January 2008
You are currently browsing the articles from Campman.com written in the month of January 2008.
The latest thing to hit the market is video cameras to record your extreme exploits. They typically strap to your helmet or some other adventure accoutrement. They take hours of video and usually are ready to upload right into YouTube. Do you think you’re the next viral internet superstar? Make you can land that huge sponsorship with the backflip of the 60 ft cliff landing switch.
Some of the better models I’ve seen are the GoPro Hero. It isn’t as compact as some of the others but takes decent videos. They have mounts that fit onto helmets, bikes, or paddles. It records into easy to upload formats. Not only that but it is one of the least expensive ones. You can pick one up for around $140.
Another option is the VIO POV cam. It comes in at the high end. The price starts at $750. However it has tons of features that cater to people who are looking for a little higher quality video shoots. You can shoot and then tag the sections you wanna keep. The software manager allows easy sharing. It has a wireless remote so you can easily operate the camera while on the fly. It also has a mini LCD screen so you can watch your exploits immediately after they occur. So you can determine whether the mute grab is sweet enough or you have to do it again with a tail grab.
Bottom line is that you don’t need a big film crew to get some sick shots. Record yourself or your friend with a compact digital video camera.
campman,
Gear,
Helmet Cams,
how to,
Outdoor Activities,
Shooting Personal Videos
Written by on January 31st, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Outdoor Activities and Gear and How To.
The week has come to Salt Lake, home of Campman, for most of the Outdoor Industry to show off their wares. The first couple of days were spent mostly walking around trying to take in the overwhelming amount of gear. Right now its the winter market and so most companies are showing off next years fall lines. You can still see what is selling now but the excitement usually revolves around what is the next hot piece of gear. The Gear Junkie did a nice little write up on some of the bigger manufacturers new products. However my goal was to find some smaller companies with some cool new products. Here are the few that caught my eye.
1. Brooks Range Mountaineering Sled
This ingenious little item allows mountaineers, search and rescue, and guides to tow injuries people out on their own skis by making a sled out of them. The compact system folds up extremely small so it easily fits in a packs. Its a great addition especially for professional guides. This company also makes mountaineering tools like their map tool and ski guide reference cards.
2. Hydroid by N2K Corp
They make a little gauge the slips in between you hydrations bladder hose and bite valve in order to let you know how much water you have in your bladder. While you could just stop and take you pack off and look this will let you know without you having stop what you are doing. It will also allocate you reserve so you can keep a steady flow of liquids in you while out and about. Its light and compact so you won’t be inconvenienced by it. It would work great for hiking, biking and skiing. You’ll never have to wonder how much water you have left.
3. Skins Compression Clothing
A new line to the US of performance clothing. A big hit in Australia the company has its sights on the US market. Going up against the likes of Under Armour and 2XU. It supposedly reduces soreness, increases endurance, and increases venous return. The technology is proven and used in the medical field to help with ailments associated with circulation problems. These guys have just modified it for everyday use. I was given a free pair at the show but I haven’t tried them yet. I am still a little hesitant about rocking the spandex again, but next training session I’m putting them on. They have all sorts of sizes and designs depending on your needs.
4. Ground Clothing
These guys are an up and coming brand. We started carrying them about 2 months ago. They have great product design and if you are hardcore about performance apparel then check out their jacket and pant lines. They use eVent in a lot of their jackets, which is more breathable than Gore-Tex. I just got their Extension Shell and its an amazing jacket. It fits nice, looks good, and incredibly breathable. I got a peek at their new designs for next year and they all will have Recco reflectors built in.
Brooks Range,
Business Trends,
campman,
Campman.com,
event clothing,
Gear,
ground clothing,
ground extension shell,
Hydroid,
mountaineering rescue,
Skins
Written by on January 25th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Campman.com and Business Trends and Gear.
It’s not really an important question when things like the war and the campaign trail for the president are going on but an interesting one none the less. How would you judge if you do or not? The amount of outings that you have a year. The amount of vertical feet you ski a year. I’m not totally sure. I was watching a Warren Miller film the other day and they were in Wiegle World in British Columbia. It said that one of the guides skis one million vertical feet a year. So I was thinking that it sounds like a pretty big number. I got out the Suunto X6 HRM that sits on my nightstand because I can’t figure out all the functions and decided to see what I could do.
I usually get a season pass to Snowbird since I get the student rate. I’m on the lift in about 30 minutes after I lock the front door. I like to think that I ski a lot since I have minimal travel time to get some turns in. However I have turned into a full on snow snob and only ski powder days. Which there are a lot of here. I digress. The experiment is to see how likely it is that I can fit 1,000,000 vertical feet skiing into one season. Initially I wanted to see how many vert on an average day I get in.
So I’ve been up about six times this year so far. Most of the time its a 9am to 12 pm window. (after that most of the powder is tracked out) In three hours I have come to the conclusion that I get in about 13,000 to 20,000 vertical feet. Mostly in the range of about 16k-17k. With one exception where I was there till 3 pm because the snow was so epic and got in 27,000 vert. If I average 16.5k a day it would take me 60 days to reach one million. Definitely doable but that would be more than I usually get out.
So in conclusion if you are part of the 1,000,000 vert club you ski a lot! I still think I ski a lot but I don’t think I’m getting into that club soon. As always I pray for snow. All I need is 54 more powder days and I’ll have it.
Campman.com,
Outdoor Activities,
skiing,
vertical feet
Written by on January 17th, 2008 with no comments.
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Here in the snowy mountains of Utah we are having a good year for snow. We had over ten feet of snow in the month of December and it’s still coming. Lots of snow makes for great powder skiing. Especially in the backcountry. Do you have all the necessary tools for backcountry travel. A short list of items you should have would be the following:
1. Beacon - Don’t head out without one! If you don’t have it and you are caught in a slide you’re probably dead. Know how to use it too!
2. Fat Skis - Makes skiing powder easier and way more fun.
3. Skins - A good pair of good fitting skins makes travel easy.
4. Backpack - You need a place to keep you stuff. Make sure you can put your water bladder in it. Stay hydrated!
5. Chestpack - Keep everything vital right in front of you. Holds a radio, beacon, and cell phone. Snacks too.
6. Probe - Another safety Device.
7. Shovel - Ditto above. Plus to build BC Kickers!
8. Breathable Clothing - You’ve got to earn your turns and you’ll work up a sweat. Make sure you can get rid of the moisture or it’ll be a cold day when you get to the top.
9. Good Partner - Probably the most important piece of gear. Always good to for someone to have your back!
10. Education - Know before you go. Go with someone who knows what they are doing or take a class. Knowledge will keep you out of a lot bad situations.
These items should keep you pretty comfy while traveling in the BC chasing freshies.
backcountry skiing,
campman,
how to,
Outdoor Activities
Written by on January 8th, 2008 with 1 comment.
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We are in the process of picking up products from Mountain Hardware, Big Agnes, and The North Face among others. If you have something you really want and don’t see on our site give a shout and we’ll see if we can get it for you. We appreciate input from our customers and usually hook them up with something for their time. So let us know what we can do for you.
Campman.com,
Gear,
internet
Written by on January 8th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Campman.com and internet and Gear.
