It's hard to fully appreciate a gondola until you need one.

As wind whips and sleet pelts, it's a pretty miserable feeling lowering your backside onto a wet seat, feeling dampness soak into your thighs as you are hauled up a mountain.

The Lithang pant by Sherpa Adventure Gear will end that feeling forever. The Lithang provides all the protection your body's lower half could ask for.

During the winter months, many runners find themselves running before or after work...in the dark. Preparing for an early-morning or late-night run requires slightly more thought than a day-time run (Which streets are well-lit? Do you need a headlamp?). But when you're considering how to maximize visibility along your course, remember that you need to be visible, too.

Touted by Colorado-based GoLite as a parka for all-around use, the Roan Plateau does not disappoint. Filled with lofty 800-fill down, the jacket is exceedingly warm – and shockingly so at a mere 19 ounces. Don a t-shirt underneath and it wouldn't be a stretch to expect the jacket to keep you toasty for evening strolls in blustery mountain towns well into the lower 30s.

Lightweight hybrid down jacket has made a form-fitting return in 2011. Thanks to innovative new materials such as Omni-Heat, manufacturers like Columbia have an eye for keeping ski bunnies warm and satisfied. With a rather versatile style, Columbia has finally created a jacket that you can wear in both town and country.

A wet suit is an essential part of a gear geek's stash. They are a "must have" for spring icebreaker rafting runs to provide warmth. And the board rash from a surf and body board can be avoided by donning a wetsuit.

Whether you are shopping for a shorty or a johnny suit, the high prices are a turnoff and may cause you to rent a slimy and smelly wetsuit again for your next class V river run.