The gear we choose is our ambassador to the mountain.  It translates the bitter cold into something tolerable.  It keeps the wet at bay, and the dry comfort-close--traveling with us, matching our movements, and ultimately making us better at what we do.  It's the close company we allow at times when we'd rather have the slopes to ourselves.  And at the end of the day, the gear we choose isn't just what prepares us to hit the mountain.  It's what helps us conquer it.