Archive for September, 2008
I can’t believe it’s right around the corner. After taking last year off to play cheereader, I’m looking forward to being back in the action.
This event is such a crazy mix of lifestyle, racing, and camaraderie. After 13 years It’s still the original and standard for 24 hour racing. As a spectator, racer, or Just-for-fun rider this is something every mountain biker should make it to at least once.
Check out their website and look at some of the competition. Free Tshirt to first one to find The Outdoorzy.com sponsored team!
September 30th, 2008
I’ve been slacking on the Mountain of the Week posts… okay slacking is being generous.I haven’t done one in months. I will be picking these back up though as peak bagging season ends to give us all something to plan for when we get out next summer.
Mt Massive
(14,421 ft)
Mt Massive is big… no no, massive. It is also a mountain of massive stats, as mountain stats go.
As if one summit wasn’t enough, this one has 5. The summit ridge is 3 miles long and the round trip standard route comes in at 13.6 miles. Mt Massive is the 2nd highest peak in Colorado. It is situated just next to Mt Elbert, which is #1 when it comes to altituitude in the state of Colorado.
Massive also boasts being the 3rd highest peak in the lower 48, not to mention it is the 29th highest peak in all of the North American continent. It has over half a square mile of land ABOVE 14,000 feet. I was out with some friends peakbagging in the area a few years ago and we climbed Elbert next door. The view of Massive from the summit was amazing. Since that day it’s been on my list.
From Wikipedia:
Mount Massive was first surveyed and climbed in 1873 during the Hayden Survey of the American West; survey member Henry Gannett is credited with the first ascent.[3] Its name comes from its elongated shape: it has five summits, all above 14,000 ft (4,268 m), and a summit ridge over 3 mi (4.8 km) long. Mount Elbert is Mount Massive’s nearest neighbor among the fourteeners; it lies about 5 mi (8 km) south-southeast of the peak.
September 30th, 2008
Backpacking is probably my number one favorite sport. Paddling is up there too, but if I had a trailhead at my back door I’d probably be out every weekend if not more.
Affordable AND Durable
I had the chance to test the new High Sierra Explorer 55 internal frame pack and I really liked it. You may remember High Sierra as being a school backpack or daypack maker. They had a huge marketshare on that for years. Now they’ve moved into backpacks as well as luggage. The Explorer 55 is a top loading 55 liter pack (3,356 cubic inches). This size is great for overnight backpacking trips up to several days. I’d say 5 days or so are probably the top end for a pack like this, but as we know everyone is different. An extremely ultra-light backpacker might be able to get much more. This pack would also be well suited for backcountry skiing or for hauling climbing gear to a climb.
High Sierra has done a good job improving their workmanship since the early days. I remember using a High Sierra daypack back about 10 years ago and it wasn’t my favorite. But the quality has improved so much that I’d put them up against a Kelty, Jansport, North Face, or other major reliable brand. The hip belt padding was generous, and it had an Ergo-Fit adjustment at the top of the back pad that allowed the straps to adjust up or down to fit different torso lengths. The sleeping bag room proved plenty enough for my Sierra Designs 30 degree bag, along with a backpacking pillow. The model I tested fits 13-18″ torsos, and is a “slim fit” design. It is not a wide pack by any means, and if you’re the type to bring the kitchen sink, this may not be for you.
The pack has several nice bells and whistles that go beyond what you’d expect from this price range.
- Rain Cover built into bottom pocket
- Ice Axe Loops to hold your axe or trekking poles
- Airflow Style Back for ventilation
- Webbing Daisy Chain for easy gear clipping
- Media Pocket for an ipod or cell phone that fits on the shoulder strap
- Hydration Sleeve on the Interior which includes a port for the tube to come out near the shoulder strap (does not include bladder)
- Large Mesh pockets (large enough to swallow a Nalgene)
- A patch with the ten essentials for survival sewn into the interior underside of the lid.
High Sierra also manufactures packs in several fit ranges including; Universal Fit, Slim Fit, Standard Fit, and Large Fit, for different body types. All of this is wrapped up with a nice lifetime guarantee on workmanship. The color displayed above is Chipotle (orange), but it also comes in Pacific (blue), as well as a red and black version.
I have to say I was quite impressed with this pack. When I did some research online I found out you can pick it up for $79.93 online at REI. That’s an incredible deal for a backpack of this quality. If you’re in need of a new pack, have a new backpacker you’re trying to get into the sport comfortably, or just WANT a new pack, consider the Explorer 55 if its in your size range.
Check out more specs here.
September 29th, 2008
Get ready for Fall and Winter camping with these diz-eals.
Lowe Alpine Mettle Tech Pants
Use these crazy-awesome technical pants for camping, backpacking, mountaineering, adventure racing, and fitting in with your other clone trooper buddies.
Regularly $89.95
On Sale for $39.95
Sierra Designs 15 degree Nightfall Down Bag
Yes, 15 degree nights are coming. Don’t let them stop you from doing what you like to do… sleeping outside. You can be nice and toasty in this bag and laughing at all your camping counterparts as they sucumb to frostbite. The whole time saying… Ha-Ha!
Regularly $219
On Sale for $139.95
Gregory Wingate Backpack
Gregory is synonymous with quality. And you’ve gotta get your crap to that sweet backcountry site somehow.This pack has a great suspension system, gear loops, and a sleeping bag compartment. The basis for a great weekend.
Regularly $229
On Sale for $140.95
Crazy Creek PowerLounger
Once you’re finished sweating and collecting firewood it’s time to nestle down onto a nice log and sit for several hours right. Hail Naw! You need a decent chair to make life bearable in the woods. Crazy Creek to the rescue again.
Regularly $76
On Sale for $45.95
September 26th, 2008
On October 2nd 34 skydivers are planning to skydive over the summit of Mt Everest. They plan on jumping from approximately 435 feet above, soaring past the summit, free falling for one minute, and landing at 12,350 feet 8-10 minutes later.
Jumpers will have to wear an oxygen mask to allow them to breathe in the thin air. Another obstacle the altitude presents is being overcome by using larger parachutes. These should work more efficiently at that height.
Some of the hazards presented are; not finding the drop zone, malfunctioning oxygen masks, and the extremely cold temperatures they will face.
Good luck!
September 25th, 2008
Ok, no they’re not. But apparently there are rumors floating around the web that one of them has not survived one of their survival shows.
- The Adventurist reports on the Bear Grylls and Les Stroud rumors.
- I saw over on The Adventure Blog that Bike Magazine is doing a Best Trails 2009 contest. Swing by and vote for your favorite, then pick up the issue with the winners to see where the sweetest mtb trails are… according to the peoples.
- The Piton reports that Timberland and GSI are paying millions to settle a lawsuit that they sent unsolicited texts to people. Bad gigantic corporation… bad!
- Sierra Blogging Post posts about the new film FLOW. The film discusses the fact that one-sixth of the planet doesn’t have clean drinking water. The film also touches on the reality that the world is in a water crisis.
September 24th, 2008
As hiking boots go, everyone has a slightly different preference. Some like the old school full leather. Then there are those who like the mid highs that have some breathable and leather combination of materials. Then there are the trail runner guys. And lastly you have those freaks who wear sandals. (bless their hearts)
Merrell Radius Mid - Waterproof
The Merrel Radius Mid fits in between the high top full leather and the mid mixed material categories. It has quite a bit of leather on the upper, yet when worn it moves well. This flexibility is great for getting a shoe that you can hike in the first day. But be aware that all hiking boots must be “broken in.” Your foot needs to adjust to the new shoe as much as the shoe needs to adjust to you. That said, this shoe shouldn’t need millions of miles to break it in like the old school full leathers.
The Merrell website says “Hike, bike, walk, run, ride, hang out, look good, stay dry.” Hiking -yes, walking -yes, hanging out, looking god, and staying dry -yes. Biking and riding… not so much. It is a true hiker. The shoe has a vibram sole, which as we know, is great on slick rock or loose soil. If you have ankle instability the shoe is tall enough to accommodate this with snug lacing. All of this is wrapped up with a nice waterproofness for those shallow creek crossings. The insole is very comfortable as well, and it allows for a comfortable fit. So the shoe can double as a casual shoe in winter. this shoe is not for the fast and light guys, but it is for those who want a high performing more traditional hiking shoe.
My recommended use for this shoe is hiking, multi-day backpacking and trekking. As well as casual cool weather use. The Radius comes in two colors cocoa (that means brown) and dark gray (that means dark gray). It retails for $120ish, which is in the range for a good hiking shoe.
September 22nd, 2008
About a week ago I wrote about some cool new stuff out on the market, or soon to market that will be bomb-diggity for camping. Here are a few more things we’ve had a chance to test recently.
Coghlans .5 Watt Headlamp
Water resistant, adjustable, half a watt of bright light. Its a great little basic headlamp to get you through the dark nights. It has a strobe feature, and best of all it will only set you back $9 and some change!
ENO Pronest Hammock
Eagles Nest Outfitters is a cool little company out of Asheville NC that has worked its way up from two brothers selling hammocks out of their trunk to a serious competitor in the hammock arena. (you didn’t even know there was a hammock arena did you?) I had a chance to meet these guys and they’re just like you and I. They are the type that would use their product, which always benefits design.
These hammocks are well made parachute type material. The Pronest only weights 12.8 oz yet it can hold up to 400 lbs. Its a miracle of modern engineering folks. The Pronest retails for $79.95.
You can also pick up the Slap Straps which make it a breeze to hang your nest for only $19.95. Who needs a sleeping pad?
Aerobed Performalite Twin Xtreme
It weights 5.72 lbs, let’s get that out of the way. That’s about as much as the average 2 person tent. So if you’re trying to get your not-so-outdoorzy babymama out in the backcountry, this might be a reasonable way to do it. Granted you wouldn’t want to put any serious mileage down with this on your back, but a short hike is definitely doable. As for car camping, it’s pretty much perfect. And if you have a buddy that tends to end up staying late and crashing at your pad, he/she can sleep in comfort now. Not that you cared…
It comes with s standard airbed pump with a neat feature. Not only does it air the bed up in less than 1 minute flat, it also has a flashlight for those car camping people who remember their bed, but not their flashlight. Retails for $129.99.
Cloudveil Clutch SS Crew
This is a pricey little quick dry shirt. Especially when you can get a quick dry shirt for 10 bucks at wally world today. But this one has a bit more technicality to it, as well as a lot more comfortability and durability.
It might hurt a bit in the wallet zone at $45, but this shirt can be your everything shirt. You could easily carry firewood, run a marathon, or go to the coffee shop in this shirt. (not in that order, although that might be a good idea for an adventure race… running a marathon while carrying wood, and crossing the finish line into the coffee shop door and chugging a medium coffee… hmmm)
The interior of the shirt is black. I thought this was odd at first, but I ended up out and about in this shirt the other day and it got chilly. The shirt was still warm. So the black acts as a bit of insulation (in my crazy head anyway).
Comes in a nice blue or a color they call bud green (shirt not meant to be smoked).
September 19th, 2008
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