relax outside!

Well the ole Outdoorzy Blog was born in 2006, but was mostly used to keep people updated on our progress building, testing, and rolling the site out. In 2007 we really got shakin and started posting regularly.

So, we thought we’d recap 2007 by showing the 10 Outdoorzy blog posts that received the most traffic.

10. One Thousand, and T-Shirt Giveaways

9. Top 10 Outdoor Blogs

8. Vote for Outdoorzy at the Crunchies

7. Gear Review - Solio

6. Top 10 Outdoorzy Rides - Trucks/Vans/SUVs Edition

5. 10 Ways to Reduce Your Ecological Footprint

4. Into the Wild Review

3. How to Run Your First 5k

2. Into the Wild Movie Trailer Released

and #1. Camping Out in the Elements

Other high-traffic honorable mentions that almost made the top 10…
Whatever
Welcome to Survivor Dude
Survivor Dudes, The Results
I Missed You Too

Thanks again to all the other bloggers who have been contributing to the Outdoorzy Blog.

(original article)

So I was poking around the Web and found this guy named Dr. Jim Vaile, who claims, among other things, that Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain is, ahem, “alive.” There are a couple of videos, the one below and this one on LiveLeak, of sinkholes opening up and almost swallowing skiers and snowboarders at Buttermilk. I’m not saying either way if I think this is a bunch of crap or not, but I’ll tell you this: If Buttermilk Mountain would open up and consume everyone and everything in Aspen during the holidays, there would be no way of quantifying my joy. More stuff at ButtermilkIsAlive.com.
>/>/>/>(original article)

Lots of avalanche news with the latest storms. You’ve read about the 11 year old that survived the in-bounds avalanche at The Canyons that killed a Colorado man. A quick check of Avalanche.org shows US fatalities already at 9. Last year’s total was 20, so that’s one short of 1/2 and we’re just entering peak season. Lets not drive that number up. Be careful up there. If you’re skiing or riding out of bounds, make sure you know what you’re doing and wear a beacon.(original article)

To all of our users, we apologize for certain images that were on the blog. We at GoBlog, along with fellow bloggers all over the world usually Google images and put them into our blog, not always attributing them. We did so for a recent post, they were unhappy with the traffic and switched the photo to one that was rather unsavoury. Again, this was not the image for the post, the referring website switched the image to ‘teach us a lesson’. Oh my, you sure taught us. Point for you. GoBlog will never post pornographic images or nudity on the website, just things that are provocative.

(original article)

Inspired by The Gear Junkie’s Top 10 Gear of The Year Awards, I’ve compiled a list of my own favorite gear for urban cycling, camping, backpacking and climbing, all of which can be had for 25 of your hard-earned dollars or less. Here at GetOutdoors, we’re in touch with the proletariat. We like to keep it real. Real cheap.

10) Park Tool 3 Way Hex Wrench: $8.50. All you need in your commuter bag (besides a patch kit and a pump), unless you’re a bike mechanic.
9) Loaf of bread, peanut butter, jelly: About $10. Tastes more like food than any energy bar, won’t melt like a Snickers.
8 ) Gorilla Pod: $25.00. Quit trying to balance your point-and-shoot on rocks.
7) SKS Xtra Dry Rear Seatpost Fender: $11.94. How many more times are you going to curse that wet spot on the back of your pants?
6) Park Tool Glueless Patches: $2.50. As revolutionary as the Post-It Note.
5) Starbucks Doubleshot: $2.19. For overnight hikes, one of these beats lugging any sort of coffee setup you have now.
4) Army surplus webbing belt: $4.95. Inexpensive, tough, not bulky under your harness or your pack’s waistbelt.
3) Charmin Fresh Mates Flushable Wipes: $2.49. In lieu of a shower, just use these on your funky regions.
2) Space Pen: $20. Writes upside down, underwater, in freezing temperatures, on mermaids, etc.
1) Duct Tape: $1.34. A timeless classic.
(original article)

I’m going to start a new feature here at GoBlog, the GOWeekend Warrior Trip Planner.  Most don’t have unlimited time to go and climb, often only a weekend or long weekend is available to cram as much into as possible.  While I can climb El Cap in two days, even I will admit it’s hard to get there, climb, descend, get hammered, and then drive back in a weekend.  I’ve done the drive through the night trips, so that counts here.  Here’s the first installment, a GOWeekend Warrior mountaineering trip in the Sierras, either East or West, the requirements are:

• Give drive times from SFO/RNO/LAX, as most west coasters would be leaving from such
• Friday night bivy - where is it?  Trailhead, car, will you need to hike in some?
• Climbing, or at least scrambling to a summit of something
• Can you ski down?
• Time back to car after summit
• Closest alcohol source

Winter is much different than summer, so I’m running into problems for finding a quick weekend trip.  Tioga pass is closed, the trailhead to Williamson is probably closed too, any suggestions would be appreciated.
(original article)

Imja Tse (Island Peak) - (20, 305 ft - 6,189 m)

Any major gear companies want to sponsor a Himalayan peak? This would be a good way to do it on the cheap. Imja Tse, or Island Peak as it is known to many is located just next to Everest. It sits in the shadow of the tallest mountain of the world. Even though it is a whopping 20, 305 feet it looks small next to it’s big brother. It is taller than 4 of the 7 summits.

From Wikipedia…

“Imja Tse, better known as Island Peak, is a mountain in the Himalaya of eastern Nepal. The peak was named Island Peak in 1951 by Eric Shipton’s party since it appears as an island in a sea of ice when viewed from Dingboche. The peak was later renamed in 1983 to Imja Tse but Island Peak remains the popular choice. The peak is actually an extension of the ridge coming down off the south end of Lhotse Shar.

Imja Tse was first climbed in 1953 by a British team as a training exercise in preparation for Mount Everest. Tenzing Norgay was one of the members of this first ascent team.”

So, who wants to sponsor me in the 2008 Imja Tse climb?… North Face? No… Patagonia… No? Somebody? Anybody?

SummitClimb.com has a good deal on a trek/climb up this peak if you’re interested.

(original article)

Don’t kill the messenger here, but science has finally confirmed what most people already know; snowboarders are not the shiniest apples in the bunch. A recent study looked at ski and snowboard injuries over the last 30 years and found a marked increase in serious injury to both skiers and snowboarders. However, snowboarders have a much higher likelihood of suffering major injuries:

Snowboarders appear to be at greater hazard than skiiers, they conclude in Injury Prevention. One Norwegian report found that snowboarders were three to four times as likely to suffer injury, while a Canadian study found that they were 50 per cent more likely to have head and neck injuries.

So there you have it. A tenuous link between intelligence and snowboarding, but a link nevertheless. How best to avoid injury? Well, other than switching to skiing if you snowboard, you could become a woman since men are 2.2 times more likely to suffer injury, you could wait till you’re 35 to start skiing or snowboarding since “skiers and snowboarders under the age of 35 were three times more likely to sustain a head injury than older participants,” and/or you can wear a helmet since “there is evidence that helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 22-60 per cent.” Via Times Online.

(original article)

Forget about getting in shape this year so you can last all day on the slopes. Ski Mojo, much like Viagra, is meant to help you last in situations where you’re having trouble keeping your “tips” up. Ski Mojo acts like a pair of shocks, keeping you in the proper squat position and adsorbing and displacing the kinetic energy from your runs. Think about it? You only used last a dozen runs, now you go for two or three dozen. Thnk what the ladies will say. Hot item for the 2008 ski season for sure. Via Gizmodo.

(original article)

(original article)

I’m sure you are already thinking about this… but if you’re not, you should be.

Christmas is over for most of us. The gift wrap is overflowing the garbage bin. And everyone is itching to get outside and try their new gear out (except the pink bunny suits). Hopefully you got the things you needed to make your adventures complete in 2008. Here’s a short list of cool places you could try your new gear out.

Now, start the planning!!!!

• Moab, UT - USA
  
• Whistler, BC - Canada
• Cinque Terre - Italy
• Pisgah, NC - USA
• Aconcagua, Argentina
• The Haute Route, France and Switzerland
• The Island of Dominica

(original article)

I can’t find what you’d call a reputable source to back this up, although it appears to have been reported in the Scottsdale Community College student newspaper. Grace Picket sometimes rides her bike 47 miles into Scottsdale, Ariz., to work. Last week, an officer clocked her at 68 mph in a 45 mph zone at the bottom of a hill and gave her a ticket as she pulled into Scottsdale. “I like to bomb down the big hills,” she was quoted by RockHillBikes.com. Tell you what I like: Checking my brake cables before I go for a ride.(original article)

>
Although climb_ca tries to remain neutral on the ‘holiday season’, during which he’s vaguely Jewish, I’ll wish you a Merry Christmas. Remember what this day actually celebrates - 2 millenia ago, a baby was born that would grow up to be a long haired carpenter and leader of a major cult - loaves to fishes, wine to blood, bread to body, not to mention the whole resurrection thing - pretty wild no? This would then be the foundation of a major religion that would create a structured hierarchy that would engage in religious imperialism, genocide (Inquisition anyone?), massive largess (simony, any ceremonial aspect of Catholicism, the Vatican Bank), and well, let’s put it this way … the mis-guidance of youth (… you know what I mean). Enjoy that yuletide spirit*

(original article)

(original article)

This is NOT the way to relax outside…

Emergency Landing - Watch the best video clips here

Three days lost in the wilderness must have felt like a lifetime to the Dominguez family. Luckily they were rescued last week when a rescue chopper spotted them. Mr. Dominquez heard the chopper and ran out of the culvert they were huddled in to wave it down. He had spelled out the word “Help” in the snow near their location but the rescuers didn’t see it. The family had been out looking for a Christmas tree when they got lost.

This brings up a few key reminders that even us seasoned explorers could use a refresher on…

• When heading into the backcountry, even for a few hours, tell someone where you’re going.
• Always dress appropriately, layer up in cold weather.
• Keep the group together unless one is injured and somone is sent for help.
• Stay put. One fatal mistake many make is to wander around, when rescuers may have found them if they had just sat still.
• Be postive. Many who are lost get down and negative about their situation. They give up too early. The Dominguez family may have made some mistakes in their situation, but one thing they did right was to stay positive and motivate one another.

Glad to hear this story had a happy ending during this holiday season. Stay safe!

(original article)

BestHike.com is counting down a list of the Ten Best Hiking Regions in the World on their blog. As previously discussed on the GOBlog, nothing draws a crowd of bloggers like a list. Well, I’m not trying to disprove a theory here. Here’s the list thus far — what’s missing? For me, it’s the Colorado Plateau/Four Corners, if that counts as a “region” for the criteria they’re considering. I’ll pare it down to just Southeast Utah if that helps.

10. Indian Himalaya
9. The Alps
8. Australia
7. Nepal
6. Patagonian Andes
5. Central Andes
4. Sierra Nevada
3. Rockies

Via The Adventure Blog.(original article)

I know what this Outdoorzy fella is hoping for. The North Face Denali Jacket. It comes in a beautiful ODZY orange and brown. I have even taken the liberty to add our logo.

How fly is that? If anyone wants to get this for the three of us we will gladly wear them with pride.
Leave us some notes in the comments letting us know what outdoorzy gear you are getting for others and what outdoorzy gear you are hoping to get this holiday season.

(original article)

Would I be caught dead in this… probably not. Would I secretly want one in the same way that I secretly wanted a Pound Puppy when I was a kid… yeah sure.

I saw this article the other day with this crazy looking ride that could have been George Jetsons whip.

But don’t fret friends, this ride is made by Tesla Motors, and they don’t just make Jetson cars. Now their roadster would fulfill my Pound Puppyesque lust for an electric car while keeping my manhood in tact. Check it.

Unlike most electrics this one actually has some range. You can go up to 245 miles on a charge. And it costs 2 cents a mile. Of course you’re going to pay for looking cool and saving the world… $100 grand. Woowie Wow Wow!

Flea even has one. And like I always say, “If Flea likes it, I like it.”

(original article)

This is one of the strangest things we’ve read about in a while. Evidently someone had the idea to build a simulation that actually gives you the feeling you’re in an avalanche, replete with cold air, full rotation, sound, etc. Everything you might expect if you were caught in an avalanche, except the whole asphyxiation or broken neck part. Because, lord knows right before victims die in an avalanche, they’re having the time of their lives riding what might be considered the best roller coaster on earth. The simulator cost 600,000 euro to build and will open Dec. 20th at les Deux Alpes. Here’s the description of it:

The simulator has two cabins and a large fan to blow cold air. The simulator can rotate around six axes and can throw the user through an arc of seven meters. The ride lasts 2 minutes including a final 20 seconds of avalanche. A lot shorter than the intermiable wait most victims endure before they are rescued. The simulator is housed in a giant dome which also includes an exhibition on the theme of avalanches as well as a film prepared in conjunction with the French snow and avalanche research association.

Via Pistehors.com

(original article)