The Great Out of Doors

ULA Axis Crampon review

2006-10-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

I’m giving the ULA Axis Crampons a thumbs up. I carried them for over two hundred and fifty miles this summer, hiking through the Sierra in late June and early July. To be honest, I only actually put them on three times but to me that was their intended use. A lightweight crampon for those “just in case” occasions.

Walking up steep slopes was easy with the Axis’. They don’t hinder walking like full crampons do. They also don’t provide nearly as much holding power but I was quite satisfied regardless. On only one occasion was the snow anywhere near the realm of ice; the points sunk in nicely and I was a very happy hiker.

The crampons show almost no signs of wear so far. I walked with them on rock or dirt for a total of about ten feet. The points are still straight and like new. The straps look new as well. The only negative thing that I can think of relates to the straps. Twice, I noticed the back of my foot twisting a little on the crampon. This happened because the plastic straps can stretch a little under stress. That’s a very bad thing! Foot movement was reduced by further tightening of the straps, to the point where they were uncomfortable. Crampons should fit very snugly and the Axis are lacking here.

I’m happy with my purchase and will continue to carry them on all trips where snow might be encountered.

ULA Axis Crampon initial review

2006-04-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

ULA Aixs 8-point instep crampons.
Manufacturer's weight: ~10 oz. (straps uncut)
Tested weight: a smudge under 10 oz.

First a little about myself and the anticipated conditions I'll be using these in. Primarily, I bought them to use on a long distance hike this spring where I will be using either running shoes or trail runners. We've gotten a lot of late season snow in the Sierra this year and I anticipate a fair amount of snow on the trial this year. I will also likely have these in my pack on future backcountry snowboarding, snowshoe and hiking trips where I will encounter significant snow and ice. I've been looking for a lighter instep variety of crampon as an alternative to my twelve point steel hinged crampons that weigh 32 oz.

The ULA Axis compared to 12 point crampons are a very different animal. The points aren't anywhere near as aggressive, nor as sharp. I don't think that i'll sharpen the ULA points either. While my 12 points are great for light mountaineering (30-50 degrees) the ULAs aren't meant for high angle slopes in my mind. I anticipate the ULAs will be far and away easier to walk in but not nearly as secure in tough conditions. I figure that people who will purchase these will know how they fit with their own risk acceptance levels. I see them as a small help and not something I'd want to trust my health to.

I've tried fitting the crampons with three different types of boots. The straps are plenty long enough for the biggest boots in my opinion as I fitted them to my high volume snowboard boots. On sneakers (which I'll be wearing through the Sierra this year) I would want to cut off 7-8 inches off the front orange strap and around 5 inches from the back orange strap. However, by cutting off that much I wouldn't be able to use them in the future on my snowboard boots. These big boots would allow only perhaps 2-3 inches to be cut off the back strap. I'm not sure how much strap I'll end up cutting off. Probably just enough so that they don't get in the way when using them with running shoes.

The ULA website says that the crampon can be fitted at multiple positions underfoot. Positioned either to the front or to the back, a hiker would be putting their weight down unevenly. Still I tried it. Positioned towards the back of the shoe makes you walk on your heels. This may be good for stepping down steep slopes but when they're back there you have little choice but to be walking on your heels. Towards the front of the shoe is a tempting idea for kicking steps. Like towards the back, the crampons fit solidly on to all of my tested shoes. Yet towards the front there is about a half an inch gap between the crampon and the shoe because of the upturn of shoes. I suspect that snow would accumulate in this area, possibly making walking difficult. Still, I'm sure when going over passes I will indeed move the crampons to the front if I'm going to be "front pointing" up. I suspect that with the exception of short steep passes I'll keep the crampon in the middle neutral position.

I like the light weight, the straps are great and the positioning of the points seems logical. The price was decent $62 (after shipping) but I'd like to see it even lower. Honestly, there really isn't much to these things. A piece of solid metal and some straps. I'd think that materials, even made in the USA, cost $5-10. I don't see a better item on the market however. I considered making my own but I bet that it'd cost me at least $30 in materials, plus a lot of headache to end up with a lesser quality item.

Thanks goes out to Brian Frankle for his great ULA products. If anyone has any questions I'd be glad to help.

Pause

2005-11-16T09:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

It looks like I don't have the time to maintain an active blog. I'm graduating college, looking for a job, and playing outdoors too much to devote time to this venture. I'm also taking off for twenty days sea kayaking in Baja on which I'll be blissfully unplugged. While I'd love to keep this up, I'm not sure I'm ready to do it. I might keep up the occasional posts but don't expect much.

Thanks for reading.

Doing the Duty

2005-11-08T16:40:00.000-08:00

I recently wrote a paper explaining how to properly defecate in the woods. It's not comprehensive but I think that it's practical, readable and a good introduction. I've posted it in the comments (see below) because it is quite long.

Fun Underground

2005-11-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I spent the day crawling around in mud. My brother and I joined the a handful of other members of the Diablo Grotto of the National Speleological Society for a day in Hell Hole cave. This cave is fairly popular as it virtually located on the UC Santa Cruz campus.

While it's an activity that isn't suitable for people with fear of tight spaces, caving is a ton of fun. The feeling of passing through a "squeeze" provides one of the most calming forms of adrenaline I've ever experienced. This particular cave doesn't have many formations partly due to it's small size but largely due to the fact that so many people pass through it. It trends down and away from the entrance to, I was told, six or so feet from the other side of the mountain. There are some 20-25 foot sections of slithering on your belly or back and some small drops. There are also some really cool things that people have left behind but I won't reveal what they are.

As a hiker, I was particularly astounded by the power of caving headlamps. Some of the fellows on this trip had headlamps with 20+ LEDs. One guy even smelled and looked a little like a mole...

Wild Commodification

2005-11-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

The Outdoor Industry Association released what I consider a somewhat gloomy report detailing retail sales during the spring/summer season. Their data shows that equipment sales continue to decline while apparel sales grow. This reflects poorly on the state of outdoor recreation. Fewer people are actually participating in outdoor sports but more people are buying the "image". Companies are starting to rely more and more on image apparel and less on equipment sales.

According to OIA's report, sales in the Outdoor Specialty and Outdoor Chain channels increased 3.5% during the spring / summer season compared to the same period in 2004. The majority of growth was driven by increased sales in the apparel category (up 3.1% in Outdoor Specialty and 16% in Outdoor Chain) and footwear categories (up 16.5% in Outdoor Specialty and 6.7% in Outdoor Chain). At the same time, equipment sales fell 12.3% in Outdoor Specialty stores and 7% in Outdoor Chain stores.

This trend is also seen in the declining use of National Parks and other public lands.

Wilderness Medicine Lecture

2005-11-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the last in a two part lecture series by wilderness medicine legend and guidebook author Ben Schiffrin. The three and a half hour free presentation hosted by Outdoor Adventures, UC Davis covered heat illnesses, snake bites and lightning strikes. Two weeks before the topics included hypothermia, frostbite and altitude sicknesses. Schiffrin's a great lecturer and it was a good call to focus on a few of the most important topics and do it in detail.

Just a few of the more interesting (not necessarily the most useful) things I learned:

When sweating from your forehead, you're losing about 1 liter per hour. People who are acclimatized to hot temperatures actually sweat more. Up to 4 liters per hour! Marrathon runners lose on average 9 liters of water. You brain reacts primarily to skin temperature when deciding whether it's hot. This has huge implications such as placing ice on a hyperthermia patient will make them shiver and produce more heat.
Exertional Heat Stroke has a mortality rate of 50% which is very, very high! Rapidly cool by any means. In the wilderness, a light layer of wet clothes is a good tactic.

Only one person has been killed in California (except the Mojave) by a snake bite since 1980.
Don't use suction, ice or constriction. Just use your car keys and get them out.

Death rate by lightning is probably less than 10%; because most strikes are "splash type" not direct hits. If the victim is alive, they're likely to remain that way.

"The only powder to get high on, falls from the sky."

2005-11-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I really want to start this up but I'm going to give it a shot.

I admit it, I'm a gear junkie. No really, I have TONS of gear. Well, not tons, maybe only a single ton or so. I have enough stuff to completely outfit 3-4 people for a wide variety of conditions and sports. And guess what? I'm going to make public all new significant purchases. It's not healthy to continue hiding my actions from those who love me. Seriously, I'm not doing this to brag.

Yesterday, I bought a new snowboard off of SteepandCheap.com. It's a big honkin' Winterstick Severe Terrain and it's one of the oldest, most highly regarded boards on the market. One that's built for big mountain, hard charging riding. Paid $125 for a board that retails for $550. Ahhhhhh.....

Pacific Crest Trailway

2005-11-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

One of the most interesting ebooks I've come across in a long time is a copy of the Pacific Crest Trailway. Published in 1945, this rare book chronicles a trail that is 510 miles shorter and has many miles of road walking. The author talks about the wilderness qualities, the backpacking experience and the details of the journey in language that is easily readable but a little unusual for today's audience. I enjoyed how Mount Rainier was declared "the most inspiring mountain in the United States" (p. 43) and the introduction to the chapter on Backpacking Exploration is praiseworthy as well.

Backpacking provides ... a cross-country exploring program of romance and adventure that creates self-reliance, personality and leadership. It comes into close companionship with the wilderness in an environment of deep solitude, free from the sights and sounds of a mechanically disturbed Nature. It arouses a love for nature and hardy pioneering that is vitally needed in our too artificial civilization.

Yes, Yes, Yes!
Credit goes to lonetrail on PCT-L for pointing this out.

Guide Life

2005-11-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

The Seattle Times printed a worthwhile piece on working as a wilderness guide. Some of the article is a little bland but there are some good points. The article focuses on NOLS which, if you didn't know, is the biggest in the business.

I learned that "of the 520 NOLS instructors, only 36 work 25 weeks a year"?. Sounds like a lot of free time for playing right?

Slowing Down on the Trail

2005-11-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

Tom over at Two-Heel Drive has a great piece On Stillness. He points out how many of the most amazing things in nature are only seen when one stops moving and takes a break.

Recently, in an attempt to reconnect to the outdoors, I've started bringing art supplies. Water colors, drawing pencils and paper don't cost much and their worth their weight in gold. Sit down on a log and paint a landscape or a leaf and you'll see how the act of making art forces one to look at the details around you. Drawing and painting lets you see in a way that photography doesn't.

Sporks-a-lot

2005-11-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

It's always nice to be able to satisfy gearlust at an affordable price. One such instance is the Light My Fire Spork. This gizmo is a plastic fork/spoon/knife hybrid.

I like to carry a minimal amount of gear on backpacking trips so this new toy is a nice addition. Since the age of twelve I've made do with only a spoon. You can eat everything with a spoon that you can with a fork I preached. But heck, if you can carry a fork at no extra weight, why not? I've been a resister to the spork in the past because I couldn't justify paying $10-15 dollars for a single utensil. So when I saw the Light My Fire Spork over at BackpackingLight I was intrigued. When I saw that it's lighter, and it's cheaper: I bought. It's in the mail, free shipping too.

Trick or Treat?

2005-10-31T23:02:00.000-08:00

The Wilderness Society, an organization which I consider to be in the mainstream of the movement, has released the Top 10 Halloween Horribles. It's a good synopsis of how the environment has been given a lot of "tricks" but not a lot of "treats" this year.

1. Giveaways to Big Oil Continue, Consumers Get Squeezed, Profits Soar
2. National Parks, the Newest Target
3. Playing Politics with Christmas Trees
4. All Tricks, No Treats for the Arctic Refuge
5. Putting the Road in ‘Roadless’
6. Taking a Chance on Oil Shale
7. Forcing The Choice: Heat or Food
8. Refineries Find Refuge
9. Mining
10. Selling Off Public Lands at Bargain Prices

Land of Many (Ab)Uses?

2005-10-31T22:47:00.000-08:00

The Forest Service is starting to experiment with supervising "green" logging certifications on public lands. As of now they're only going to monitor a small fraction of the public land under their control. I see this as a hopeful step away from the net-loss logging that was (still is?) rampant only a few years ago. This is quote is emblematic of the bureaucratic largess of the Service:

"Here we are providing advice to other countries and not even doing it on our own land," said Sally Collins, associate chief of the Forest Service office in Washington, D.C. "It made us think we ought to at least test this, because it's becoming an international language and we ought to be able to show we manage our forests sustainably."

"Sustainability" should be number one priority in logging sales. Pinchot would have agreed.

Vote on Your Favorite Design

2005-10-31T18:47:00.000-08:00

This is a grand opportunity. Public comment is requested to choose the logo of the California Coastal Trail! The CCT is a proposed 1200-mile trail down the entire coast of California. The designs are great and I had a hard time choosing which one I liked most.

Check out the designs by downloading this pdf (1.5 mg). Submit your vote to rnichols@coastwalk.org or go to the last public comment meeting. Post your votes here too!

San Francisco/Fort Mason
Wednesday, November 16, 7-9pm
Fort Mason Center
Building C Room C-205
San Francisco, CA 94123

As the Snow Flies

2005-10-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

While I can't tell from where I live, apparently this weekend was the start of the ski season. From the storms in the Northeast to some dumps in the Rockies, lots of snow sliders got their first turns this weekend. There's a nice thread over at telemarktips.com asking "Did you ski this weekend?"

All hail winter!

Call for Volunteers

2005-10-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

Primal Quest is looking for people with disposable vacation time and a willingness to travel to help out with this year's adventure race. It's surely a great way to plug in to the adventure racing scene.

We're looking for an elite volunteer cast to oversee extremely important positions which are imperative to this years race. If you have camping, medical, biking, whitewater, climbing, media, event planning or event logistics experience we'd like to talk to you.

I couldn't find where the race is actually happening but they need help from June 20th to July 4th. Look at the registration information here.

Inspiration

2005-10-31T10:13:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while you see something truly inspiring in the out of doors. Usually it's a dramatic vista, a wildlife sighting or an emerald blue lake. Recently however, I've come to realize that the most inspiring experiences come from the people that you meet.

Two weekends ago I was camped out at Coast Camp in Point Reyes National Sea Shore. About 30 minutes after I reached camp I saw some undeniable thru-hikers passing by. It was Gottawalk, a couple at the very tail end of the first continuous American Discovery Trail hike. Just getting to meet them was so exciting that it made my trip.

They seemed to be in a little bit of a surreal state. While happy to be finishing they seemed a little sad that the journey was over. The two were "sneaking in" a day ahead of schedule without the planned fanfare. They couldn't get a permit for camping so they were planning on sleeping in the parking lot and then being woken up at 3:30am for a 5am TV interview on the beach. Understandably, they wanted to finish the last mile and decline my offer of a campsite.

I'd like to commend them for an awesome journey. They're truly inspiring.

Tasty Localism

2005-10-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

Every so often I like to snag a trip that's only a couple of hours long. Living in the Central Valley (flat, flat, farms, farms, sprawl, sprawl) there aren't too many options. Luckily, a visionary soul created a website that catalogs all of hikes in my county. YoloHiker.org should be emulated widely. I credit it for publicising the overlooked places out of doors where one can go if only for a few hours. Every county in America should have their trails documented online.

Last Wednesday morning, a friend and I headed to Cold Canyon for a sunrise hike. While we didn't see as many birds as we had hoped, it was still a wonderful way to start the day. I was even back before most of my friends had taken their showers.

When's Christmas?

2005-10-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a pack that I'd love to get my hands on. The Marmot Himalyan 80 fits perfectly into my idea of what a pack should be. It's advertised as a square 3 lbs. 9 oz. and 4900 cubic inches. So you'd be carrying less than a pound of dead weight for every 1,000 cubes inside. It meets the golden 1:1 ratio of weight to volume.

This is no ultralight weenie either. The Kevlar/Nylon fabric should be durable enough to be dragged over rock and through brambles. Plus, with all of the removable pockets, one could easily leave a lot of weight at home. It seems like a great load carrier for those that need some extra capacity for the wintertime or anytime.

I've found no reviews online about this pack. If you have one, please leave a comment!

Photography for Dummies

2005-10-30T19:56:00.000-08:00

To be honest, I don't have much photographic talent. Sure, lots of my pictures turn out great but I can take no credit.

Case in point is this picture that I took while traveling in Peru during 2004. There is no color correction or cropping on it. While I know how to use photoshop, I didn't. It's a quick shot, with a cheap Fuji camera, and cheap film and developing. The out of doors is just so beautiful that it's easy to take an amazing shot. The subject makes the picture.

This picture was taken on the Cordillera Huaywash Circuit. It was snapped on the move while gasping for air at around 14,000 ft. This family lives days from the nearest road. I'm proud that it was featured today over at Gadling.

Welcome

2005-10-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

Hello readers and thanks for stopping by. This is the inaugural post to my first outdoor related blog.

The internet hiking, skiing and outdoor community is a strong one. I hope to add a little bit of unity to the various topics that face us as recreationists. Expect fun posts along with the informative ones as well.

Please bare with me as I sink my teeth into this endeavor.