By Charlie Barrett After finalizing the new Tuolumne Bouldering Guidebook this past fall, I need a vacation from, well lots of things. So I decided to head up north to Bend, Oregon then out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a few months of snowboarding. It was nice to see some new places some familiar others […]
Read more "A Climber’s Dispatch from the Eastern Sierra"I stare into my gear room, aka my basement, in fear and awe of the packing I need to tackle the night before my seven-day ski traverse of the Pickets Range in the Cascades. What do I need to bring? Will I forget the most important item and what is it? With so little time […]
Read more "7 Packing Tips for a 7-Day Adventure"What’s in a name? More than you’d think! In a previous post, I wrote about double-duty gear. How about a double-duty name? Matt Brooks – mountaineer, certified mountain guide, and member of the American Mountain Guides Association – is the founder of Brooks-Range. The company’s range of mountaineering gear would come in handy when exploring […]
Read more "Brooks Range Mountains and Mountaineering Gear"My daughter bought a brand-new bear spray holster for her dad after the last can slipped out of a neoprene sheath, hit a rock, punctured, and covered him in a miserable, pepper-laden mist while stuck on a rock face on a short scramble. Strike one for the neoprene sheath not doing its job. Strike two […]
Read more "Gear Quality"There are over 200,000 miles of trails across America – and they didn’t get there on their own. It takes a lot of planning, effort, and dedication to forge and maintain pathways. That’s what the American Hiking Society is helping celebrate during the 2011 National Trails Day (NTD). Trails inspire, motivate, challenge and improve […]
Read more "Prepping for National Trails Day"Put a spin on the traditional triathlon by switching up running on paved roads for trails, road cycling for mountain biking, swimming for paddling, and toss in a little navigation challenge and some technical climbing/traversing sections and you have the essence of adventure racing. Just as there are serious Ironman triathlons, easier Tinman tri-s […]
Read more "What is Adventure Racing?"Wild spaces and places evoke a lot of passionate discussion among outdoor enthusiasts – especially when they are threatened. But sometimes that’s as far as it goes, just a lot of talk. I’ve been following the story of one outdoor advocate who took it took his actions one giant step further. He didn’t pour sugar […]
Read more "Outdoor Advocacy"I love it when I get a new piece of outdoor gear and it serves a variety of purposes. Like my favorite pair of leather telemark boots with inside booties that work as cabin slippers. Like my down jacket that becomes a pillow at night. Like breathable, waterproof pants that work as summer rain pants and, […]
Read more "Double-duty Outdoor Gear"Down is a very fine, fluffy feather that is a natural insulator. Ever wondered how ducks and geese manage daily polar bear swims without blinking an eye? Part of the reason is the thick down feathers that line their undercarriage in winter months. Nothing beats down for warmth and comfort in a jacket, but not […]
Read more "What’s Up with Down Jackets?"Two weeks ago this past Saturday, my husband lost a friend in an avalanche. We’d talked with him that morning. He skied one valley; we went a different direction. As we drove down the road after a day spent touring and reviewing steps for digging a snow pit – ironically I had signed up for […]
Read more "Raising Avalanche Awareness"