Have you been wondering when you'd have another opportunity to watch Dave MacLeod climb some ridiculously difficult, and probably very dangerous, rock in a place where the weather sucks? Well, wait no longer. Dave and wife Claire MacLeod have released a trailer for their new movie Echo Wall, about Dave's quest to send the line of the same name on Ben Nevis (which he did on July 28). The movie is available for pre-order on MacLeod's website.
Sad story out of Rocky Mountain National Park: Matthew Chesaux, a 40-year-old guy from Boulder, died Tuesday while trying to ski Taylor Glacier in the park. Chesaux's friends said he was trying to ski at least one day of every month in 2008, and he must have been trying to sneak one day in on the last day of September. He was wearing a helmet.
We can't all be blessed with a strong network of caring friends and family. For many, the miscreants, the malcontents, the cynics, the, how do I put it, the Republicans of the world, have a hard time finding people out there that give a damn if they got lost in the wilderness. I mean really, if George W. was lost in the woods, would anybody really call for help? No. Absolutely not. And that's where this innovative service, SafeCheckIn, comes in to play. Say for example you're the worst President the country has ever seen and you decide to go for a nice long bike ride. What if you get lost? Who is going to care? Nobody, as we've already established. Nobody except the people you pay $6.25 a month to call authorities if they don't hear back from you after an agreed upon return time. It may seem like a low tech solution, you call them when you leave and once again when you return, but it's effective. Or not. Imagine all the false alarms they'll set off because their client is piss drunk passed out in some bar. Just saying....
The writer, Michael Brick, spent months on this New York Times piece profiling Yosemite legend Chongo, aka Charles Tucker. I'm not going to pretend I know enough about the guy to judge whether or not the story is an accurate portrayal of his life, but it's a good read about a person who's led an interesting life and also happens to be a climber, and possibly the king of all Yosemite dirtbags.
Also, a lot of thoughts on the piece, and the man, at SuperTopo.
Somebody forgot to send Nike a note that they've become irrelevant. And god forbid you remind them because hell hath no fury like a dated brand scorned. I mean, lets be honest, when your best selling shoes are rehashes fromt the 80s, what's left but equestrian boots and BMX shoes? And it looks like the boys up in Beaverton have nothing better to do than leave whining comments on blogs when writers call them out because nobody wants to wear their stupid swoosh boots. Unless you live in Japan, maybe Europe, or write under a pen name that rhymes with Bomb. What the hell am I talking about you're asking right now. Not sure, I'm a bit hammered. But, well, remember that post we put up a few months ago about Nike's second try at snowboarding boots. Seems a certain IP address keeps leaving comments about how "core" Nike really is and how great their snowboard boot is and will be. Because Burton really is the sell out. The boys at Nike, not so smart. Not only do the comments sound asinine and are identifiable by an IP, but they really show a basic misunderstanding of the market. No matter how great their boots are, nobody is going to wear them until they make the swoosh disappear. Plain and simple. And get rid of the idiotic colors. And maybe stop Richard Simmons from wearing them. Maybe then, and it's just a maybe, will they be taken seriously. And if they doubt me, lets put it on the line. You name the resort, you show up with those idiotic boots, and we'll let the public decide. Park, pipe, free ride, you choose. I'll wear my Burtons, you wear the clown boots. Woo, I think I drank to much Scotch again tonight. It's been too long. Feel a bit sick.
Pretty sweet new Cinelli frame with graphics by Benny Gold, graphic artist wunderkind based in S.F. The the man behind the original identities for both MashSF and Huf. Via Benny Gold.
Sorry it's been a while, ever since my girlfriend got her bush lased, I really haven't found a reason to leave the house. Plus a little jaunt as drug mule in Colombia, I just haven't found the time to write in this now tripe-filled blog. Enough about me. The RGS is a major resource for anything outdoors. While the British like to pride themselves on being organizers, Dunkirk being a salient event, the complete disintegration of the former British Empire would mark otherwise. Regardless, if you'd like to hang around toffs with halitosis spouting, 'brilliant!' and 'put it on a cracker!' then this event is right up your alley.
Project planning and organisation Marketing and PR How to raise the funds Health and safety in the field Communication and navigation Inclusive expeditions Insurance and legal liability Risk Assessment & safety management
Afternoon logistics workshops include mountaineering, tropical forest, polar, desert, and marine.
One-to-one advice sessions and lectures also take place.
The Explorers' bar in the evening is the time to make contacts and share experiences.
I don't go to Interbike because I'm not that into buying bikes -- just into riding them -- but have to share Wired's Baddest Bikes at Interbike slide show. If you like $10,000 bikes, it's right up your alley. Some of these are cool, but some are a downright freakshow. Like the <26 cm-thick Ceepo Viper. Looking at this stuff is like looking at the creations the models are wearing during Fashion Week: Very few people are going to actually use the product, besides the model (or pro cyclist) who gets it for free, and some schmo who can afford to buy it (but makes it look bad). The Viper is on the low end at $8,000.
I've actually ridden one of Spot's titanium belt-driven bikes -- the one they custom made for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper during the Democratic National Convention. It was pretty impressive on the short spin I took it on. Smooth, quiet, and extremely strong -- you can actually pick the bike up by the belt. It'll be interesting to see what else they can do with it. (It won Best of Show at last year's Interbike, and Spot's now selling three different models with the belt drive.)
Remember Evan Whitemyer, the Massachusetts third-grader who was trying to climb 10 4,000-foot peaks in the Northeast to raise money for his school? He finished his 9th and 10th summits, Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette, both in New Hampshire, last weekend (and he's now a fourth-grader). He raised $5,120 for South Shore Charter Public School in Norwell, Mass., to help the school be more green. Congratulations, Evan.
We can't all be blessed with a strong network of caring friends and family. For many, the miscreants, the malcontents, the cynics, the, how do I put it, the Republicans of the world, have a hard time finding people out there that give a damn if they got lost in the wilderness. I mean really, if George W. was lost in the woods, would anybody really call for help? No. Absolutely not. And that's where this innovative service, 
Somebody forgot to send Nike a note that they've become irrelevant. And god forbid you remind them because hell hath no fury like a dated brand scorned. I mean, lets be honest, when your best selling shoes are rehashes fromt the 80s, what's left but 
jaunt as drug mule in Colombia, I just haven't found the time to write in this now tripe-filled blog. Enough about me. The RGS is a major resource for anything outdoors. While the British like to pride themselves on being organizers, Dunkirk being a salient event, the complete disintegration of the former British Empire would mark otherwise. Regardless, if you'd like to hang around toffs with halitosis spouting, 'brilliant!' and 'put it on a cracker!' then 
