Category Archives: Pemba Serves

Review: LEKI Cressida AERGON SpeedLock AS Trekking Poles

The Cressidas are part of Leki’s “Wildflower” line designed for women.

I wasn’t expecting to bond with the Leki Cressida AERGON SpeedLock AS trekking poles — not because the name is a mouthful or because I have anything against sleek European engineering, but because I had never actually used trekking poles.

It was love at first hike. First, adjusting the Cressidas is a snap. You simply flip out the two blaze-orange clips, extend the pole to your desired height (the range is 65-125 cm), and flip the clips back in place to lock it. Repeat with the other pole. It took about as much time as tying my shoes. This, I reasoned brilliantly, was why Leki named them SpeedLocks rather than SlowLocks.

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Team Scheels PETZL RAGNAR Relay Race Report

The Ragnar Relay is a 196 mile relay race from Winona, MN to Minneapolis, MN.  Much of the course is run through the SW part of Wisconsin which is brutal for a born and raised flatlander like me.  294 teams registered and of those 294 teams there were about 20 ultra teams.  An ultra team consists of only 6 runners instead of 12 runners.  My thought is if you’re going to do it you might as well make it hurt!  The team consisted of Josh Duerr, his cousin Tony Duerr, Tony’s friends Matt Hanson, and Mike Waldera (note: all 3 of those guys work for Scheels and Scheels was nice enough to sponsor us for the race), and Justin Schweitzer, an old high school “rival” of mine that was easy to convince to be on our team.  We also recruited my brother, Jason Miller, Tony’s brother, Brad Duerr, and Tony’s brother-in-law Ryan Sunram to drive and help out in any way they could.  These 3 guys played a huge part in our victory due to the fact that we just had to focus on running and you wouldn’t believe how much there is to do out there other than just run!!!

Our race start time was at 4:00pm but I think Justin said it best when he said, “That race started at 3:00pm as soon as we talked with the MN Running Wild team (our competition throughout the race that I will refer to regularly).  We knew these guys were going to be good considering they won it last year and they had a lot of questions about our team prior to the start too.  You could say we were sizing each other up.

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Openlands: Chicago Lakeshore Preserve Grand Opening This Weekend!

Showcasing more than a mile of scenic Lake Michigan shoreline, meandering bluff-top trails, and site-specific art installations, the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve, located at Fort Sheridan, in Lake County, is a family-friendly destination for visitors of all ages. Help us celebrate the grand opening of this one-of-a-kind natural treasure with a day of fun, festivities, and refreshments on Saturday, September 10, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This event is free and open to the public.

Who should go: Nature lovers of every age, art aficionados, birders (more than 100 species of migratory and nesting birds visit the Preserve throughout the year), beachcombers, botanists (today, more than 150 native plants can be found here, including six state-endangered or threatened species, such as Buffalo berry and Seaside spurge), kite flyers, and people enthusiastic about ecological restoration (restoration efforts at the Preserve represent the largest undertaking of their kind in the Midwest).

What you’ll experience: 77 acres of varied terrain, including three lush ravines, towering bluffs (some rising 70 feet above the beach) with overlooks affording sweeping lake vistas, and an innovative interpretive plan that helps visitors understand and connect with this truly unique environment. Grand opening activities include:

  • Children’s art activities and scavenger hunt—11:00 AM–2:00 PM,
  • Birds of prey demonstration (with intermittent breaks)—11:00 AM–2:00 PM,
  • Stunt kite demonstration (with intermittent breaks, please bring your own kite(s) for flying)—11:00 AM–2:00 PM,
  • Tour of Openlands Lakeshore Preserve (plants, art, and general)—departs 11:30 AM
  • Tour of Openlands Lakeshore Preserve (in Spanish)—departs noon
  • Tour of Openlands Lakeshore Preserve (plants, art, and general)—departs 1:00 PM
  • Tour of Openlands Lakeshore Preserve (in Spanish)—departs 1:15 PM

Gear Review: PETZL Xion Rope & Ange Finesse Quickdraws

Size Matters. PETZL ANGE S Carabiner

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
~Lao Tzu

Sometimes things don’t go as planned. And sometimes that is just what you need.

The plan was straight forward enough. A day-trip to Castlewood Canyon for some rope climbing, specifically to Grocery Store Wall. It’s a crag I have climbed at before and it offers a good variety of routes. My climbing partner, Tali of Cupcake Mafia, was interested in some solid TR and I was excited about getting back on “Bozo No No”, a 5.11a sport that I was itching to climb again, and use my new, shiny gear.

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1% for the Planet Launches Ambassador Program

What do a beer-brewing CEO, a racecar driver, an artist, a media mogul, a pro-surfer, and a musician have in common? Several things, actually: They live under one sky, share one playground and are all committed to sustainability and giving back through the 1% for the Planet Ambassador Program.

Today, 1% for the Planet, a global network of businesses that invest at least 1% of their sales in organizations focused on sustainability, is pleased to introduce its new ambassadors. The 1% Ambassadors are a diverse group of business-leaders, athletes, artists and activists who are integrating the 1% for the Planet message into their daily lives to help broaden awareness for our global movement. Designed to give influential people a powerful platform to make a difference, the 1% for the Planet Ambassador Program seeks to elevate awareness of sustainability issues while building bridges between corporate and non-profit leaders to keep earth in business.

Our Ambassadors span all walks of life and many divergent professions, including CEOsmediaartistsmusiciansand even race car drivers. They hold a common core-belief that businesses have the power and responsibility to create reliable prosperity for the planet by investing in sustainability projects with the non-profits partners in the 1% global network. To view all of 1%’s Ambassador profiles please visit the 1% website here.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to have an all-star team of 1% Ambassadors who understand that it’s time for business to move beyond “doing less harm” by committing to making on-going investments in “doing good” for the planet,” said Terry Kellogg 1% for the Planet CEO. “Our ambassadors are a diverse group of business-leaders, athletes, artists and activists who are integrating the 1% for the Planet message into their daily lives to broaden awareness for our global movement.”

1% for the Planet has experienced remarkable growth in recent years and in fact, is fast on the way to becoming the largest network of environmental funders on the planet. Adding the Ambassador Program to it’s mix is a central part of efforts to broaden the personality and character of the 1% brand and to scaling the entire 1% movement.

 

Splitter Choss: PETZL ANGE S Finesse Quickdraw Review

PETZL ANGE S Quickdraws

I’ve been getting a lot of odd looks recently. It could be due to dressing in drag, or climbing on a fatter rope than normal, but I think these glances are directed at the fancy (and funky?) looking new quickdraws on my harness. “What are those?” seems to be a common question when people first spy the Petzl Ange Finesse draws. It’s not that I blame them, I’m just starting to get self conscious with all the attention.

When wiregate biners came out, they were a game changer. It opened the door to the incredibly light clips we have today, but there was always a piece of the puzzle that was missing. How to give them the no snag functionality of a key lock. A few other companies have put forth some idea, but arguably none are as cutting edge as what Petzl has achieved with the Ange.

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My PETZL GRIGRI 2 Recall Experience

Recalled Devices: serial number between 10326 and 11136

Recently Petzl had to recall the GriGri2 not long after it hit the market.  The new Petzl GriGri2, which was released earlier this year, is a new and improved version of the GriGri.  The new belay device is more compact and lighter than its predecessor, easily fitting into the palm of a hand.  Petzl also changed the design a little to allow for greater controlled descent, especially when a smaller person lowers someone who weighs much more than they do.  Petzl, women everywhere thank you.

A long-time fan of the original GriGri, I was excited when Petzl released this new device, and of course, had grand plans of putting it to the test over the summer.  I had already taken it out once to a local crag and was impressed with how well it handled slim ropes, big weight differentials between climber and belayer and how light and compact it was.  When I received the news of this recall, I went and checked my GriGri2.  My heart sunk.  It held the digits listed in the recall.  That meant the days of playing with my fabulous new belay device were numbered until the replacement arrived.  It was the start of summer and I had many great climbs on the books and fun cragging days coming up in which I had been looking forward to using the new slimmer, lighter GriGri2.  But, it would not be, at least not until the new GriGri2 arrived and I wasn’t sure how long that would take.

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Best of #ORShow: WiFi & Sticky Rubber + So It’s Your First OR

With Summer #ORShow 2011 just around the corner we noticed that folks seemed to be revisiting a couple our guest posts from the past.

Steph Davis (aka: @highsteph) and Sara Lingafelter (aka @theclimbergirl) wrote a couple of great articles for us for the last Outdoor Retailer trade show. Here they are reposted in All Their Glory! Thanks Steph and Sara!

 

Wifi and Sticky Rubber

I started a blog in 2007 as an extension of my book, High Infatuation. I quickly learned that it’s pure freedom. I can publish anything I want, whenever I want, with no need to propose, submit or be edited.  From the beginning, it seemed more natural and fun to have conversations than to write about myself all the time, and obviously I was a lot more interested in other people’s stories.

 

So It’s Your First OR

I will never forget walking into the Salt Palace for the first time during the summer show in 2009.  It was overwhelming; so much noise, so many lights, such huge booths.  So many people moving briskly, with a mission, through the aisles of the show floor.  My first day there, on my own media badge with my own little blog — rockclimbergirl.com — I honestly wasn’t quite sure what I was doing there.  So, I made it up as I went.

Pemba Reads

I Do Not Want Mercy, I Want You To Join Me | Common Dreams
Tim DeChristopher, who was sentenced Tuesday to two years in federal prison and a $10,000 fine for ‘disrupting’ a Bureau of Land Management auction in 2008, had an opportunity to address the court and the judge immediately before his sentence was announced. This is his statement.

In search of diversity in our national parks | High Country News
In the crowd of tourists on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Griffin family immediately caught my eye. Allen, Hashmareen and their two small boys were surrounded by thousands of other visitors, but the Griffins stood out because they were among only a handful of African-Americans I encountered in my travels.

Why Does U.S. Bike Commuting Lag Dismally Behind Rest of the World? | adventure journal
This spring, curiosity propelled me onto a New York City subway bound for Prospect Park West in Brooklyn, where a new bike path along the edge of Brooklyn’s largest park had angry residents worked up into a lather.

Am I Still a Dirtbag? | adventure journal
I just got a new job. After years of scraping by on a newspaper salary, then a nonprofit salary (I may be one of the only people dumb enough to take a pay cut from an already low-paying journalism job), I have enough money to eat. And purchase a new pair of pants without thinking about it for two weeks beforehand.

TNB: Kai’s First Climb | Rock & Ice
Three weeks ago my wife and I visited the City of Rocks, Idaho, and my son Kai completed his first climb: Lookout Ridge (5.5). He’d just turned four, was on his first road trip, camping and rock scrambling and hanging out with his best friend Hen J. They rallied around the base of the routes with toy trucks, conversing at volume 10, sometimes erupting into hoots and screams until I forcefully explained that screaming is the one vocalization you can not make at a climbing area. I felt bad about subjecting our fellow City of Rocks climbers to Kai, in particular. He projects his voice like an opera star and his lamentations can break eardrums.

Splitter Choss: PETZL XION Rope Review

PETZL XION testing at City of Rocks

“Hey, how skinny is this rope?”
“What?!?”
“How skinny is this rope, it’s flying through this GRIGRI.”
“Ha, that’s a 10.1! It’s the fattest rope I own!”

You can imagine my friend’s surprise, as he thought I had sandbagged him with a tiny 9.2 or something similar. In reality, we were out using the new Petzl Xion, which clocks in at a beefy-by-today’s-standards 10.1. I usually shy away from anything bigger than 9.8, but Petzl was touting this as being a beefier cord that offered “excellent hand and suppleness similar to that of thinner ropes,” so I decided to check it out.

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