Sierra Journal

Guides Choice Awards announced at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market

The American Alpine Institute has awarded eight Guides Choice Awards at this year's Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. Check out the list below. Also, be sure to follow The Gear Junkie as he does the rounds on-site at the event.

From AAI Climbing Blog (links added by Sierra Journal):

This years award recipients are:

• Patagonia for the Guide Pant and CSS Technology
• Buff for Buff Original Headwear
• Mont Bell for the Thermo Wrap Parka
• Black Diamond for the Quantum Pack and Anarchist Pack
• Mountaineers Books for the Expert Series
• Voilé for the Telepro T6 Avalanche Shovel

The North Face goes solar

Very cool. The North Face is building a huge solar power generation system near its distribution center in Visalia, CA. this is a promising trend and one that many companies and organizations are getting behind.

From the Fresno Bee:

The North Face isn't the only company to build a large-scale solar project in Visalia. In September, worldwide aluminum giant Alcoa Inc. turned on a 500-kilowatt solar system on the roof of its Visalia aluminum door and window fabrication plant, using a Velcro-like mounting system to save on the project's cost, which was not disclosed.

Other large-scale solar projects are in operation or being built across the Valley, including a 1.13-megawatt, $3.2 million system at Clovis-based P-R Farms and Paramount Farms' $7.5 million, 1.1-megawatt system covering about 8 acres in Lost Hills in Kern County.

Fresno Yosemite International Airport recently flipped the switch on its 4.2 megawatt-per-year solar array, the largest of any airport in the nation. The system was built for $16 million by a New Jersey-based company which will own and operate it and sell the power for an estimated electricity cost savings to the city-owned airport of $13 million over 20 years.

My old Nalgene bottles are just fine, thank you

I've always been skeptical of health-related fads, frenzies and hysteria. You won't find me going out of my way to purchase anti-oxidant foods, for example. Just eat fresh food, I say. And you won't find me quitting my Diet Coke habit  because some crazies think that aspartame is going to kill me.

If I reacted to every single report that this or that is healthy - or bad for me, or might prolong my life, or shorten it, or dwell on the fact that, as some studies show, certain people may benefit from it at certain times of the day, when combined with a healthy lifestyle and exercise (tongue firmly in cheek) - I would no time left in the day.

And so the latest plastic hysteria comes to an end. The NY Times published a great piece on 10 Things to Scratch From your Worry List. See #6 in the list and note the last paragraph...

From NY Times:

6. Toxic plastic bottles. For years panels of experts repeatedly approved the use of bisphenol-a, or BPA, which is used in polycarbonate bottles and many other plastic products. Yes, it could be harmful if given in huge doses to rodents, but so can the natural chemicals in countless foods we eat every day. Dose makes the poison.

But this year, after a campaign by a few researchers and activists, one federal panel expressed some concern about BPA in baby bottles. Panic ensued. Even though there was zero evidence of harm to humans, Wal-Mart pulled BPA-containing products from its shelves, and politicians began talking about BPA bans. Some experts fear product recalls that could make this the most expensive health scare in history.

Nalgene has already announced that it will take BPA out of its wonderfully sturdy water bottles. Given the publicity, the company probably had no choice. But my old blue-capped Nalgene bottle, the one with BPA that survived glaciers, jungles and deserts, is still sitting right next to me, filled with drinking water. If they ever try recalling it, they’ll have to pry it from my cold dead fingers.

Shell Jacket "Burrito Roll"

I tend to be a "stuff it" kind of guy, but I may have to start employing this nifty little trick from the folks at TetonAT:

Joby Gorillapod Tripod - Love it!

Every now and again a product comes along that makes you ask yourself, "why didn't I think of that?" This is one of those moments. I got sick of taking the self-portrait summit shot with outstretched arm that always seems to result in a crappy picture. So I went searching for a small, lightweight tripod for my tiny little point-and-shoot digital camera.

I picked up the Joby Gorillapod last week at REI before making a trip into the Eastern Sierra. Long story short: it's perfect. It's small and lightweight. It takes up almost no room in your pack. It provides a stable platform for your camera wherever you happen to find yourself. Attach it to a tree branch, a rock, a car door handle, whatever. It has grippy material on the arms, so it fits securely to whatever you're attaching it to.

I'm not affiliated with these people, btw. I just tend to get a little too excited about good gear.

Steep - The Story of Backcountry Skiing

Finally got around to watching Steep last night. 5 stars, for sure. You can get it now through Netflix. Just don't watch it with your girlfriend (if she's a nervous-nellie like mine).

It's the story of backcountry, big-mountain and heli skiing starting with the groundbreaking descent of the Grand Teton back in the 70s. The story shifts over to Chamonix and chronicles the neon-clad Europeans skiing crazy steep lines in the alps with 200cm straight skis - masters of the jump turn. :) Then the story shifts back to the US and goes into the first free skiing championships with Doug Coombs. Glen Plake makes an appearance as the original ski-film superstar. It also touches on the advent of heli skiing in Alaska and the Chugach.

The story dwells on death to a considerable extent with many "in memorium" moments for skiers who have met their fate in the mountains - Doug Coombs included. Many of the featured skiers take their shot at rationalizing the risk they take every day. Coombs' wife even seems to be okay with his death coming the way it did. This whole conversation seemed particularly timely to me with all of the news around fatal extreme skiing accidents lately. Lou Dawson expounds on the subject here and while his readers pick up the conversation in comments.

The return of customer service?

I have lately been appalled by the intense lack of customer service across all industries I can think of.

I have also lately come to believe that the outdoor industry is a shining exception. Sierra Designs and Julbo have both come through for me in amazing ways.

I have had the same Sierra Designs tent for going on 10 years. It's been everywhere - every climate from alpine to desert, every situation from climbing trips to music festivals. One day one of the pole ends finally gave way and split. I sent the poles back to Sierra Designs and couple of weeks later I had new poles in the mail. What a great thing.

I broke the temple of my Julbo sunglasses on Shasta a couple of weeks ago. I sent them back and a couple of weeks later I had a new set of frames in the mail. Again, what  great thing.

And good business, too. I'll certainly go out of my way to purchase from these two companies in the future when the need arises.

I am not affiliated in any way with either company, BTW.

Intuition Liners + Koflach Mountaineering Boots = Happy Feet

Custom liners are old news by now, but if you've never been fitted with a pair, do it.

I've got big ol' feet. They're a wide, high-volume size 12. I have problems fitting into most shoes including dress shoes, running shoes, and even sandles and such. You can imagine my problems with climbing boots and shoes (I swear that clmbing gear companies just don't make gear for normal-sized people - but thats for another review). 

For years I've worn Koflach Degres with the standard liner. By the end of each and every trip, my feet hurt so bad I can hardly stand. I never got custom liners because they're so expensive. I once found some used liners on ebay and tried to cook them myself. What a disaster. I highly recommend getting them fitted by a professional.

When I was in Colorado for Avy II at Colorado Mountain School I broke down and stopped by Neptune Mountaineering (awesome shop) in Boulder and had them fit my old shells with brand-spanking-new Intuition Liners. The sales guy took his time, fitted my feet with the new liners, cooked them up and sent me on my way.

Unbelievable. Seriously. Like heaven. Like walking on pillows. I've never had comfortable feet before. When your feet are comfortable your whole body is comfortable. You climb better, longer and, most importantly, have more fun.

Anyway... um... yeah, I'm a fan.