Trailspace Blog November 2007
Jetboil Backcountry Gourmet Contest
Jetboil is hungry for your tasty recipes. Share your best backcountry culinary creation in any of five categories—Breakfast, Lunch/Snack, Dinner, Dessert, and Beverage—and you could win a Jetboil Backcountry Gourmet Cooking Set.
Need a little gastronomic inspiration? Check out the recipes already featured on Jetboil’s web site. Mmmmm...rice and avocado burritos. The Ramen noodles and Kraft EasyMac shouldn't be too hard to best though. Now fire up your stoves and start cooking.
A winner in each category will receive a Backcountry Gourmet kit, which includes a PCS, a Fluxring Frypan, a Pot Support and Stabilizer kit, and the Jetset Utensil Set. Runners-up will receive the Jetset Utensil Set. The Jetboil Backcountry Gourmet Contest runs now through January 15, 2008. Winners will be announced January 31, 2008. For contest rules and entry info visit www.jetboil.com/Out_There/Recipe-Contest.
Washburn American Mountaineering Museum
The Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum in Golden, Colo., won’t open its doors to the public until February 16, 2008 (though the gift shop opened a few days ago). In the meantime you can visit the museum’s blog to watch the progress as museum workers build features like a giant styrofoam and concrete crevasse.
Other features will include a Mt. Everest model and exhibits on global climate change, mountain safety and science, and sacred summits and mountain cultures.
The museum not only will honor the accomplishments of its namesake, but aims to inspire and educate visitors about mountaineering, how and why mountaineers climb, and the mountains themselves.
Don’t Buy, Go Outside
I’m going counterculture today by reminding us that there are better ways to spend the day than driving to the mall and buying yet more stuff. Make getting outside with family and friends your post-Thanksgiving tradition, not rushing to some big box store. How about a hike, mountain bike, trail run, ski (if you’re so lucky), or just relaxing outside? All are better for your waistline, your wallet, and the environment.
Now I’m not so naïve that I expect everyone to completely forego holiday gifts for friends, family, even themselves. I’ll be doing some shopping myself. But, when I do I’ll try to consider what I’m buying, why I’m buying it, and whether I or the recipient really even needs it.
If the answer to the last is “no” consider alternatives like the gift of a backcountry outing or lesson or a charitable donation to a cause important to the recipient. For one of a kind gifts that support a good cause, check out the 1% For the Planet Member Auction open now through December 5.
Get more food for thought in our “How to Buy Green Gear Q&A” or search for environmental organizations worldwide on 1% For the Planet’s web site.
Proper Race T-shirt Etiquette
Running in a Turkey Trot or competing in another event today? Before you put on that spiffy new race T-shirt consider trailrunning blogger Bad Ben’s Ramblings on proper event T-shirt etiquette.
Follow his (all-in-fun, but right on) guidelines and you can avoid potential embarrassment and maybe even elevate your perceived athletic status.
Read the full list.
Q&A: Tent Condensation
Occasionally we receive outdoor gear questions from readers. Since we figured others would find them useful too, we’ll share some of those Q&A’s here. If you think we missed the mark, let us know by leaving a comment.
Q:
What is the best way to keep moisture from gathering on the inside of
your tent at night? I'm new to camping in general so this was a bit odd
for me.
Any help would be nice.
Steven H.
A:
Overnight condensation is a common problem. Most of the moisture you find inside your tent in the morning is coming from you and your tentmates. When you breathe and perspire you're adding moisture to the air inside the tent. That's a good thing...we know you're alive! But without some way out of the tent, that moisture will condense on the cool outer surfaces of the tent in the same way that humid air will condense on a cold glass of water.
The key to preventing condensation and moisture build-up is to provide adequate ventilation and airflow through your tent. By allowing some air to flow through the tent all night, you'll give the moisture a way to escape. You'll also find your tent less stuffy. How exactly you achieve this ventilation will depend on the type of tent you own, but the basic idea is to have an opening low on one side of the tent and an opening high on the other. The easiest thing to do is just open up the doors and let the air flow. If your tent has two doors and it's not raining out this is usually pretty easy to achieve. Some tents even have built-in vents -- many with only one door have a high vent located on the opposite side. If you're camping in particularly humid conditions, you'll also want to pitch you tent so the the vents are able to catch the prevailing breeze and draw fresh air through your tent.
1% For the Planet Donation Contest
Here’s your chance to do some good for your favorite environmental cause, on our dime. Now through the end of the year, Trailspace is holding a 1% Percent For the Planet donation contest. Here’s how it work:
- Write a valid gear review on Trailspace now through December 31, 2007.
- We’ll randomly select one reviewer out of all the valid entries.
- The randomly-selected winner will tell us which environmental group, out of more than 1,500 in 1% For the Planet’s worldwide network, deserves $250.
- We’ll send that approved environmental group $250 in the winner’s name.
So who should it be? Leave No Trace, the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance, the Prickly Pear Land Trust? It’s winner’s choice. Write a review and you could decide. We’ll announce the winner and the environmental group they selected in our January newsletter. For review writing tips check out "How To Write a Killer Gear Review."
As a member of 1% For the Planet, Trailspace donates at least one percent of annual sales to environmental organizations. Learn more about 1% For the Planet at www.onepercentfortheplanet.org.
Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Saturday Night
Set your alarm and get out the warm clothes. The annual Leonid meteor shower will streak across skies tonight (Saturday), peaking around 11 p.m. EST.
“There will be pretty much normal shower activity, 20 per hour at most,” said Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “We don't expect any more spectacular Leonid displays for over 20 years.”
How to Write a Killer Gear Review
I’d wager I’m the only person who’s read every single one of Trailspace’s 11,800-plus and counting gear reviews. That’s a lot of opinions on outdoor gear, clothing, and footwear, and I’d like to think I’ve learned a few things in the process, like not only what gear to avoid, but also what makes a good gear review.
The best gear reviews, whether positive or negative, come from thoughtful, observant gear users who put themselves and the details of their experience into their reviews. Good reviewers need not be the most experienced outdoor enthusiasts, but they always keep their audience in mind and anticipate what gear questions their fellow hikers, backpackers, and climbers want answered.
To help everyone write great gear reviews and share their experiences with the rest of us, I’ve pulled together some tips on “How To Write a Killer Gear Review.” Read it over. Write a killer review. And help your fellow backcountry enthusiasts gear up and get out.
Read “How to Write a Killer Review” »
Camping Instructor Wanted for TV Show
Generally I avoid talking about television shows, even those supposedly about the outdoors, but here’s an ad for all of you rugged, outdoorsy guys I had to share.
Playboy TV is looking for a Male, skilled to professional Camper that can teach 4 Playboy Models the fundamentals of camping. Pitching tents, collecting firewood, tips for cooking in the wilderness etc., for our HIT show “Hot Babes Doing Stuff Naked”. NO NUDITY required for the male instructor, however, must be comfortable around nude models.
My favorite part is that last line. Don’t worry guys, you don’t have to parade naked around a campfire. You just can't mind watching the naked Playmates do so.
You can read the full ad on L.A.’s Craig’s List. The half-day shoot is November 30, so get your pictures and bios to casting asap.
Surf with Yvon: 1% For the Planet Auction Opens
Want to surf with Yvon Chouinard (yes, that Yvon Chouinard) or fly fish with Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies in Montana? These are just two of the items up for grabs in the first annual 1% For the Planet Member Auction.
Other items include rock climbing and wilderness survival clinics, a Jackson Hole getaway from Mountain Khakis, a one week eco-adventure in Mexico, a triathlon consultation with two-time Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom, and a custom 1% longboard from Firewire Surfboards. For the less adventurous on your holiday gift lists, there’s plenty of cool stuff like coffee, wine, and photographic prints, all donated by 1% FTP members.
1% For the Planet's 751 members, including Trailspace, donate at least 1% of their sales to environmental organizations worldwide. Auction bidding opened this morning and ends Wednesday, December 5, at 8 p.m. (EST). All funds support 1% FTP’s operations and the non-profit's mission to "Keep Earth in Business."
If you’re not sure what to get me, please consider the Jack Johnson signed guitar.
Visit the 1% For the Planet Member Auction to start bidding today.
A Few Thoughts on Andy Skurka
Andy Skurka completed his 6,875-mile Great Western Loop on Saturday when he returned to Grandview Point on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim after six months of hiking. After reading the facts in the press release supplied by his sponsor GoLite and poking around on andrewskurka.com I have a few thoughts about Andy and his feat:
1. Self-Sufficiency and Purpose: Andy averaged 30 miles per day for seven months. That’s more than a marathon a day. He did it carrying all of his own gear in a modified GoLite Jam2 pack for an average pack weight of 12.7 pounds (you can read his GWL gear lists for what he used on each section of the hike). And he did it to benefit an important cause—highlighting the effects of global warming in our wild lands, including 12 National Parks and more than 75 wilderness areas.
So I’ve got to wonder, why does someone like ultra-runner Dean Karnazes get so much media attention for stunts like last year’s 50 marathons in 50 days, which benefited no one but himself and wasn’t even a first, while Andy’s recognition has been limited largely to the hiking and backcountry community? I can’t even imagine all the fuel and other resources that went into arranging Karnazes’s event, and to what purpose? He may be a very nice guy, but I just don’t feel the inspiration. Instead let’s recognize the accomplishments of outdoorspeople like Andy who pursue goals larger than themselves for more important purposes.
2. Diet: I’m a pretty basic eater on the trail and am known to love a good energy bar or candy bar, but I was surprised by just how much Andy’s trail menu relies on bars—breakfast is three bars, four of his six daytime snacks are two bars each (that’s eight more bars), then an easy hot meal for dinner—for 11 bars a day. Obviously he knows what works for him and his body and he explains it well. I was left craving oatmeal (of course that would require more fuel), or at least some peanut butter after reading it.
3. Going to Great Lengths: I loathe the term “extreme.” It is overused and trendy and rarely does justice to any true accomplishment. But Andy truly went to great lengths on his Great Western Loop and while I’ve never met him he sounds like a nice guy who actually believes in his role as a “GoLite on the Planet” ambassador.
So congratulations, Andy! Here's hoping you'll inspire more people to find ways to go lighter on our planet.
Skurka to Finish Great Western Loop Tomorrow
On April 9, super-distance hiker Andrew Skurka set off from Grandview Point on the Grand Canyon's South Rim, hoping to become the first person to complete the Great Western Loop, a network of five long-distance hiking trails and a self-made segment through the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. On his 6,875-mile route he’s passed through 12 National Parks and more than 75 wilderness areas in an attempt to draw attention to the effects of global warming on America’s most iconic wild lands.
Tomorrow, Saturday, November 3, Andy is expected to complete the loop back at Grandview Point, having walked an average of about 30 miles per day for the past seven months. According to andrewskurka.com he’s expected to come out of the canyon between noon and 4 p.m. (probably closer to 4 p.m.) and supporters are welcome.
For more info on Andy's Great Western Loop visit www.andrewskurka.com or www.GoLite.com.
How to Sharpen Your Ice Screws
The ice climbs in your neck of the woods may not be in yet, but it’s not too early to start preparing your gear for the winter climbing season. Look over your ice rack, replace any unsafe gear, and get your ice screws, picks, and crampons sharpened. Then you’ll be ready to go as soon as your favorite climb comes in.
While most climbers sharpen their own crampons and ice picks (a topic that deserves its own how-to article), sharpening screws is trickier. Ask your trusted fellow climbers or local climbing shop for recommendations for sharpening services. The American Alpine Club’s October E-News also listed several sharpening services: Griz Guides and Brian Dahlstrom for mail order, and Kenneth Smith in Campton, N.H. This is important—not to forget expensive—gear and you need it done right.
If you’ve got the skills, the right tools, and are keen to sharpen your own screws, Black Diamond has a video guide (you can also watch just to groove along to the music). You'll need a vice, wood blocks, several specific files, a flat plate, and a whetstone to get started; electric grinders are a no-no though (they can ruin the steel's temper).
Via the AAC E-News.
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