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Trip of a Lifetime is here - Himalayan Trip

2007-05-16T11:50:00.000-06:00

Well in two days I am off to the Himalayas in India. I won this trip from Marmot and the dZi foundation and have been counting the days. For me this is a trip that I have dreamed of since I was a kid, when the days of climbing was not about how many carbs where you eating but how many beers you could drink. I remember meeting Don Whillans before he died and what an amazing climber he was and how some of my friends still could not climb like him and that is how I started climbing and still carries over to this day.

This is my 40Th year and I made it this far which amazes me through some of the mis- adventures I have been through.

I fly to India on May 18th and then fly to Leh which everyone tells me is an amazing flight over the Himalayas. We then stay for a day in Leh as we fly in at 11,000ft and then we are off for 3 days by jeep to tour the area that people just never get to see. After that we are volunteering in a clinic for 3 days which will truly be amazing to give something back. Then we start the big trek that starts in:

Chilling in the Ladakh Range, try googleearth.com its cool. Then we hike through the Markha valley to places like Kaya, Chalak and over to 16,500ft to Hangkar and finally ending in Hemis. Wow is all I can say.

Chilling, Start of the trek

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Wired to the Himalayas

2007-05-02T15:14:00.000-06:00

In today's modern world it’s easier than ever to stay wired and in tune no matter where you go. Remember no less than 10 years ago those big heavy adaptors for your camera, cell phone and oh yeah those CD players, memories. Children born after the making of deliverance probably have no idea what I am talking about.

On my trip to the Himalayas I want silence, but also a little bit of music, come on, we all do. After doing some research on MP3 players I bought the Creative Zen player because it’s small, I mean I can fit it into the palm of my hand small, and holds 1GB or 500 songs. I have to tell you like all my friends have told me 500 songs are not enough, and they were right of course. It’s amazing how much music you put onto a player.

Here is some of my Playlist:

Pink Floyd - Divison Bell
Gnarls Barkley - Kind of funk
James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
Mozart in Egypt
Lilly Allen - British Rap singer
Streets - British Rap singer
Cowboy Junkies
Diana Krull - Live in Paris
Art Blakey - Old Jazz
U2 - What you can't leave behind
Andrea Bochelli - Opera
Coltrane - Jazz
Il Divo - Opera
Puccinni - Classical
Neil Young
David Grey - Whiteladder and Sell, Sell, Sell
Ella Fitzgerald - Jazz

If anyone has some interesting new music let me know. I would love to listen on that long plane journey.

Bentgear.com
"Geared for Adventure"

dzi Foundation in Nepal

2007-04-27T11:50:00.000-06:00

If you are not sure what the dzi Foundation is, here is a link to their site: http: dzi Foundation. It is on behalf of the dzi Foundation and Marmot that I am going to the Himalayas. The dzi foundation helps provide health care, dental, starting schools and education on nutrition in Nepal and India in the Himalayas where these services have never existed.

Here is the dZi April newsletter by

Jim Nowak, Executive Direc.

Namaste, Friends and Supporters of dZi,

The other night I was at a dinner party and a friend asked me what I thought would be the highlight of my upcoming trip to Asia this spring. I told him that it is always an adventure and I am constantly surprised at what evolves as I travel from region to region to review our projects. Projects that you thought were “spot-on” have an issue or two that need to be dealt with, and what you thought was a problem with an individual, method of deli.

We have not been able to go back to the villages of Chhulemu, Deku, and the Taksindu Monastery area for the last 5 years due to the Maoist conflict. This is the area where Kim and I were married in a Sherpa “Demchang & Zendi” Ceremony that lasted 4 days with 200 Nepali friends from the surrounding area. You want to talk about a party! As we trekked for days to get to the site, the going joke was, “Walk 75 miles and bring a covered dish to Jim & Kim’s Wedding.”

Since our last trip, the Nepal Army and the Maoists have ravaged this peaceful area of the Solu Region, each attempting to control the area. The Maoists ruled by night and the Nepal Army ruled by day and, as in most conflicts, the villagers were caught in the middle, terrorized by both sides. With this 10-year chapter of Nepal’s history (and 12,000 deaths) hopefully behind us, we look optimistically towards the future.

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"Geared for Adventure"

Gear Review - Sleeping Pads

2007-04-26T13:41:00.000-06:00

Yep, I have thought this one over quite a bit recently for my trip to the Himalayas. How am I going to get the best nights sleep without carrying a ton? I already have a Thermarest, the Thermarests that I take when I am backpacking or car camping would probably be fine when push comes to shove, but I did a shop test of the Exped Down mat and I have to tell ya, it's comfortable, I mean really comfortable.

So you guessed it, I am taking the Exped Down mat to the Himalayas. It weighs pretty 28oz give or take a couple of ounces and it packs down pretty well for the amount of insulation you get.

The Exped Down mat is insulated with down so the only hang up is that it seems to take a bit longer to fill up as you need to use the pump bag that doubles as the stuff sack to pump air into the Exped. The Exped Down mat is also made from tough polyester so it will stand a good beating on the trail, but just in case I am really too tough on the Exped it does come with a repair kit.

Yep I think my nights are going to be pleasant under the Himalayan night sky, so I hear!

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Gear Review - Down Jackets

2007-04-03T14:27:00.000-06:00

I was looking into my gear closet and I noticed that my once down filled jacket will no longer do for a pillow in the summer, never mind going to the Himalayas, it's time for a new jacket. Teary eyed, I gave up my 10 year old Rab down jacket to the local thrift store and headed out to do some research.

I was drawn to two jackets the Marmot Ama Dablam and the Patagonia Down Sweater.

Marmot Ama Dablam Jacket:

The Ama Dablam jacket has 650+ fill goose down with an adjustable down filled hood that packs down really well, but will keep me warm in May in the Markha Valley. I also liked the Drimclime chin guard for days when we are heading into a wind. The pockets on the inside and outside are actually big enough to put a headlamp, map etc in them. The fit on the Ama Dablam for an athletic woman, well, it fit's, other jackets you know have made a smaller version of the men's.

Patagonia Down Sweater:

The Down Sweater as 800 goose down without a hood. The Patagonia Down Sweater weighs only 10oz and packs down to a small chalk ball. The 800 down fill gives you the added advantage of packing down while lofting better. The zippers on the Down Sweater are lightweight but can easily catch while trying to open and close pockets.

It was a hard choice but I choose the Marmot Ama Dablam becasue of the insulated hood and the Drimclime chin guard, knowing that Himalayan temperatures will drop to +15 or less at night.

Bentgear.com

"Geared for Adventure"

Gear Review - Trekking Poles

2007-03-27T15:09:00.000-06:00

Well as I continue the final count down to the Himalayas in May, I am gathering the outdoor gear I am taking with me as well as the person I am taking with me. I and my guest are taking different styles of trekking poles so it will be interesting on what the end result will be at the end of our Himalayan adventure.

I am taking the Black Diamond Contour Compact Trekking Pole:

I am taking the Black Diamond Contour trekking poles because they are compact and will fit into my travel duffle. Besides that, after trying them out a few times the Contour's are light and the 15 degree angle is really nice with a non slip foam grip that even after a days hiking did not make me sweaty. I feel comfortable with the Black Diamond Flick Lock system and the binary system on the lower half and find them easy to use.

My Guest is taking Life Link Guide Ultra Light trekking pole:

My guest is taking the Life Link Guide Ultra Light trekking poles because they to, are light and have a foam grip handle. The concerns my guest has with the Black Diamond is the flicklock system and will it hold up in the Himalayas and take a good beating. But the Life Link Guide Ultra Light trekking poles also have moving parts so we will see which pair hold up to our test.

Next week's review will be down jackets for the Himalayas.

Bentgear.com

Gear Review - Week One

2007-03-13T13:42:00.000-06:00

This is the first of my weekly gear reviews on what and why I am taking certain gear to the Himalayas. I am trekking in the Markha Valley in May/June and will reach an elevation of 16,500ft.

Marmot Couloir Sleeping Bag - 0 Degree down

The Marmot Couloir is a 0 degree down bag with 800 down fill that will not only loft better than a 650 degree down bag, but also compresses down far better so you get more space for your buck. The climate will be dry so I wanted something that was highly breathable but with a DWR finish. Also as a woman I do get cold especially in the feet and hip area the Couloir provides great insulation in these areas.

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Himalayan Trip of a Lifetime

2007-01-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well it's not often I write about myself (Head Buyer, Sharon) on the blog, but I think well this deserves a mention big time. Last week thinking it was a joke I received an email telling me I won an all paid trip to the Markha Valley in Ladakh, India, yeh right, right?

Yep I sure did, I am still in the, is this real? to the reality I am going to the Himalayas with somebody else is footing the bill, actually Marmot is footing the bill for this once in a lifetime trip. Thanks Marmot and the dZi Foundation.

I will be spending 24 days trekking in the Markha Valley that is situated on the western end of Himalayas, Ladakh has four major mountain ranges - the great Himalayan, Zanskar, Ladakh and the Karakoram, passing through it. I will be crossing one pass at 15,000ft and another at 16,500ft as it circles from the edges of the Indus Valley with monasteries that dot the landscape perched high atop hills. I will also get a chance to do some good and volunteer for three days by setting up a mobile dental clinic in Leh that the dZi Foundation provide's for first time dental care for the children in the valley.

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It's Dumping, Oh Yeh

2006-11-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

Finally, the Wasatch front is getting a good dumping. Edge your skis, wax the bottoms and enjoy some powder runs. Expected up to 3 feet of snow!

Live cam Canyons

Wednesday before this dump

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Soldier Hollow Wasatch Citizen Series Race

2006-11-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

The annual Nordic Wasatch Citizen Series Race is a great way to get the Nordic season underway, see old friends or start a new sport. The morning races are followed by a great lunch for all participants, than a raffle where it seems everyone wins. Race lengths for all ages and abilities. 10 a.m start.

Soildier Hollow is nestled above Midway and in the shadow of the Wasatch mountains and home to the Cross Country 2002 Winter Olymic games.

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HIGH TRAIN TO TIBET

2006-11-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

I recently came across this article about the new train system build by China going into Tibet at an altuide of 17,000ft. Is this a good thing for the people of Tibet? or will it bring economic growth for the Tibet people. If you have a chance to go would you go?

John Flinn, Chronicle Staff Writer

Strange things are starting to happen as the Lhasa Express chuffs across the rooftop of the world. Outside the double-glazed, UV-blocking windows, I can see black-robed Tibetan nomads tending their enormous, shaggy yaks -- a scene little changed from Marco Polo's day.

But that seems perfectly normal compared to what's happening inside the train. As the altimeter approaches 17,000 feet, a package of potato chips balloons outward until it ruptures a seam. Sunscreen and hand sanitizer erupt unbidden from bottles. In soft sleeper class, Chinese businessmen sprawl listlessly on their bunks, sucking oxygen from plastic hoses. The bathrooms smell of vomit.

Maybe trains were not meant to go this high.

It is, by any reckoning, one of the great engineering feats of our age. Over the last five years, hundreds of thousands of workers laid 700 miles of track over the Kunlun Mountains and across the Tibetan plateau, through some of the highest, coldest and most forbidding real estate on the planet. It cost $4.2 billion.

If anyone was up to the task, it was the Chinese. After all, as a Beijing businessman reminded me, it was Chinese laborers who built the most difficult parts of America's transcontinental railroad.

To be able to swing their pickaxes at altitudes of 13,000 feet and higher, railroad workers wore oxygen masks and were required to spend two hours each day inside one of the 18 oxygen tents set up along the rail line. Even so, Zhang Xiqing, the railway's chief operations director, told the Hong Kong Standard newspaper that 14,500 of them ended up in the hospital, many with a potentially fatal swelling of the brain and lungs caused by extreme altitude.
Environments decry the damage to such a fragile landscape, and others fear its effect on Tibetans and their culture, which have been reeling under 56 years of often-brutal Chinese rule. In an op-ed piece in the New York Times, actor Richard Gere, chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, called it "the most serious threat by the Chinese yet to the survival of Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity."

In all, the rail journey from Beijing to Lhasa covers 2,525 miles and takes just under 48 hours. Environmental and cultural issues aside, how does it rate as a travel experience.

The highest point on the rail line, the Tangu La pass, is usually listed as 16,640-feet. But the map in my Lonely Planet guide places it at 16,994.75 feet, which means passengers -- especially those in the upper bunks -- poke their heads above 17,000 feet. Another map cites an even higher elevation for the pass: 17,126 feet.

One thing is certain: The human body was never designed to rocket up to an elevation this rarefied this quickly. The Sky Train had been operating only a month when it suffered its first passenger fatality, a 76-year-old Hong Kong who suffered a heart attack brought on by the altitude. He had been warned by a doctor not to board the train.

The atmosphere here holds between 40 and 50 percent less oxygen than at sea level. Extra oxygen is pumped into the unpressurized rail cars as they roll across the Tibetan plateau, but it's not clear that it does much good. All around me in the dining car, passengers were suffering the hangover-like symptoms of altitude sickness: throbbing headaches and severe nausea. One by one they staggered off to the bathroom.

Four hundred miles of the route lie atop a particularly unstable form of permafrost that thaws during the day and freezes at night, causing the tundra above it to rise and fall by inches. To try to prevent tracks from buckling and cracking, Chinese engineers elevated more than 100 miles of it and installed the giant golf tees along other stretches. These are cooling pipes that use solar energy to turn liquid ammonia into gas, chilling the ground and preventing the permafrost from melting.

But the climate is warming more rapidly than forecast when the system was designed, and already some sections of track and concrete pillars have cracked, railway ministry spokesman Wang Yongping told the Beijing News recently.

It was also startlingly large. The Chinese, it turns out, have ambitious rail plans for Tibet. Over the next decade they plan to build lines linking Lhasa with Shigatse and Nyingchi, and another one connecting Shigatse and Yadong on the China-Indian border. There is even talk of running a line to Zangmou on the Nepal border.

The train departs Beijing every night at 9:30 p.m. and arrives in Lhasa just under 48 hours later. Tickets are in high demand, and the Chinese don't go out of their way to make it easy for foreigners to book. (The return trip is a little easier to book because many visitors fly home. It departs Lhasa daily at 8 a.m.)

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17 Inches at the Bird

2006-10-26T10:10:00.000-06:00

Snowbird was hit with as much as 17 inches of snow last night. Are you ready, ski waxed, edges tuned.

BentGear.com
"Geared for Adventure"

Life Link and Dynafit Part

2006-10-17T15:54:00.000-06:00

Life-Link Backcountry Travel and Dynafit have agreed to end their distributor relationship after the 2006/07 winter season.

After a fruitful 8 years it is apparent and agreed upon by both parties, that it is time for Dynafit to continue doing business on their own terms in North America. They have great product and we believe that Dynafit's success will continue to grow under Salewa U.S. A.

Life Link will continue to ship, order and customer service Dynafit until March 07 where Salewa will take over.

Interesting, interesting indeed, just like Scarpa.

Bentgear.com
"Geared for Adventure"

Cloumbia Fires its Montrail sales force

2006-10-13T13:36:00.000-06:00

Just heard through the grapvine the Montrail, ie Cloumbia have fired all their Montrail reps for the Sorel reps. What was that, Sorel?

So the huntin crowd are buying Montrail trail running shoes or maybe Montrail are getting ready for the big box stores as they are now owned by Columbia and is mearly about number's now. Or are we going to see a Montrail and Sorel hybrid shoe/boot combo, yeh we don't think so.

Is this the beginning of the end for Montrail as we know it.

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Geared for Adventure

Fall in the High Unitas

2006-10-12T11:00:00.000-06:00

Fall is a great time of year in Utah, especially when you get a couple of days out of the office. Did a great hike up Shingle Trail and yep around 9,000ft a wee bit of snow. Totally forgot about Elk Season though, it's abit unnerving to see hunter's and knowing your in their scope especially when you meet one hunter whom I could here a mile away with a fringing scanner. Idiot, I think the Elk are safe from one hunter.

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Here's Wishing

2006-09-21T11:00:00.001-06:00

Six inches of fresh snow, yeh right? no kidding, here in the Wasatch mountains, UT we are seeing the white fluffy stuff at 7,000ft.

Photo: John Brady
Location: Red Tram

Snowbird Ski Patrol member Akela
keeping an eye out for new snow

Keep longing no long Akela, 3-7 inches on Friday.

BentGear
"Geared for Adventure"

Flashpacking, What you Say?

2006-07-21T13:56:00.000-06:00

According to a recent Associated Press report, there's a new outdoor adventure travel buzzword making the rounds: flashpacking. The term refers to backpackers who load their packs with digital cameras, power adapters, blank CD-RW, cables, cords, cell phone, laptop, USB memory stick, rechargeable batteries, MP3 players, and more. Primarily the domain of the adventure traveler, this new category reflects a changing demographic where world travel and adventure remain important, but where the traditional journal and pen have been replaced by electronic gadgets and gizmos. The term first began gaining favor in early 2003 in New Zealand and Australia, and now appears to have become sufficiently popular to garner mainstream media attention. While still a novelty in the United States, the practice of flashpacking may soon become more important to U.S. shoppers interested in remaining connected while on a vacation to disconnect.

Are you connected! old school huh!

Bentgear.com
"Geared for Adventure"

Primal Quest Racers

2006-06-26T11:40:00.000-06:00

Primal Quest as started and on it's first day. On Friday we had a team from New Zealand come into our retail store looking for those last minute supplies.

We say good luck to you. The team is grizzlytours.com - Team: Tony Bateup, Paul Chaplow, Keith Riley, Lisa Savage, they are #24 and still going strong.

Go and sign their guest book, give them some good Karma. Also check out other teams and how they are fairing in the Utah heat. Primalquest.com

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"Geared for Adventure"

Primal Quest is Here

2006-06-20T12:09:00.000-06:00

The ultimate test of human endurance, selfless teamwork, and relentless determination Â Primal Quest is the world's toughest Expedition Adventure Race and is coming to Southern Utah starting on June 25. it's a 500-mile wilderness race lasting up to 10 days across remote parts of southern Utah (same region that the 1995 Eco-Challenge).

During the race, co-ed teams of four will navigate through confusing networks of rock canyons, trek through triple-digit desert heat, climb to altitudes of 12,000 feet, paddle whitewater rivers with Class III rapids, swim through frigid slot-canyon pools, and tackle rope courses with thousands of feet of ascending and rappelling. Along the way, theyÂll sleep only three to four hours a night, deal with blisters and heat illness, experience wild hallucinations, and receive no outside assistance. Competitors must carry their own food and water, make their own bike repairs, and meet strict cut-off times for every stage. In other words, it's just like a regular multi-day camping trip where everything goes wrong.

Keep in touch in which team is leading, what team could not endure the torture no longer.

Primal Quest Utah

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What's Happened to Mountaineering?

2006-05-24T10:33:00.000-06:00

Last week a British climber, David Sharp died on the way down Everest after summitting. He died not as you might think, from a fall, over exposure or alitude problems, he died because nobody helped him even though 40 people passed him on their way to the summit.

So my question is what's happened to Mountaineering that we leave a fellow climber to die rather than help someone that is in distress. Even Sir Edmund Hillary finds it horrifying that no one helped this guy.

Those supposed Mountaineers who past David Sharp by I know if were in trouble would look to there fellow climbers for help, lets hope they don't need it.

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High Uintas, Utah

2006-05-22T13:32:00.000-06:00

This weekend I decided I was tired of the city life of Heber City and wanted to start the backpacking season. I headed up into the High Uintas, UT to the many, many lakes in the Uintas. I was interested in the Naturalist Basin area and hiking the Highline Trail. Alas the main highway is still closed to, too much snow until June 15th.

So I headed up Norway Flats with a grand view of the High Unitas. Now I am hungry for the next trip. Thinking San Juan mountains, Colorado.

Nightime in the Uintas:

Gear Closet:

Gear Taken:

Marmot Driclime
Marmot Never Summer Sleeping Bag
MSR WisperLite Stove
MSR 11oz Fuel Bottle
Thermarest Z Lite Sleeping Pad
Patagonia Silkweight Tee
Patagonia R1 Pants
Mary Jane Santa Fe Pasta
Marmot Old, Old Backpack

BentGear.com
"Geared for Adventure"

Patagonia's Stance on Dean Potter

2006-05-18T11:21:00.000-06:00

Patagonia it seems is standing by Dean Potter for climbing Delicate Arch.Many individuals have asked us where we, as a company, stand on Dean's recent climb. Since last week, Patagonia has received hundreds of emails on the issue, many asking for a public stance. First of foremost, we support Dean as our Ambassador. He's part of our family and will continue to be. For those who are curious to see Patagonia's "official stance" on the subject, read on:

Patagonia ambassador Dean Potter’s May 7 free solo of Delicate Arch has generated significant controversy about the legality and appropriateness of the climb of what has been described as a national icon. We’ll be interested to follow the controversy and to listen to views of those on both sides.A few facts are in order. First, no crime has been committed. The National Park Service has conceded that its regulations were ambiguous and that they will not cite Dean for the ascent. They have said they will seek to clarify their regulations to prevent a second try. The Park and a number of opinion leaders have argued that Delicate Arch is an icon that should not be climbed.It is important to note that Dean did no harm to the route or to the rock. He free-soloed the arch, placing no anchors and creating no impact beyond blowing dust off the holds. As he says, “No one reveres rocks more than me. I consider all rocks sacred, as do most climbers.”Dean, like all Patagonia ambassadors, undertakes his own climbs on his own terms. He told us about the climb afterward.

We have taken positions in the past on a number of issues of climbing ethics, including bolting. We take no position on this one. As Casey Sheahan, our CEO, notes, “From the early days in the Tetons to the rebelliousness of Yosemite’s Camp 4, every generation of climbers has had its run-ins with government regulations that attempt to restrict climber’s freedom of expression. At Patagonia we don’t control the ways our sponsored athletes conduct themselves except to encourage respect for the environment and uncommon approaches to every challenge. Dean is at the pinnacle of free solo climbing, makes decisions for himself, and has our complete support.

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IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY

2006-05-09T13:58:00.000-06:00

"Usually said ironically when someone tries to gain attention by copying someone else's original ideas. "Coined by Charles Caleb Colton in 1820.

Bentgear.com
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Battle for Naxo Looming

2006-05-09T10:13:00.000-06:00

Rottefella has long dominated the cross-country ski binding market with commanding market shares in every category from track to telemark. Last week, the Norwegian company announced it had acquired a 62.5 percent stake in the Swiss alpine touring binding company NAXO. Rottefella also has the option to purchase more shares in the future.I see a battle looming for the ever tighting telemark and AT market. What do you think?

Bentgear.com
"Geared for Adventure"

Arc'teryx Acrux Backpack

2006-05-01T09:32:00.000-06:00

What's on your gear closet wish list this summer season. I know mine, the new Arc'teryx Acrux backpack. This backpack is wicked. When I had a chance to try the pack it was the best pack I have ever tried and I have tried a few top brand packs. It did not feel I was carrying a 3000 cube backpack and my hips and shoulders did not hurt. The whole pack is all fused together and is waterproof with watertight zippers.

Bentgear.com now have the Acrux in stock.

http://www.bentgear.com/product_info.php?products_id=1110

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