Of all the skis I checked out at the Outdoor Retailer 2011 Winter Market, Volkl wins, hands down, for topsheet design. Their killer new skis are part of the backcountry touring line, which features a bunch of lightweight skis with hollowed-out wood cores. Of course Volkl is known for their racing, carving machines, and they’ve…
Category: Outdoor News
2010/2011 Banff Mountain Festival tours through Utah
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is on tour and has several stops scheduled for mountain towns in Utah. This event is the de facto film fest for all things outdoors with a focus on rock climbing, mountaineering, skiing and exploring the vertical world in remote places across the earth. According to festival organizers, the Banff…
Klymit expands product line at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market
Klymit, Utah’s own Ogden-based wonder company, has expanded their product line after listening to suggestions on how to improve their noble gas insulating gear. New this year are improved vests, never-before-seen jackets, and another ultra light camping pad. Klymit started it all with their Kinetic Vests that can be filled with insulating argon gas when…
Bluehouse Skis to be produced locally in Utah
The Bluehouse Ski Company has seen a popular surge in Utah the past few years. Spend a day at Snowbird, and you’ll see mostly young dudes sporting their Maestro, Maven or District skis. Bluehouse is a local company based in Salt Lake City, and was founded in 2007. Their success can be traced to their…
Best Kiteboarding SuperFly Open at Strawberry Reservoir
The ice fishermen at Strawberry Reservoir won’t know what hit ’em when the Best Kiteboarding SuperFly Open goes down on February 18th through the 21st. Last year’s event happened at Powder Mountain, and for 2011 the venue is moving to Strawberry which is well known among the kiteboarding community as a place with ideal terrain….
DPS Spoon 150 with Cleat Technology adds 4th dimension to skis
This is getting out of hand. First it’s the Salomon BBR ski, and now the DPS Spoon 150. When will ski companies quit innovating thereby making the skis I own become ancient history? I shake my fist at the sky because of you! Well, Salt Lake City-based DPS drew an awful lot of attention to their booth…
Terra Plana and Lee Saxby at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market
The highlight of the Outdoor Retailer Winter Show was the Terra Plana booth where I met running coach, Lee Saxby. Saxby is considered to be one of the best in his field, and a leader of applied science in barefoot running. Chris McDouggall, bestelling author of, “Born to Run”, calls Saxby “the worlds best running…
La Sal Mountains backcountry ski hut open house
Imagine an open house for a backcountry ski hut where the real estate agent is showing prospective buyers around the place. “Over here we have the propane heater, the bunk beds come with these designer mattresses, and just a few steps outside is the custom built outhouse.” This is no joke, however, as there really…
Merrell shows off Barefoot Collection at Outdoor Retailer
The big news from Merrell at Outdoor Retailer is the release of their own line of barefoot shoes. It seems barefoot running is continuing to gain traction, with just about every shoe company jumping on the bandwagon. The difference with Merrell is that their barefoot shoes still look like shoes, as opposed to frog feet. Merrell’s Barefoot Collection is comprised…
Ninja Suit by AirBlaster the coolest gear at Outdoor Retailer
How could anyone not love the Ninja Suit from AirBlaster? I mean, it’s long underwear that makes you look like a ninja for pete’s sake! Svelte young men and women were walking and rock climbing on the Salt Palace floor during the Outdoor Retailer 2011 Winter Market in their Ninja Suits. As the buzz spread…