If your loved one insists on climbing hairball mixed (rock-and-ice) routes, the least you can do is make sure he or she has the best tools. Like Petzl‘s Ergo ice ax, which is as ergonomic and adjustable as it is wicked-looking. (Note the teeth on the underside of the pick.) $325;
Atomic World Cup Skate FL Skis
Our vice-themed handbook has the perfect present for everyone on your list, including the best sports gear of 2010.
Atomic World Cup Skate FL Skis
Atomic World Cup Skate FL SkisRemember how you wanted to start skate skiing after watching the Olympics last year? Time to take action. Atomic‘s race-worthy World Cup Skate FL skis won’t slow you down; they weigh just 2.1 pounds per pair. $645;
Brooks-Range Igloo 35 Folding Saw
Our vice-themed handbook has the perfect present for everyone on your list, including the best sports gear of 2010.
Brooks-Range Igloo 35 Folding Saw
Brooks-Range Igloo 35 Folding SawThink of the Brooks-Range collapsible Igloo 35 Folding Saw as a bit of added insurance. It weighs just seven ounces, takes up practically no room in your pack, and can be used for everything from snow-shelter building to pit digging to cutting firewood. (Yes, the teeth are plenty sharp.) $49;
The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival
Our vice-themed handbook has the perfect present for everyone on your list, including the best sports gear of 2010.
The Tiger by John Vaillant
The Tiger by John VaillantGorgeously written, obsessively researched, and keep-you-up-at-night thrilling, The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival (Knopf, $27), about a vindictive, poacher-eating tiger in Russia’s eastern Primorye province, is simply our favorite book of the year.
Quiksilver Travis Rice Backpack
Our vice-themed handbook has the perfect present for everyone on your list, including the best sports gear of 2010.
Quiksilver Travis Rice Backpack
Quiksilver Travis Rice BackpackQuiksilver‘s Travis Rice Backpack has universally handy features like specialized pockets for avy tools and a Velcro back panel that opens to form a snow seat. But it does play favorites: while it will carry skis (diagonally), it was designed specifically for ‘boarders and carries snowboards either horizontally or vertically. $120;
Salomon S-Lab 3 XT Wings
Our vice-themed handbook has the perfect present for everyone on your list, including the best sports gear of 2010.
Salomon S-Lab 3 XT Wings
Salomon S-Lab 3 XT WingsTipping the scale at just under 11 ounces, Salomon‘s S-Lab 3 XT Wings were originally designed for the company’s crew of elite mountain runners and adventure racers. In other words, yes, they’re as fast (and surefooted) as they look. $160;
Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Knife
Our vice-themed handbook has the perfect present for everyone on your list, including the best sports gear of 2010.
Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Knife
Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival KnifeWith its 4.8-inch combo blade and slew of extras鈥攊ncluding a fire-starting flint in the sheath, safety whistle, and lash points (to make a spear)鈥Gerber‘s Bear Grylls Ultimate survival knife is a bit over the top. Of course, like its namesake, it’s also legitimately badass. $60;
Head YouTek Prestige Pro
Our vice-themed handbook has the perfect present for everyone on your list, including the best sports gear of 2010.
When you wind up to really crack one, Head‘s YouTek Prestige Pro adds extra punch: the shaft’s d3o material鈥攖he same stuff you find in protective mountain-biking and ski apparel鈥攊nstantaneously stiffens. Conversely, on slower shots, it absorbs impact, giving you better feel. $225;
PENANCE: Patience
Wusthof Classic Wide Cook鈥毭劽磗 Knife
Wusthof Classic Wide Cook鈥毭劽磗 KnifePenance: Patience
There tends to be one in every family: the dude who needs to chill. At age nine, his vibrating energy was tolerable. His parents thought, Let him be himself, and got him a skateboard. Now he’s 39, often injured, always late for supper (“Sorry, but the [powder/swell/wind] was epic!”), and wanting 鈥 a skateboard. What you should give him is a knife. A hefty and serious blade like the Wusthof Classic Wide cook’s knife ($150; ) compels even the most restless man to pause and consider the possibilities. To plan an afternoon’s adventure so it ends at the butcher. To be鈥攚hen carving or filleting or mincing鈥攕teady. Controlled. To be on time for supper, because he’s making it.