Author Archives: Michael Klein

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.

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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So the store has been starting to get real busy with eager holiday shoppers.  Just like every other season I get the age old question. "What should I get _______(insert name) they are into _________ (insert hobby)?" Well I hate to admit it but somehow even after six years I still don't really have the answer. But I decided this year I am finally going to have an answer and lucky for you I am sharing it with everyone.

I am your typical guy who has everything, heck I may have more outdoor gear than anyone I have ever met.  Seriously we can't fit a car in our garage. With this in mind I am going to give you the ultimate top 10 gifts for the guy who has everything.

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Welcome, make yourself at home! I hope you enjoy your experience at the new wearonearth.com. It has been a long road getting here with about 3 years of hard work and all hands on deck to finally get to the launch of this site. Before we get too far though, let me introduce myself.

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