Jocosity has put together another amazing film event with Oak Bay Bikes, and we want to send you there for free. All you have to do is comment below.

[Update]: Nelo one the free tickets to the show on Sunday. Thanks everyone for commenting!

But first we need to see what all this excitement is about.

Strength in Numbers is a rally call to connect all mountain bikers, regardless of location or language or discipline. The film captures a true way of life, from the world’s best pros to those who are just learning to love the sport. Shot over two years in some of mountain biking’s most iconic locations, Anthill’s signature style combines compelling stories with core action to create a shared experience that unites all riders.

That gives me chills just reading it. Here’s the trailer.

Free Tickets!

All you have to do is comment on this post and we’ll draw the winner of 2 free tickets Friday at 4pm. Anything is a valid comment (keep it clean!). “Show me the money!” “Give me the tickets!” or “You guys are awesome!” are all valid comments. Only comments on this post will be entered, Facebook or Twitter posts don’t count.

Buying Tickets

Tickets are available at Oak Bay Bikes in Nanaimo. Get them while they last. I hear they’re going quick. Tickets are $16 from Oak Bay and $18 at the door.

The Show

The craziness that is Strength in Numbers will be on May 6th (that’s only a few days away, get your tickets!). There will be awesome door prizes from Anthill Films and Shimano. Oak Bay Bikes has put in some sweet gear for the silent auction. All proceeds from the auction will go to the Nanaimo Mountain Bike Club.

The show is at the Malaspina Theatre at VIU. Doors will open at 7, the show starts at 8. And if you need to be bribed, the event is licensed. Just sayin’.

I’ve created a bit of a checklist for you so you don’t have to worry about forgetting some important piece of the hike-planning puzzle and not having a good hike because of it. It’s not perfect and might be missing some good things you like to look for before you go hiking. I want to know what you look for before hiking. You can add them to the comments at the end of the post.

So here’s a list of good things to think about when you’re planning a hike.

Where do you find information about a trail?

Popular trails and parks often have websites with the latest information about conditions on the trail and anything you’ll need to watch out for. There is usually a good description of the trail and any known dangers that you might face while hiking in that area. Always look for a second or third source for information about trails as one website may be out of date or missing information.

More and more websites are popping up with lists of trails that you can search through for particular areas. Some good ones are Everytrail, Trailpeak, and TripTracker. Do a quick google search for “hiking trails areaname” and you’ll get other websites that are specific to certain areas. On PureOutside, I mainly cover Vancouver Island but there are probably many others that have information on the trail you are looking for.

Where the trailhead is

The trailhead is the start of the trail itself. Usually you’ll be able to park near the trailhead somewhere and start hiking from there. To start your hike you’ll need to know how to get from your house to the trailhead.

Where the trail goes

Some great hikes I’ve been on started with just wanting to find out where a trail went. Pure exploration. Most of the time I’ll have an end target in mind. Sometimes, a summit of a mountain might be the goal, or a beautiful waterfall or a huge stand of old growth trees. Some trails don’t really have a destination but still can be a beautiful place to go and explore away from the bustle and noise of the city.

Sometimes it’s easier to go for a hike when you have a particular destination. You’ll know how far you need to go to the goal you’re trying to accomplish. Once you’re finished your goal you can turn around and head home, satisfied with the feeling of accomplishment. Be careful not to get too caught up in completing your goals though, the journey along the way is just as beautiful.

The difficulty of the trail

Trails can vary a huge amount in their difficulty. It’s a good idea to have some sort of picture in your head of what the trail is like. You don’t want to be going out to a crazy, steep, overgrown trail if you are just beginning. Most trail websites and books have some sort of ratings for the trails. Talk to people who have done the trail before to see what the difficulty is. I love exploring places I’ve never been before but struggling through something I’m not comfortable with isn’t fun.

Some good indicators of the difficulty of a trail are the length of it and the elevation profile. Long trails can be tough just because they are long. The easiest obstacles can look daunting if you’re tired from hiking 15 kilometres. An elevation profile of a trail is basically a picture of a trail in terms of it’s height above sea level. If the trail goes from very low to very high in a short period of time, you’ll know it can be quite steep. Even a trail that starts and ends at the same elevation could have gone up and down thousands of metres!

Maps

Some sort of map is one of the most important things to take on a hike whereever you go. You never know when you could take a wrong turn or decide to head in a different direction even in an area that you know well. If the trail is in an area that you don’t normally go, then the map will be even more useful. Some areas will have specific trail maps that you can use with major landmarks on it to make it easier to use. If you aren’t able to find one of those, most areas will have a topographic map available for purchase nearby.

If you use a GPS when you hike, then having a GPS track file for the trail can make navigating much easier. Make sure you’re not relying 100% on your GPS to find your way around when you hike because they can stop working.  They are nice when getting to a trailhead or finding a certain trail in an area. On Vancouver Island where I do a lot of my hiking, logging roads lead to many good hiking trails. The problem is that most logging roads look identical and having a GPS track can save a lot of time looking for the trailhead.

Current conditions

The same trail can go from easy to very tough and complicated depending on the conditions and weather. Snow can add a degree of complexity that you may not want to tackle. Some areas can be completely closed during the winter because of avalanche or rockslide danger.

Bridges

Many trails have bridges on them to cross valleys or streams and rivers. Often during storms or just over time the bridges are damaged and need to be repaired. Unfortunately parks or volunteers may not be able to get to the trail within a reasonable amount of time and hikers need to find a way around while the bridge is out.

Tides

If you’re hiking near the ocean chances are part of the trail goes near the water. The trail may even run completely on the beach at some points. If so, you’ll need to be aware of the water levels during the times you’ll be on that trail. Park websites tend to link to tide information if it’s required for the hike. Even if it doesn’t try and verify how close you’ll get to the water during the hike and tide information information for the area.

Altitude

Here on Vancouver Island, none of the trails go high enough to run into altitude issues. Elsewhere in the world there it’s a different story. Know how high your trail is and if you could run into issues at that elevation. If you’ve hiked at that elevation before you will probably be ok. Altitude sickness can be a tricky, unannounced problem.

Transportation

Transportation is usually a very simple part of organising a hike. You drive or get a ride to the trailhead. Many trails end up back at the same parking lot and you can drive home from there.

Some trails start in one place and end up in another. In this case you will have to arrange to use multiple vehicles to transport everyone to the start of the trail and leave one near the end. Sometimes there are buses or shuttles that can get you to your destination.

For more remote trails, planes and boats can be used to get to the start of the hike. Some trails require the use of boats in the middle of it to get across rivers or lakes. Make note of when and where you’ll need to use these other types of transportation as they often cost extra. You wouldn’t want to be out in the woods without money to continue your hike!

Fees

Some trails, like the West Coast Trail in BC, Canada, have fees, a hiker limit and must be booked months in advance to ensure a time on the trail to hike. Some trails have no limit but still require a fee to be paid before-hand to help pay for the upkeep of the park. Fees might have to be paid online before-hand or in cash in the parking lot before starting the hike so make sure you know where and how you can pay.

Interesting points along the trail

I always like to know about place along the trail that would be fun to see along the way. Maybe there are some really good viewpoints along the trail before you get to your final destination or waterfalls or old growth trees or plane crash remains. If you’re pressed for time then you may not want to check out the extras but if you end up with a spare minute then you’ll have something more to enjoy.

Does it require special gear?

Most day-hikes don’t need any special gear but depending on the trail and the conditions you might need something extra. This might mean that you won’t be able to hike that trail and that’s totally ok. You may need an inflatable boat or crampons, an ice axe and rope for exposed sections. The weather is also a factor in determining what kind of gear you’ll need on you hike. Lots of trails don’t require any special gear and it’s great to start hiking on those and then acquire the gear necessary as you put bigger trails on your list.

Emergency Exits

How you can get off a trail if something goes wrong is always a good idea to keep in the back of your mind. If you’re careful and have the right gear then chances are very slim that something will go wrong. The chance is always there though. Sometimes the way you arrived at the trail is the fastest way out. Other times there may be other entrances or trails that offer a quicker exit and a faster way to get help if you need it. Problems on the trail aren’t something you should dwell on but it’s always good to have a plan of attack in case something does go wrong.

Weather

This is not necessarily a trait of the trails you’ll be hiking but it’s something that you’ll need to keep in mind when you’re planning a hike. Weather can affect how long you’ll want to hike for and what kind of trails you can take on with you and your group. Some areas can be covered in snow some of the year. Others can be extremely wet or dry. You’ll need to know the temperature of the area to plan what clothing to bring. Hiking in 3 degress celsius will require different gear than in 25 degree weather. Getting wet during a warm trip could mean a minor discomfort while you dry off whereas getting wet on a cold trip could mean a danger of hypothermia. On the other side of that scale, when the weather is hot there are different dangers. If you are in the sun for a lot of the trip, sun stroke or sun burn can be dangerous. You’ll also need to think about water and how much you have as you go along. If you’re working hard you’ll be sweating and you’ll need to replenish this liquids as you go. Some places have a lot of water that you can use to replenish your water supply and others don’t.

Water

A very important item to take with you is water. You should take ample amounts with you on every hike you go on. Having to hike a couple hours back to the water when you’ve run out of water isn’t much fun. If you get lost then the water you have will become even more important. Humans can last weeks without food but we can only last a couple days without water.

In the high desert of South America, winter takes hold, devouring bleached bones and abandoned shacks. Into these most inhospitable of lands, a handful of drifters emerge from the whiteout, ready to cast their lot on forsaken peaks both merciless and magnificent. Venturing beyond the frontiers of most mountain films, Solitaire is backcountry skiing forged in the tradition of Western cinema. Born in the spires of Argentina’s legendary Las Lenas, a lonely two-year journey begins through an abandoned world, wandering the length of a continent from Peru’s Cordillera Blanca to Chilean Patagonia. ~ Solitaire Trailer

The description of Sweetgrass’ new film Solitaire makes me think of big Hollywood cinema and not small screen ski films. I don’t think that’s going to change the fact that this film looks absolutely epic. Stunning scenery and excellent cinematography combine to put this film at the top of my to-see list.

Good thing it’s coming to Nanaimo in less than a week! On April 16th, Jocosity and Valhalla Pure Nanaimo will screen Solitaire at the Malaspina Theatre at Vancouver Island University. Check out the rad poster below and show details.

Free Tickets!

What?! Are you kidding. There are free tickets? I have 2 free tickets available. All you have to do is comment below and you could win the tickets. I’ll be randomly drawing one of the comments to win both tickets at noon on Friday, April 13th. There’s not much time. Get commenting! Tell me anything; your best story from this winter, about your best winter ever, or why you hate summer and want winter to last forever.

[Update] Toby Gorman wins 2 tickets to the show! Congrats Toby. Thanks for commenting everyone.

Where do you buy tickets?

Maybe you win those free tickets and maybe you don’t. If you need to buy them, there are three ways you can get your glubbed hands on some.

1. You can stroll on into Valhalla Pure Outfitters on Turner Road in Nanaimo and lay down $13 bucks for a ticket to the show.

2. If you don’t feel like moving your lazy butt off the couch, you can put your credit card digits into the Forever Snow Eventbrite page and buy tickets that way.

3. Buy tickets at the door for $15.

Silent Auction

There will be silent auction during the show to benefit the Island Avalanche Bulletin. Island Alpine Guides has donated an AST1 course and Valhalla Pure Outfitters has put up an Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody.

Door Prizes

If you don’t want to spend your hard earned cash on the silent auction you can still cross your fingers and hope for a door prize. Sweetgrass Productions, Valhalla Pure Nanaimo, FlyLow Gear and Venture Snowboards have all donated awesome prizes to be won.

Alcohol!

Winter is almost over and that can be hard to take. The venue is licensed so we can take the edge off.

If you still haven’t watched the trailer for Solitaire, please do so now.

I know that just blew your mind and you’re thinking about snow but I’ll remind you to comment below so you can win those tickets.

Cheers,

Ross

**

Being a fan of cycling I decided my next trip was to be a bike trip. After reading lots of travel portals and travel blogs I had a hard time deciding on my destination. What better place for cycling than the Piedmont hills to discover the villages and the beautiful landscape that gave birth to Fausto Coppi. I took this trip alone as all my cycling buddies were unavailable at the time. Starting at the town of Tortona in three steps I explored all the places that have shaped the history and contributed in the success of the “champion”.

First I visited the country of Castellania, the birthplace and tomb of brothers Coppi Coppi and the small museum, a place that still sees a pilgrimage of people who pay homage to the great hero. Getting there seemed easy and I even came across other bikers that appeared to be following the same route as me. Arriving in the country it turned out that in the silence of the hills of Castellania Tortona at the funeral mausoleum of Fausto and Serse Coppi,
cyclists and cyclists gather every year to pay homage.

The hills of the Piedmont are not very well known, but I found these valleys to be lovely surprises for my cycling trip. There were also some points of interest one could miss if he wasn’t careful: In Volpedo I visited the house museum of the painter from Volpedo Pellizza; San Sebastian Curone with its square houses painted with views of Mount Giarolo, Monleale nestled on a hill, with its square French styled Garbutt, and his ways of the old Town and the artisans of the cabinet.

Details of the bike trip:

Immersed in the beautiful hills of Piedmont among vineyards and small towns rich in history I spent 3 days in full contact with nature, just me and my bike, well, and occasionally other bikers. Alternating “hard work” with a cycling tour of the interesting cultural sites in the surrounding area gave me a feeling of progression I seldomly get: the Romanesque church, the country of Coppi, the small museum dedicated to the sample were some of the sites I found.

Later I came to know that there was a group biking tour in the area at the same time with the same meeting point as my starting point, the station in Tortona. Apparently they gathered in the late morning or early afternoon on Thursday. In fact their tour was very similar to my trip except they did a thorough city tour and then made a stop at a winery.

A fellow biker told me all this. He was part of that group, but they were given a choice among various cycling routes. That was the reason I kept seeing cyclists on my way but never big groups of them. Overall, I enjoyed myself; the area was very hilly and therefore had a typical vertical drop in altitude. As a matter of fact the tour was quite challenging. Exactly what I was looking for to escape from the routine of plain sightseeing trips. I avoided to tackle any mountain climbs, but a continuous up and down gradient was unavoidable. Manyareas were also quite steep: it is advisable to check around with some preparation in order to enjoy the best 4 days of cycling.

**

More about Elsi Hasanaj: Elsi is an aspiring blogger and an adventurous traveler. He likes being abroad and seeing new places.  Travelling by sea is his preferences and his favorite countries are Japan and Mexico. He also likes sharing his experiences with the world. You can check out his profile and more writing at Trip and Travel Blog.

If you notice one is missing, please let me know in the comments at the bottom!

The Hiking Glossary

Alpine: Roughly the area on a mountain above the treeline. The treeline is the line where trees stop growing on a mountain.

Backpack: You need a way to carry extra gear, food and water when you’re out hiking. A good sturdy backpack is the most common way to do that. Other types of bags can be uncomfortable or inconvenient to carry around but a backpack can be comfortable and easy to manoeuvre even when it’s loaded with heavy gear. Most large packs these days have some sort of frame to help support the weight. Smaller packs that won’t hold as much weight don’t need a frame. Packs are measured in the volume in litres they can carry. Small packs are 10 to 20 litres, mid size are from 30 to 40 and large packs are from 60 to 70 litres.

Bear Banger: A small projectile that either makes a screaching noise or a large bang with the hope of scaring off bears. There is a technique to using the bear bangers to effectively scare the bear away from you and not towards you.

Bear Spray: Pepper spray designed to fend of attacking bears. Only designed to be used in a last-resort situation. Make sure you know everything you need to about preventing bear attacks. Bear bangers can be used before the situation calls for bear spray

Bushwhack: Travelling off-trail. This is not usually recommend so as to not disturb the natural area but sometimes it’s necessary to get where you are going or to find the trail again. Some people using a rating system from B0 to B5 where B0 is very easy to walk through and B5 is extremely difficult to walk through. The difficulty of the bushwhack depends on the height and density of the underbrush. Very thin short underbrush is easy to travel through. Thick tall underbrush can be impossible to travel through or require some sort of blade to cut your way through.

Cairn: Typically a pile or stack of rocks marking a trail or summit on a mountain. Some trails can be hard to locate when there there is a lot of brush or snow on the ground or it hasn’t been worn into the ground well. Cairns give a way for hikers to follow the trail if there are no other signs of it. Sometimes flagging tape is used if there are trees below the treeline.

Camp: To stay the night in a single location. Most people bring a tent or other type of shelter to stay the night in. You maybe staying one night or setting up a base camp to come back to for multiple nights. You might be spending the night in a tent, bivy sack, hammock, snow cave, under a tarp or just in your sleeping bag.

Col: The lowest point over a ridge, often called a mountain pass. They are often called saddle’s because of their shape, 2 higher points with a low point in the middle sloping off to both sides.

Compass: A small piece of hiking equipment that uses a magnet to point north. When you are lost or using a map for finding your way, a compass is invaluable for orienting yourself. You may have a good sense of direction but sometimes you can get turned around. Locating the sun can also be used as a compass. For situations like a snowstorm where you can’t see the sun, compasses are important to have.

Crampon: A set of metal spikes worn on a hiking boot that gives you traction on icy surfaces. Some crampons are specifically for travel on ice and some are for ice-climbing. There are different features to both.

Cryptosporidium: A protozoa that can be found in some backcountry water sources that can cause gastrointestinal illness. It originates from human and animal feces. Water should be treated in some way before drinking to remove the cryptosporidium. A rolling boil for 1 minute or a filter using an absolute less than or equal to 1 micron filter are highly effective ways to remove the protozoa. (source)

Day Hike: A hike that lasts less than a day. Compared to a multi-day hike where you take additional gear and hike for multiple days.

Dehydration: Your body does not have as much water and fluid as it should. Can be from mild to severe which can be life-threatening. Know the symptoms before you head into the backcountry and how to prevent dehydration. Usually taking enough water and food will prevent dehydration.

Elevation Profile: Every trail or route has an increase or decrease in elevation as you hike along the trail. That elevation change charted on a graph is an elevation profile. You can see the altitude of the trail as you would hike along it. A trail up and down a mountain would have a steep elevation profile whereas a trail along the beach would have a very flat elevation profile. Steeper trails take more energy to hike.

Exposure: This is the empty space below you when you are hiking or climbing. Most people don’t run into this when they’re hiking but you should pay attention to it. It’s basically the distance you could fall if something were to happen. On steep sections of a hillside, you might fall a long way before you came to a stop. The longer the fall, the more deadly it could be. When the exposure gets to be enough, climbers will often start to wear climbing protection and use ropes.

Flagging Tape: Coloured tape often used to mark a trail. It’s also used in logging operations so pay attention to which one you are following.

Gaiter: A piece of fabric that surrounds the top of your hiking boot and runs up your leg. Gaiters can be of various heights but the main idea is to cover the top of your boot and keep snow, ice, dirt or foliage out of your boots. Some gaiters are small and only cover the top of your boot plus a couple inches up your leg. Some gaiters are larger and run from the strap around the bottom of your boot that keeps it on, all the way to your knee. Gaiters can be made out of simple fabrics or more expensive waterproof membranes. The breathability and warmth of the gaiter depends on what fabric is used.

Geocaching: An activity where participants use GPS units to find “geocaches” around the world. Some of them are in the middle of cities and some are far out in the wilderness. The idea is that you take something from the waterproof container but you leave something as well. Sign the guidebook when you are there as well. When you get home, mark that you have found the cache on http://www.geocaching.com

Giardia Lamblia: Like Cryptosporidium, Giardia is not something you want to get into on a long hiking trip, or even a short one. Giardia is another protozoa that you might ingest when drinking water that has come in contact with human or animal feces. As with cryptosporidum a rolling boil for a minute or an absolute less than or equal to 1 micron filter are your best chances of killing the nasty bugs.

Gore-Tex: A family of waterproof membranes made by Gore. Most of the time the waterproof Gore-Tex membrane is attached to a protective outer layer and sometimes a protective inner layer. Some of their products are Gore-Tex Pro Shell, Gore-Tex Soft Shell and Gore-Tex Paclite Shell. They each serve different purposes and are built slightly different.

GORP: Trail mix usually with nuts, raisins and sometimes chocolate. It might stand for “Good Old Raisins and Peanuts”, or “Granola, Oats, Raisins and Peanuts”, or “Gobs of Raw Protein”. Also known as “scroggin” in New Zealand.

GPS: An acronym for Global Positioning System. GPS is most often used to refer to the hand-held units that hikers use when they are trying to find a particular place or their way back to the trailhead. Handheld GPS units display your position on a small screen as well as various other details like a track of where you have been, loaded tracks from your computer or waypoints you have already saved. Most GPS units can sync with your computer, transferring data to and from your unit. You can then use your computer to build tracks, display tracks on maps or upload them to different websites.

Hiking Boots: Hiking boots are taller, stiffer boots that are commonly used hiking. They aren’t the only footwear that you can use hiking but because of their support they are recommended. They come in different sizes, weights and materials. Some models are waterproof.

Hut: A cabin on a trail to use instead of your shelter or tent. Sometimes you have to pay for these huts or reserve them ahead of time.

Ice Axe: Typically only used when travelling on snow or ice, ice axes come in various shapes and sizes. Longer axes with a straight shaft are used like a walking stick for safety and stability in steep snow and ice. Shorter, lighter weight axes are used for ice climbing where both the climbers hands are holding axes. Ice axes typically have a pick on one side for digging into the ice and then a hammer or adze attachment on the other. The adze is wide flat piece used for digging out ice from an area to create things like steps in the ice.

Leave No Trace: A concept based on on the idea of not leaving a trace when you venture out into the wilderness. There are a number of principles under the Leave No Trace idea focused on making as little impact as you can on the areas you visit, packing out all the trash you bring in, not removing anything from natural areas and not disturbing wildlife.

Map: A set of images on paper or something similar that depicts where landmarks are in a particular area. You can use a map to follow a trail, find a mountain or waterfall, or get back to your vehicle. It’s important to have a map of an area that you are visiting to get a birds eye view of where you are and where you want to go. Maps are not especially useful on their own but when paired with a compass you can orient the map properly and pinpoint your location on the map. Maps are increasingly online these days.

Moleskin: Sticky pieces of fabric that can be stuck to your skin to prevent blisters. There are other methods but moleskin is usually the term used for the idea.

Multi-Day Hike: As opposed to a day hike, a multi-day hike takes place over multiple days. You’ll need to bring sleeping gear and shelter and more food. Often you’ll have to rely on streams and lakes for water sources so you’ll need to boil water or bring a filter. You bring food for multiple days that doesn’t take any preparation but most people bring cooking gear. Hiking for multiple days allows you to get farther than just hiking for one day.

Orienteering: Using a map and compass to find your way through unfamiliar terrain. This can be for getting from one place to another or orienteering or adventure races.

Peak-bagging: The activity of summiting as many mountains as possible. The most important part of the trip is to reach the summit.

Potable (Water): Safe water to be consumed by humans. It’s highly recommended to purify or filter water somehow when you are hiking to ensure there are no pathogens in the water that would make you sick.

Scramble: Ascending rocky faces or ridges. Scrambling usually includes using your hands for balance because of the steep terrain. The terrain is not steep enough to require protection and be called climbing.

Scree: The loose piles of small rock at the base of cliffs or crags. Also called talus although this tends to refer to rocks slightly larger than scree. Scree can be difficult to walk on as it’s unstable and can slide down the hill.

Shank: Stiff metal or plastic plates built into the soles of hiking boots to offer support. They can be half, three quarter or full length.

Subalpine: The area just below the treeline.

Summit: The highest point on a mountain. There is often a cairn there to mark the exact location. Summits are the locations peakbaggers are looking for to complete their goal.

Switchback: A sharp turn in a trail as it ascends a slope, hiking on switchbacks to the top of a mountain or ridge is an easier task than hiking straight up. They increase the distance you cover though.

Tarp: A single piece of waterproof fabric that can be strung to cover a camp or tent. Some hikers prefer sleeping under tarps rather than tents because of their light weight.

Tent: A type of shelter than can be used for multi-day hikes. A set of poles holds up a shelter of mesh and fabric to keep the elements away from you inside. There are many different types of tents that can be different sizes, weights and for different purposes.

Tentpad: A small wood or concrete base to put your tent on instead of disturbing the ground around the camping area.

Topo Map: Short for topographical map. A topo map has contour lines that describe what altitude a certain point is at. The contour lines are at different intervals like every 100 metres or every 20 metres depending on the scale. The closer the contour lines are together, the steeper the area on the map is. Large areas in between contour lines will be much less steep.

Trailhead: The start of a trail. Sometimes trailheads will be easy to find with a parking lot and signs, sometimes they will be small openings in the trees beside a logging road. Finding the trailhead can be the hardest part of hiking a trail. A good description of how to find the trailhead is a mark of a good trail book or website. Trailheads can be off in the woods as well, requiring some hiking along another trail to access them. Sometimes they have signs and sometimes they don’t.

Treeline: The altitude where trees stop growing on a mountain often because of cold temperatures or lack of moisture.

Trekking Poles: Trekking poles are like walking sticks but much lighter and specifically designed for hiking. They have modelled handles that fit your hands and pointed tips at the other end for piercing the ground. Most models have some sort of basket near the tip to prevent the pole from sliding too far into the ground when it’s wet or muddy. They can be fitted with larger baskets designed for snow and used in the winter for skiing or snowshoeing. Most models are collapsible in some way so you can attach them to your backpack easily.

Turn Around Time: A designated time chosen before the hike has started to turn around and abandon the initial goal. Turn around times are important when you need to get back to your vehicle or off a trail at a certain time. Losing light at the end of the day could be a concern or a gate to a road closing. Turn around times are best chosen before the hike has started so emotions on the trail do not affect your decisions.

Water bladder: No, it’s not your bladder when it’s full of water. It’s the flexible water container that you keep in your backpack. A small tube with a water nozzle on the end attaches to the bottom of the bladder and runs out the top of your pack. The flexible tube is much easier to get water from on the go than taking your pack off and retrieving a water bottle. They can be more work to refill because of other gear in your bag though. Camelback and Platypus are popular brands of water bladders 

Waterproof Membrane: Special types of fabrics like Gore-Tex that allows air to pass through but not moisture. These fabrics can be found in waterproof clothing and gear like gaiters and gloves. They are important because without the breathability your sweat will condense on the inside of your clothing and you will be as wet as you would be without wearing waterproof clothing. There are many different types of fabrics and they all have different ratings of how well they breath and keep the water out.

Waypoint: A point on a map with some significance. This can be the place you are trying to get to or points of interest that you might want to look at along your hike. Many GPS units allow you to save waypoints while you are hiking. You can save important places like waterfalls, cabins or important trail intersections. Trailheads can be handy waypoints to have as well.

Wicking Fabric: Fabrics that move moisture away from your body. Clothing made of these types of fabric should be worn close to the body to move moisture (like sweat) away from your body and keep you dry and warm. You will be safer and more comfortable if you are warm and dry when hiking.

Vibram: A brand of rubber that’s commonly found on hiking boots. They can be of varying densities. Softer rubber tends to be more sticky and grippy but doesn’t last as long. The harder types last longer but doesn’t stick as well.

There’s a list of hiking terms and their definitions! Did you understand all of them? Let me know if a definition didn’t make sense for you.

This may not be every single world related to hiking to start off with but that’s where I’m heading. Think a word should be added, let me know in the comments or email ross at pureoutside.com.

How closely do you time your runs?

If you’re like me, up to year and a bit ago I never timed anything. I’d run a distance I thought was close to when I should run and call it a day. I didn’t really measure much. I guess that’s why my results were less than stellar when I’d finish a race. They were respectable but certainly nothing amazing. I’ve heard the saying “What gets measures, gets improved” but never really paid it much attention. I had running to do and I wasn’t going to waste some of that time, fiddling around with numbers and times.

That changed a bit after I started reading article after article about training and how to do it properly. How do you know when you’ve reached a goal or that you are on track for a certain time. You don’t if you don’t measure anything. The only way to find out is to measure things like speed, pace and distance for running. Maybe heart rate if you’re aiming for a workout at the same time. Part of the reason I didn’t do that was I didn’t know an easy way to do it. I didn’t want to spend hours crunching numbers just to find out how I was doing.

Then I found the Garmin sports watches.

Turn it on. Run. Turn it off. Put it by your computer. Done.

That’s all you need to do to get accurate numbers and gps tracks uploaded straight to Garmin’s Connect website for you to peruse at your leisure. I can do that.

The price wasn’t exactly what I wanted to pay for what, in my mind, was just a watch. I’d never paid over 30 bucks for sports watches in the past so shelling out over $200 on one was a bit hard to take. I waited until I could get one on sale and then leapt. I was excited because it was new tech gear but I had no idea what to do with it.

What I like
Small and light. Much smaller than the older Garmin watches (but smaller screen)
Wireless track upload
Easy to use after learning (not intuitive but fairly easy interface)
Garmin Connect website displays all information well
Heart rate monitor is comfortable

What I don’t like
Bezel is very easy to touch so you have to lock it if you don’t want it to beep, even water sets it off
Battery life is short when the GPS is on ~8 hours

Ultimate Training Partner
Over the last year, I haven’t been training for much in particular. I’ve run a couple races but they’ve been more for fun than anything. I didn’t pull out a training program for them and pore over stats and my progress.

A couple weeks ago I signed up for the Vancouver Marathon. I’ve never done a marathon and 42 kilometres is not something you can just go run after sitting on the couch for a while. So I got out the Garmin Forerunner 405 and started my training.

Tapping one side of the bezel that goes around the face of the watch and you’re into training mode. If you’ve got GPS enabled it will start looking for satellites and usually finds them quickly. If you’re in dense tree cover it might take a bit. I found it finds them faster if you’re not moving much.

After it’s got a signal you’re ready to go. There’s a start button to begin recording your workout and the GPS track. While you’re running, you can see your time, you’re pace and distance travelled. There are many options and screens to go through so however you like to see your workout data as you run, you probably can. I tend to just look at the default screen that shows overall time and pace. Most of my runs right now are a set distance and a set pace so that information is all I need when I’m moving.

Sometimes I’ll run with the heart rate monitor just to see how I’m doing in that department. It’s not a huge worry for me as I’m more focused on the time and distance versus the workout I’m getting but it’s still interesting to see. Another data point to compare when you begin your training to the middle and end.

When you’re done, stop the timer and set it beside your computer. The ANT technology built into the watch wirelessly communicates with a USB attachment plugged into your computer. When it’s within range it sends the tracks to the computer which can be automatically uploaded to Garmin’s Connect website. Here’s a run I did this week for my marathon training. It shows you the GPS track if it’s available, speed, pace, elevation and heart rate information if you had a monitor on.

The Deadly Kusam

When I first got the 405 I was excited to see what it would do. I was already signed up for one of the most intense races I had ever done. It’s called the Kusam Klimb and happens every year a couple hours away from where I live. It’s a half marathon that goes up and over a mountain. As you can see from the GPS track I got from the race, it’s not flat. It goes from near sea level up to over 1400 metres in under 8 kilometres. That means steep! I had the heart rate monitor on as well. You can see that it was quite high over the whole race. I was pushing hard.

7 Hours of Running

A friend and I ran the Juan De Fuca Trail in 2010 which is 47km of far too many peaks and valleys of ocean-side trail near Victoria. We had planned for about 10 hours of running but it ended up only taking 7 hours. I wanted to get the entire run on the watch so I could see the pace and elevation of it all. I missed the first section down to the water from the parking lot because the 405 couldn’t get a signal through the trees. Near the end of the trail, 38 kilometers from where we started, the battery died and it stopped collection any more information. I’m glad it saved what it did. I thought if it died as it was recording, I wouldn’t get any information from the track. Apparently those guys at Garmin are smarter than I thought.

Incessant Beeping
For how much my 405 gets bumped around when I’m running, I’m surprised it still works. It’s still going strong. I have had one issue with it.

Last winter I was ski touring and had it on to track our time and gps track. Near the end of the tour about 3 hours in it started restarting constantly and beeping every time I did it. I couldn’t do anything to stop it. The racket it was making only stopped when the battery died and luckily that wasn’t soon after the beeping started. Every time I started it after that and went into training mode, it would start restarting and beep like crazy. I talked to Garmin and they suggested updating the firmware on it as there was an updated version and then sending it in if that didn’t work. I really liked the watched and used it a lot so I didn’t want to be without one for too long so I tried the firmware update right away. Since then I haven’t had any issues with it. No more beeping!

Recommendations
I definitely recommend the 405 to those that are looking for a powerful training watch for running or riding. You can get all sorts of accessories for it like the heart rate monitor or a food pod to record other information while you exercise. The screen isn’t as large as some of the other Garmin watches so if you need to see more information on the fly, that might be a factor in your decision. I liked the smaller size of the 405 that didn’t look like I had a computer strapped to my arm and the lower weight that goes along with that form factor.

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Do you have a training or GPS watch? What do you use it for and how do you like it?

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Other Reviews of the Garmin Forerunner 405

Review on RunColo

Review on RunTheLine

Review on RunToTri

Buy a Garmin Forerunner 405

Buy from Garmin

Buy at Amazon

Buy at GpsCity

What I like
Lightweight
Cheap on gas
Inexpensive
Very easy to manoeuvre in the woods
Tall for good clearance
Fun to ride.

What I don’t like
Not comfortable at speed
Hard to find parts
Not the quality of big brands

Pro: Lightweight
You can’t get much more lightweight than this motorcycle is. You could use a bicycle but you total distance covered drops dramatically as soon as you go human-powered. It does have space for one person on the back but if I’m carrying a backpack that doesn’t work so it’s really only a one-person vehicle. That doesn’t work for a lot of people. The size and weight comes in when you are exploring. With a bike this size you can get almost anywhere. You can slide it under downed logs, ride it through single track trails and on roads, be it dirt roads or paved.

Pro: Cheap on Gas
Aside from scooters, which might have a tough time off-road, $8 to fill the tank is about as cheap as you can get for a vehicle. With new electric and hybrid vehicles coming out, driving will get less and less expensive but it’s hard to argue with a couple hundred kilometres on $8.

Pro: Inexpensive
I picked this bike up when it was a year old for only $1600. Models from other brands were going for at least $5000. The price was most of what sold it for me. I’ve had great luck with it so far and not had any problems. I do make sure that I’m with other people when I ride further into the woods. That might just be common sense when exploring places hours away from civilization. No matter what the brand of bike you have, there’s still a chance you could crash or something could break and you’ll be walking home.

Pro: Easy to manoeuvre
The dirtbike style of the bike and the tall frame makes it very easy to get over or around anything in the woods. If I get stuck I can pretty much just pick the bike up or work it up over the obstacle while I’m on the ground. Try some gnarly single track trail on a big adventure bike and you’ll be sticking to the dirt roads in no time. I’ve got the back spring lowered a bit so I can actually touch the ground on the road as I’m not very tall. The height of it does make it nicer for clearing obstacles in the backcountry. On a lower bike, you’d be scraping the frame on rocks and logs but I can roll right over them in the GY-250. But with all vehicles, there’s always a limit to how how you can go.

Pro: Fun to ride
The GY-250 isn’t very hard to ride at all and because it’s so small and light, I can just hop on and go through any kind of trail or dirt road. It’s nice to ride on the road at slow speeds as well so as soon as the weather is decent, I spend most of my driving time on the bike instead of the 4Runner.

Con: Not comfortable at speed
That same nimble lightness I talked about above makes it a bit of a pain to ride at highway speeds. It’s doable but it’s certainly not comfortable like a bigger bike would be. There’s not much weight to throw around so it’s unstable in the wind and doesn’t have a ferring up front to protect you from the air hitting your chest and face.

When I bought the bike, it was geared quite low. I could get up to about 80 km/h but that was about the top of it’s comfortable riding speed. I had a cog with fewer teeth put on it recently to lower the gear which brought the top speed up to about 100-110 km/h. It’s not incredible comfortable but I can make it all over Vancouver Island instead of just being stuck in town here.

Con: Hard to find parts
Initially I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find any replacement parts. Saga isn’t a mainstream brand and the closest location was a few hours away that might have what I needed. Initially, I got the few parts that I needed by matching them up with other brands. I bent my clutch handle and broke a chain so those needed to be replaced. Last year a new bike and scooter shop opened up where I live and just happened to carry Saga scooters and could get the parts of the bikes as well. I was definitely lucky with that one. I went from hardly being able to find parts to having a shop within walking distance of my house. Maybe someone was listening when I was thinking about a new bike shop!

Con: Not the quality of big brands
This con is more from what I’ve heard about Saga bikes compared to other ones. There is usually a reason they are cheaper than the other big brands of motorcycles. When I heard people talk about them initially, I was worried I had bought some second-rate piece of junk. So far everything has run very smoothly and I’ve been very happy with the bike and the cost to maintain it. If everything keeps going this smoothly, I’ll be very happy with the fact that the bike was a quarter of the price of similar models.

There have only been a couple issues with it and nothing major. The pegs that hold the headlight assembly in have broken. They were brittle plastic that couldn’t stand all the bumps of riding off road. I could just get a new assembly to replace it but it was easier and probably stronger just to wire it in myself. A few of the plastic covers on the sides and the front fork have cracks in them after I’ve run into things. The plastic isn’t quite as strong as it should be. Again, I could replace these with new higher quality parts but they’re just plastic and don’t serve an purpose when I’m riding so I’m going to leave them for now.

2 other pieces I’ve replaced have been the clutch handle and the chain. I bent the clutch handle falling over one day so that was my fault. I believe the chain breaking was also my fault after putting it on wrong when it slipped off. I was on a steep hill and all that torque applied to a chain that wasn’t lined up properly broke one of the links. Luckily I was travelling with another truck that day and just threw it in the back and drove back home.

Recommendations
Just the fact that the Saga GY-250 was a quarter of the price of other similar bikes is enough to make me love it. I’ve had no major problems with it (knock on wood) and it continues to be an awesome way to get around during the drier weather. I don’t have any thick waterproof gear with armor for riding yet so I’ve been hesitant to ride in terrible weather. Once I get a jacket, pants and boots, I’ll be set for riding all year!

Since then I’ve had a couple of small Canon point and shoots that have been used extensively. The one I still use, the SD1100 has been a great little camera and goes nearly everywhere with me. I spent some time after my last big trip to Australia and New Zealand looking through photos of New Zealand. What I remember was absolutely incredible. Soaring mountains, crystal water. These prehistoric-looking places with very interesting history and culture. What I brought back as photos didn’t exactly fit what I remembered. I didn’t want to go on another trip without being able to capture it with more skill and a better camera. It was time to upgrade.

I have always liked the Canon’s so I took a look at their lineup. With a combination of features and price that suited my needs, I brought home a Canon T1i digital SLR. For those that don’t know what the SLR stands for, it means single lens reflex and refers to how the camera takes a picture. Sometimes there’s a “D” on the front like DSLR that stands for Digital. When you look through the viewfinder, you’re looking through the lens using a mirror. When you take the photo, the mirror moves and it captures the picture on the “film” or sensor. Looking through the lens instead of on top of the lens like the small point and shoot viewfinders do, captures a more accurate photograph of what you’re seeing in the viewfinder.

It’s interesting to get a full SLR camera after you’re used to a small point and shoot that you hold far away from your face. The DSLRs go back to the traditional style of using a viewfinder to frame your photo. The T1i does have a live view mode that you can see what’s on the LCD but it’s a bit clunky to use and I prefer just to use the viewfinder when I can. There are some situations like awkward positions or low to the ground where it’s nice to just look at the screen instead of the viewfinder.

It comes with an 18-55mm lens on it that is an ok lens but that’s about all I can say. The 18-55mm means it can zoom from 18mm to 55mm. 18mm is close to real life size on the T1i. You can then zoom in slightly if you want. The pictures from the lens were slightly better than my point and shoot. It was ok to start with but I upgraded to something larger right away. I’ve got the 18-200mm for most of my shooting now. I’ve also got the small 50mm because it was so cheap. I picked up it up for $129 just before I went to France. The 18-200 is still not the expensive L series that all Canon photographers lust for but it’s getting closer. The large range it has extending from 18mm to 200mm makes it a good choice for when you only want to carry one lens.

Travelling with the T1i
Earlier in 2011, I took the T1i to France with the 18-200mm and 50mm lenses. The 18-200mm was on the camera most of the time. I didn’t have a small bag for the 50mm lens so I just stored it in 2 socks while I wasn’t using it. They were clean socks.

I wasn’t sure how much of an issue having the bigger camera was going to be. The last big trip I did in 2009 was to Australia and New Zealand and I only had the small SD1100 with me. The small camera worked very well in Australia when I as moving around a lot. I wasn’t moving nearly as much in France so it a good intro to carrying a bigger camera around. I used a shoulder strap to carry around the camera most of the time. This kept it close at hand and easy to use but not strapped too close that it was annoying. There were times when I would’ve rather not have had the camera with me so I could just experience where I was it was hard to do that. I put it in a shoulder bag when I didn’t want to have it out on my side and look like a tourist.

When I was out doing touristy stuff and shooting photos to show what we had done, I had the 18-200mm on. When I had a bit of time and already had taken regular photos of somewhere we’d already been, I’d head out with the 50mm and see what else I could find. I ended up with more narrow depth of field, close up shots and some of them turned out really good. It was hard to use as a multi-purpose lens because it didn’t zoom. It’s a great portrait lens but it’s hard to use it as a general purpose travel lens. I’m not yet to the point where I’d rather travel with a set of primes rather than a zoom (primes are just one focal length like 24mm or 50mm, they don’t zoom at all), so the large zoom is still my preference when on the road.

Video with the T1i
The T1i was the second Canon camera to get a video mode. It’s not much to shake a stick at but video was on of my requirements when I got the camera so it suited me just fine. For my next camera, the video will be an even bigger deal but for now it’s just a nice little bonus. The T1i does 1080p at 20fps and 720p at 30fps. For the small number of short videos I’ve shot already, it’s a little clunky to use but not bad. I wouldn’t go with a T1i if video was my main reason for using it but, again, it’s a nice feature to have on the side.

Adventuring with the T1i
Since buying the T1i, I’ve been taking it with me for everything I’ve been doing. I probably don’t need to for every single trip. In fact it’s just been extra weight for some but if I got it and didn’t start using it right away on my trips then I would never take it.

On the first few hikes I went on I didn’t use it that much. I had it tucked away in my Talon 33 backpack and it was more work to get it out. If I was using hiking poles at the time then I couldn’t carry it in my hands and I’d have to keep it in my bag. Getting a bag that strapped to my chest partially solved this problem.

The bag is basically just a camera pouch that fits the camera with a good size lens on it. The 18-200mm that I usually have on the camera is about 4 inches long. That will the camera body fills up the small pouch I’ve got. There’s a small compartment on the front for a rain cover and a couple extra SD cards but that’s all it fits. The key part to the whole set up is the straps that go around my shoulders, under my arms and connect back to the pouch.

Having the pouch there make it easier to access for taking photos. You don’t have to stop, take your backpack off, pull the pouch out, open the pouch, pull the camera out and take a photo. It’s already on your chest so you simply open the top and pull the camera out. It’s similar to having a point and shoot camera in your front pocket compared to buried in your bag. It’s not going to get used when it’s deep in your bag.

The chest-pouch setup has worked well on a bunch of hikes, ski tours and snowshoe trips. If I’m working really hard with it on it does get quite warm under the pouch so that could be an issue that’s addressed in a future model. Something with some venting or mesh would be much more comfortable to wear.

The next step in the evolution of the perfect camera carrier is the Cotton Carrier I got for Christmas. The straps are similar to the pouch I’ve been using but instead of a pouch with a lid to store the camera it’s got a clip that attaches to the bottom of the camera. Clip it on and your camera hangs tightly against your chest. Unclip it and it’s ready to use and there isn’t a big pouch still hanging off your chest. Less pouch means less weight to carry and less fabric covering your chest when it’s warm. I’m anxious to try it out on a good day hike. The only downside to it is that if you get muddy or weight, there’s nothing covering your camera. I think it might be a fair weather piece of gear only. There are two covers that come with it for the camera body and lens so we’ll see how those work. If it’s a hassle to get the cover on the camera and lens every time you clip it back on I don’t think I’ll be using them. We’ve written more about carrying your camera on adventures if you want to know more.

The lesson is that the easier your camera is to access the more you will use it. Have it out and ready and you’ll take many more photos than if it takes 20 minutes to get your camera out and a photo taken. And what’s the point of having your camera with you on a trip and not using it!

Conclusion
Unfortunately, I don’t have experience with any other DSLR camera right now to compare it to. When I start to look for a camera upgrade to the T1i, I’ll post some comparisons to this one to see how they stack up.

For anyone looking for a basic DSLR to get into photography and see what it’s all about, I highly recommend something like the T1i. It’s smaller, lighter, and less expensive that most of the other DSLR’s but still gives you most of the options. The lenses are compatible with more expensive cameras as well so the option is there to upgrade the body later on and keep all the lenses you’ve bought. One of the most important things I’ve learned getting into photography is that a lot of the money is in the lenses. It’s also a very large part of a good, clear photo. A really nice lens on a low-end camera will get you a better photo than a terrible lens on an amazing camera. That said, cameras are just tools. How you, the photographer, use them is the most important part!

What cameras do you use? Does it suit your purpose or are you thinking of upgrading to something different?

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Next week we’re going to get into the details of a very lightweight adventure mobile.

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Other reviews of the Canon T1i
As always DP Reviews has a great in depth review of the T1i

Review on Digital Camera Review

Review on Digital Review

Buy a Canon T1i
Buy at Amazon

Snowshoes range in price from $50 to $300 can you can buy them at almost any outdoor store.

A couple years ago, a few friends said they were going snowshoeing and I wanted to join so picked up a pair of the Mountain 12 Series snowshoes’s from Atlas.

The 12 Series I have are 25 inches long which is in the middle of size ranges. There are shorter lengths available and longer ones as well. I wasn’t sure what kind of conditions I would be getting into on my snowshoe trips so I decided to go in the middle.

They are a tubular design, with a round metal frame running around the snowshoe. Flat plastic fills out the middle and provides a platform to stand on. The binding for your foot is near the front and has a fabric strap that goes over the top of your foot. there is also a plastic strap that goes around the back of your foot to keep it snug in the binding. You can adjust the 3 adjustments on the binding to be looser or tighter depending on where you want your foot to be in the binding.

The bindings are very easy to get one and the fastest of any bindings I’ve tried. All you do is slide your foot in and pull the one binding strap that tightens at two points. Throw on the strap around the back of your foot and you’re ready to go. Getting out of the binding is a little more work as you need to open pull the clips and either push the binding over to loosen it or pull the strap through the other direction. The other issue I have with the binding is that they don’t fold flat very well. Other styles of snowshoes like the MSR Lightnight Ascents can stack flat because there isn’t much binding, only straps, and they fold down flat.

On the bottom of your shoe right under the binding where your foot will go, are a bunch of metal teeth for grip. When you’re on a bit of an icy slope or the trail has been heavily travelled on that it’s a bit hard, these big teeth will come in handy. Old snowshoes didn’t have any teeth and were fine for travelling on flat ground but if you got into technical terrain on a slope, you would be sliding all over the place. The big teeth on the bottom of the Atlas snowshoes act like crampons and keep you steady and travelling where you want to go, not falling down the hill.

Connecting the binding to the snowshoe frame are 2 stretchy plastic straps. They hold the binding nicely and put a little spring in your step when you use them. The only downside is that sometimes they cause the back of the snowshoe to flick up and throw some snow. When you’re moving quickly this can be a lot of snow so make sure you are wearing waterproof clothes. Other styles of snowshoes don’t have this elastic system and don’t flick as much so look out for those when you’re buying.

The only major issue I had with the 12 Series was one of the heel risers breaking twice. Heel risers are short metal bars that you can raise and clip into place to set your heel on when you are walking uphill. Instead of setting your heel down flat on the snowshoe, you stand on the heel riser making less work for your calves as you climb up hills. Obviously these need to be sturdy because they’re going to take a beating from people standing on them repeatedly. The pair I have aren’t quite as strong as they need to be.

Aside from the heel riser issue the Atlas Mountain 25 Snowshoes are a great choice for a pair of snowshoes. The elastic attachment to the binding and the light tube frame make it an excellent snowshoe for cruising around on the trails and through light snow. If you’re looking for something for gnarly, icy conditions, and need traction more than anything. I’d opt for the MSR Lightning Ascents instead.

Other Reviews of the Atlas 12 Series Snowshoes

Reviews on Trailspace

Review on Backpacker.com

Review on Highball Blog

Buy a pair Atlas Series 12 Snowshoes
Buy at Amazon

Buy at Mountain Equipment Co-op

The Nomad’s are a sleek pair of sunglasses from french eyewear producer, Julbo. They’re designed for mountaineering and other sports where you’d need dark lenses and lots of light coverage. They also stick to your head like glue. No amount of moving around are going to pull these off your noggin.

Quick and Dirty about the Nomads

What I like

Fits closely to my head and almost never comes off

Photochromatic lenses get darker in brighter light

Polarized lenses reduce glare off snow or water

Additional side widgets reduce the amount of light coming in around the sides if you’re in a really bright place

What I don’t like

They fit so close to my face that if I’m sweating a lot, they touch my face and get sweat on them

Too dark for some places

The ends of the arms are quite pointy and I have to be careful if I don’t want to stab myself in the face

The price

The Details

The Nomad’s are awesome sunglasses. They fit close to your face and don’t let much light in. When you’ve got the side covers on, even less light gets in. If you’re out on the water or a glacier on a wicked sunny day, you’ll appreciate the covers. They are like the new age explorer goggles that had the leather covers on the side. The downside to them being so close to my face is that when I’m sweating buckets in the sun, drips of sweat get onto the glasses and smear them up good. They do have an anti-fog coating on them which works well against fogging up but not against drops of sweat.

The Nomad’s that I have from a few years ago use the Julbo Camel lens that are polarized and photochromatic. The polorization reduces the glare from water or snow and has helped me a lot when I’m out on the water sailing. The few times I’ve been out on the snow with them, they’ve worked wonders as well. No more squinting in the snow with crappy sunglasses on.  The photochromatic part changes the darkness of the lens from category 3 in lower light to category 4. They’re quite dark to start with and get even darker when the sun comes out. Julbo recommends that you don’t drive with them because they’re so dark. On the Julbo website there are images of using the category 3 lenses in the woods. I found they were too dark for mountain biking. You could use them hiking if you were moving a bit slower and were moving in and out of the trees into bright places. The new Nomad’s use the Zebra lens which transitions from category 2 to 4.

The Verdict

I’d highly recommend the Nomad’s to anyone. They’re aren’t the perfect fit for highly active sports with a lot of sweat or in the dark trees but for bright days sailing, climbing in the mountains or skiing they fit the bill perfectly. Just don’t go try tumbling down a hill to see if they’ll stay on your head. They probably will.