We get requests, yes we do: “I’m [going somewhere/doing this thing/really rad], so give me stuff.” And, most of the time, we don’t. (We have a name for people who need our gear; we call them “customers.”) But Patrick Schirf had us at “hello,” with a real need for real gear, and a great opportunity to test it, also. Plus, there were bears involved. We like bears. And bear conservation, we can’t forget that. We sent him a Mountain Hardwear South Col, which seemed to us to be the perfect pack for what he was doing, and it seems as if we were right. Here’s Patrick’s story: Enjoy…
I arrived in Edmonton, Alberta on May 13th, ready for adventure. After an annoyingly long process dealing with customs I met up with my supervisor, Bogdan Cristescu. For some reason Canadian customs couldn’t understand why someone would come all the way from the States to volunteer to study grizzly bears. Bogdan is a Ph. D. student studying the impact of open pit mining on grizzly bear ecology. Alberta is Canada’s wealthiest province due to its natural resources. The mining of these resources has a major impact on the environment, and therefore the need for the grizzly bear research.
(If you want to hear a recording of the presentation, follow the instructions, below…)
Brad was honored and humbled to have been asked to present, and really sweated over the content. It went pretty well, we’re thinking.
Attendance exceeded expectations and there were some really excellent questions. Though Brad went a bit long (the blabbermouth), just about everybody held in there until the bitter end. Thanks for all of those who attended and contributed to the discussion.
For those of you who couldn’t make it, feel free to leave a comment. Brad reads ‘em – we gather – and we’re pretty sure he’ll respond.
The cost for one of these clinics, which run from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., is $100 per day; or $180 total if you sign up for the full weekend.
But, because we are ready to rock in Wisconsin, and want to see some men take advantage of this opportunity to learn from some of the best guides in the world, we are giving away a total of two passes to one of these full-day clinics!
So, how’s this contest going to go down? Well, we want you to get creative!
In order to enter the contest you must submit a photo of an artistic creation you design, or capture with some climbing related piece(s) of gear on our Facebook page.
A Chicks Climbing committee will select one winner, while the Chicks Climbing fan base will select the other. The fan base winner will be selected by adding up the number of “likes” the photo receives on the Chicks Climbing Facebook page. So, when you enter, make sure you encourage your friends and family to show their support and vote for you!
Really it’s a simple phrase, and we do use it often – but there are times when the simple mention doesn’t do it justice.
I’ve been on the vendor side at #ORShow before. Winter shows, summer shows, an SIA and a couple buy group shows for measure. I’ve seen first hand all the hassle, stress, and impossible tasks involved with getting a show to run smoothly in that 20×20 island. I’ve had crates delivered 2 hours before the clean floor deadline, mystery power outages the morning of opening, a 15 hour Vegas to Salt Lake redeye flight from hell, and put in those 18 hour days back to back to back because there are only 2 of you for a brand at the show.
On the representative side of things, an Outdoor Retailer event is actually pretty painless. We come in, go to our sales meetings, go to the show, give support in booths, meet with our retailers, partners, and friends, and then we leave. We guzzle free coffee, eat free lunches, and drink free beer.
Excellent review of Montrail’s Sabino Mid GTX from Derrick at KayakQuixotica.com
I’m a trail runner. After an ankle injury early in the season the doc said that I needed to find trail shoes with ankle support. Right! Well, with a bit of help for the folks at Pemba Serves I’ve had the opportunity to put a pair of Sabino Trail Mids by Montrail to the test. 2 month on, and I have to say, the Sabino Trail Mids were just what the doctor ordered, and then some.
Trail runners know that having freedom and flex in your ankle is paramount to good balance on rough terrain. That’s why you don’t find high-top runners. But when you injure an ankle or simply feel your age coming on, you sometimes need a bit of support. Ankle braces that do any good are usually over-kill for runners or worse, they run a band under your arch which can be painful to run on. Hiking boots are simply too heavy and clunky to run in. This is where the Sabino Mids by Montrail really come to the front.
