Phamily Reunion - Music and Camping

A friend of mine is putting on a musical festival of sorts July 30th - August 2nd at Van Eden Ranch outside of Idaho Springs, CO to celebrate the return of Phish to Red Rocks. If you're going to the shows, this would be a pretty good bet for a beautiful and safe place to stay, camp, and see some great live music. The deal includes rides to and from Red Rocks all day every day....

Check out details at the... Phamily Reunion Website

Armstrong Spring Creek

We got a little weather reprieve last week... a 65 degree day!!!! Jessica was kind enough to accompany me to Armstrong Spring Creek where the fish were feeling pretty good about the warm weather as well. Rainbows were eating gray scuds in pretty much every bucket, and the browns were chasing streamers. It was fun while it lasted...we're back to the 30's now. C'mon MAY!!!

I recently stumbled across a local fisherman/photograhper's blog and website...

http://joshuabergan.blogspot.com/

www.joshuabergan.com



Check them out,he has some great shots in there!

"Two-Taco Mahi" with hot sauce, por favor.

Jessica and I made a trip to Mexico a few weeks ago, a much needed dose of warm sun and sand during the Montana winter. I had been 'gearing up' for weeks, which mostly consisted of tying saltwater flies that I knew I'd never use. Regardless, tying flies that you know are going to be tossed into the ocean has a way of delivering you from the winter duldrums, if just for an hour or two.

Our trip was mainly to visit my parents in Puerto Vallarta, but of course since I have a pesky obsession with all things swimming, I was preparing for a fishing trip. I had never fly-fished in saltwater before, so I was pretty excited to give it a try with a couple of new Redington Fly Rods, a 9 wt. RS4 with their new Rise Reel, and a 10 wt. CPX with the big ol CDL Titanium Series Reel.

I brought the 9 wt. down to the beach on our first day, making a few sloppy loops near some rocks before realizing I hadn't strung my line through all of my eyelets. I don't know what it is about fishing, but I swear I turn into an excited 9 year old when I get to do something new like cast into the surf. In my spazzy rigging routine, I had failed to breathe and concentrate, which generally results in about a 50% success rate, as was the case here.

So I re-rigged and realized the 9 wt. wasn't so difficult to cast afterall. About 15 minutes into casting my white clouser , with curious Mexican camarones vendors and pasty European couples paying close attention to the gringo on the rock with the long stick, I hooked into my first saltwater fish. I don't know exactly what it was, but it was about 3 feet long and 1 1/2 inch tall. It fought like a copperhead would've, had it decided to eat a nightcrawler on grandpa's farmpond. With that image in my mind, there was no way in hell I was going to touch this fish...and as luck would have it, it performed a "no hands release" right in front of my feet. After a little online research, I'm pretty sure it was a Giant Mexican Needlefish like the one this gentleman in the hot shorts caught.

I was pretty happy to have caught a fish that early into trip, and looked eagerly ahead to our planned outing on Wednesday. My parents friends had a visitor in town who is an avid flyfisherman, so they made arrangements for us to fish with Captain Hector out of the marina in Puerto Vallarta. Jessica and I bailed out of bed early on Wednesday and made it down to the marina with our new fishing buddy, Dave. We were ready to go, with high hopes of seeing some Roosterfish, Tuna, or Dorado. The reports I had been reading lately said those fish may be around, and had been caught within the past week.

Dave, Jessica, and I were all at the marina, but our Captain was nowhere to be found. The company who took the reservation online (puertovallartafish . com)'s office was closed "be back at 1:00 pm". Go figure. So we talked to a guy, who talked to a guy, who talked to some other guys. They tried to get Captain Hector on his cellphone, only to find that he was already out on a fishing trip on a "big boat". I quickly figured out that puertovallartafish . com is a broker, who really has no fishing fleet of their own, and either forgot to book us with a captain at all...or Hector got a gig with the much more expensive "big boat", and ditched our little $400 fly-fishing trip on the panga.

We did end up getting to go fishing, but I'm pretty sure our captain was a maintenance man for the marina. He drove us around Banderas bay, and would plow straight through schools of Albacore over and over until we told him to head back. It's not too easy to cast straight ahead into a spooky school of slashing tuna with all of a boat's momentum is at your back. We learned our lesson about Mexican Sportfishing Charters that day, but at least we were on the water in a beautiful place. We did get to see a huge school of porpoise and some sea turtles, both of which I rarely find in nature here in Montana.

I had one more chance to fish during our stay in Mexico while staying in the super-mellow little surfing and fishing town of Sayulita. We showed up on Thursday morning with my parents and spent the morning walking around the town, had lunch on the beach at Don Pedro's, then tried to surf. Jessica and I took a lesson, which was a humbling experience for me. There aren't many things that I haven't been able to "get" pretty quickly after putting my mind to it, but surfing didn't seem to care about that. I tried for about 2 hours and never really caught a wave. I stood up a few times, but came crashing down onto my face within a few seconds. Jessica did quite well. Damnit.

After my wicked surf sesh (brah), we relaxed for a few hours with some beers, then had dinner at our hotel restaurant, "O" at Vila de Amor. Our dinner was fabulous, but unfortunately interrupted by the news that Jessica's job had exploded. Literally. Bozeman landmark bar/restaurant Boodles blew up while we were in Mexico. Insane.

After we processed the news, we figured since we weren't certain how to react, we might-as-well go celebrate not being blown up, so we went and listened to some average Mexican reggae at the Red Dragon. It was a great and unusual night.

The next morning I got up at 6:30 and went down to the beach looking for someone to take me fishing. I found a dude who took me and 2 other american guys for $200. Some local fisherman had planted some floating palapas (bunches of palm branches) a mile or so from the beach, which attract Mahi Mahi in droves. I reckon that's sorta cheating, but after I was on the other end of some cheating at Puerto Vallarta marina, I didn't care. I still don't, actually.

After checking out some monster whales breaching and a few more sea turtles, I caught a Mahi Mahi on my flyrod by essentially trolling a clouser minnon, which felt really good after months of unecessary preparation. I did have the opportunity to cast at some Mahi Mahi, and had a few chases, but no takes. I think they like their dinner served faster than I could strip it. I had read that these fish grow very fast, and weigh about 6 lbs. at one year old. If that's the case, then my fish was a newborn. My young Mexican surfer guide called it a "two-taco mahi". I sure as hell didn't need a 10 wt. for that job, but it was a blast nonetheless. It actually bent my 10 wt. over the gunnels once it saw the boat during the fight, beleive it or not. Most importantly, it made me hungry for more...I can't wait to hook into a 25 - 30 pounder someday.

The guide filleted it up for me, I handed it to the cook at Pablo's Restaurant on the beach, and they cooked Jessica and I some fish tacos for lunch. It was awesome...a perfectly satisfying realization of a vacation dream.

It was an amazing trip, much more relaxing then most of my vacations. Thanks again to my generous parents for making it possible! Hasta luego...

Zeal Optics on Powderfin.com

Staying true to our vision to work with environmentally responsible companies who make amazing gear, we've added Zeal Optics as our first goggle line. Zeal combines several new goggle lens technologies to create award winning designs with state-of-the-art functionality. Featuring the world's first polarized and photochromatic lenses, Zeal brought ski goggles to new heights with superior glare reduction AND light adjusting lenses.

With 11 Zeal Goggle models available at Powderfin.com, there's a ski goggle to fit every face. Zeal's women's specific Splendor Goggles are perfect for small to medium sized faces and are helmet-compatible.

Their most technologically advanced goggle, the Zeal Detonator Spherical SPPX Polarized and Photochromatic Goggles have received various accolades and awards in the outdoor industry. At Powderfin.com, we feel that it's sometimes worth paying top dollar for great gear. Not always, of course, but with eyewear it's definitely worth it in my opinion. If you love fly-fishing, and spend a good deal of your valuable free time on the water, it's worth it to buy a good fly-rod. If you love boating, it's probably worth it to you to invest in some good polarized sunglasses. We feel the same way about goggles. I don't get to spend as much time riding as I did 10 years ago, but man I wish I would have had Zeal Detonators when I was lucky enough to be on the mountain 70 or so days a year. Great goggles can change your mood from gloomy to ecstatic as soon as you put them on... things are clearer, trees are brighter green, and you know that you're only minutes away from doing something you love, making turns in a beautiful place!

Zeal has been an environmentally conscious business since their inception, and has received various awards for their innovative designs and goggle technoligies. We're proud to add Zeal Optics to our growing list of environmentally mindfull manufacturers.

Kahtoola MICROSpikes keep you moving!

We recently added another new product to our mix, the Kahtoola MICROSpikes Over-shoe Traction System. MICROspikes are ideal for walking, hiking and running on snow-packed trails. Here in Montana, it's a necessity to have some traction when trying to exercise outside in the winter. Kahtoola has created the best over-shoe traction system we've seen. Featuring a stainless steel flex-chain with a tough elastomer shoe harness, Kahtoola MICROspikes securely attach to running shoes for amazing grip and comfort in ice or packed snow.

Available in XS through Large, we have a size available to fit everyone...men, women, and children!

World Record Rainbow Trout - 2007

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/news/story?id=2901070

43.6 lbs

New SIGG Water Bottles on Powderfin.com

After months of being unable to get product, we now again have a decent offering of SIGG BPA Free Water Bottles.

There's a few new styles, as well as the old favorites.

KOR ONE Hydration Vessel review - Powderfin.com

We have a new water bottle featured on Powderfin.com, the KOR ONE 750 mL Hydration Vessel. When I heard "hydration vessel", I thought...ok, nice marketing ploy. A water bottle is a water bottle, right?

Well...after actually using one for a month or so, I can now confidently say.... no. Yes, the KOR ONE is a water bottle, but it definitely lives up to its name...it truly is a Hydration Vessel. It has all of the features that bottles must have today, such as being BPA free, and healthy to drink from...but this product goes beyond the norm.

The first thing that struck me upon seeing the unit is simply it's unique design. It's strange to say...but this thing is kinda sexy. It's designed with function at the forefront, but also with very clean lines and flowing curves. It made me thirsty to look at it.

Beyond the visual appeal, what makes the KOR ONE Hydration Vessel special is ease of operation. With one hand, you can easily push the button that releases the "hatch" on the top of the vessel and take a drink. This comes in very handy while driving, running on a treadmill, bicycling, and sitting on a chairlift. These are a handful of activities in which I've used the KOR ONE, and I did actually notice a difference. If you're used to a water bottle with a traditional screw-top lid...you'll notice that the KOR ONE is simply much easier to open and close. So when you're sitting on a chair lift with gloves on, you don't have to fumble around and unscrew a lid, then somehow keep from dropping it.

It's just click, crack open, guzzle, close. Easy.

A third impressive feature of the vessel is the mouth opening..ie) where you put your lips. I've heard people describe drinking from aluminum bottles as "like drinking from a garden hose". It's different with the KOR ONE. It's smooth on your lips, and never too cold or too hot to the touch.

Finally, the size is right. I think 20 oz. (.33 L) are too small. The hydration vessel is 750 mL... which is a great size. Not too heavy when full, like many people think of a 1 L, but not to small to have to fill up often.

All in all...just when you thought the water bottle craze could go no further, KOR Water upped the anty. I was initially dubious, but now a huge fan.

Sit a full one on your desk and you'll hydrate more than ever before...it basically begs you to drink from it, all day long.

Want to try one? Buy a KOR ONE Hydration Vessel from Powderfin.com and save 10% with the coupon code "vessel", from now until February 15th.

Montana Green Business Directory

Powderfin.com was recently added to the Montana Green Business Directory. The site awarded us 10 "Green Badges", acknowledging our continued efforts to run a clean, energy efficient, smart e-commerce company.

Why was Powderfin certified as a "Green Montana Business"?

We have one printer, and use it sparingly. We use 100 percent recycled paper for everything. All office paper is shredded and used for packaging. We re-use boxes for shipping, we harvest used boxes from other businesses for shipping. We use energy efficient light bulbs. We sell products from companies who are on the forefront of sustainable manufacturing, such as Crescent Moon Snowshoes (100 percent wind and solar powered production facility in Boulder, CO), and Pacific Outdoors (Bozeman). We also sell products aimed to reduce waste such as SIGG, Earthlust, Laken, and Solio Solar Chargers.

Happy Holidays!!!!!

Happy Holidays!!!! There's still time to get your gifts wherever they need to be on December 24th... Choose the right expedited shipping method and breathe easy!!!! Check out our Holiday Shopping Guide for the right shipping method.

For the fastest, easiest way to shop... send a gift certificate in seconds and call your shopping day OVER... Save 10% on all gift certificates until December 25th!

Shop now for the latest stainless steel water bottles from EarthLust. Enter "lust" at checkout to save 10% instantly on EarthLust.

Here are a few of the new styles... they make pretty nice gifts!

The Iron Mike: No Boarding

The Iron Mike: No Boarding

A friends take on riding in our thirties.

Solio Sponsors a Revealing Expedition to Mount Stanley

The Solio Mount Stanley Expedition team recently gave its support to explorer, anthropologist and documentary filmmaker Julian Fisher as he set out to explore the fabled "Mountains of the Moon" in Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountain Range. Fisher and his team faced numerous challenges throughout their three-week expedition, but staying in contact wasn’t one of them. Thanks to Solio solar chargers, they could power their satellite phones, GPS units, and other devices even in remote areas without power.
In the end, the team uncovered some revealing insights into climate change, its impact on Rwenzori’s melting glaciers, and the ensuing effect it’s having on the ancient cultures living within Rwenzori’s valleys. Said Fisher, “We’re living in a time when we all need to look inward to solve the problems that outwardly face us all.” The folks at Solio couldn’t agree more.

At Powderfin.com, receive FREE SHIPPING on every

Solio Solar charger! $99.95 - shipping included!





SOLIO SUSTAINABILITY SCOOP:

Did you know that over the next five years the U.S. will import and use 2.5 billion chargers for handheld electronics, representing thousands of tons of plastics and metals? Remember: One Solio can replace a dozen wall chargers.

INTERNET SAVES ENERGY, REDUCES GREENHOUSE GASES

From: BNET.com - Electric Perspectives, May/Jun 2000

Use a little electricity to turn on your computer and hook up to the Internet, and you can save a lot of energy and vastly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

That's the conclusion of "The Internet Economy and Global Warming: A Scenario of the Impact of ECommerce on Energy and the Environment," a study that has drawn increased attention since it was initially released last December. Although its conclusions about future growth in electricity demand and the Kyoto Protocol remain controversial, it is yet another refutation of the notion, popularized decades ago by critics of electric companies, that the only good kilowatt is a kilowatt saved.

The study prepared by the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions (cECS), argues that the emerging Internet economy probably deserves substantial credit for the nation's shifting energy diet. While the U.S. economy grew more than 9 percent in 1997 and 1998, energy demand stayed almost flat in spite of low energy prices.

Perhaps a third of this gain in energy efficiency is attributable to expansion in economic sectors with relatively modest energy needs-especially the double-digit growth in information technology But the bulk of the gain reflects economy-wide efficiency improvements made possible in part by the Internet.

The authors point to e-commerce as one of the many ways in which the Internet saves energy and natural resources. For example, when a consumer purchases a book from Amazon.com rather than from a "bricks-and-mortar" store, about one-sixteenth as much energy is consumed. In part, this is because it takes less energy to heat and light a warehouse than a commercial building catering to the public.

What's more, it takes less energy to ship the book to the online consumer than if he or she drove to the mall.

Telecommuting has been made possible by the Internet-fostered boom in home offices. The study cites an International Data Corporation forecast that the number of home offices linked to the Internet will grow from 12 million in 1997 to 30 million in 2002. Home offices use far less energy than office buildings, and telecommuting reduces automobile travel.

The Internet reduces energy use, as well as hazardous waste, in the manufacturing sector. For example, while the paperless economy has not materialized (nor is likely to any time soon), the Internet is helping to reduce growth in consumption of paper. Paper manufacturing is one of the nation's most energy-intensive processes. By 2003, the Internet will reduce net demand for paper by 2.7 million tons compared to what it would have been, the study says, citing an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group.

The cECS study can be viewed online at coolcomanies.org

Copyright Edison Electric Institute May/Jun 2000
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved

Sherpa Adventure Gear Gives Back

From the Sherpa Adventure Gear website:

The Sherpas are the unsung heroes of Everest…

From the early days of Sir Edmund Hillary's first successful summit, to modern mountaineers' attempts on treacherous Himalayan peaks, these incredible high-altitude climbers have been there in every step of the way—guiding, hauling food and gear, setting ropes, and rescuing sick and injured climbers.

Unfortunately even though climbers pay thousands of dollars for permits and guides, Sherpas still often live in impoverished conditions. And it is their children who suffer most when a Sherpa guide is injured or killed in a climbing accident

In order to honor their heroic feats, Sherpa Adventure Gear has partnered with Alpine Ascents to donate up to $.50 for every item sold to The Sherpa Education Fund. We are also in the process of setting up additional non-profit partnerships to benefit the health, education, and welfare of underprivileged Sherpa children.

In addition to this, Sherpa Adventure Gear employs local Sherpas in their office in Katmandu, and contract with Sherpa artisans (some of whom are their own cousins) to create the beautiful, hand knit Sherpa wool hats. Every product you buy makes a direct impact on the lives of these amazing people.

To see more of what this innovative company has to offer, be sure to browse the rest of our Sherpa Adventure Gear Clothing.

More Waterproof Gear protection at Powderfin.com

Our latest addition to our product mix is more waterproof gear from Watershed. There are several new waterproof duffels to choose from, including some waterproof backpack duffel bags. Regardless of your outdoor activity, if you'll be around water, it's a good idea to keep it protected. Nobody likes showing up at camp and putting on wet clothes! Watershed Waterproof Dry-bags are made with super durable material, and feature amazingly strong welds. The Waterproof Shotgun bag has overlapping radio frequency welds, which turns multiple fabric pieces into one single piece of material for unparalleled waterproof protection for your shotgun.

Between Aquapac, Otterbox, Pacific Outdoor, and Watershed, we now have a good piece of equipment for any piece of equipment you may have at Powderfin.com. From individual personal electronics cases, to small waterproof camera cases, to HUGE waterproof duffels...there's a product to fit your waterproofing needs.