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.

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.