Wear On Earth

Head designer Mike Pfotenhauer has led Osprey in designing packs for the outdoors for 35 years. The company of ‘Osprey-ites’ has roots in Santa Cruz, California, is based in Cortez, Colorado, and has your back for camping, backpacking, biking, running and beyond. Osprey designs packs for men, women, and unisex and strive to make it [...]

Why do you enjoy riding a bike? For the exercise and endorphins? To avoid traffic and save gas? May is National Bike Month, encouraging Americans to pull out their bicycles and go for a ride. Fifty-five years strong, Bike Month is about promoting safe cycling and enjoying the ride.
There are twice as many bicycles in [...]

If it’s been a minute since you’ve been in the saddle, your riding form may be a bit off. However it’s important to keep proper form to prevent stiffness, soreness, and injury. So while you’re taking in the fresh air and spring flowers, check your form. Take these tips to kick off the spring season [...]

Everyone knows that you can’t be Joe Cool without the proper shades, and if your lifestyle keeps you active and outdoors you’ll need more than style from your sunglasses this spring. Brands like Tifosi and Oakley design high-quality sunglasses that are durable, fit comfortably, and protect your vision from harmful UVA and UVB rays. Perfect for running and biking, these sunglasses are stocked with features that will keep you focused on what’s in front of you and not what’s on your face. If you’re looking for that something special, say, sunglasses that protect your eyes and open your beer, we got you covered too.

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Me and Michael Franti after the show. He put on a show that even got my dad "jumpin". 

Hey all.  Sorry for such a delay in putting up an update however the last 4 weeks have definitely been a whirl wind.  I have stopped in no less than 9 states in this time.  Taken 9 commercial flight (of which only about 1/2 were on schedule).  Flown a private aircraft from Lubbock, TX back to Potsdam, NY and in this time I managed to spend only 2 nights (of the last 30) in my own bed.

This trip was both business and pleasure in nature. Naturally Goose was brought as he excels in both areas.  We started in Salt Lake with a few hard days at the Outdoor Retailer trade show.  We lined a bunch of new brands which will start rolling in over the next weeks and months. Quick OR highlight list.

1. Wolverine hosts Michael Franti for a private show at the Depot.
2. Michael Franti pulls Goose on stage and hands him a guitar (see video).
3. BeardBeanie

As far as skiing goes everyone knows Utah is home of the "best snow on earth".  Historically we have been very lucky with our dates in Salt lake.   This year proved again to have Ulr's blessing and opened the skis with 7 feet of snow.  I had just grabbed a new set of Black Diamond Amperages and some Fritchi Diamirs specifically for this mission.

We hit up Alta, Solitude,  Brighton, and our favorite Powder Mountain.  We skied until our legs could turn no more, then did an extra run just to make sure we had not forgotten any turns.  See attached video for a sample of what Utah has to offer.  There is a reason people quit their jobs and move to Utah, it's not the beer (which is improving).  It's all about the POW.  This year the snow was so deep that one of our party had to be rescued by ski patrol after getting stuck in a snow hole that was 7 feet deep.  Ski patrol spent almost 3 hours getting him and "Craig" (a random passerby who foolishly tried to help and consequently got stuck) out of their hole.

After a solid few days in Utah it was time to spit ways.  My dad and brother headed home.  Goose and his daughter Beth were going to stay in SLC and have their fill of face-shots. I was going to go visit my buddy Dave down in Grand Junction right as the San Juan's started going off.

However that's going to get it's own blog and video for next week.

Year 'round Mother Nature tirelessly concocts weather intended to keep me indoors. Nonetheless I have braved blizzards, gale force winds and torrential flooding - the kinds of natural disasters that get sane people to hunker down safely at home. But every day, despite the worst weather, I am compelled to get outdoors. I can’t ignore [...]

I left Alta Mountain in Utah Monday after a great powder day.  I had a quick 4 hour blast down to Grand Junction where I'd be crashing with my buddy Dave for the Colorado leg of my vacation.  I was already on cloud nine after 4 days skiing in famous Utah campaign power.  Little did I know [...]

It's finally starting to feel like winter in upstate New York,  in fact today's high
in Potsdam is a beautiful 9 F. Yesterday I tried to get one last mountain bike ride in only to be sent home humbled for a ride on the trainer. Since most of the snow had melted I figured it'd be a sure thing to catch a quick ride on the Clarkson trails. I had just got my brand new Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon - the new rig that is going to carry my butt through the CO mountains at the Leadville 100 race this summer. Needless to say, I was really jonesing to get out and see what she had to offer.

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Well this year I broke down and I just received my 2012 Specialized Expert Pro 29'er.  Even though we live in the North Country, NY I've been able to do about 4 hours of trail riding with it so far. Now I'd like to share my first impressions.

To be honest, after about 5minutes of riding I wasn't even thinking "hrmmmm…this is different".  In fact, it felt so natural that it really wasn't a "transition" at all.  This was simply my new bike, nothing more.  But with this bike…ooooh my.  I could roll over just about anything.  I have to try and find things to 'test' what I can and cannot get over.  So far…I haven't found much.

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It has been absolutely crazy at the shop.  At this point I can tell you what everyone is getting for the holidays.  You all are getting socks.  Yup socks.  I am not sure why there is such a negative connotation with getting socks as a present, well as long as they are Smartwool socks.  If you haven't had a set before consider your self warned, get a set and magically you life will be better.  Well at least your feet will be happier. Speaking of happy feet mine were today as Shannon and I got our first rides in on our new 2012 Specialized Stump Jumper 29er.

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