I'm not one for blatant self-promotion from manufacturers, but I have to hand it to Rocky Mountain on this video that captures the essence of what every mountain biker must hope their year gone by just looked like. The tacky singletrack, the big mountain vistas, the friendly race scene, the backslaps and beers and bikes, bikes, bikes—this is what it's all about. Heck, while all the love is flowing I'll just add that Rocky, which was late to the big-wheel game, made the wait worthwhile by unveiling one respectable 29er in 2012 with the Element 970. The company's also been instrumental in pushing what is fast becoming one of the best mountain stage races in the world, the BC Bike Race.
What I like most about this clip, though, is that it's not so much about Rocky Mountain but about how bikes can take you places—big, fun, swoopy-trail, remote, hard-riding places. And while it's an ode to another year passed, it's just as much a call to action to make 2013 this good. Allez.
Boards bound for new life. Photo: Snow Sports Recycling Program
Way back in October of 2009 we wrote a story about a nascent ski and snowboard recycling program that the trade group Snowsports Industries of America (SIA) had launched. Since then, the program has made slow but steady progress and has set up collection sites at more than 65 retail locations in Colorado and Utah and is looking to expand to six other nearby states. So far, 700,000 pounds of used gear have been collected—diverting it from landfills and turning it into usable, valuable products—but the program expects it will soon be diverting at least one million pounds of gear from landfills each year.
We spoke with the Snow Sports Recycling Program (SSRP) director Greg Schneider to get a full update on where the program is headed.
A MUCH-NEEDED FINANCIAL BOOST "Everyone thinks recycling is free," says Schneider. It is anything but—especially in the earliest stages of setting up a recycling infrastructure. But in January of 2011, the SIA, along with a recycling company called Waste-Not Recycling, based in Johnstown, Colorado, received an important economic boost through a $425,000 grant that was used to purchase the type of machines needed to put skis and snowboards through a six-step progression during which the materials (plastics and metals, mostly) are separated and processed.
However, the grant only takes the program so far. Schneider needed to find a way to make it sustainable. This meant setting up a logistical framework that would connect the used gear—resting in the dusty corners of closets and long-ignored garage rafters—with the recycling center. His objectives were not just to find a way to do that cheaply, but also in a manner that would not do more harm than good.
FalconGuides just announced the first 12
titles in a new line of interactive outdoor guides the company developed in
partnership with Inkling, a platform for interactive learning.
For the price of the download, readers get
expert content optimized for iPhone, iPad, and Web, with features that bridge
the gap between apps and ebooks: slideshows with high-res images not found in
the print editions, guided visual tours, hyperlinks, and smart search that makes
it quick and easy to get to the information you need, from a list of dog-friendly
hikes to a river name. Hiking guide
users can give tips to other readers and share trail notes on washed out bridges, best photo ops, bees nests to watch out for, or anything else. An animal tracks feature lets you click through a series of questions that narrows down which animal tracks you’ve spotted based on pattern, shape, and size. Rock climbing instructional guides have stop-motion animation
illustrating specific techniques.
CONTRIBUTOR: CHRISTOPHER SOLOMON "I was raised Catholic, which might explain my masochistic streak," says contributor Christopher Solomon, who wrote "The Agony and the Heresy" about training for a marathon by following CrossFit Endurance founder Brian MacKenzie's punishing routine. "That was the hardest thing I've ever done for a story," says Solomon, 42, who lives in Seattle. While he admits that he's in the best shape of his life, he acknowledges that the program isn't for everyone—unless, he says, "running wind sprints until you puke sounds like an ideal way to spend a Tuesday night."
Rinella's chateau.
NOTES FROM THE FIELD Contributor Steven Rinella loves his cabin on the edge of the Alaskan wilderness ("Dream Acres"). His wife, Katie, is less enthusiastic about the place:
"When we first met, he talked about that cabin like it was an Alaskan chateau. When I saw it, I was like, 'It's a shack in the woods.' But he loves it so much that I'll go. And I'm not a martyr. I will enjoy myself."
