Booyakasha! Mad respect for Whistler-based sheGNARigans’ lady downhill mountain bike riders Erica Lawson, Diana Brucculieri and Trish Bromley. Watch and be simultaneously proud to be a women, a little scared for them and truly impressed.
‘The Girls’ from sheGNARnigans on Vimeo.
Jammy Pack Review ~ Fun Summer Product
It’s summer time and why not celebrate in style; with some good music. Everyone has some iteration of a smartphone, so why not plug it in and bring the music everywhere you go. Enter the Jammy Pack! JammyPack is all-in-one high-kicking, fist-pumping, retro throwback portable speaker fanny pack that easily connects to any smartphone or mp3 player.While it’s not new; the JammyPack is here to add some style to your summer celebrations. Just think of all the people you will impress at the weekend BBQ, music festivals, camping, cruiser rides, or simply walking down the street to your own tunes?
The idea for Jammy Pack was born in Newport Beach, Calif., and prototypes were tested in the Colorado Rockies. In 2009, Jammy Pack officially set out to create their ultra-hip and retro, high-performance portable sound machine. According to Jammy Pack founders, “What began as a product for the beach and your occasional escapade with friends, has grown into something bigger than we could have dreamt: Bridging the gap between action sports and music, Jammy Pack embodies freedom. A social tool designed for the perfection of the party, recreation, and frothy lounging.”
The Test: The Jammy Pack review was collected on closing day at Stowe Mountain Resort (it doesn’t get much better for a Jammy Pack). From rocking out on the chair lift to crushing the spring bumps and tailgating in the parking lot, I had music all day long. And I’ve continued to test this product while skateboarding, hiking, biking and hanging out with friends.
The Rating
4.5 (out of 5)
Design: Offered in a variety of colors and several styles, you can never go too wrong with a fanny pack. +1
Style: Fanny packs are not everyone’s style. Typically they are not mine unless dressing up in some form of ridiculous costumes. But it’s a fanny pack and you have to feel comfortable rocking it to pull it off with style. +.75
Durability: I did not get the rechargeable battery, and definitely used up regular disposable batteries pretty quickly, but the sound was great when it had full power. +.25
Performance: JammyPacks pump loud, using the highest-quality, water-resistant, silver-stamped magnetic, open-source, mini-speakers; boosting 3W of stereo-amplified beats per speaker. +1
Comfort: The adjustable hip belt allows for the pack to reside wherever you feel it is most comfortable. +1
Be sure to check out the JammyPack x Icelantic Skis Colab Jam Pack.
Are you planning on doing a marathon any time soon? Or even just going on a long hike, trail run, mountain or road biking ride? You’ll want food for fuel.To perform your best, have an enjoyable experience, avoid “bonking,” and recover quicker registered dietician Heather Cherry, put together a detailed nutritional plan.
The meal should consist primarily of carbohydrates and fluids, as they can be easily digested.
If the meal is small (400-500 Calories), it can be consumed approximately 2-3 hours prior to an
event allowing enough time for digestion and absorption. If the meal is high in fat, protein, or fiber,
extra time must be allowed for digestion.
Morning events
The night before, eat a high-carbohydrate meal. Early morning, eat a light breakfast or snack:
cereal and non-fat milk (almond or coconut if your lactose intolerant), fresh fruit or juice, or toast, non-fat or low-fat yogurt with fruit (especially cherries and bananas), or a liquid pre-event meal, or protein smoothie.
Afternoon events
Eat a high-carbohydrate meal both the night before and for breakfast. Oatmeal is a great breakfast choice. Follow with a light lunch: kale with light dressing, turkey sandwiches with small portions of turkey, fruits (especially cherries and bananas), juice, crackers, high-carbohydrate nutritional bars, or pretzels.
Evening events
Eat a high-carbohydrate breakfast and lunch, followed by a light meal or snack: pasta with
marinara sauce, rice with vegetables, baked potato, or yogurt.
For some individuals, caffeine may be ergogenic, most notably in sparing muscle glycogen and thereby prolonging fatigue during endurance events. However, for others it may cause nausea and anxiousness.
Athletes release heat production during physical activity by radiation, conduction, convection and
by vaporization of water. In hot and dry environments, evaporation accounts for 0-percent of metabolic
eat loss. There are modest amounts of minerals such as magnesium and chloride lost in sweat.
The worst environment to exercise in is one that is both hot and humid.
The intent of drinking during exercise is to offset a water deficit in excess of 2% of body weight
and is dependent on exercise intensity, duration and sweat rate (1). Beverages containing 6-8%
carbohydrate are recommended for exercise events lasting longer than 1 hour (1).
Muscle cramps are associated with dehydration, electrolyte deficits, and muscle fatigue and are
most common in profuse sweaters who experience large sweat loss (1). Athletes such as Tennis
players, triathlon and long distance cycling events are at high risk for muscle cramping, so extra
precautions should be taken: such as, taking frequent drinks during performance not waiting until
tired to consume.
References:
Sawaka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, Maughan RJ, Montain SJ, Stachenfeld NS, American
Collerge of Sports Medicine position statement on fluid replacement. Med sci 2009:38:2012-
2029.
Knee pads are imperative for a variety of outdoor sports: mountain biking, snowboarding, kyaking and bmx to name a few. The Demon Knee Pads Soft Cap Pro X D3O offer complete impact protection and are still incredibly comfortable and minimal.
The Overview
Many downhill trails are opening for the season over the next couple weeks. In addition to a full-face helmet, it’s important to have other protective gear so that you can truly shred the dirt. If you’re like me, and I’m pretty sure most women are, you feel more comfortable and better able to focus on your technique when you’ve taken every safety precaution. Salt Lake City-based Demon United has been making protective gear since 1999. They make everything from full-face helmets to back protectors. The nice folks at Demon were nice enough to send me some of their top selling knee pads, the Soft Cap Pro X D3O, to test out. These knee pads are made from flexible lycra and neoprene and feature “smart fabric,” also known as D3O, an impact absorption technology. D3O is essentially a free-flowing putty-like material, upon impact the molecules quickly bind together turning the soft putty into a solid, protective material. Pretty cool, huh? A lot of outdoor and action sports products utilize D3O, but what makes Demon knee pads a little different is their sleek and well-thought out construction.
The design features a low-profile foam material that sits right on the knee cap, and the D3O material is on the outside, improving both safety and comfort. Plus, they are lined with strands of beaded silicone running the diameter of the pads, ensuring they stay in place during heavy activity.
The Test
Since Snowmass’ Valhalla downhill trail wasn’t open yet, I took these on downhill spin from the top of Buttermilk via Government and Bandit trail. Luckily, I didn’t have any spills, save from bumping my knees on my peddles in an uncoordinated dismount while trying to navigate some tricky roots. And as I hoped the knee pads did their job. However, my boyfriend, who’s also a size small, took them out a couple of times on some long rides because he was intrigued. Well, to say the least, I’ve had to hide them. We’re both very impressed with the level of comfort considering how minimal they are.
Rating
4.5 (out of 5)
Design: D3O, anti-slip silicone technology, minimalist fit and a high level of comfort. Need I say more? These low-profile, high performance knee pads are just what any hard-charging, or aspiring downhill biker babes need. +1
Style: These are knee pads. We can’t have cool patterns and pretty stitching on everything. They aren’t eye-catching but then again that’s why I like them, they have a low-profile, minimal and look good on men or women in a multitude of sports. +1
Performance: The D30 material certainly does its job, and does it well. However, after a couple uses, I noticed they did stretch out every so slightly. On a hot day, these are a tad toasty. +.5
Durability: The construction appears to be solid, and have seen no signs to say otherwise. +1
Comfort: The silicone beads ensure there’s no obnoxious slipping and sliding and the ultra-thin lightweight materials make the knee pads feel as if they’re not even there. +1
New England tester and contributor Megan Davin recently caught up with Vermont-based Skida headwear owner, Corinne Prevot.
Most people don’t plan on starting a business their junior year in high school, and neither did Corinne Prevot. She just started making hats for herself and then teammates. She just wanted an excuse to have lots of different hats, and after having switched from alpine racing to Nordic racing at Vermont’s Burke Mountain Academy she wanted a more stylish Nordic hat. Now, a Middlebury College graduate, Corinne’s hat business—which she named Skida—boasts over 100 accounts and has been growing steadily over the last several years. The company is founded on local productions, limited editions and fresh perspectives.
Skida hats are all hand-made in Vermont and her mom is the “Queen of Logistics” in the company. Corinne originally moved to Vermont to attend the Burke Mountain Academy at the age of 12. She spends summer working remotely in Ketchum, Idaho where she mountain bikes and trains for ski season. During her sophomore year of college Corinne left the Nordic racing world, took an opportunity to study abroad in Nepal and since then went back to alpine skiing, a sport she had given up on back in high school. For Corinne skiing is fun again, which she attributes to embracing the freeskiing side of the sport. She says she’s just enjoying being on the mountain again. When we spoke, she was very excited to pick up a new pair of skis made by Worth Skis, another Vermont-based company. Corinne had demo-ed the skis this winter and fell in love. In fact, she said she convinced the shop to let her demo two days in a row and she has been hooked ever since.
When she isn’t freeskiing or mountain biking in Ketchum, Corinne is just a regular girl who likes to have fun with her friends. She says she owns at least 50-plus hats and 20-plus neck warmers. She is just like many other outdoor junkies in that regard, except she goes a step further and makes her own hats and neck warmers. The brighter, the better for Corinne, and that’s reflected in her products. She said some of her favorite patterns are the polka posie and country girl.
Corinne also believes in giving back, which is why she started the SKIDA Plus One [+1] program, allowing customers the option to purchase an additional hat at a discount, which will be donated to New England hospital of their choosing to a patient undergoing chemotherapy
The Test:
The Alpine and Nordic hat and headband collections cover everything. The Alpine collections feature micro fleece for extra cold New England winters, while the Nordic features a wicking polyblend for high endurance winter—and year-round—activity. My first Skida product was the Nordic headband. I wore it to work, hiking and post- mountain biking. I wore it so that I invested in another one, and then another. They add a little bit of flair and pop to any outfit and always get noticed. My next Skida purchase was the Nordic hat. Looking for a small hat to stick in your jacket pocket for when you take your helmet off or a little extra warmth under your helmet the hats fit great in your pockets.
Nordic Headbands
4.9 (out of 5)
You can never own too many! Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall these lightweight, moisture-wicking polyblend headbands are great for multiple sports, weather and temperatures. You can wear this headband to yoga, as well as on aggressive mid-winter skin or cross country skiing adventure. They’re also great for cooler-weather mountain biking, hiking and camping.
Nordic Hats
4.3 (out of 5)
Sometimes it slides up on your head and you have to keep pulling it down, but it is super comfortable and stylish. Regardless, this hat’s fabric—which is the same lightweight, moisture-wicking polyblend as the Nordic Headband—also allows for multiple uses, from a chilly Nordic skiing jaunt to sitting around the campfire at night.
The Overview
Looking to find that bag that works for everything? Well, no such thing actually exists, but the Patagonia Ultralight Travel Tote comes darn close. With the option of being either a tote or a backpack, this bag can fit the kitchen sink and then some. The backpack straps are a great option when you need to be more hands-free like when walking dogs or carrying tea, coffee, or other bags. If you don’t want it to be a backpack you can tuck the straps away and use it as an over-the-shoulder tote bag. The flexibility of this makes it a dream.
The Test
I have taken the Patagonia Ultralight Travel Tote to work just about every day for the past year. It’s great for walking my dog and as an extra bag at the grocery store. It’s light and allows for maximum storage of everything without excess bag weight. The material is super tough and durable. And if you are traveling it can pack up into its own pocket for small storage.
Shredly, an Aspen-based mountain bike-inspired apparel company recently released its new 2013 products, and we couldn’t be more excited. In addition to cool new colors and patterns, there’s a whole new product women’s downhill biking shorts, and an iteration of their original shorts but with more pockets, and a different fit designed for curvier, athletic ladies.
The NEW DH Knicker
This line was made to provide gravity loving gals with more coverage. The longer cut protects skin in the event of an unfortunate run in with the ground and works seamlessly with knee pads. The slim fit is flattering on nearly every body type and an adjustable waistband ensures comfort and an ideal fit. Invisible vents along the thigh help cool you down after a toasty shred session.
Buy the NEW DH Knicker.
The MTB Short
This new model is the second coming of Shredly’s original short, but with added features, like a new cut meant to address a curvier, athletic build. The shorts also have Shredly’s signature waist adjuster tabs that eliminate “the gap,” so those riding behind you don’t have to suffer crack exposure.
And if you’re looking for women’s-specific, ultra-comfortable chamois (which are hard to find),Shredly makes them too, as well as feminine, high-performance biking jerseys.
In perfect timing I found two tasty (healthy and vegan) Memorial Day recipes for your barbecuing enjoyment. First up a homemade black bean burger, then a fresh California quinoa salad. Don’t let the term “homemade” scare you away, this is seriously easy stuff. Both recipes feature good-for-you, fuel food ideal for supporting active, healthy lifestyles.
Ingredients 
Instructions
Put beans in a large bowl and mash with a fork. Add egg, yellow onion, bread crumbs, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Mix well to combine then shape into six patties.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Arrange patties in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to buns, top with lettuce, tomatoes and red onions and serve. OR Place on grill or barbecue and flip when one side is golden. Remove from heat when both sides are goldened. Serve with whole wheat, sprouted or gluten free bun, lettuce (bib is my favorite), tomatoes, onions, pickles, condiments and whatever else you like on your burgers.
Blow your friends socks off with this simple recipe.
Quinoa Cooking Directions
Start with a 2 quart pot with a fitted lid, and a fine mesh colander.
Bon Apetite!
