Cheers!

Peak Freaks - Himalayan Mountain Guides

PEAK FREAK EXPEDITIONS INC. Is a owner/operated 8000m Mountaineering and Trekking Company ran by Canadian Guide Operators Tim and Becky Rippel. Veteran's of six Mount Everest Expeditions from both the North and the South side and annual climbs on Mt. Ama Dablam and Mt. Pumori and base camp treks.Tim and Becky are very well known for their close connection with the Sherpa people. They are a small scale Himalayan Expedition Operator with big success.


Peak Freak's, a distinctive addition to the Nepalese world of treks and climbing expeditions. With over 16 years experience and 27 Himalayan expeditions introducing Nepal as their mountaineering destination, exploring old time-tested trails in more ways than one and developing lasting relationships between their guests and Sherpa families of friends is what the company claims to be adept at. Their clientele varies from the individual traveler to small groups of expedition base camp support trekkers, including associations, researchers and educational trips. The company has by far managed to generate a steadily increasing clientele from all over the world. Becky a 25 year International Group Travel specialists and Tim a 25 year Mountain Guide together working in Nepal since 1991. To learn more read their bios below.
Peak Freak Expeditions Inc. has a wide assortment of optional tour itineraries to enjoy while in Nepal that take visitors to areas including the Khumbu (iEverest Region), Chitwan Jungle Elephant Safaris, Wild Himalayan Rivers, Bungee Jumping, Ballooning, Tibet Overland Tours and Tibet Mountain Biking and Thailand. Some of their Canadian adventures include and adrenaline outdoor trips in Canada's Backcountry. Programs include: Heli Skiing Nelson, B.C., Chalet Rental at Whitewater Ski Area, Ski Tours, Mountain Safety Courses.

Powderfin logo photos....

At home in Bozeman, Montana

And abroad in the Ukraine...

Thanks for the submissions, keep em' coming!

Solio Solar Charger Video

The Solio Solar Charger is a hot item this season...enjoy your mobile devices and feel good about being green!

"Show Us Your Fin" Entries....

Powderfin in Bora Bora! Mt. Otemanu

Winter's on the way!

Yellowstone Confusion

This is how Moosealo's are made.

Powderfin is celebrating the end to a great summer with new fall gear arriving daily, and the “Show Us Your Fin” photo contest. We want to see the Powderfin logo in the craziest or most beautiful place you can find. Take a picture and send it in! The winner, as judged by the Powdefin staff, wins a ­­­­­$50 gift certificate. Second place receives a Jobi Gorillapod, and Third place gets a SIGG water bottle. We're gearing up for winter with technical outerwear from Sherpa Adventure Gear, Ground, Pacific Outdoor Equipment and many others. We also have great deals on gifts for the active family. Stop by and have a look!

Montana Madness

SIGG Water Bottles - Why you should have one

Swiss Engineered Water Bottles

Why use SIGG Water Bottles?



SIGG is ECO-FRIENDLY



Unlike disposable PET plastic water bottles that fill up our nation's
landfills, SIGG bottles are reusable and give consumers a simple way to
reduce unnecessary waste. It is estimated that over 2.5 million
plastic water bottles are thrown away EVERY HOUR! Check out this NPR.org
radio spot for more information. Why not re-use
a super strong, sylish, and environmentally healthy SIGG for your daily
hydration needs? It DOES make a difference!



Environmentally speaking, SIGG bottles get an A+. Not only are
they designed to be reusable, they are 100% recyclable at the end of
their very long lives. This is a far cry from single use,
disposable water bottles (PET plastic), which create millions of tons
of unnecessary waste each year. According to the Container
Recycling Institute, less than 15% of plastic water bottles used in the
U.S. are actually recycled. Most wind up in landfills where they
can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. Besides helping to
reduce our reliance on petroleum-based PET bottles, SIGG USA donates 1%
of all sales to helping to preserve our environment.



SIGG is a pround member of 1% For The Planet,
an alliance of businesses who recognize their responsibility to
ensuring a healthy environment and donate at least 1 % of their annual
sales to environmental causes worldwide.



SIGG Water Bottles are Healthy and
Safe for the Body



The proprietary SIGG bottle lining is a water-based, non-toxic
coating that is baked into the interior walls and remains flexible and
crack resistant for the life of the bottle. Due to the finish of
the liner, there is much less chance for bacteria build-up with a SIGG
as opposed to plastic containers. The liner is taste-neutral and
resistant to fruit acids and energy drinks, ensuring that your drinks
taste like your drinks every time. SIGG bottles exceed FDA
requirements and have been independently tested to prove 0.0% leaching.



"Accroding to the results of our evaluation, use of a SIGG bottle does
;not add to the beverage any particulates and/or components which are
innocuous to human health." - Dr. Ulrich Nehring, European
Institute





SIGG Water Bottles are the Worlds
Toughest Water Bottles



About 20% lighter than a Lexan plastic bottle, SIGGs are incredibly
durable, virtually unbreakable. The folks at Backpacker Magazine
did an independent field test of the leading bottle brands.



The Test: A 100 pound cannon backed with golf balls and plenty of
muzzlepower near Ault, CO. They blasted 5 top brands, seeing
which ones held up the best.



The Result: Pure Carnage...When the smoke cleared all that
remained was twisted metal and plastic. Only two bottles survived
direct hits. One was the SIGG Traveler, which was deeply dented
but still usable. The other was the GSI Outdoors Lexan bottle,
which survived one direct hit, then shattered in round 2.



Gear Lab, We Break Things So You Don't Have To. Backpacker June,
2006



Swiss Quality



For nearly 100 years, SIGG has utilized Swiss precision and
craftmanship to become the world-wide market leader in premium water
bottles. Designed and manufactured in Switzerland from a single
piece of pure aluminum, each bottle is perfectly extruded for uniform,
seamless construction. The brilliant exterior of a SIGG is
created using a solvent-free, eco-friendly powder-based coating which
is baked on to create a vibrant finish.



SIGG is Sylish



SIGG bottles are beautifully designed, portable works of art
that are a perfect blend of function and fashion - that's why SIGG was
selected for entry into NY's Museum of Modern Art. New,
fashionable styles are introduced each year.

Buy SIGG Water Bottles at www.powderfin.com

Powermonkey - Press Release

LAUNCH OF POWERMONKEY-EXPLORER & SOLAR SLAVE

From the heart of Africa to the Hardanger Glacier, the powermonkey-eXplorer has proved to be an invaluable piece of kit, providing essential power for hand-held electronic gadgets. Now being launched in the USA, powermonkey-eXplorer, with its powerful solar slave, lets you charge wherever, whenever.

The Dilemma:
Your cell phone dies during a crucial call...

Your iPod runs out of juice just when your favorite song starts...
You miss a life-changing picture because the batteries in your digital camera are dead...

The Solution:
Quite simple really -- the powermonkey-eXplorer -- compatible with multiple hand-held devices including the majority of cell phones, iPods, MP3s, PDAs, and digital games, including the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS & DS-Lite. The powermonkey-eXplorer will recharge your devices, giving you 96 hours of standby on your cell, 40 hours on your iPod, 5 hours on your game console, 48 hours on your PDA and 6 hours on MP3 players.

The powermonkey-eXplorer will also power most standard digital cameras long enough for you to take up to 1,600 more pictures!

Ultra compact, tough, and powerful, the powermonkey-eXplorer is water resistant and made with a rubberized casing so it can take whatever life throws at it, yet it remains the lightest, most versatile charger available today - only 2.4 oz, yet with 2-3 times the power of the average cell phone battery.

Featuring an LCD screen that displays battery capacity and the level of charge, the powermonkey-eXplorer is equipped with sophisticated electronics to provide the right charge level for your device. The wall adapter (included) has interchangeable heads for the US, UK, Europe and Australia - so you can use it in over 150 countries around the world!

The solar panel draws power directly from the sun - giving you free power wherever you are. Make sure your powermonkey-eXplorer has full power at all times by charging it with the handy solar slave, which can be attached to a backpack, hung from a window, left in a car, or taken anywhere the sun shines!

You can even use the solar slave to recharge your device directly - so you have back up power at all times.

Availability:
The powermonkey-eXplorer is available is from stuffjunction.com, REI, Think Geek, J&R Music World, Cyberguys, X-Treme Geek, Magellan's, Earthtech, Powderfin and other world-class travel, adventure and electronics channels.

Spanish Creek Sunday

Last Sunday started with a brunch to beat all brunches. Over at the Gourmet Gas Station, between Four Courners and Gallatin Gateway, MT...they're putting out an insane amount of food for Sunday brunch buffet. I'm talkin' prime rib, baby-back ribs, an omelette bar, juevos rancheros, chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy, eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, muffins, fruit, pastries, pancakes, French Toast. I couldn't resist having ribs with eggs Benny...why not?

Unlike many brunch buffets, this one surprisingly had very good food. Everything I tasted was top-knotch, and I'll be back...no questions.

After fueling up...it was definitely time for a hike. A long hike. We headed up to Spanish Creek, accessible through several miles of Turner Enterprises' vast ranch. The bison were out and about that day cruising along the road, which was pretty cool to see.


We hiked up to Pioneer Falls, about 3.5 miles back. It's a great hike, pretty mellow, not much elevation gain...but gorgeous views of the Spanish Peaks. Pioneer Falls was worth the hike up...about a 40 footer. For me, it doesn't get much better than Montana in September.

The Pooperman

I happened to run into Bozeman's "Pooperman" last night, Andy. He owns an innovative local company that picks up dog poo all around Bozeman and the surrounding area. He also delivers dog holistic dog food.

We talked about the business, and the possibility of dog waste as becoming an important fuel source in the future. It's nice to see environmentally minded, forward thinking people getting involved in the local economy. There's no doubt a better "end" for dog waste, and Andy's figuring out the best solution for it here in Bozeman. Talk about a renewable resource! I don't foresee a dog doo-doo shortage any time soon.

Light Your Way

We just added some quality headlamps to our product mix at www.powderfin.com. Depending on your needs, you're likely to find one to fit the bill.

Perhaps the most impressive one in the mix is the Brunton L3 - 3 Watt Headlamp...

It's definitely more expensive than you're used to seeing a headlamp being, but here's why....

"The Brunton L3 is one of the brightest LED headlamps in the world. It features the first, true 3-watt Luxeon™ LED. Shine bright, white light out to an unprecedented 207 feet for up to 200 hours. Ergonomic battery compartments include four AA batteries, while an optional external C battery pack gives you the ultimate long lasting life when needed."

If you spend a lot of time using a product...time that you love with a product, then we feel it's worth the expense. While your buddies fool around with a dinky $9.00 headlamp that you have to pound against a rock to turn on...this thing will rip 200 feet of light for a week on one set of batteries!.


Brunton L3 - 3 Watt LED Camo Headlamp Features:

Weight: 6oz Output: 3W 3-Watt Luxeon LED 200 hours battery life Light distance to 207ft Four light modes for high output or conservative use Water-resistant Emergency flash mode Anti-reflective matte finish Includes external battery pack (holds four C batteries) Battery pack attaches to belt or pack

Yellowstone in September

Did a lap in the Park last weekend...saw some stuff I hadn't seen before which was nice. Norris Geysers, Petrified Tree, a wolf through a friendly visitors high powered scope. Nice little trip...not too crowded, and we got the first real chill of the year that night. It was pretty refreshing, actually, after the ultra-hot summer we've had.

We camped at Norris and were lucky enough to hear some bugling elk as well. A few pics from the weekend:

SteriPEN Testimonial

Alison Gannett – World Extreme Freeskiing Champion and Global Cooling Consultant

There are times in this world when a new product comes along that changes your life. The SteriPEN is such a product. What first enticed me was the weight and size – just mere ounces and about the size of three pens. Then I got hooked on the ease of use – just push a button, stir for a minute and voila – a clean liter of water. I used it in filthy water and never got sick, even in Pakistan. Once you get hooked on the ease of use, I started only carrying one liter of water in my pack side pocket, with the SteriPEN right next to it. Anytime I was thirsty, I just filled up, stired and was back on my way without even holding up team members. In addition to its use on my expeditions, I have now been using it Mountain Biking, just slipping it in my jersey pocket or hydration pack, saving pounds of weight of water on all day rides. It is so unobtrusive to use, that you can easily treat a glass of tap water at a restaurant while traveling in a third world country. Think of all the petroleum saved from plastic water bottles and the shipping of those bottles from places like Aspen and Fiji. To further help save the environment, SteriPen can be used with a solar reusable battery charger! thanks SteriPEN for helping save our snow and our planet! Alison Gannett"

Cocoon TravelSheets new to Powderfin.com

For the traveler who likes to bring along a little bit of familiar sleep comfort wherever they go, Cocoon's TravelSheets and Mummy Sleeping Bag Liners are indespensible.

They're also great if you travel a lot for work and simply have a phobia of hotel linens!

The most popular model is the Cocoon Coolmax TravelSheet, made with a soft and comofortable, yet techy Coolmax Coolmax moisture management fabric. Coolmax wicks moisture away from your body, keeping you warm and dry. If you're looking for sleeping bag liner to take with you to hot and humid destinations, the Cocoon Coolmax Travelsheet is an excellent choice. It's lightweight, wicks persperation, and easy to wash.

Coccon Coolmax Sleeping Bag Liner Features:

• Machine washable


• 10.8 oz, light and packable!


• 86" x 33"


• Reinforced gussets


• Pillow pocket built in

The next option is made from an amazing Silk and Cotton hybrid fabric with a little something special added called SeaCell....The Cocoon SeaCell/Cotton/Silk TravelSheet

The Cocoon SeaCell® TravelSheet is an ideal companion for any traveler. Adventure travelers will find it indispensable in hostels and “adventure hotels”, protecting them from questionable bedding while helping their skin and body to heal naturally. Business travelers will find it just as useful keeping the harsh chemicals used in today's hotel laundry off their skin while helping the skin and body to heal from the stress of the day.

In cosmetics, it is used to improve the blood supply of your skin and activate your skin cell metabolism thus promoting skin renewal. Moreover, seaweed-based products help to heal skin inflammations caused by infections or allergic reactions. At the same time, it protects your skin against free radicals and harmful environmental impacts. The second fiber found in the new sheets is SeaCell® Active. SeaCell® Active- is a cellulose fiber with incorporated seaweed and silver ions. Even in small concentrations, silver is anti-microbially effective. The antibacterial and fungicidal effects of SeaCell® Active were tested and confirmed by the renowned Hohenstein Research Institute. Additional tests carried out at Hohenstein also show that the positive properties of SeaCell® Active fibers remain unchanged even after many washings. The antibacterial and fungicidal properties of SeaCell® Active make it a perfect fabric for extended trips or trips to humid climates.

We would have never thought that fabrics could do so much, but it's been tested and it makes sense?

So why sleep on rough, nasty hotel sheets when you could be healing your sunburn and sleeping soundly at the same time?

Both Coolmax and SeaCell products are also available in Mummy Liner Sizes....

Griz in Griz Country

It was quite a happy occasion last Tuesday, as an old friend of mine from college, Griz, and his girlfriend Jessi came up to Big Sky Country for a visit. They drove up from Denver, spending a few days in Teton National Park, then making their way through Yellowstone before arriving in Bozeman.

Unfortunately, I had broken my foot playing soccer the a week before they came, and I was (still am) hobblin' around on crutches with a boot on the left foot. Could've been worse, that's for sure, but it wasn't the ideal situation for having the rare occurrence of a visit from good friends. I didn't figure that a bum wheel would hinder my ability to put-in and take-out a boat, untangle knots, or row... so we headed up to the Upper Madison on Wednesday. We got a late start, and didn't arrive in Ennis until around 5:30. After making our own meteorological predictions, we decided that a float that night wasn't a good idea based on the massive storm cloud hovering over the river to the North. It was the right call, we would have rowed into a nasty wind, gotten pounded by cold rain, and arrived at dark. I have to thank Jessie for that judgment call, because if left to Brandon and I, we would've ended up in the dark, drunk and wet. The weather that afternoon did provide a nice reprieve from the recent Montana heat...with temperatures at around 72 degrees when the storm was overhead.



After fighting off the mosquitoes at our campsite during dinner, we were treated to an amazing sunset on the Madison River. Truly amazing.




After a sunset like that, we figured the only sensible thing to do would be to go have a few cocktails in Ennis then retire for the evening.

As suspected, Thursday morning came and it was a beautiful day. Light breeze, pretty mild temperature, and some sunshine that willingly shared the Big Sky with multitudes of cloud gatherings in every direction. For some reason those clouds decided to let us stay warm and dry all day, and the trout seemed to have the same great attitude that afternoon.

Griz is a novice fly-fisherman, but picked up the rhythm quickly. About 10 minutes into our float he poked a nice brownie which told me immediately that it was gonna be a good day.



We finished off the day by stopping by Norris Hot Springs for a soak, where there happened to be this gorgeous blond woman who sang original bluegrass tunes and picked guitar. Then we gorged on Rosa's pizza when we got back to Bozeman. Not badski.

My feeling that it was 'gonna be a good day' was correct. It's not that we caught a ton of fish (although Griz did catch some good ones) it was more of a combinations of things...basically just what happens when good friends get to catch up on a Montana river. I float these rivers so often thinking, "man...'so and so' needs to see this", and when they actually make the trip it's pretty much the beez knees. It means the world to me, actually. So to Brandon and Jessie...thanks again for making the trip, and to the rest of you clucks who haven't made it up, I reckon I'll see you next year.

More music I like...

Two bands outta Portland to checkout....

1. Freak Mountain Ramblers

2. Foghorn Stringband (satisfied mind is an swesome song)

I hear Freak Mountain puts on a free show on Sunday evenings. Catch a show if you're in the area.

"Dog Days of Summer"

The last month has definitely flown by, a common occurrence for us here in Montana. We endure the long winter patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) so we can enjoy the beauty that is Montana Summer. Like most years, there's a laundry list of things to do... float the Dearborn, float tube Clark Canyon Reservoir, backpack into Slough Creek in Yellowstone, go up to Glacier National Park for the weekend, hike up to Pine Creek Lake, go to Targhee Bluegrass Festival, and the list goes on...


And here we are, in mid-July, and there are still a lot of things left on the list! It's actually been so hot around here that backpacking seems a little rediculous unless you gain a good deal of elevation...it's been 100 - 107 in Bozeman for the past 10 days or so! In any event, the past month has been very busy at Powderfin.com, but we've managed to have a great time as well. I had some visitors in town for about a week, which allowed me to get some great river time in on the Missouri and the Yellowstone. Here are some pictures from some recent floats.....








Ricky Bobby with his first ever fish
on a fly-rod....shortly after fumbling
out of the boat.

Right before the warm streak hit us....the last glimpse of snow in Paradise Valley.

4th of July on the Yellowstone River...not a bad spot for reflection.

Smitty and Hazzard lampin' up


Yellowstone Cutthroat - We like it when they eat hoppers!



Neil with a nice foam eatin' Bow.

Kitchen Sink Rapid in Beartrap Canyon

We headed to Beartrap Canyon on Saturday for some of the hydroelectric dam release water and really fun late season run. If you’re a kayaker, Beartrap Canyon has it all… incredible views, seclusion, and a variety of class 3 and 4 rapids.The video is of the Kitchen Sink rapid at 2000 CFS. It was so much fun that we ran it 3 times and it was great in spite of the carnage.

Mrs. Bubbles

Hi all,

Here are a few pics from Mrs. Bubbles, a stationary wave on the Yellowstone River. We surf it in our kayaks and attampt to throw tricks... with varying degrees of success...

Bridger Ridge Run Training

I have a friend who is training for his 7th consecutive Ridge Run, which is widely regarded as the hardest 20 mile race in existence. The race begins by climbing up Sacagawea peak (9,200ft ish), the highest in the Bridger Range, and follows the knife like ridge for the next 20 miles all the way to the “M” (a giant M on the side of the last mountain). It’s not really a run as traditionally thought, it’s more like a fast hike, occasional jog, controlled slide, and a lot of praying. For an idea of what it’s like check out this link, then click on “clients”, then click on “events” for a short movie.

Thankfully, today was only training. We parked at Bridger Bowl and hiked up to the ridge, then hiked/ran/cursed/stumbled the last half of the Ridge Run course. I had skied off of several of the peaks we encountered, but I couldn’t believe that anyone actually ran the whole thing. Hey, it’s 6,800ft elevation gain and 9,500 ft elevation loss… that’s a lot. The record is 3:08… are you kidding me? He rand the entire 20 miles in less time than it took us to do 10. This is loose rock the whole way, huge hills, high elevation, and very high injury risk to anyone who runs it. Roots, downed trees, and the majority of the run is a VERY exposed ridge line. If you fall, it’s going to hurt badly. With that said, we trudged along on our own 10 mile ridge excursion, and we did pretty well for a training run. I had never been up there in the summer time and the wild flowers were really something to behold, and of course, the views were incredible the whole way. The quads will hurt tomorrow.

Check out the Ridge Run Homepage or Stats