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Bike
Time Tested Gear: Fox 40 Classic Whistle
Time Tested Gear: Fox 40 Classic Whistle
Field Test: Rarely do I find myself in a rescue scenario where this invaluable tool doesn’t come into play. Why It’s Timeless: Many PFDs come with a free whistle, but they sound more like a toy train than a true signal device. This is the loudest and most reliable option available. $8.50; fox40world.com —Nate Ostis From the Spring 2013 issue. See more Time Tested gear here. ...
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Bike
MTN Lodges: Sunwolf
MTN Lodges: Sunwolf
Sunwolf | Squamish, BC Overview: These 10 rustic cabins on the bank of the Cheekye River began as a logging camp, then transformed into a fishing retreat called Fergie’s Lodge. In 2010, a quartet of ski patrollers and whitewater guides bought the property and renamed it Sunwolf. Now, they offer year-round accommodation in renovated cabins that sleep up to three adults, plus the newly built Logger’s Shack. Notable: Sunwolf runs summer rafting trips on the Class IV rapids of the Elaho River, plus mellow river adventures and fall floats on the Cheakamus. The Tantalus Range provides stark vertical relief, plus…...
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Bike
Posted: Keep Rolling
Posted: Keep Rolling
Vermont landowners: Duane, Adam, and Hazel Howard. Private landowners open up access to mountain bikers, climbers, fly fishers, and hikers. Story and photographs by Berne Broudy Singletrack climbs steeply from my backdoor in Richmond, Vermont. I pedal by spindly fir trees before rolling over a rocky ledge. White, star-shaped and pink-veined morning glories rise from the cold spring dirt. I roll uphill rattling over carefully placed pallet bridges and wind beneath a web of blue plastic sap lines strung tree to tree. Roger Cochran, one of four neighbors whose land this trail crosses, has kindly installed the lines high enough…...
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Bike
The Jacket Test
The Jacket Test
Three-season shells—tested. By Mountain staffers | Photography by Dave Cox Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer OK, so the name makes you want to say “I see dead people.” And the Ghost Whisperer’s ephemeral, translucent, ripstop cloth is more Casper (you remember the friendly ghost) than cool. Deal with it. Our outdoor pursuits involve elevation changes, so we’re huge fans of stuffable wind and water resistant shells that don’t carry a weight penalty. Swami gripe: Creepy translucent. Weirdly expensive. Swami like: At 2.1 ounces and compressible to tangerine dimensions, this is now our go-to, jersey pocket piece for trail running when the forecast calls…...
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Bike
MTN Casual: Sunglasses
MTN Casual: Sunglasses
Sunglasses we endorse for kicking around, tossing the Frisbee, or vaporizing that post-ride burrito when the only thing that’s sweating is the bottled beer. By Mountain staffers | Photograph by Dave Cox Scott Lyric The salient point: A little retro, a little mod. Wear them all the time. Read more: The frame is snug and grippy on medium faces and gently arcs over the ear so you don’t get those nasty indentations on the side of your head. The polycarbonate lenses amplified a passing bluebird on a gray spring day and the world is just flat-out tack-sharp through the…...
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Run
Killian’s Quest
Killian’s Quest
Trail runner Killian Jornet has set world records from Lake Tahoe to Kilimanjaro, and even on a time out from training he keeps moving. In this video from the webisode series “Killian’s Quest” the camera follows Jornet out his back door in France on a run to the alpine. ...
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Bike
Spend the Holidays Wisely
Spend the Holidays Wisely
Check out the new evo location in Seattle on your next down day. Or shop the retailer’s holiday sales online. Photo courtesy of evo Swami says Black Friday camping should be done in the mountains, not on the pavement outside a big box store. Thanks to these outdoor retailers, holiday lists can be dispatched with a point and click in predawn hours, preserving vacation time for actual experiences. backcountry.com A favorite for mountain aficionados since…...
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Culture
We Just Felt Like Running
We Just Felt Like Running
Here’s the color commentary. We suffered some on our first ultra, but you don’t have to—tomorrow, our team captain offers up what he learned. Read “Advice from Novice Ultrarunners.” Click on the image below to launch a slide show from the race. A few strides off the starting line at 9 a.m. Saturday morning, I’m at the front of the pack. It’s already clear that high school track meets and turkey trot 5Ks did little to prepare me for my first 24-hour running relay race. Five teammates and I face just one other team (with 10 runners) in the…...
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Culture
How to Run an Ultra
How to Run an Ultra
Sunset strides on course at the 24 Hours of Boulder. Photos by Glen Delman If you’re looking for Mountain staffers this Saturday night, check the trails around the Boulder Reservoir. Our relay team will be running into the wee hours as part of the 24 Hours of Boulder race. It’s our team’s first taste of ultrarunning, so we called local coach Cindy Stonesmith to find out what to expect. She knows a thing or two about long-distance running—she finished the Leadville 100 in less than 25 hours. The first time I did 100 miles, I pretty much whined…...
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Gear
Tested: Tecnica X-Lite
Tested: Tecnica X-Lite
The Claim: Tecnica says the X-Lite trail runner offers a superior cushioning system and better energy transfer due to the Tecnica Rolling System—a rockered outsole that promotes forward motion. The Test: I ran the X-Lite over Front Range trails all summer, testing the shoes on everything from level, gravel paths to twisty singletrack littered with large rocks and featuring steep elevation changes. The Verdict: The X-Lite offers a smooth stride on even, flat terrain. But that thick cushioning underfoot feels excessive on easy trails. Step up to more daunting terrain, though, and the X-Lite feels stable at speed,…...
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Gear
Talking Next Year’s Trail Runners
Talking Next Year’s Trail Runners
Craig Alexander (right) poses with a fan and the eye-catching Newton Running product. Photo by Olivia DwyerA crowd of fit, tanned runners graze on a luxe breakfast of bacon, eggs, and all the fixings at a downtown Boulder hotel Tuesday morning. Each sports Newton Running’s limited edition Gravity shoes. The black kicks pop with neon pink or green. Besides flashy shoes, Newton’s retailers came for an annual summit and the unveiling of the 2013 line. No photos allowed, but we can tell you that the colors are brighter than ever and there’s a toothy, lightweight trail shoe in the works.…...
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Gear
This Just In
This Just In
Water bottle options abound these days, but the BPA-free MiiR Insulated Classic stands out due to user-friendly versatility. The wedge lid threads in and out easily, creating a secure vacuum seal to keep liquids in the double-walled cylinder hot or cold. The MiiR kept our coffee piping hot during morning commutes and errands, then chilled 500ml of water while we hiked and biked in the summer heat. $27; miir.com The Pearl Izumi Fly Split Shorts take scorching summer conditions in stride. Lightweight material, a float liner, and side slits create superior fit with full range of motion. P.R.O. Transfer fabric promises…...
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Bike
Ready, Set, Gather
Ready, Set, Gather
The scene at Washington’s Sasquatch Music Festival. Make your own festival magic this summer. Photo by Dave CoxSummer fun lies in trying to pack in the music, food, adult beverages, and outdoor adventure. See the Summer 2012 issue (out early July) for a report from Washington’s Sasquatch Music Festival and our picks for music events in the high country this season. For the best of the rest, keep reading. WanderlustVermont, Colorado, California, British ColumbiaSquaw Valley hosted the first yoga and music extravaganza in 2009, and now it’s gone continental. Visit Stratton (June 21–24), Copper (July 5–8), Squaw Valley (July 26–29),…...
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Bike
Spring Multisport: Tahoe, CA
Spring Multisport: Tahoe, CA
Photographer: Scott Markewitz | Location: Flume Trail, NV | Rider: Dave Stein by Jeremy Benson After college, I headed to Tahoe for a token winter as a ski bum. That was 10 years ago. My first season was a blur of powder skiing and partying, but one moment remains clear. Late one night as another winter storm bore down on the Sierra, I left a ski shop after a long shift tuning skis to grab a beer with coworkers. One said, “I came for a winter. I stayed for the summers.” The bar stools, chairlifts, and bike seats of Tahoe…...
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Bike
Spring Multisport
Spring Multisport
It’s time to make the most of snowmelt, singletrack, warming rock, and corn snow. We touch down in four multisport hotbeds to bring you the dirt. Bend, OR | In Oregon, nothing feels scarce. Frederick Reimers reports on the mountain biking, climbing, and skiing here. Northern VT | Why the tail end of maple sugaring season is a relaxing time in the Green Mountains. By Brian Mohr Tahoe, CA | Ski bums come for the winter and stay for the summers. But Jeremy Benson was convinced by spring. Boulder, CO | What can we do in a day? That’s a…...
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Gear
Tested: 5.10 Dome
Tested: 5.10 Dome
The Claim: The Domes are designed for mobility in the Alpine zone. 5.10 claims the extra support lets you hike in a lightweight shoe built for trail running. The Trial: I used the Domes for day hikes in the Rockies last fall, plus shorter outings and trail runs in the foothills around Boulder through winter and spring. Terrain ranged from gentle footpaths to scrambles along rocky trails through talus. The Verdict: The Domes are an ideal multipurpose trail shoe. With 5.10’s signature Stealth high-friction rubber sole, plus knobby lugs, there’s no slip-and-slide effect on rocky terrain. A…...
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Run
Run Utah
Run Utah
On course in Moab, Utah. Photo by Bryon PowellI stand among a group of jittery, hyper-fit folks in the dim predawn light. We’re engulfed in sinuous red rock. Sunrise explodes over the horizon, bathing the starting line in light and warmth. We turn east, an instinctual response to the change in our environment. Everything glows—faces, legs, rocks—in an otherworldly shade of red. This is the starting line of last month’s Red Hot Moab 55-Kilometer trail race on February 18. Into this serene landscape the race director shouts “Go!” through a megaphone. A few hundred runners bullet away. And we begin…...
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Gear
Sneak Peek: Petzl NAO headlamp
Sneak Peek: Petzl NAO headlamp
The NAO headlamp features “reactive” lighting to offer varied brightness and beam patterns that can spotlight physical features 300 or more feet away or provide soft illumination to read a map in your tent. OK, most headlamps are adjustable these days, but with the NAO, the adjustments happen automatically. No fiddling with buttons and knobs—just point the light and it changes the setting for you. A light sensor (similar to those used in cameras) detects ambient light and communicates the information to two LEDs. It’s an impressive range of lighting: The output grows from seven lumens (the lighting equivalent…...
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