In preparation for my ice climbing trip to Ouray, I ordered a huge box of Kate's Tram Bars. Every day out on the ice, I have packed a Tram Bar as my lunch. I first tasted Tram Bars at Outdoor Retailer a couple of years ago and have been hooked ever since. Started by Kate Schade in Jackson Hole, Kate's Real Food is all about making products with ingredients from responsible, organic farms, to help you stay outside and play all day.
When ice climbing, especially multi-pitch climbing in the backcountry, I find it very hard to eat something like a sandwich for lunch. I need food that I can throw in my jacket pocket and quickly chomp on while at the belay station before the next pitch.
Tram Bars make the ideal climbing fuel as they are small, easy to eat, and packed with almost 400 calories to keep you going in the strenuous and cold environment that is ice climbing. Unlike Clif Bars or other energy bars, the Tram Bars do not completely freeze solid, perfect for winter activities.
Kate uses only real, organic ingredients, nothing artificial. A combination of sweet and salty, together with the total absence of energy bar or protein bar aftertaste, means I never grow tired of eating Tram Bars, even when having one almost every day. Densely packed with oats, rice, honey, peanut butter, chocolate, seeds, and dried fruit, Tram Bars deliver a nice combination of long term and short term energy.
In addition to Tram Bars, Kate's Real Food makes a variety of other bars to suit your particular flavor or ingredient preference. You can order Tram Bars from the company website in packs of 6 ($20) up to 60 ($198), or buy individual bars at many retailers across the country. I was able to buy Tram Bars at the Co-op in Bozeman when I was there during the Ice Fest.