A recap of top stories for the week of Feb. 19 – 25, 2017.
1) Screaming Deals: Gear Savings Of The Week
Outdoor gear deals that are too good to pass up. Click at your own risk! Deals from: Chrome, LifeStraw, REI, The North Face, Goal Zero, and more.
2) Witness The Greatest Expedition Of Our Time
Mike Horn is nearing completion of what may be the most monumental adventure ever. And he’s Instagramming the whole thing.
3) Watch: First Female Ascent Of 5.14c In Red River Gorge
Every single weekend of her college life, Michaela Kiersch drove seven hours south to Red River Gorge, Kentucky for a shot at her 5.14c project.
4) The Challenge Of ‘Arrowhead’ Ultra: 135 Miles Over Snow
Among the toughest winter endurance events, the Arrowhead 135 pits competitors against a namesake 135-mile course in northern Minnesota. This year marked the 13th running of the bike/ski/trek winter ultra.
5) Teaser: US Team Attempts Grand Canyon Rafting Record
An upcoming documentary captures the USA Rafting team’s attempt to run the Grand Canyon in a custom rig built for the record.
6) Opinel Knife Reclaims Century-Old Submerged Wood
100-year-old wood reclaimed from a Maine lake forms the handle of this knife from L.L Bean and Opinel.
7) Vail Resorts Buys Stowe Mountain, Expands East
The Colorado-based resort company will acquire Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Resort for $50 million.
8) The Great Indoors: Gore-Tex’s ‘Virtual Outdoors’ Gear Lab
From rainstorms to sun, high humidity, and blustery winds, an enclosed facility on the East Coast simulates weather anywhere on Earth.
9) Following OR, Major Bike Trade Shows Shun Utah
In protest, three major trade shows will not consider Utah for upcoming events.
10) Big Wall Warmth: Arc’teryx Proton AR Hoody Review
Arc’teryx’s ‘active insulation’ helps mountain athletes regulate body temps in varying conditions, like our tester’s two-day solo aid climb in Zion National Park.
11) First Look: Eureka Gonzo Grill Aims For All-In-One Cooking
Pancakes for breakfast. Steak and veggies for dinner. The Gonzo aims to be a single cook set that can cook everything so we had to try it out.
12) Minimalist Camp Gives Outward Bound A New Look
Staffers formerly crammed into 10-to-a-room dormitories. Then Outward Bound went modern and minimalist with an ambitious cabin project last summer.
13) First Look: Polartec ‘Naked’ Jacket By Rab
Alpha Direct is made of post-consumer recycled polyester. In its naked form, it is essentially a synthetic fleece on steroids and it works alone or layered under a shell.
14) Booby Trap Impales Runner’s Foot On N.C. Trail
Pinnacle Park in North Carolina closed after 60 hidden spikes were found littering a trail system, leaving one runner injured.
15) Winner Takes All: Skiers Vs. Snowboarders Vs. Fatbikes
Fatbikes dueling skis, dueling snowboards? It’s finally going to happen.
16) Cubed Coffee: Jiva Camping Coffee Review
A mini brick of coffee that fits in your pocket sounds great for hikers, but how does it taste? We tried it.
17) Emerging Gear: Outdoor Products This Week
From roll-up kayaks to the world’s lightest socks, our weekly peek at emerging products examines the sometimes cutting-edge, sometimes quirky world of gear design.
18) This California Neuroscientist Shoots ‘Mind-Blowing’ Photos
These trippy landscape photos defy most people’s imaginations. But not if you’re a neuroscientist nicknamed ‘The Light Ninja.’
19) Ultimate Visibility: ‘Torch’ Cycling Jacket Shines At Night
Shine bright on dark rides wearing an ultra-high-vis jacket with lights and all-over reflectivity.
20) Are You Addicted To Exercise? Take This Quiz
Is your exercise routine a healthy habit or a symptom of a potentially fatal disorder?
21) Hermit, Mountain Man, And Unwitting ‘Climate Researcher’
With no goals of proving anything, or even knowledge that the climate was changing, he started collecting data about snowpack to pass the time in his isolated part of the world.
