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

Beehive Basin and Ousel Falls

Hi all,

The weather in Montana has been incredible recently. A lack of posts usually means that we’re spending all our time outside and the last few days have been no exception. The first shots were taken in Beehive Basin, which you may have seen in previous backcountry skiing posts. In the summer it’s equally beautiful and covered in wild flowers. Sometimes we get a little artsy with the camera. The last picture is of Ousel Falls in Big Sky. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

The National Music Review/Suggestion

My sister insisted that I listen to The National, and I’m glad she did. The music is incredible and I like it the more I listen… so, listen to it.
Here is what Alec Hanley Bemis has to say about their music (an excerpt from the myspace page)…

“What exactly is The National going on about? Why are songs about love and war intertwined with songs about money and office life? Are these songs about all those topics at once? The only certain thing is that, like boxers, The National are making their way in a rough trade—a sport, a pastime, a violent thing. They get cut up and caught up in the ropes. They rip out the stitches though friends urge them not to. I won't lie. The National’s music is not easy to describe, but it’s very easy to listen to. It’s an antidote for uneasy times.”

Go to their myspace page and listen to “Fake Empire”, then others. I agree, "an antidote for uneasy times". Let me know what you think.

Cheers

Tagged: Powderfin, Outdoors, Outdoor Gear, The National, The National Reviews, Music Review, Bozeman, Montana

Kayaking Hyalite Creek

Hyalite Creek lies about 20 miles south of Bozeman and offers some excellent low-volume creeking. We were on it at medium levels. The run is a short and fast paced class IV+, with pinning, piton, broaching potential all over the place. It is a very bad place to be upside-down, and several of us were very thankful for our helmets and elbow pads. If you’ve never been down the creek but you’re thinking about going, I recommend doing it with someone who has been down it before and knows the lines. A class 5 boater could probably read-and-run most of the creek, but I had my hands full just following a seasoned veteran. The section is only 1.5 miles long, but it is full-on the whole time; we ran it twice. When it was all done, everyone had cuts and bruises. One person snapped their paddle trying to brace and ended up swimming a very difficulty section of the creek. We had to z-drag the boat out from a snag in the middle of the creek. It’s an incredible run and we were smiling in spite of our soreness.

Tagged: Powderfin, Outdoors, Outdoor Gear, Hyalite Creek, Creekbating, Hyalite, Bozeman, Montana

June Maddy Blooms

Bear Trap Canyon
Madison River, MT - June 8th

Aquapac Joins the Mix

Powderfin launched another line of solid products today, Aquapac 100% Waterproof Cases. If you want to keep it dry, Aquapac has a case for it...

• Cell phones
• GPS
• MP3 Players
• PDA's
• Digital Cameras
• SLR Cameras
• VHF Radios
• Maps
• Keys
• Wallets
• Passports

Ranging from $10.00 - $120.00, you can find a waterproof case to either keep your cash dry at the beach, or allow you to shoot underwater photography...and everything in between!

The Key to all Aquapac Waterproof Cases: The Aquaclip® Sealing System

Sealed with a Twist

The Aquaclip is the key to all Aquapacs. An amazing little device which seals the case with a simple twist of a lever.

It has a V-groove in one half and a raised V on the other. When the levers on the male half are turned they run up a ramp on the female half – squeezing the two together. The pressure’s not sufficient to cut the soft plastic case material, but just enough to make a totally hermetic seal.

The two halves are attached to the case by a pair of ‘flexible clips’ in such a way that the whole case stays in one piece, even when open.

Award Winning

The Aquaclip was awarded Millenium Product Status by the British Design Council. A government initiative to recognize "one of the most innovative products created in Britain for the new Millennium".

Tested to Destruction

The Aquaclip is made entirely of light injection-moulded plastic. So it can’t rust.

The Aquaclip has passed the two most demanding of all waterproofing standards – IP67 and IP68. Find out more

In tests at Bath University the lever mechanism was tested for 10,000 cycles of opening and closing, with no loss of function.

User Friendly

When you open an Aquapac everything stays in one piece. No loose screws. No need to fold the end of the case. Simple.

Fully Patented

The Aquaclip is fully-patented in the USA and most of Europe, and the subject of pending protection all over the world.

Gorillapod Product Review

“The Joby Gorillapod is an excellent replacement for your travel tripod. Our company field-tested these in March/April and after positive reviews from our Agents in the field we bought a half-dozen. The Gorillapod is sturdy and compact and stores easily into a side stow pocket. I especially like the adjustable legs that allow placing the tripod on the most uneven of surfaces. It also has a detachable/locking foot mount that when attached to the tripod securely locks the camera in place. I have used this for both still photography and video and have was able to securely mount a camera and flash weighing as much as 2.5lbs. This is a recommended must-have for every travel photographer.”

Andrew Liakos
www.proxibid.com

New Product Intro: AquaFlo™ Hydration Systems

We launched an interesting new product on Powderfin.com today, the MPACK AquaFlo™ Disposable Hydration System.

My first reaction may have been similar to yours..."disposable"?! It seems to stray from the trend of responsible manufacturing and earth friendly products. However, upon closer examination, AquaFlo makes sense. First and foremost, it's entirely recyclable, from the caps, to the tube, to the reservoir. To find out more about how to recycle AquaFlo, check out their recycling program.

So then why would someone want a "disposable" hydration system?

• Disposable: less time cleaning equals more time playing
  
• Taste and odor free right off the shelf
• Convenient and cost effective
• Hygienic design
• Designed to retrofit most existing hydration systems

We think this last item is pretty important. I've been using a Camelback® for a few years now, and it's still in pretty good shape. I've only used water in it, and I've cleaned it a few times to keep it fresh. I broke the bite valve cover off on a snowshoe trip, and my valve often leaks when hiking or snowboarding. I was considering replacing the unit with another Camelback® product, but I decided to try the AquaFlo™ instead.

The most impressive feature of the AquaFlo™ Universal Starter Kit is the Bite-Me Valve®. It simply works well when you want it to, and doesn't leak. I've been using the same AquaFlo™ reservoir for nearly a month now, and I've had zero problems with leakage, odor, or bad taste. To me, it makes more sense to purchase 3 recyclable reservoirs, a drink tube, and a superior bite valve for $26.99, rather than spend $28.00 on a single replacement reservoir, drink tube, and inferior valve.

I thought that since the reservoirs were "disposable", that they might be flimsy, leak easily, etc. It really hasn't been the case, I've been tossing mine around the boat, in the suitcase, around the house, in my backpack, without a protective cover, and I've had no problems with this product holding up well.

June in Montana...

This is the weather report for today and tomorrow...

... Heavy Snow Warning in effect from noon today to 12 PM MDT
Thursday above 6000 feet...

The National Weather Service in Great Falls has issued a Heavy
Snow Warning... which is in effect from noon today to 12 PM MDT
Thursday. The Winter Storm Watch is no longer in effect.

Snow... heavy at times... will develop over the mountains above
6000 feet. Snow accumulations of 8 to 12 inches are possible with
local accumulations of 1 to 2 feet on higher mountain peaks.

A Heavy Snow Warning means severe winter weather conditions are
expected or occurring. Significant amounts of snow are forecast
that will make travel dangerous. Only travel in an emergency. If
you must... keep an extra flashlight... food... and water in your
vehicle in case of an emergency.

Environmental News and Commentary

Interesting takes on environmental issues.

www.grist.org

NEMO Equipment Losi Tent - Built for Speed

The NEMO Equipment LOSI Tent is a spacious 2 person, all season backpacking and camping tent.

Your tent is your home in the wilderness, so don't sacrifice comfort and stability for a few ounces. NEMO used the lightest weight materials and a unique pole structure to build the Losi™ tent extra sturdy and extra spacious. Two doors and two vestibules eliminate jostling for position and gear storage, and an optional Pawprint™ liner joins sleeping pads to make a double bed. With a full mesh canopy for summer evenings and large side vents for continuous airflow on rainy nights, Losi™ is essential for the avid backpacker.

For the ultimate in camping comfort, check out the LOSI Pawprint Floor Accessory, featuring pillow pockets and sleeping pad sleeves, it's also machine washable!

NEMO Equipment LOSI Tent Specs:

• 4.9 lbs, (2.2 kg)
• 32 sq. ft.
• 26 sq. ft. vesibule
• Optional Carbon Fiber Upgrade

Gallatin Good Times

Hi all,

We were testing out our creek boats on the Gallatin this weekend before heading to Hyalite and other more burly creeks around. The water levels have been pretty crazy. A Bozeman Daily Chronicle article a few days ago indicated that the snow pack was about 20% of last year at this time, which results in a much shorter spring runoff and lower rivers. Luckily, we’ve been getting a lot of rain here and it’s helping keep things green, and the rivers alive for a while. Cheers everyone and I hope your Memorial Day was a great deal of remembrance and good times.

Tagged: Powderfin, Outdoors, Outdoor Gear, Creekboat, Gallatin, Hyalite, Bozeman, Montana

Mo Mo Browns

Yeah Bernie!!!

Pacific Outdoor Equipment now online....

We're proud to announce the addition of Pacific Outdoor Equipment products to Powderfin.com. Not only are these some of the best sleeping pads, dry bags, and river duffels in the business, but they're also headquartered right down the street here in Bozeman, MT.


It's always nice to do business with local companies, especially when they have similar philosophies. P.O.E. is an innovative company with their minds on creating useful products with minimal environmental impact. In fact, for they're 2007 Eco Thermo 6 Sleeping Pad (pictured below), they recently won the Outside Magazine Green Gear of the Year Award.


We're excited to be on board with P.O.E., and we hope our customers are too! If you'd like to learn more about the company, check out their website, or our Pacific Outdoor Info Page. As always, we're here to help with product questions via email or toll free at 1-800-986-0656.

Creekboating and Infinity Mountain

Creekboating often draws a “what is that?” response for family and friends. It’s kayaking… but it’s the kind of kayaking you watch and say, “holy crap I can’t believe he/she just did that”. It has a higher inherent danger level and requires more river intelligence and skill than most traditional play-boat runs. Generally speaking, you’re talking about a class 4 or 5 river with steep gradient which may include waterfalls, giant holes, log jams, sieves, potential pitons, swift water rescue skills, boat extraction knowledge… the boats them selves come in many shapes and sizes, but have higher volume than play boats and usually a displacement hull and sort of bulbous features.

With that said, I have my first creekboat, and I can’t wait to put a few scratches in it! It’s a Bliss-Stick Huka… check it out. As a beginning creek-boater, I look to people pushing the sport for inspiration. Montana has no shortage of people running rivers that make my knees week, but the majority of them don’t have sites that are regularly updated on their adventures. Someday I’ll paddle that runs through my mind constantly when I take a look at what Robin and friends are up to at Infinity Mountain. They're still getting the site dialed in... but the pics are incredible. Check it out and understand the level these guys are at. They also backcountry ski, climb, hike, and generally make use of their surroundings in the best way… something we really dig at Powderfin.

Tagged: Powderfin, Outdoors, Outdoor Gear, Infinity Mountain, Creekboating, Kayaking, Bozeman, Montana

POWDERFIN.COM Memorial Day Sale