The Utah Avalanche Center, or UAC, is a vital, life-saving organization for anyone who enjoys winter recreation in Utah’s mountains. With an experienced team of expert avalanche forecasters, they work out in the field analyzing snowpack, making judgements about avalanche danger, then reporting back to all of us via their website and telephone hotline. Without the UAC, most backcountry skiers would be traveling in avalanche terrain totally blind to any knowledge of how dangerous the conditions may be. Unfortunately, as a non-profit organization, the UAC always suffers from a lack of funding. Sure they get some money from government...
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Let’s face it. Holiday shopping is hard to do. There is so much pressure to find the right gift for certain people that becoming a mind reader would be pretty helpful. But those of us who have outdoor gear junkies for friends and family need not worry. Backcountry.com is offering gift certificates for the holidays so the special gear-whore you love can pick out their own damn present. That way, you can stop worrying about your lack of super-power mind skills.
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The Wasatch front is experiencing high avalanche danger this season, which is a good reminder that backcountry travelers need the knowledge and skills to stay alive in avalanche terrain. Backcountry skiing has exploded in the past few years, and in response it seems every ski resort, including Solitude, is hosting an avalanche awareness course. With several backcountry gates at resort boundaries, teaching newbie ski tourers how to travel safely out-of-bounds is now par for the course. Solitude Mountain Resort will offer avalanche courses on December 19 and 20 and January 23 and 24. Members of the Solitude Ski Patrol...
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Outdoor people are dog people. At least that seems to be a general fact when one simply looks around in mountain towns and cities. Another general fact, is that outdoor people like to take their dogs along on outside adventures, as there is nothing better than sharing a hike with your best friend. But it can often be a challenge to find areas where you can allow your dog to run free, off leash. This is especially true in Salt Lake City. If you’re short on time but ole’ Scruffy is itching to get out and run, Parley’s Historic...
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Drinking, for many people, is a great tradition of outdoor trips. What good is a campfire after a long day in the woods without the warming effects of alcohol shared among friends? Cascade Designs, the makers of Platypus hydration products, has created the PlatyPreserve Wine Preservation System with the outdoor (and alcohol) oriented in mind. Although I’m more of a beer and brandy kind of guy when camping, a glass of red wine on a cold night is a welcome treat. But packing a glass bottle of Cabernet to camp isn’t a good idea because of the weight. Plus,...
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Snowbird and the Utah Avalanche Center are teaming up this year to present the first annual Freeride Avalanche Summit. The event will consist of two-day clinics designed for advanced and expert skiers and snowboarders who are looking to explore the backcountry and need professional instruction on avalanche awareness, safety and rescue.
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A few weeks ago I mentioned to my husband that our neighbor wasn't going to shave his beard until the first powder day. Jared thought that was a great idea. I thought the powder day would happen sometime that week, so I said go ahead and grow a beard....
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It's been one of those weeks where nothing in my closet is what I want to wear. Looking for inspiration, I headed to my husband's closet and the bright yellow (golden palm) of the Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover caught my eye. Actually it's been screaming at me for weeks to wear it. It sings, "Callista, save me. Take me outside. You'll look so cute wearing me." So I did.
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Things are looking grim in the Wasatch for skiers right now, as we're nearing the end of the first week of December and the primary color in the mountains is... brown. Sure, most ski resorts in Utah are open, and that's great if you're okay with ripping it up on thin ribbons of man-made ice. But for us powder hounds, the dry conditions are equal to being blindfolded in a strip club.
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For years, I've worn either a fleece or softshell jacket during the winter months... and froze my ass off. Sick of being cold, I finally got wise and got an insulated jacket. After wearing The North Face Redpoint Jacket for a season, I wondered why I never put down the coin for a decent, warm coat before. My eyes were opened and The North Face Redpoint became my go-to jacket for pretty much everything, while the fleece languished in the closet.
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As an outdoor junkie, the latest in technical gear is pretty much all I want for Christmas (at least as far as gifts are concerned.) I'm always happy to receive an REI gift card so I can go out and buy my holiday outdoor present, but sometimes it is nice to daydream about getting some of the more expensive stuff that's out there. So here is my pie-in-the-sky Christmas wish list for 2009 that may give you some gift ideas for your own outdoor junkie.
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