I received a sample of the new EPIC Action Sports Video Camera from Stealth Cam last week and we’ve been testing it on Tahoe’s mountain biking and four-wheeling trails. The camera is a compact, lightweight device that weighs 2.5 ounces and measures 3 inches long. It has a 45-degree field-of-view and 2x zoom. The camera shoots video at 30 frames per second and can take up to nine consecutive still images at 5 megapixels. The small, cylindrical camera is housed in a waterproof case which screws on and off. It comes with a variety of straps, clips and pads so that you can attach it to a bike seat, helmet, your handlebars, or almost anywhere else. The camera stores video and still images on an SD card. The 2GB card we’ve been using stores about an hour of video. For longer trips, it’s easy to swap in new cards as you go.

Overall, the camera is a powerful tool in a small, rugged package. The video quality is pretty good and the camera is proving to be durable and easy to use. We’ve started on a project to collect footage of local trails and match it up with GPS data for those trails to present Flash movies that let you see what each trail looks like around every twist and turn. We hope to get the first few videos posted soon, so stay tuned for that.

In September 2005, I traveled to New Zealand and piled into van for two weeks to travel around the country and ski. We skied Treble Cone on the South Island and Whakapapa and Turoa on Mt Ruapehu on the North Island. We also hiked up Temple Basin. Here’s a slide show of the trip:

Ortovox saw a 49% increase in sales last season, with their new S1 Sensor Transceiver accounting for most of the increase.

The flip open S1 Sensor Tranceiver transmits with a turn of an external switch built into the case’s hinge. Opening the case puts the user in search mode, where the LCD screen becomes a digital “map” with body icons for each of the four closest buried victims. As the searcher moves the S1’s screen continually updates the size, position, and corresponding numeric distance readout for each icon in real-time.

Built-in digital compass and inclinometer sensors provide directional information, in addition to the base distance and direction data delivered to the S1’s microprocessor via its three antennas. The S1 digests and converts all of this burial-location data into screen displays for precision in single and multiple rescue scenarios. The software allows each victim, once pinpointed, to be electronically marked or “flagged” allowing the S1 searcher to move on and pinpoint the location of the next
closest victim.

The S1 also contains a digital thermometer, battery life readout and self-diagnostic tools.

In July 2001, I flew to South America to ski Las Lenas, Argentina. We got several feet of snow the first night had the whole powder-covered mountain to ourselves. The best thing about Las Lenas, aside from its long, steep chutes is its lack of crowds. Argentineans prefer to stay on the intermediate trails or in the lodge, especially when it snows. For lots more detail, here’s an article I wrote on my trip to Las Lenas, Argentina. Here are the photos.

It takes a little bit of motivation, some camping supplies and a decent level of fitness, but don’t let that stop you from skiing Mt Shasta this summer. My trip up the Brewer Creek (eastern) Route in August 2005 was one of the most exhilarating experience of my life. Because it was late in the season, we hiked up to the snow line, set up camp there, and woke up around 4 am to start our ascent. The snow turned pretty slushy as we neared the summit around noon, but most of the 7,000+ foot descent was creamy corn! Here’s an article with lots of details on how to ski the main route >

I’m in Florida where the air temperature is 87 degrees, the ocean temp is 79 degrees and the humidity is 68%. I probably won’t get to do any summer skiing this summer, but I have done plenty in the past. While friends were content to embrace the warm temperatures and mountain bike for the summer, I alway got a thrill out of skiing during the off-season. During the summer months, I’ve skied Las Lenas, Argentina, Portillo, Chile, Treble Cone and Mt Rupeahu, New Zealand, Mount Hood, Orgeon, Mount Shasta, California and Mount Washington, New Hapmshire. During the next few weeks I’ll be posting articles and info about these summer ski destinations and more. I’ll start with Portillo, where I traveled in August 2006 and got to heli-ski deep powder. Skiing Magazine will be coming out with an article that I wrote about Portillo shortly. In the meantime, here are two other articles featuring Portillo: To South America with NASTC and International Heli Skiing.

Yesterday was the last day of lift operations at Squaw and there were plenty of skiers out lapping the Paslisades and milking the last sticky turns of the year.

Well, it’s May and even though there is some skiing left, I’m switching modes. Last fall, the owners announced that the 9-hole Ponderosa Golf Course in Truckee would not reopen. Just outside of Sierra Meadows, the course was just a few minutes from my house. A locals’ gem among many expensive, high-end courses around town, many were saddened to see it go. The word was that the owner’s didn’t want to run it anymore because of competition from the resort courses. The airport bid on it, but could only offer the appraised value ($3.1 million) and the owners didn’t want to sell at that price. Last weekend, we learned that the course is going to open after all! The Truckee Parks and Rec department will run it and hopes to reduce prices and increase local programs. The photo to the left was taken two weeks ago when we played the unopened course for what we thought would be the last time. Nothing like the losing something for a little while to make you appreciate it even more.

Greg Pronko and Mike O’Reilly got sick of shipping snowboards and displays in oversized boxes stuffed with landfill-clogging Styrofoam peanuts. The bloated shipping costs bothered the founders of Glissade Snowboards and Bender Brothers almost as much as the destructive environmental effects. Their newest venture, Eco Ship, provides lower-volume, sustainable shipping supplies like biodegradable, corn-based polymer bags, foam and boxes. “These are the biggest materials in the garbage,” explains Pronko, “so we reached for the lowest-hanging fruit.” Pronko, who is talking with Amazon, is also working toward an discounted ski/snowboard industry prices. “Right now the bio materials are too expensive,” Pronko says, “but there will be a tipping point and we hope to be there when it tips.”

The annual pond crossing at the bottom of KT-22 is scheduled for tomorrow, which is also the last day of the season for KT. Check out video of the crossing > I’ll post photos of tomorrow’s event here tomorrow. Also, friend, neighbor and heli ski guide at Points North just returned from Alaska. I’ll post a report and a slide show here soon.