A new waste-to-energy plant on the outskirts of Copenhagen will double as a recreational ski area. Design firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) won the design competition for client Amagerforbraending to create a waste-to-energy treatment plant on the crossroads between a residential neighborhood and an industrial zone. Another criteria for the building is to serve as a recreational area.
A vacation on a tropical island where you plan to do nothing more than lay on the beach and dip your toe in the ocean sounds so tempting. But think of all the good you can do for your body if you spend the time working out under the direction of resort professionals.
Sugar Ridge Antigua has a Fit Escape package that includes hiking, ocean fitness, kayaking, Pilates and yoga among other activities. Skilled travelers can also go SCUBA diving, windsurfing and ziplining through the island’s tropical rainforest. Upon arrival, guests receive a postural alignment and body assessment using the Polar program. Polar equipment continues to monitor guests with the use of F2 watches and heart rate monitors. In addition, you’ll continue to get guidance on heart rate monitoring for weight loss, increased endurance and overall fitness throughout the stay. Read the rest of this entry »
Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center began a mobile program that allows skiers to pay for room, refreshments and services, plus find out about deals in the Breckenridge, Colorado ski resort. Register for the service with a text to “BEAVERRUN” (466-622), and you’ll find out about deals on the slopes, and be entered to win a two-night stay plus two one-day lift tickets at the resort. As with other loyalty programs, participating skiers will earn perks in the resort and in the town. You can also use the program, provided by Mocapay, to send mobile-to-mobile gifting , pay for hotels and restaurant services. This offers the convenience of using one device, your phone, to pay in addition to staying in contact with friends and having access to online information if you’re phone is Web-enabled without having to bring a wallet with bills and plastic on the slopes with you. Don’t you have enough to worry about with your skis and other equipment?
Workouts on the road can be a treat if the hotel has a nice gym stocked with new, top-of-the-line equipment. But then sometimes that equipment is old and tired, and ou wish you’d gotten a few more minutes of sleep before the meeting. Sheraton Hotels just put $120 million into a brand-wide fitness roll-out to equip its gyms and also revamp its meals and individual fitness strategy. Read the rest of this entry »
Take this for a ride. The Contour GPS camera shoots high-definition, 180p video while the built-in GPS tracks your trip in real-time. And then there’s the bonus that the camera mounts to a helmet, goggles or other article of clothing so your hands are free to grip handlebars, poles or a steering wheel. What would be the point of built-in GPS if you weren’t on the move while filming?
The Contour GPS films what you see. It also takes data on the map, terrain, and gives you a hybrid view. So when you play back the video on your computer, and especially when you post it for your friends to see, a ticker on the map follows the action on trails, ski slopes, roads, rivers, or wherever you filmed. There’s no limit. 
The camera is just about to hit the market for $349.99.
Just keep in mind. The video is 1080p high definition. However expect a little jerky camera syndrome. If you have a camera mounted to your helmet, it sees what you see. And if you’re riding your bike on rocky, uneven terrain, the video will likely bounce around a little. It’s still exciting that you can film high-definition to show your friends that daring descent on a black diamond slope.
For some really amazing mountain biking, check out this video and make sure to watch the GPS tracking on the right.
Contour GPS official website
Folding bicycle manufacturer Montague Cycles has announced a new line of 700c road bikes, including its first ever full-sized single speed. The Boston model includes a flip-flop hub, allowing to transform the bike from a traditional free-wheel single speed to a track ready “fixie.”
It features a 42x16t drivetrain, which is considered ideal gearing for city riding. Designed more for the urban canyons than off-road, this bike still offers the durability that has become a Montague signature. The Boston model features the Cliz quick release and the company’s patented folding system, which allows for a conversion from full-sized ride to trunk-worthy bike in just about 20 seconds.
Socks are socks, right? Well, there’s running socks, tennis socks, cycling socks, general sports socks, dress sock and we could keep going. A little known sock is the compression sock used frequently for medical conditions. Travelers and athletes are learning compression socks can aid training and recovery. One Mile Runner David O’Meara, whose goal is to inspire athletes over 30 to avoid injury, wears compression socks during and after performance events.
As a runner O’Meara wears the Athletic Recovery Sock while traveling and after exercise. He wears the Performance Sock for running. Both are part of the Active Therapy Line from Sigvaris. The comparession in the sock helps to flush out lactic acid that builds in the leg during exercise. The sock’s benefits are the ability to relieve tired, aching legs and exercise-induced muscle soreness. Read the rest of this entry »
CamelBak Better Bottle
What do you get when you go for a bike ride with just any water bottle? Bisphenol-A (BPA) and phalates, a chemical that has been linked to obesity, neurological disorders, cancer, and a number of other health problems.
CamelBak makes BPA-free bottles from a material called Tritan, that doesn’t allow properties to leech in the water and compromise taste and health. KineticShift took a look at three of CamelBak’s bottles, two made from BPA-free materials, and one stainless steel. Here’s what we found.
Map your bike route on Google Maps.
We applauded Google years ago when it added walking directions to Google Maps. Public transportation directions are also helpful. The newest addition to Maps is Bicycling directions. Now in beta (what at Google isn’t?), you can look up the bike routes you take, and learn about new ones. I just mapped a ride I took a few times last summer, Manhattan to Nyack, New York. It suggested two routes that differed even a little from the two routes I’ve ridden in the past. Now I’m looking forward to a nice enough day to take the new routes.
For discovery, Google highlights streets by bike friendliness. Dark green lines on the map indicate dedicated bike-only trails. Light green lines mark streets with a dedicated bike lane along the road. Dotted green lines indicate roads without bike lanes, but still appropriate for biking based on terrain, traffic, and intersections. In hilly cities such as San Francisco Google Maps will plot out a course that’s less hilly. Of course you can always drag and drop your route on the map to adjust to your specifications.
Google partnered with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit that creates a network of trails from former rail lines, to build the data in over 150 cities for this project. To get biking directions you can go to Google Maps and select bicycling as your mode of transportation, or go to the specific page for bicycling.
Check out Google’s video on its new maps for bicycling.
There are plenty of smart looking handsets, but there are times when a stylish smartphone isn’t a smart move. 
If you’re travels take you to the rough part of town or on rugged treks, consider the new Sonim XP2 Spirit handset, which is now available to our friends in Europe. It can handle a drop on concrete from up to two meters, and can endure temperature shifts from -20C to +55C, and this handset can even get wet and wild to boot.
This week Sonim announced a new partnership with Nimbuzz, an award-winning next generation mobile messaging service, which would see the Nimbuzz Java client pre-installed on the XP2 Spirit handsets. This gives users access to IM and chat client that aggregates multiple social networks into one contact list. The phone further features an in-phone app store, plus an MP3 player and still/video camera making this a communication and entertainment device for your mobile adventures!
Vibram Five Fingers shoes have five distinct toes on each to emulate your bare feet.
Sometimes technology advancements take you back to your natural state. In the case of Vibram Five Fingers, that’s barefoot. Vibram believes the 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons, and ligaments in the foot are a marvel of evolution, and best left in their natural state. Of course living in Manhattan, or many other places, don’t make running or even walking barefoot welcoming. Perhaps the last realm of barefoot action is the beach, or possibly a grassy field. But we opt for the protection of shoes everywhere else.
Vibram Five Fingers “shoes” have five distinct toes on each foot, and the soul emulates a bare foot with an arch. The company claims going barefoot, or wearing its shoes, strengthens muscles in the feet and lower legs; improves range of motion in ankles, feet, and toes; enhances balance and agility by stimulating neural function; and improves posture and alignment by not creating heel lift. Vibram Five Fingers has a range of models that lend themselves to running, water sports, hiking, traveling, yoga, and other disciplines of fitness. There’s a few therapeutic shoes on the market that make claims like this, and we plan to follow the space and take a closer look.
This piece from MIT is a couple months old, dealing with ways to stay healthy while flying during the holiday travel season. But if you’re like the crew here at KS, you may be one of the many who travel regularly, so the advice given by Howard M. Teller, M.D., of MIT Medical will come in handy.
Besides debunking some myths (recirculated cabin air is not the cause of why people get sick when flying), Heller offers some common sense advice on what you can do. Essentially, the main cause of illness when flying are from the people around you, from fellow passengers to the flight crew. Heller also says eating is one of the ways of getting sick, because you’re bringing your hand to your mouth; your hand may have been contaminated.
For more on the subject, check out MIT’s page, which includes a video. We at KS will also offer our own tips on flying healthy in an upcoming post.
Add geo-tags to your digital photos with Samsung HZ35W.
You were on a hike. You took a picture of the view from the summit. When people ask, you can give them the general vicinity of the photo, or you can give the exact coordinates via GPS technology built into the camera. Samsung’s HZ35W has GPS technology built in so adventurers can geo-tag digital images. Photos are tagged with longitude and latitude and post the city, state, and country and even reference a map on the camera’s active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) screen.
A 12 megapixel camera with a 24mm wide-angle lens and 15x optical zoom, the HZ35W will snap some impressive pictures as you travel hike the nation’s parks or travel abroad. Back at home you can upload photos with their geo-tagging to show your friends where you’ve been.
More info: Samsung.com
