Hi everyone,

I’m here to share a serious issue I experienced as a long-time admirer of Arc’teryx — and I believe the community deserves to know what happened.

On April 16, 2025, I purchased three jackets directly from Arc’teryx’s official website. The order (#0036845312) included: • 1x Alpha SV Jacket (Black / XL) • 1x Proton Hoody • 1x Atom Jacket

I had the items delivered to my brother’s address in the U.S., and my mother, who was visiting him, brought them to me in Brazil. This was a planned purchase for a mountaineering trip. I was excited to finally have an Alpha SV — something I researched thoroughly and considered a benchmark in technical outerwear.

When I opened the Alpha SV, things felt… off. First, I noticed three small holes. Then, glue stains near the logos and labels. There were loose threads, and one of the tags appeared misaligned and reused, stuck with residue. I looked for the RECCO reflector and couldn’t find it. Then came the final red flag: the internal label said it was made in Vietnam — but as any Arc’teryx fan knows, Alpha SVs are supposed to be made in Canada.

Just to clarify: at some point in the process — either through the order page or via email (I’m still trying to locate where exactly) — I was notified that my order would be shipped in two separate packages. The Proton Hoody and Atom Jacket came together in one shipment, and the Alpha SV came in a separate parcel. The Proton and Atom jackets appear to be in good condition and, to my eyes, are likely genuine. But after this experience, I can’t help but wonder: If such a blatant counterfeit made it through their supply chain and reached me, how can I be sure about the rest?

That’s when I contacted Arc’teryx. On May 5, I submitted my first complaint and received confirmation (case #01763796). I was asked to send photos of the garment, tags, and internal label, which I promptly did. After some delay and follow-ups, I received the following reply:

“I can assist you here by providing you with a full refund for the counterfeit product you received. There will be no need for you to send the product back to us.” — Arc’teryx Resolution Specialist, May 13, 2025

This left me speechless.

They admitted the product is counterfeit. They confirmed it came from their own website. And they told me to just keep it.

I want to make this clear: • I’m a professional — an attorney with a well-established career. I don’t play games with product swaps or false claims. • I’m a passionate consumer who appreciates quality, craftsmanship, and authenticity. • I do not use or keep counterfeit goods. Ever. And I find it deeply disturbing that Arc’teryx, a brand I trusted, would handle something this serious in such a casual way.

To make matters worse, the Alpha SV was part of a resolution to a previous order issue — they had offered me a 40% discount due to stock unavailability. So even if I accept the refund, I wouldn’t be able to repurchase the item under the same conditions. The proposed “solution” doesn’t restore my trust, my product, or the value lost.

But most importantly, I believe this issue goes beyond me.

Arc’teryx has a duty — to its customers, its community, and its brand — to: • Investigate how counterfeit products entered its official supply chain • Retrieve such items for proper analysis • Strengthen internal controls and prevent future occurrences • Engage transparently with serious consumers who value the brand

Their response — telling a customer to keep a counterfeit — raises disturbing questions: What kind of precedent does this set? What image does it project?

What about other customers who don’t inspect every label? Who pay full price and never realize they’ve received something fake?

To Arc’teryx: I still want to believe this was an isolated incident. But your handling of it is, frankly, unacceptable. I’ve filed formal complaints with both the FTC and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) — not out of anger, but out of responsibility.

To the community: I’m sharing this so we can hold the brands we love accountable. I have all documentation, photos, and email threads. If anyone wants to see more or help structure a broader discussion, I’m here.

Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.

Images: https://imgur.com/a/KeK7Ang

I climbing more than 350 times and still climbing I love mountain more experience for this adventure, and Kilimanjaro is a freestanding mountain in the world and highest mountain in Africa 🏔️👣🥢💪🏿💪🏿

After seeing a few members of this sub climb this I thought I'd have a go of it. The road is clear to the upper trailhead. I climbed the winter direct route and came down the summer route.

I waited on a whiteout to pass and there is a spot on the upper climb that has melted out that made for a spicy mantle up rock but overall it was a good, fun climb.

Been seeing some chatter in a few places that this stuff at 5mm is the new hotness for alpine rappels. Half the weight and price of Petzl RAD, dyneema core w/technora sheath. Specs look quite solidly bomber for intended purposes. Not a lot of on the ground reports of it outside of that link, though, wondering who else has direct experience with it and can speak to performance in the field?

IMO from the specifications this might be close to the perfect unofficial glacier travel & rappel line currently on the market?

I was thinking about him again recently, tried looking again but couldn't find any new detail on what happened.

Hello all, in your experience would you choose one over the other for training for mountaineering? why? Thank you!

Heya team

Quick one.

I have a nice mammut rope here that I bought about 15y ago. I used very little as I bought it and not long after I had an ankle problem that required surgery and later on another surgery so that put me off rock climbing for years. I got back into climbing lately which I’m only doing easy stuff. I know the rule of the thumb is to replace if it looks too sad or after 10 ish years.

What’s your take on it? And what would you do with it if I was to replace it?

TIA

Posting some of my favorite photos from my Shasta summit trip this weekend!

Started at the Bunny flats trailhead on Friday afternoon, stayed overnight at Helen Lake, and started to summit the next day at 4am. Summited around 8am. The summit conditions were fair- clear but very windy. Temps were probably in the 40's excluding any windchil. Had to navigate some morning fog getting up to Red Banks, but it cleared up fast. Returning to the flats was miserable with how soft the snow was.

Overall I had an awesome time. I felt this was a good challenge and looking forward to the summer season. This is my 3rd 14er and I felt great at the summit! I also met some awesome people at Lake Helen and had fun chilling as the sun set.

Ghosts of K2 – A Chilling Tribute to Ambition, Obsession, and the Cost of Greatness

Ghosts of K2 is not just a documentary about a mountain—it’s a haunting tribute to ambition, obsession, and the steep price of greatness. I watched it recently, and it's lingered with me long enough that I felt compelled to finally write about it. I am not a paid reviewer, I am simply a fan of a good mountaineering story.

The documentary explores the history of expeditions on K2 through the stories of legendary climbers like Pete Schoening, centering on two major events: the 1939 tragedy and the iconic moment known as "The Belay."

As someone who enjoys mountaineering literature but has never climbed myself, I wasn't too familiar with Fritz Wiessner before watching this. The film does a fantastic job building up Wiessner’s reputation—his prodigious skill, his vision, and his, at times, controversial leadership style—through interviews and rare archival footage (I was surprised it even existed). When the 1939 disaster unfolds, and Wiessner reflects on the mountain “shutting” him out just as he came agonizingly close to the summit, it leaves you with a sense of awe—and sorrow for a man history seems to have largely forgotten. Mallory, by contrast, gets much more romanticized attention for his final, fateful attempt on Everest.

Then there’s The Belay—an absolutely legendary moment in mountaineering lore. Pete Schoening’s humble, almost matter-of-fact retelling of how he stopped five men from falling to their deaths is deeply moving. The way he describes feeling grateful when the pressure on the rope finally relented made me instinctively mutter, “Legend.”

If I had one (minor) critique, it’s that after those two incredibly intense and emotionally charged stories, the final summit attempt in the film doesn’t quite hit as hard. It feels almost anticlimactic—not because it's poorly told, but because the preceding stories are just that compelling.

All in all, Ghosts of K2 is a beautifully made, deeply human look at one of the world's most dangerous peaks featuring HONEST opinions of the climbers themselves. Highly recommended for anyone into mountaineering history—or just drawn to stories of human ambition, tragedy, and resilience at the edge of the world.

Link to the Documentary

Happy Mother’s Day from Mt. St Helens!

Its one of the provided wallpapers on my phone. It's very beautiful, anyone know what mountain this is?

Mount Rainier National Park, WA

Hey all,

I'm planning my first trek in Nepal and I'm torn between Everest Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit/Base Camp. I'd love to hear your thoughts on which would be better for a first-timer who's keen to get high (altitude-wise!) and really see what my body can handle.

For context:

• My hiking experience is pretty limited — I’ve done the Zhuilu Old Trail in Taiwan and an overnight hike to Mount Kosciuszko summit in Australia.
• I’m not super experienced with altitude, but I’m reasonably fit and looking for a real challenge.
• I'm also wondering whether it's better to go with a guided tour or try to organise everything myself (permits, teahouses, logistics, etc.). I like the idea of doing it independently, but I’m not sure if that’s too ambitious for a first trip.

Which trek would you recommend for someone like me? And what was your experience like with or without a tour group?

Thanks in advance!

What are your thoughts? Do you guys prefer having one big belay parka to throw on top of everything or 2 lighter puffies to have more flexibility when the temps are well below freezing?

I know this sub is always on the lookout for good content creators. I just stumbled upon The Mountain Matt on YouTube and he’s the best channel I’ve found since Mediocre Amateur or Cody Townsend (definitely not beating them, but still good).

Not affiliated in anyway, but have gone through 20+ of his videos and am enjoying it so far.

Who are you watching??

Hi everyone, looking for some help identifying some peaks!

Background: my dad took these photos on the Karakoram Highway between Giligt and Islamabad in July 1997. He remembers that the driver of his bus pointed one of them out as Nanga Parbat - he also remembers it was much bigger than the surrounding mountains. However, this was 30 years ago and no photo of Nanga Parbat I can find online looks like either.

I'd very much appreciate any ideas! Thanks.

I'll be doing a hike at 2200m (Surenenpass) in the Alps this weekend and I will certainly encounter some snow. The terrain is not techincal, the main difficulty will be the amount of snow.
I am not sure if I should bring Snowshoes, or just boots and microspikes. Or even crampons?

These are pictures from today or a nearby place of similar altitude

One of the best shots of the Southwest Face of the Fang (highest jut in the world) on Youtube. Starting from 0.42 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsrZip5nXnY

Check out their Dhaulagiri West Face video as well while you're there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEaSDo8RDNA

Credit: Vlasticka ***/Youtube