2013 Outdoor Retailer Show - Sole

On the last day of the 2013 Outdoor Retailer Show I was doing my final passes through various booths seeing if I’d missed anything or anyone. Throughout the four days I was there, I was subliminally bludgeoned by Sole insoles’ marketing ploy of putting posters up in all the bathrooms at the center. Sure enough, there I was, a captive audience while I stood there at a urinal reading about Ed Viesturs, Dean Karnazes and Chris Davenport and their signature insoles. Like a lightening bolt, I suddenly realized that in my beat up running kicks on my feet I had a pair of Sole insoles circa 2000. I wondered if anyone at the booth would be amused.

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2013 Outdoor Retailer Show - CAMP USA

I just participated in my first Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City a couple of weekends ago. What a spectacle. I’ve had lots of shop friends over the years tell me about the event but you really can’t grasp the enormity of it until you immerse yourself in the madness for a few days.

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Final Turns and Sportiva GTR Review

Ptarmigan Peak, "S" CouloirTalk about procrastination. I’ve been putting off finishing this post for a month now. Guess I’ve gotten lazy after the ski season. Well, here it is finally.

That’s probably it. My ski season likely ended on Solstice weekend with a couple of fun trips up and down the S Couloir on Ptarmigan Peak in the Chugach Front Range above Anchorage. It’s one of the first things I skied when I moved here and continues to be a favorite of mine due to the ease of access and scope of the line. Never ceases to amaze me that this big north face is 45 minutes from the car.

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Rainier Speed - My Way

Mt. Rainier and the Gibraltar ChuteThe best performances in the mountains arise from a combination of preparation, fitness, conditions and some luck. Watching the antics on Mt. Rainier the past few weeks made this perfectly clear. The players were certainly fit. The route was well known to Andy and Jason while Eric Carter and Nick Elson had the advantage of the cattle trail being in. The weather cooperated for both parties and everyone had the chops to ski the line. The result was two brilliant performances and standard-setting times. Daunting, to be sure.

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Rainier Speed (Updated 6-5-13)

Admittedly, attempting speed ascents of mountaineering peaks on skis is a niche sport right now typically practiced by skimo racers worldwide. Numerous records are set in the Alps each season and have been for years. But similar practices in North America are just starting to be more common.

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