I just returned from two days at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market (ORWM), an outdoor industry trade show. ORWM is where all the labels (large and small) showcase their new product for the following year, in this case Fall/Winter 2012/13. Retailers come from all over to see and touch the new goods, and to place their [...]
Cramps happen, but they shouldn’t. At least not due to electrolyte loss or imbalance, when such an effective, easy-to-use product as SaltStick Caps Plus is available. As an endurance athlete, I am well aware of the need to replace lost electrolytes during prolonged activities. There are so many electrolyte products on the market today, that [...]
If you run in any sort of adverse or variable conditions, the Brooks Adrenaline GTX has got you covered. (If you are familiar with Brooks models, this shoe is basically the GORE-TEX® version of the Adrenaline ASR 8.) For me, Brooks’ claims that this shoe is for “ultimate protection from elements on and off the trail” [...]
If you are anything like me, you spend hours, days, and weeks researching and comparing the latest products for all your favorite activities, as new gear is released each season. We spend our hard earned money on the best products that we can afford…sometimes because of our superb abilities…and sometimes because we believe the [...]
I’ve been wearing the Teva Mush Frio Lace Canvas shoes for the last few weeks and they are my new go to for casual footwear. They are a super-comfortable entry into the new breed of ‘sandals with shoe uppers.’ The ‘Mush’ is Teva’s signature soft, foot-contouring sole. They have the comfort of Sanuk’s with [...]
Good news for you. La Sportiva, the Italian maker of technical mountain footwear and accessories, announced last week that it will be expanding its product offering in 2012 to include a full line of technical ski mountaineering apparel. The new line includes hard shells, soft shells, insulating mid-layers, and performance base layers. “The [...]
First of all, happy holidays everyone. Being in the shopping frenzy last weekend was a not-so-gentle reminder of how distracting the consumerism can be from the actual spirit of the holiday. Bah-Humbug. You can have that parking spot. Here at AGR, we prefer to focus on the positive, and the companies that are [...]
With the Odin line, Helly Hansen has taken its considerable experience in the technical outerwear industry, and created a collection of products that is perfect for the outdoor professional and demanding consumer. Featuring Helly’s highest-end fabric, Helly Tech Professional, the Odin Guiding Light jacket offers extreme weather protection in a very lightweight and breathable package. [...]
Make puma tracks – on the trail. Puma’s long been known for everything sports related – indeed, their slogan this year is to live the “sportslifestyle”. That’s all one word on purpose. It was only a matter of time, therefore, until Puma decided they needed to take their show on the road… or trail, rather. [...]
Winter is right around the corner. What shoes are you going to turn to when the snow and slop invades the sidewalks? Boots are great, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes you don’t need all of the extra protection that a boot offers. Slip-on clogs often fit the bill; as they are easy as pie [...]
As someone who likes to take a camera on all my adventures, it’s important to have a camera that can take quality shots and handle the unexpected drop whether it’s in a river crossing or on a rock. Olympus has been making camera’s that are waterproof and shockproof for many years now to cater to [...]
I have always wanted a multifunction outdoors watch and was happy to test out the Traileader 1 watch from Tech4O. The watch packs a ton of features into a reasonably sized package including an altimeter, barometer, digital compass, and speed/distance tracker among others. All this in a design that is just stylish enough to wear [...]
I have always wanted an ultralight and portable backpacking stove that doesn’t sacrifice on cooking performance and the snow peak Gigapower Auto Stove might be the answer. The Gigapower is a canister-fuel powered camp stove that packs down to about as small as you could possibly get away with while still offering strong heating ability. [...]
True to its category name called “Mountain Running”, La Sportiva introduces the Crosslite 2.0. If you’re looking for a trail running shoe that only needs to cruse gravel paths, this shoe might not be for you. However, if you’re running technical trails with rock, ruts, mud, ice, snow, or other knarly obstacles, this shoe is a [...]
Cascadia lovers, it’s time to rejoice! Brooks has come out with its 6th version of the Cascadia and nailed it! As the Brooks Cascadia is a favorite among many trail runners, Brooks has to be very careful among the changes that it makes to the shoe. I’ve been testing the Brooks Cascadia 6 in different [...]
Every year at SIA, the best and the brightest get together to show off their wares and vie for the honor of marketing all their gear to none other than you and me. For those of you who don’t know, this isn’t just your typical meet and greet with a bunch of booths, marketing dudes, [...]
As re-usable water bottles become abundant on store shelves and new water bottle companies are popping up like weeds, we feel there needs to be a way to cut through the clutter. Often times, we are approached by several water bottle companies for review and while we do find some of the companies worthy, Stanley [...]
Barefoot running seems to be the craze these days and with so many runners flocking to the idea, New Balance decided with their running background that they would put in their two cents, or two shoes… In Spring 2011, New Balance Introduces the Mimimus line that has caught the eyes of many wanting to [...]
Vail Snow Daze is here, let the fun begin! The mountains of Colorado have been getting dumped on this year to give us skiers and snowboarders an amazing early winter season. I’ve been able to get in 10-15 days so far and except for the opening days at a few resorts, I had fresh powder [...]
Continuing to deepen its roots in the trail running scene, La Sportiva continues its efforts with the Mountain Cup trail running series. I recently ran the Jupiter Peak Steeplechase on August 7th, 2010, a 16 mile trail race in Park City, UT. The race started out with about a 1/2 mile fire road to allow runners [...]
So, eating and reviewing cookies and snack mix is not something we always do, but as we all know, we need energy to participate in our epic adventures. Now there is nothing wrong with the hundreds of energy bars out there on the super market shelves, but it is nice to be able get away [...]
Whether you’re an athlete that wants to compete with some of the best pro and amateur athletes in the world. Or if you’re looking to sit back and enjoy the mountain lifestyle in luxurious Vail, Colorado. The Vail Teva Mountain Games has something to offer for everyone. We recently went to the Teva Mountain Games not knowing [...]
Have you been slacklining yet? So I have to admit, when I first saw people doing it, I thought it was for the young snowboarder type crowd, ie. bones made of rubber. I had recently spent some time at a friends house during the holidays and saw they had a slackline. So, instead of stuffing [...]
