DEC 92 A WARM NIGHT'S SLEEP An affordable -30 degrees bag and alpine ski touring gear L.L. Bean North Col -30 degrees Outrageously warm sleeping bags often carry outrageous prices. For instance, a state-of-the-art bag with extra puffy down, elaborate baffling, gossamer lining, and Gore-Tex shell will keep you snoozing happily at 30 degrees below, and also take a $600 bite out of your budget. But if you're willing to give a little on the technical side, you can find a decent deep-winter sleeper for half that figure. Case in point: the L.L. Bean North Col -30 degrees mummy we tested in high Alaska. Bean doesn't fuss with exotic design features. The company simply crams the bag so full of goose feathers it can't be anything BUT warm. Then it's wrapped in a water-resistant Replex microfiber shell, and a down-filled collar is added to seal in precious body heat. The result is a relatively basic, but expedition-quality mummy that sells for $315 in regular length, $325 in long. We shipped one to our pickiest winter testers, the mountain guides for the American Alpine Institute. Head guide Mark Houston took one look and packed it for a trip to McKinley. Good thing he took a toasty bag because the first night on the glacier, temperatures dropped to 23 degrees below. "As we climbed to high camp at 17,500 feet," Houston says, "nighttime lows typically hit 25 degrees below, though at that altitude the lack of oxygen makes everything seem colder. Anyway, I slept warm. "The fit was comfortable and I didn't find any particular cold spots. The hood closed reasonably well, though the collar could be sewn in a bit higher." His chief complaint: "Trying to stuff the thing down to size. This bag really needs its industrial-strength compressor stuff sack." The sack's contoured end panels and four cinch straps squash the six-pound mummy into a somewhat manageable lump. AAI guide S.P. Parker also took the North Col to McKinley, and returned with a thumbs-up judgment. "I was impressed, especially considering the price. It's warm---really warm. I didn't zip it all the way up until temps hit 15 degrees below. Above zero, I was almost too hot and just slept underneath it." Parker found that minor condensation collected inside the shell each morning, but the dark purple fabric sun-dried quickly. Neither guide felt the Replex was as waterproof as Gore-Tex, but both were pleased with the way the cheaper alternative shed frost and spilled soup. A North Col -30 degrees would be overkill anywhere subzero temperatures aren't the norm. You can find more weight- and space-efficient bags of equal warmth, but this one has the outrageously-warm-but-not-outrageously-priced niche all zipped up. ---Dave Getchell L.L. Bean makes North Col mummies in +15 degrees, -10 degrees, and -30 degrees versions, in regular and long lengths. Prices range from $225 to $325. Contact: L.L. Bean, Freeport, ME 04032; (800) 221-4221. Alpine Ski Touring Fat skis! Fat skis! No fair!" people kept yelling at me from the side of the gully. The snow was terrific by Mt. Washington standards (knee deep, two days old) although powder-happy Coloradans would dismiss it as "funky-chunky." I was skiing on short, fat Fischer alpine-touring boards, and could crank tight jump turns to my heart's content. The hecklers, several of whom can usually ski rings around me, were on full-length telemark skis and were, to put it bluntly, eating their shorts. Indeed, fat skis aren't fair---they're fantastic. I ditched my traditional telemark gear last season for an alpine-touring setup, and haven't looked back. Alpine touring (AT) skis are smaller versions of regular alpine skis. The bindings hinge forward at the toe for climbing, and lock down at the heel for descents. They also offer full lateral and forward release, which most tele bindings don't. AT boots blend the versatility and traction of a plastic mountain boot with a high-backed upper for control on the steeps. Some sizing comparisons help illustrate the differences in AT equipment. I'm 5'9" and ski on 200 or 205 cm. tele skis. I switched to 180 cm. Fischer Ultra Air Tours. Since the Fischers are more than an inch wider than my tele skis, they offer remarkable flotation in soft snow and stability on harder stuff. At $375 they're not exactly cheap, but then neither are good telemark boards. Weight-wise, the AT skis, boots, and bindings gain about two pounds over my tele gear---a bearable trade-off, considering the added control. AT equipment works best for big-mountain skiing, where you basically head straight up on climbing skins, soak up the views, linger over lunch, then plunge back down. Telemark gear remains a better choice, however, for more varied terrain where you'd anticipate a fair bit of stride-'n'-glide travel on flat or rolling terrain. In Europe, AT is the standard for backcountry skiing because the skis make it easier to handle the variable, windblown snows common in above-tree line areas. On this side of the Atlantic, I'd call the equipment a revelation to Easterners tired of flailing down winding, snowed-over hiking trails and snaking through tight trees; AT gear makes these activities enjoyable for normal mortals. Out West, AT-equipped skiers can disappear into the mountains at will, wherever stable snow conditions will allow. The biggest trouble in North America is finding AT gear. Only a few dozen shops stock it, and a mere handful of those offer expertise on the subject. Your best bet is to contact the manufacturers directly. ---Dave Getchell Contacts for AT equipment: Alpine Research (Ramer bindings, skins, and avalanche beepers), (303) 499-4466; Black Diamond Equipment (BD skis, Dachstein boots, Emery bindings), (801) 278-5552 ; Climb High (Salewa skis, Silvretta bindings), (802) 985-5056 ; Fischer (Fischer skis, Raichle boots), (914) 279-5121 Kenko International (Tua skis) (303) 425-1200 GEAR CORNER Polartec fleece pullovers are typically cut loose to allow freedom of movement. Not the BCX Pullover from Wild X, which uses mid-weight Polartec 200 fleece in the body, and lighter Polartec 100 stretch fleece for the sleeves and vertical side inserts. The stretchy arms won't cramp your wildest moves, and the fleece dries fast. Best of all, the BCX sells for just $59. Contact: Wild X (an offshoot of Wilderness Experience); (818) 341-5774. . Basic Designs recently released the High-Output Ceramic Water Filter, a gravity-feed model with a large PVC reservoir bag and ceramic/activated-carbon filter element. We tested one on a six-day staff trip (with 17 people!), and found it great for group use. We could hang the reservoir from a tree and see to other camp chores while the filter trickle-fed water bottles. The price is $90; a replacement cartridge runs $45. Contact: (707) 575-1220.