What's the best mountaineering altimeter?
What's the best handheld altimeter for mountaineering? I have looked at the Suunto, Brunton, and Thommen models, but not sure which has the best features for high-altitude Alaskan climbing? Ron Toronto, Ontario
Brunton's Sherpa, aka the Atmospheric Data Center ($159), is very similar in design, function, and general specs. It also includes an anemometer to measure wind speed, which may be handy. It's temperature-compensated, but in general the altimeter use is a bit fussier than on the Escape, requiring frequent baseline re-sets.
Thommen's mechanical altimeters, of course, are fondly remembered by any mountaineer who climbed before, say, 1990. Pretty accurate, but a bit temperamentalonce you start to go "wrong," you really go wrong. And they're expensiveup to $300. But they're beautiful gadgets, no question.
So, I'd go with the Escape. For what it's worth, when I climbed Denali six years ago I wore an Avocet Vertech wristwatch altimeter ($160). It was exceedingly accurate and remains one of the better wrist-mounted altimeters.
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