ipod gear: Otterbox

by Erik Olsen on

If you spend much time outside messing about with your ipod, you know how risky it can be
to listen to your music and be active. I was kayaking with mine recently and it slipped off my vest where I had it
clipped and almost fell into the water. I almost lost $500 just like that.

Is there a solution? You bet. The OtterBox for iPod
20G & 30/40/60G, is a waterproof, interactive case that lets you access controls through a durable, and relatively
compact design. The OtterBox is innovative, but aesthetically appealing. The Otterbox is impact resistant, so it’s not
going to withstand a mountain biking wipeout at 30 mph, but just might survive falling out of your hand while you
jog.  A convenient belt clip provides headphone cable management. This is a great new ipod innovation, and an
ideal solution for traveling ipodders.

Mammoth Open Until July

by Erik Olsen on


Talk about a turnaround. Just yesterday, it seems, the state of California was suffering from a drought that seemed
biblical in its proportions. Members of my family who live out there were saying that
Mammoth Mountain seemed doomed.

But look

how things have changed. The mountain got 15 feet between December 26 and January 12. Mammoth is now saying they
will remain open until July. This is like the old days when I used to go there as a kid and the snow piled up so high
you had to dig a hole to get to your cabin. But it’s great news. Great for the state and great for skiers.

Watcing the Lava Flow

by Erik Olsen on

There are few places in the world where you can got from snowy peaks to a raging lava
flow…in fact, other than Hawaii, I can’t really think of any. I’ve been to two active volcanoes in my life and both
were tremendous experiences. In Chile, I stood over a crater and gaped down into the red guts of the earth. Blew me
away.

Rob Woodbrun checks out Hawaii’s biggest island
in this peice and gets the full range of
the Hawaii experience, from (very) hot to cold.

The People’s Republic of Boulder

by Erik Olsen on


Just going to throw

another New York Times piece out there because it’s about one of my favorite cities. I lived in Boulder years ago,
and while I know it’s changed a bit since then, I know many of my old haunting grounds are still there: Pearl Street,
Chatauqua Park, Boulder Creek Path, etc. And of course, the Flatirons still loom over the city like citadels. I miss it
just writing about it.

Anyway, time Times gives the town some justice, naming quaint little spots like the
Boulder Tea House, not to mention the incredible assortment of outdoors
stuff to do there. But I have to admit the article left me a little flat. Can’t say exactly why. I think I feel like it
didn’t quite capture the vibe of the place, and just provided a laundry list of places to go.

Andrew McLean…Again

by Erik Olsen on

Hotshot back-country skier Andrew McLean has certainly raised his
profile lately. Following a superb profile in the New Yorker by
Nick Paumgarten, he is now being featured in another long-form
piece in Outside. McLean’s passion
and insanity are legendary among the back-country crowd, so perhaps they are happy to have one of their own so widely
celebrated. But I have to say that both articles are very good, and really flesh out the appeal of back-country skiing
and highlight one of the sport’s more charismatic characters.