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Gearing Up for Snowshoeing

by W.O. Staff on 01/11/2013 17:50 0 comments , 119 views
Browse by Category: Living Here, Snowshoeing, Family Fun, Gear
Tags: snowshoe reviews, snowshoes, snowshoeing equipment, getting started snowshoeing, gear for snowshoeing
On January 10 we ran the first session of our snowshoeing class (sponsored by Wenatchee Parks and Rec Dept and Cascade Subaru). The topic: Hardware, software, and emergency items needed for easy and adventurous snowshoe trips. Read the notes from that class.
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Outdoor Gifts for Christmas

by W.O. Staff on 12/18/2010 01:00 1 comment , 1201 views
Browse by Category: Family Fun, Gear, Features
Tags: christmas gifts, outdoor research zealot, mcnett aquamira, golite reed, bridgedale wool-fusion socks, gorilla tape
Did you wait until the last minute to buy a Christmas present for the outdoor enthusiast in your family who seems to have everything?  It's not too late - we've compiled over a dozen items that will put a grin on the face of any hard-to-buy-for athlete on your list.
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Wool or Cotton -- What's Greener?

by W.O. Staff on 03/31/2008 06:00 0 comments , 763 views
Browse by Category: Gear, Conservation
Tags: wool vs cotton, pesticides, greehhouse gases
Which is greener Wool or Cotton? It’s not a black or white or answer and boils down to this choice: Do you want to keep pesticides out of the ground of greenhouse gases out of the air? Read a fuller discussion of this question at this link.
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Coolest Products -2

by W.O. Staff on 01/28/2008 08:08 0 comments , 248 views
Browse by Category: Snowshoeing, Trail Running, Skiing-Alpine, Paddling-Flatwater, Family Fun, Climbing-Mountaineering, Biking-Mountain, Hiking-Backpacking, Gear
Tags: usgs topographic maps, topos, quadrangle maps, topo!, online maps
How quickly have we opened our mouths and inserted a foot. Right after professing in Coolest Products – 1 that we rarely see things at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Show that really knock our socks off, we saw something that promises to do just that.

Topo! Explorer, an Internet map website being launched by National Geographic in April, rates as the coolest thing we saw at the show this year. We previewed a beta version of the website...

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Coolest Products - 1

by W.O. Staff on 01/25/2008 08:57 0 comments , 216 views
Browse by Category: Snowshoeing, Stupid Fun, Skiing-Alpine, Paddling-Flatwater, Climbing-Mountaineering, Hiking-Backpacking, Gear
Tags: spot satellite messenger, rescue beacon
"What’s the coolest thing you saw?" That’s the ubiquitous question when we return from the Outdoor Retailer Winter Show in Salt Lake City. At the show, over 2,000 skiing, climbing, hiking, snowshoeing, and clothing manufacturers arrive to display their goods and gadgets. ...
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Utah Ski Testing

by W.O. Staff on 01/23/2008 11:42 0 comments , 143 views
Browse by Category: Skiing-Alpine, Gear
Tags: at skis, tememark skis, randonnee skis, k2 shuksan, dynafit manaslu, g3 saint, baker superlight

Many boards billed as ‘backcountry’ skis are burdensome beasts that are only marginally lighter than resort skis. If you’re looking for skis that will primarily be powered uphill by human-powered quads, a light ski has its virtues. Here's what to look for in a light ski and some models we tested in Utah.

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Avalanche Shovels

by W.O. Staff on 01/16/2008 16:15 0 comments , 150 views
Browse by Category: Snowshoeing, Skiing-Alpine, Climbing-Mountaineering, Gear
Tags: avalanche shovels, snow shovels, best avalanche shovels, review
Avalanche hazard along the Cascade crest is high this year so we’re giving greater coverage to avalanche avoidance and safety equipment. Here’s a discussion of avalanche shovels, a vital piece of equipment to complement a beacon and a probe....
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Backcountry Skiing - Book Review

by eric1968 on 01/06/2008 00:14 0 comments , 170 views
Browse by Category: Books, Skiing-Alpine, How-To, Gear
I’ll come clean at the start, the three authors of Backcountry Skiing: Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering, are acquaintances of mine. That means my praise of their book needs to be taken with some suspicion. That being said, I'll also say this is the best and most authoritative book on the market about backcountry skiing.
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Best of Tunes

by Andy Dappen on 11/05/2007 01:57 1 comment , 378 views
Browse by Category: Trail Running, Biking-Mountain, Gear
Tags: ipod shuffle, audio for outdoors
by Kim T. Anderson

After years of using audio gadgets, I’ve found a sweet spot that’s simple, small, convenient, and relatively cheap. The unit has stood out among the many I’ve used for active sports like running and mountain biking. It may not, however, be the best choice for platform diving.... I started out using different cassette players in the 80’s, moved to the ever-skipping CD player in the 90's

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Light Sleepers (Gear)

by Andy Dappen on 10/15/2007 12:44 1 comment , 275 views
Browse by Category: Travel, How-To, Gear
Tags: sleeping pads, prolite 3s, hiking, climbing, therm-a-rest, thermarest
In bygone days, I scoffed at the notion of using a sleeping pad. In the pursuit of traveling light, I stuffed my clothes into a plastic Glad Bag and slept on the wad. Somewhere around the age of 25, I de-evolved from a crash-anywhere guy into an amazingly light sleeper. That’s when my attitudes about sleeping pads took a turn. Suddenly, after a full day of climbing, hiking, or ski touring, a good night’s rest seemed worth the weight penalty of a...
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