Archive for March, 2008
When the UPS guy finally came on Friday, I felt just like this!
What did he bring me as my first piece of gear to test? Yeah, a rocket sled, from Mad River Rocket!
Not a nitro fueled, go-to-the-moon, rocket… better! A backcountry, shred-the-pow rocket.
After playing on their website (see here) a little, it was easy to see what this thing was made / designed for,,, backountry powder. We “earned our turns” fo a while, figuring out how to manuever the sled.
After our backcountry testing, we were anxious to show this thing off. I heard a little rumor about a hill where some of the local kids were known to race. We din’t find any competetion, but we did find the jumps they left behind for us. (We only recommend jumping in soft snow! Jumping on hard-pack, off sketchy jumps built by 10-year-olds, can lead to back injury.) It’s a good thing there were no kids there to laugh at us. Steering the sled almost completely goes out the window on hard icy hills. We did have to experiment a little on positioning variations as the kneeling position was a little uncomfortable for us on the hard-pack.
While “The Rocket” could be fun on any hill, it really performes best in what it was designed for. Keep this pointed towards fresh tracks, and leave the crowded hills to the kids. A ride down on “The Rocket” is a perferct reward if snowshoeing for exercise is your thing. Much better than hiking up to take a ski lift down! Ludicrous, yet a very popular activity here in Vail.
For our last run of the day, we couldn’t agree on who got the last ride down. Like any two rational adults we compromised, deciding we would ride double. (seated tandem style) After a little arguing over who had to ride in front, we shredded down to the car. This worked suprisingly well. I’m just glad no one saw us.
www.madriverrocket.com
March 10th, 2008
This is Adventure Travel Week here at Outdoorzy and we’ll be bringing you travel ideas and contests that have an international flare.
So what are your dream destinations… Africa, New Zealand, Tibet? I’d say anywhere with blue skies, mild temps, and beautiful views will do for me. Many people talk about that dream trip. Why not now? You’re not getting any younger! So, let us inspire you this week. Set a goal for yourself to book a trip or at least set a date to decide what your next adventure will be!
March 10th, 2008
SkullCandy makes headphones, pretty darn good uns too. You want a pair? Okay, read this to see how to get a free pair. Seriously…
I recently got set of these headphones and at first site I thought, okay…. so. But when I plugged them into my MP3 player and started listening to a little 311 (I know I’m old skool) I could see what the buzz was about.
They have a really clear and powerful sound for a small set of speakers. They were comfortable, and seemed reasonably durable. I wasn’t so sure about the part that wraps over your head yet. It seemed a bit, well plasticy. BUT I gave them a good twist one way, then the other… then did that again. They didn’t even creak or moan. So that test went well.
Now would they stand the test of being packed in my backpack, stuffed under an airplane seat, pulled out, dropped, picked up, squished, mashed, scattered, smothered, covered, diced, and chunked. You get the picture….
And, they did. So, my final verdict is 8.5 out of 10. They are $29.95 over at SkullCandy.com, but hey… you could buy a $10 set, then break them the next week. Or get something that is decent. AND, has a SKULL on it. Sweeet.
And what the heck, we are all about contests this week. You want a pair? Send me the name of the 3 bands you’d listen to first on your new set of SkullCandy phones… Let me know over on the Forum and, well, I’ll pick somebody to take a pair home and rock out.
March 7th, 2008
This fall I bought a fly rod and wanted to change my reel and fly line outfit for the new rod. I researched fly reels for a while and decide on one, now half the battle is over. I was talking with a couple of guys at the fly shop and they recommended a new fly line that is about to hit the market. They had received demo lines from the company and they had loved them. I was able to view the RIO Gold fly line at the fly shop. The fly line is a dual colored fly line; the head is Moss and the running line is Gold. The guys told me that this was the slickest line they had ever fished; the fly line launched from the rod. I was sold.
A few weekends ago, my buddy convinced me to join him and another guy on the river for a few hours on Saturday afternoon. While getting my gear together, I thought to myself, “Great! Here is my chance to fish the new rod, reel and fly line.”
The river was hot with action, but I was cold on the water, fish were rising here and there. While on the river, I switched from fishing streamers, to nymph, to midges, and streamers again with marginal success. Although, hooking into fish was my problem, presenting the fly was not. It didn’t matter what I was using, the Rio Gold delivered the fly every time. The fly line seemed to launch from the fly rod. That is due to the extreme weight forward taper of the fly line. I could also look at the fly line and know how much line I had out. The head of the fly line is a Moss color and about 47 feet in length; the running line is Gold in color and make up the rest of the 90 foot fly line.
From the website, “The (Rio Gold fly) lines features RIO’s new Extreme Slickness Technology for an extraordinarily slick, dirt-repelling coating; in addition RIO’s AgentX and Super Floatation Technologies ensure the line tip and running line remain floating high.” – Rio Products, Freshwater Lines, Rio Gold
Other features include a welded-in loop at the end of the fly line for loop to loop fly line to leader connections. The fly line is a weight and a half. So if you are looking for an ultra slick, easy to us fly line to load up a fast action fly rod with minimal effort, this fly line might be for you.
March 7th, 2008
Sarah Wilson contact us earlier this week and told us about a pretty interesting project she has going. She is producing 7 interviews over 7 weeks of people she is calling “Adventure Heroes“. These are people who have had their lives touched and changed by different outdoor adventures.
The interviews are free to listen to initially at the time of the broadcasts, but can also be purchased to be listen to at later dates. We here at Outdoorzy do love a good interview. Thanks Sarah for the tip and we can’t wait to hear these interviews.
This was also recently featured on The Adventure Blog.
March 6th, 2008
The trail system at Mammoth Cave National Park will be changing. Trails will be re-routed, and mountain bikers may lose out in the deal. UNLESS people vote. I’ll be directing you to the voting at the end of this post, once I explain the voting options. You must vote by March 24th.
Mammoth Cave has traditionally been a hotbed of contention between hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The trails in the park are all open to hikers. Equestrians have access to all the other trails except one loop. It is the only dirt trail open to mountain bikers. There is a gravel trail now open to mountain bikers and hikers which runs from the park headquarters to Park City, Ky. Any trails open to horses normally have holes and ruts that can restrict hikers.
The trail proposal has five alternatives. I’ve been studying each one and I feel like option 4 is the best for all parties. In the end it’s very friendly to equestrians once again, and allows for a new mountain biking trail. Hikers would continue to have full access.
My comments in Italics.
Alternative #1: this is the No Action Alternative. It is required by National Environmental Policy Act to serve as a baseline for comparing other alternatives. In some cases the best solution to a problem is in taking no action, leaving a situation at the status quo. However, in this trail plan, the No Action Alternative is not acceptable.
Alternative #2: this alternative would allow bicyclists to use Sal Hollow, Buffalo, and a portion of Turnhole Bend (north) trails all year. All northside trails would be designated for hikers and horse users. This restricts hikers and bikers further. Not acceptable.
Alternative #3: this alternative would permit horse use on Sal Hollow from June through October (during the driest months of the year); except for this restriction, horses would be allowed on all other northside trails. Hikers are allowed on all trails. Bicyclists would be allowed on Sal Hollow, Buffalo, and a portion of Turnhole Bend (north) trails all year. This options allows horses on the only trail that mountain bikers and hikers own. This is not acceptable in my view.
Alternative #4: this alternative proposes a new six-mile, single-track loop trail which would be constructed east of the Green River Ferry Road-North for bicycle and hiker use only. All other northside trails would be designated for hikers and horse users. This option is acceptable. The mountain bikers would loose 2 miles of trail, but they would gain a trail designed for them. The only problem with this is that it doesn’t account for the transition. If you vote for this option please note that you want Sal Hollow restricted from horses while the new trail is being built.
Alternative #5, Preferred alternative of the NPS. This alternative would establish First Creek Trail for bicyclist and hiker use only. All other north side trails would be designated for hikers and horse users. This option could be an acceptable plan B in my opinion. It provides about the same amount of non-horse trail as Alternative #4, but the trail is not optimal for mountain bikes. The trailhead is more remote than the Alternative #4 also.
I strongly encourage anyone who has time, to drop by the Mammoth Cave site and vote (cough, cough… alternative 4). You’ll be helping keep the balance as fair as it can be for now, on these multi-use trails.
Go to this site and vote, the link to leave comments is in the upper right.
March 5th, 2008
The MTFF Fly Of The Month for March 2008 is the Parachute March Brown. The March Brown is a useful dry fly for the mountain streams of eastern Tennessee. The parachute style of this fly allows the fly to float in the surface film of the water and the parachute works as a good indicator while the fly is on the water.
Parachute March Brown
Hook: TMC 100; Size 12 to 16
Thread: Brown 70
Tail: Brown Hackle Fibers
Body: March Brown Super Fine Dubbing
Post: White Turkey Flats Feathers
Hackle: Brown
March 4th, 2008
I got the opportunity to interview Don Mann the other day. He’s the brainchild of the Primal Quest Adventure Race series. Don is arguably the biggest organizer in the sport of Adventure Racing. Don has staged more multi-day, multi-sport races than any other individual in the world.
He not only commands the PQ, but has pioneered a PQ Sprint Series of 4-6 hour races that are fast and furious.
Here’s what Don had to say…
Wade: How the heck did you find yourself in this job?
Don: Back in 1995 I was on Team Odyssey. I booked our travel and did alot of logistical planning for our team for the races around the world. At the time it cost $16,000 per team to do it. I thought it would be easier and less expensive to do a race series in the U.S.
Then I planned the Beast of the East and people loved it. Then 7 years ago I went to Hawaii to do some team building with Bill Watkins. And now we have Primal Quest because of Bill and his wife’s support. (Bill discussed the race with Don and then Dan Barger was CEO/Race Directory for 3 PQs.)
Wade: Regarding the Primal Quest Sprint Series; it is billed as “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition”!! What aspects of the races make them “the most challenging?”
Don: The sprint series will be 4-6 hours races. The winner should finish in around 4 hours. It will include trail running, technical mountain biking, and non-technical paddling. There will also be ropes obstacles; a cargo net, rope bridge, and low crawl. We will also have “log pt” which is running and working together while carrying a telephone pole.
Wade: The big PQ race this year starts June 21st in Montana. What were some of the other locations considered, and why was Montana chosen?
Don: Colorado, Idaho, and Montana were three locations we considered. We had friends in Colorado and Idaho who planned beautiful courses. But when we got to Montana and saw the course we knew. Conrad Anker and Jay Smith are out there working on the mountaineering part of the course right now.
Wade: What kind of loot can the winners of Primal Quest Montana expect to take home?
Don: $100,000 in cash. It costs $12,500 for a 4 person team. Newsweek called it “The Superbowl of Adventure Racing!”
Wade: For our Adventure Racing up-n-comers reading this, what would you say is the best advice you can give them on training for a race like Primal Quest Montana?
Don: If you’re an outdoor lover these are for you. Adventure Racing is a thinking persons sport. And, it is easier to train for an Adventure Race than other sports because there is less chance of burn out from the variety of training options you have. You can go to the gym, road ride, trail ride, paddle, or run depending the weather or how you feel that day. You can grab a bike, do some trails, then do them faster. It becomes so fun you don’t even realize you’re training any more. But, do it because it’s fun.
Good advice Don. Thanks so much for the interview!
Everyone be sure to check out EcoPrimalQuest.com for all the details on the Montana race as well as the sprint series.
March 3rd, 2008
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