Hahn, and a couple more RMI guides. The gear looks great, though the shells are definitely designed with more of a bent towards climbing than skiing (a little more length would be nice) but otherwise solid-looking equipment at very reasonable prices. It was great talking to a couple of the world’s premier climbing guides about gear and strategery, and I got a photo with Jim Whittaker, first American to summit Everest: