A heart rate monitor is a key accessory to a training program. And now Pear Sports promises to give you that key accessory, without the distraction of checking your heart rate read out to determine your speed through “smart” biofeedback training with Pear Square One.
In this high tech age there is no shortage of ways to stay in connected, but there is no app for making fire. And while there are high-tech fabrics and materials to keep warm, sometimes a fire is necessary to survive. At this week’s Outdoor Retailer Show in Utah, InstaFire demonstrated its fuel, which makes an optimal fire starter that can burn in severe weather. This fuel source, which has no harmful chemicals or vapors and can even be stored near food, will light and burn in wind, rain, sleet and snow. It has a 30-year shelf life as well, so it will be there when you need it. Burn baby burn!
Snowshoeing is an activity that most able bodied people can do during the winter, just as long as there is enough snow. This is proving to be a fairly light snow year, at least in Colorado, but hopefully as we get into the later winter months that will change. There are quite a few companies that still manufacture their snowshoes in America, and one recently caught our eye due to its unique features. The MSR Lightning Ascent, by Cascade Designs, looks like a traditional snowshoe from a far, but has a whole list of features that set these shoes one step ahead of the competition. Read the rest of this entry »
Kettlebell workout is one that’s been on a low boil for a few years. It has the makings of a trendy workout, but remains primarily among insiders. Perhaps that’s because as much good as kettelbells are for toning muscles, the wrists take a beating.
Quicksilver, a brand known among surfers, watermen, skateboarders and snowboarders, is prepping its fall 2012 line for a newly launched mountain division. The line will be on show at Outdoor Retailer and SIA this month.
The fall line includes 16 pieces including insulator jackets, down parkas, fleeces, bombers, windbreakers and shells that range in price fom $80 to $250. In an early look Quicksilver revealed a photo of its Ghost Tree jacket, shown in orange.
Next time you step on the scale, run a few miles or even wake up in the morning you can send your data to the cloud. That is if you have Withings Cloud platform and applicable workout devices. Withings, famous for the Wi-Fi scale that tweets your weigh-ins, is consolidating all your health and fitness data onto a cloud site.
Among Withings devices, you can set up your scale and Withings blood pressure monitor to upload to the cloud. A volume of additional data from other sources then joins these data. These can be fitness tracking apps, sites where you log your fitness and data from other devices such as a compatible heart rate monitor or cycling computer. A few that have joined in the cloud are Zero Sleep Manager and Runkeeper.
Withings is offering a free API for apps and fitness devices to get set up on the cloud. The platform the operates as a single source for all those devices. Data can be sent to the cloud, but also from the cloud to inform your iPhone or other device with updates.
It’s important to get your exercise while on the road, but sometimes just venturing out in the hotel to find the gym is a chore. Now you can request rooms with exercise equipment next to the desk. That is if you’re staying at a TRYP by Windham property. A number of Fitness rooms in the TRYP hotels are equipped with exercise equipment.
Rooms include a state-of-the-art treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical machine; complimentary exercise mat; fitness attire including a t-shirt and shorts; and mineral water and extra towels because even when you have your own machine you should wipe it down. Read the rest of this entry »
for a larger image click on the photo
Earlier this week we got a few details and video on the Cervélo P5 triathlon/time trial bike. Now the full details are available on the highly-anticipated bike.
As we mentioned, the frameset features a BBright bottom bracket. The frameset also includes skin surfaces tuned for each AeroZone to optimize airflow and make the P5 aerodynamic. Cervélo reports the new P5 frameset shaves up to 30 seconds in a 40-kilometer time trial. A compliment to the BBright bottom bracket, ComfortPly technology removes unnecessary material to reduce vibration and improve ride quality.
There has been no shortage of mobile devices for golf. There is the new Garmin GPS unit designed specifically for golfers, there are countless apps and of course various portable training aids. But now aboutGolf is taking golf simulators out and about with the aG Mobile, a launch monitor that features track ball and club tracking technology. This wireless unit can connect to a Windows-operated tablet or computer/LCD monitor for software display and allow golfers to get real-time data.
The aG Mobile is compatible with aG Balance Pro Tour and Perform Pro Lite devices so users can get advanced data interpretations on the go. It is also durable and weather-proof so users won’t need to worry about getting caught in foul weather (just be sure to have a waterproof case for the tablet).
Thrill seekers have a new toy for their arsenal. After teasing us with a preview, Gobandit has lifted the veil off its new HD helmet cam, the Gobandit LIVE. The camera lets you shoot and share your videos on the fly by adding built-in Wi-Fi, so the minute you’re within range of a hotspot, the camera can beam your videos out to Facebook or YouTube. Alternatively, you can zap videos direct to your iPhone for instant review or editing.
The waterproof camera can sense your surroundings and record your position, speed, and acceleration using its 170-degree wide-angle lens and GPS. Or to add an extra level of adrenaline to your videos, connect it with any external ANT+ devices to record your heart rate throughout the action.
The camera is equipped with a gyroscopic sensor and captures 1080p video at 30fps. It weighs 0.31 lbs. and can be mounted on a helmet, bike, or car. If you don’t care for the built-in Wi-Fi, Gobandit will also offer the Gobandit Race, which packs the same features as the LIVE model, excluding the wireless. Both cameras will be available this March with pricing at $429 and $329, respectively.
There is no denying that when heading to the great outdoors most people will come back home smelling worse for it. This is part of the outdoor experience, and in a way if you don’t smell bad you probably didn’t do enough. That’s true for fitness, but sometimes a strong scent won’t just have your loved one sending you to the shower, for hunters it can keep the prey away.
At SHOT Show in Las Vegas Under Armor, a leader in athletic performance apparel are introducing new Zeolite-based UA Scent Control Technology in its 2012 Whitetail Collection. This helps hunters remain undetected when in the field via a silver anti-microbial that promises to last 10 times longer than commonly used carbon-based technologies. There is a saying that some predators can smell fear, but now the hunted won’t smell the hunters! Press Release after the jump
In this high-tech era with texting, email and video chat sometimes the older technology gets left behind. But there are still times when you might need to write something down on actual real paper. But try taking that paper out in the rain, or even on a run or bike ride where sweat will get it wet, and you end up with soaked pulp. Water and paper don’t mix – at least most of the time. We’ve seen waterproof cameras, waterproof headphones so why not waterproof paper?
At SHOT Show in Las Vegas this week we were shown Rite in the Rain, a new type of waterproof paper that can survive rain, sweat and spills. The company has introduced a variety of paper products, including a nifty Outdoor Journal that can allow hunters, hikers, and just about anyone else who still take handwritten notes to have a notepad that can survive the elements. Video after the Jump
They say you can learn a lot about the rings in a tree trunk. In the video above a record player plays slices of wood. Year ring data is translated into music.
This music — which sounds like a moody piano soundtrack for a existentialist movie about a rainy day — is made by slicing a tree in cross-section, placing it on a turntable, and using a tone-arm with a PlayStation Eye Camera in the head. Output is processed through Ableton Live. It’s called Years, and it was created by Bartholomäus Traubeck. Read the rest of this entry »
