A friend showed this to me the other day. Its old but I thought for those who haven’t seen it can still be amazed. These guys are crazy. They have gliding parachutes and go flying down the Eiger. With all the rocks its pretty amazing the control they have. It would scare the crap out of me to do something like that which makes it all the more impressive. Check it out and see if you’re impressed.
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.
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.
I keep hearing about carbon footprints and how we should try and minimized or offset them. Here is the definition. A carbon footprint is the total amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, emitted over the full life cycle of a product or service. It is expressed as grams of CO2 equivalents, which accounts for the different global warming effects of different greenhouse gases (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology POST, 2006).
With global warming awareness at an all time, people are pushing for carbon reduction. People and corporations are under scrutiny to reduce their carbon emissions. Going green is the new business fad. At this year’s Outdoor Retail show, the owners of the show inked a deal with the City of Salt Lake within a couple of years all the electricity to power the OR show must be sustainable.
So what can we do to minimize our footprint.
We can make our homes more energy efficient.
Use adjustable thermostats in for our AC and furnaces
Turn off and unplug all electronics when going on vacation (even standby mode uses some energy)
Close doors to unused rooms
Use energy efficient lights such compact fluorescent lightbulbs
Clean all filters to heating and cooling devices (makes the appliance work less when they get clean air)
Wash dishes manually or only using the dishwasher when its full
Walk or ride a bike instead of driving a car
Recycle as much as possible
Plant trees to shade your house and paint your interior light for warm climates and dark if you live in cold climates
Turn the refrigerator down
Buy Energystar appliances when you need to replace old ones
Slow down and drive more efficiently. When you drive fast and accelerate quickly you burn more gas
Plant more plants to help absorb CO2
There are lots of ways to reduce waste we generate. Some others include paperless statements for bills and using biofuels. However we choose to do it a little bit can go a long ways. Here at Campman we use boxes that have already been used to ship something. So if you get a box that doesn’t look right then you should know that we use 100% recycled boxes. We also pay for sustainable wind energy to power our office.
So this Labor Day drive a little less or plant a couple of trees to offset your driving.
I wish it wasn’t so, but I found a blog stating that some of the stunts were staged. Here is the Simple Hiker article as well as the BBC News Article. Apparently he had some help and didn’t even spend all the nights he claimed in the wilderness. While I thought that the whole show was a bit on the dramatic side, I never thought that it would be fake. He is definitely more man than anyone else, but faking it is really disappointing.
The article goes on to claim that this show is not a documentary but more of a how to guide. I realize that he does have a support team with him the entire time so I never thought that if it got too hairy that he wouldn’t get bailed out. His coolness scale just dropped quite a bit due to the misleading that he is on his own battling the elements. Well maybe next season he will not compromise the show and actually make it more real. For now I will have to switch over to survivor man. He seems to be the real deal. However maybe I’ll find an article about him. Only time will tell. Maybe I could convince him to let Campman sponsor his show and make him do it for real.
If you have ever wanted to climb Everest this is your chance to do a little bit of homework on what it takes. You can watch step by step as an expedition attempts to scale the mountain while re-enacting George Mallory’s 1924 attempt. Even donning replica equipment. Video logs are taken all along the way. Check it out at U Everest.
I probably should have posted this last week for the big weekend but better late then never. Its Friday so I’m sure you will find an opportunity to try them out this weekend. Here are a few educational videos that will teach you how to get your beer open when you don’t have a church key. I have tried most of them and some take some talent. However desperate times call for desperate measures. ENJOY!
Another tid bit of valuable information found on Lifehacker. They use Bodyglide to prevent blisters on with new shoes, but its good to have for anytime where you can feel a blister coming on. Now it even comes with sunscreen, so you can kill two birds with one stone. It won’t run into your eyes when you sweat and its non-greasy. Try one out today, it’s a lifesaver.
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