prAna: Sustainable Clothing

Outdoor Outreach’s mission is to empower at-risk and underprivileged youth to make positive lasting changes in their lives through comprehensive outdoor programming. We use outdoor activities to provide youth with the support, resources and opportunities they need to become successful adults.

We want you to imagine something with us. Imagine your life only roll it back in time. Roll it back to when you were thirteen or fourteen and freckles leaped onto your face like it was some sort of trampoline for them to frolic on. Now, take away some of the memories and experiences that made you smile or feel happy or safe. Imagine yourself as that kid but remove any memory you have that involves jumping into the salty Pacific Ocean, laughing with your big brother in those big waves with that big surf board.

Remove the memory of going camping and roasting marshmallows with your dad, arguing playfully about whether they should be toast brown or dirt brown or golden sugar brown. Peel off any memory of your aunt introducing you to yoga or her voice as she called out, “Climb on.”

And your hands as they boldly clung to that rock. Pull those warm and fuzzy memories out and put in some others that are colder and harder and sadder. Imagine one about substance abuse or violence in your home. Why not drop one in about dropping out. Put one in the middle about a gang and one at the end about a teenage pregnancy. Can you see it? Pull all the good stuff out. Pull out the outdoors and the prAna and the ability to breathe. Sit in that for a moment and really imagine your life without laughter and soccer practice and your first hand-me-down bike with the streamers flowing from the handles. Imagine never having giggled with your friends about whose snorkel mask is more crooked or whose snowboard goggles are foggier.

Sit on your bed in the shelter or your latest foster home. Sit there and go inside and ask yourself who you are without all that?

You’re scared, at-risk, in trouble. You’re a kid who knows no options, has no choices and knows nowhere to turn. Want to know the saddest part? There are lots of kids like you in San Diego and throughout the country. There are too many of you.

Ok, take a deep breath and imagine something else. Something better. Imagine a group of people who were dedicated to helping you and all the others like you. Imagine an organization whose mission was to empower at-risk and underprivileged youth to make positive, lasting changes in their lives through comprehensive outdoor programming. Think about what they would teach you and show you. Think about learning to surf and snowboard and rock climb with them. Consider how your life could change and would change if you let them guide you and help you. Think about the ways in which the world would open up to you through these experiences, and with the support of positive, caring and consistent adult volunteers and staff.

Notice how you would gain confidence and see new opportunities. Become aware that you have choices, that you can trust yourself and others. Watch yourself set and achieve goals, and become more resilient. Imagine that organization and imagine you growing within it.

Want to know the best part? It already exists and it is called Outdoor Outreach. It is a nonprofit organization in San Diego and it captures the transformative power of outdoor experiences so the city’s under-served, at-risk youth can experience it, grow and change.

Outdoor Outreach is the only organization in San Diego, and one of just a few in the country, to utilize outdoor physical experiences to provide at-risk youth with the support, relationships, resources and opportunities they need to become successful adults. Since its founding in 1999, the organization has taken more than 5,100 youth on over 1,770 outings, including rock climbing, snowboarding, surfing, snorkeling, mountain biking and backpacking. In 2011, they expect to serve 700 youth through 250 outings.

Now, we want you to change something with us. Head to outdooroutreach.org to find out how you can be a part of transforming a young person’s life. You can also find OO on Facebook & Twitter

~Erin Miller, Outdoor Outreach

Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.

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It’s Valentine’s Day. For every unabashed declaration of love, there is a corresponding cynic decrying the commercialisation of the day with its cards, chocolates and twee teddy bears. So, here’s my love letter – it’s to my PrAna trousers (KT Pant)!

This isn’t a standard gear review – it’s definitely a swooning, lovelorn look at a purchase that turned out better than I could ever have imagined. Last Easter, during a trip back to the UK, I became conscious that my limited travelling wardrobe had a gap – and so, given my impatience for the selection of women’s clothing in outdoor shops, I took a chance and bought this pair of trousers online through Gear for Girls. They rapidly became indispensable and even now are elbowing other items of clothing out of contention; they’d definitely be coming with me to a desert island, despite being black.

So, what makes them so great? Well, I’ve never thought of myself as fashion conscious. And anyone who has met me in the flesh will testify to this. But when it comes to buying gear suitable for the great outdoors, some kind of mass sight impairment seems to afflict the designers and purchasers of women’s trousers. I wouldn’t normally wear a high waisted, tapered leg, with extra pleats to make sure my bum looks especially large – so why would I want to wear trousers like that when I’m out and about? Especially given the likelihood of photos being taken during whatever activity I might be enjoying. These prAna pants (we’ll give them that, they’re American) successfully look like a normal pair of trousers; in fact, the cut is just like a pair of jeans, with a lowish waist, proper waistband and actual pockets. The leg is straight, and the length is perfect for me (5’5″, if you’re interested), with a normal cut around the ankle – perhaps a bit breezy if the wind is strong, but perfect to fit over boots or trainers.

The fabric is stretchy, providing a range of movement whatever your activity, and also washes and dries quickly. With nothing much in the way of visible branding, excellent snag resistance and looking smartish even when dried overnight, the trousers have been pressed into use for work – a valuable commodity when living out of a small bag. And when I’ve worn them in colder weather (often with a pair of thermal tights), the snow simply brushes off. Here’s me wearing them on a snowshoe trip up to Dog Mountain, near Vancouver (right):

These trousers get pulled out whenever I climb (indoors or out), walk, bike (like on the trip a week or so ago to Clumber Park, with bike shorts under), snowshoe or do anything which requires me to leave my usual uniform of jeans behind. With a flattering but unobtrusive cut, they don’t draw attention, and that’s why they deserve this love letter. I feel less like I am sacrificing my modicum of style to practicality when I wear these; my only concern is what I’m going to do when they inevitably wear out!

~Nich Underdown

Cross Posted From nicolanderdown.com who lives in the Twittersphere at @triplewicky

Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.

These qualities infuse not only our name, but also our aspirations, the things we make and how we make them.

Welcome to mindfully designed, built to last products – born from the experience.

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Cross Posted from Yogaslackers

It took 500 chocolate bars, 25 supermarket cart-fulls of food, and an organizational staff of 64 people to manage and run the 2010 Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race. More fun facts and numbers below from this year’s event.

Total course distance: 554 km (344 miles)

Checkpoints: 18

Trekking distance: 220 km (137 miles)

Biking distance: 288 km (179 miles)

Kayaking distance: 46 km (29 miles)

Ziplines over river: 1

Team Gear Junkie crests a mountain pass on day five

Competitors: 56

Teams: 14

Teams that finished: 7

Time to complete course (winners): 5 days 6 hrs 8 mins

Time to complete course (Team Gear Junkie; 4th place): 6 days 3 hrs 31 mins

Race-ending injuries: 1

Average weight loss per competitor: 5 kg (11 pounds)

Weight loss by Stephen Regenold (Gear Junkie): About 7 pounds

Team Helly Hansen in transition area tent, day five of race

Lowest temperature recorded: -2 degrees C

Strongest winds recorded on course: +120km

Number of mountain passes: 4

Oldest racer: Age 56 (Robert Finlay, Team Eddie Bauer)

Youngest racer: Age 22 (Daniel Staudigel, Team GearJunkie.com)

Organizational staff: 64

Amount of support food: 25 supermarket cart-fulls

Amount of support chocolate: 500 bars

Cameras lost/broken in wilderness: 5

Hours to return to civilization at end of race: 32

Tears: A few

Racers and gear in hull of Chilean Navy vessel, the transport back to the start line from end of race

Yogaslackers – Slacklining for a better world

This was on a ridge top on day 2 of the Patagonia expedition race. It had blown like this for 36 hours straight, and continued for the next 12. Minutes after this video, we were on an even more exposed ridge with even stronger gusts, and Daniel and I had to physically hold on to her to keep her from blowing off the ridge.

The strongest gusts reported were actually approaching the speed of a human skydiver at terminal velocity!

The wind finally died after about the first 48 hours of the race, but picked back up again when a blizzard hit the Darwin mountains while we were crossing them…

serious crazy s%*&.

Jason

Team member Eric reporting…

My first adventure race seemed a lot like a reality TV show. It was a situation where their isn’t any point in asking how far away is the end or how much longer the suffering may last. You know you are in it for the duration-you will finish, and you will finish together as a team. End of story.

The race was a 6 day stage race, which means that unlike an expedition-style adventure race, there is the assurance of a meal and at least some rest at the end of every stage. On the other hand, it means that the entire field is hammering hard during the entire racing period, and that the harder you push, the earlier you finish the stage and the more rest you get prior to the start of the next stage. “Keep the motor running and the wheels on” became my mantra throughout the race…

See the race website (abudhabi-adventure.com) for details and video clips of this amazing course.

The first few days were heavy with paddling. I’ve never paddled like this, but the rest of the team wouldn’t let that get in the way of completing the whole paddling course. Drill-sargeant Dan spent the better part of two hours calling out timing, tips, and techniques. Towards the end of the ~90km paddling course, I started to get it! Sink or swim really does work.

After the amphibious prologue and the following paddle days, it was out to the desert, for a 120km romp through the desert. What better time than December for a unforgiving romp through pure desert? Chelsea joked (she seemed pretty serious about it…) that she was paying for her sins, but wouldn’t tell us what they were. I just kept repeating to myself, keep the motor running and the wheels on. By the end of it, all we could think about was the mysterious place where all of our water was coming from: Al Ain.

The rest of the race was a blur, charging through the same desert on bikes, a stumbly desert night section, the climb to the top of the 3000ft Jebel Hafeet, the group ride we almost missed back down, and the 5k jog to the finish…

An amazing experience for me, this race had moments of visual grandeur, physical exhiliration and exhaustion, comedy and frustration, growth of friendship, and redefinition of personal limitations…

As I write this, two of our teammates, Jason and Chelsea, are still in Abu Dhabi after their passports were stolen while relaxing on the beach after the race. Such a bummer, but really the only mishap of the trip. Team Yogaslackers ended up with a 19th place finish out of 38 teams, and second of four American teams. They also received the “Rookie Team of the Year” award for Western hemisphere teams.

For more about the YogaSlackers click HERE

“Mainstream’s best athletes have always been strong, fast, and coordinated, but they are mostly specialized. In today’s sports world, that is not enough. The best of the best must also be versatile, daring, and adapt to all environments and arenas. The Ultimate Athlete must also excel at riding, swimming, skiing, surfing, climbing, skating, and much more. The Search For the Ultimate Athlete (SFUA) features the best all-around athletes competing in 20 sports & disciplines. Male & female competitors going head to head in the same arena. No age category, no division, no invitation… ONLY ONE WILL REMAIN…”

This is not your average sports competition. And it will certainly bring above average athletes from around the country to compete. The beginning of summer 2010 marks the commencement of the Search for the Ultimate Athlete in what will be known as “The Ultimate Sports Competition.” And where better than the Pacific Northwest to test athletes’ skills in all areas possible? The championship event will include 24 individuals participating in 20 events, some of which will be surfing, biking, skiing, kayaking and climbing. The competition will take place over 6 days in Oregon, in places such as the Gorge, Mt. Hood, the coast and Portland, and will end with the naming of one person as the Ultimate Athlete. Think you might have what it takes? Check out the website here.

After the Costa Rica race, the Rainier expedition and the Teva Games, our friends the YogaSlackers started on the YES Tour. Rather than try to explain it – they made a video of the first 12 days. Enjoy!

We’ve been following Team YogaSlackers on their 42 day quest across the state of Colorado on their mountain bikes. The team of four – Sam, Jason, Chelsey, and Dan, are bring the message of ‘awareness through adventure’ to the public during their Tour. Biking from Vail and ultimately ending up at the Telluride Yoga Festival, their final physical goals include 108 climbing pitches, sun salutations, miles running, acroyoga poses, slackline walks, and handstands by the end of their Tour, with classes and slideshows along the way.  All donations they receive from classes are benefiting Beads of Courage – a non-profit supporting and strengthening resources of children coping with serious illnesses.

Kicking off the Tour with us at the Teva Mountain Games, they’ve reached day 7, and it looks like a hard but fun time of handstands, slacklining, yoga, lots of biking and lots of coffee.

Here’s an excerpt from Day 5 on their blog. Follow them at http://yogaslackers.blogspot.com/ or meet up with them personally for a slackline and AcroYoga Demo this Saturday at the Boulder store!

Yes Tour Day 5: Playtime and Decision time

Jason again:

Miles ridden – 10
Handstands – 1
AcroYoga – Lots and Lots

We got to sleep in today. Worked on the computer. Answered emails. Ate muffins for breakfast. Played with the dog. The morning passed quickly with a multitude of coffee, tea, milk, granola and easy yoga.

As we headed into town for our workshops, Dan still could not pedal with his left leg. After we were about halfway there, he decided to head back to the house and sit out the workshop in hopes of better recovering for the days ahead. So just as in Aspen, we ended up at the workshop with three.

The Steamboat Yoga Center was beautiful, with the Yampa river running straight outside the big glass window. We were pleasantly surprised to find the studio full of people. After an introduction and brief explanation of the YES tour and Beads of Courage, we asked all the participants- “What takes courage for you in your life?”

Chelsey, Sam and I taught a wonderful class, and were really touched by the way that the mostly new crowd embraced all of the elements of the AcroYoga practice. Many people worked through some fear or instability, but by the end the whole group was really connected and flying each other in forward flying therapeutics.

We ended the workshop with a demo and a heart opening chant. We passed our samples of RawRev bars, and U-hydration tablets, and I was happy to know that my bike would be at least a pound lighter on the next leg.

The three of us were now starving (wishing we’d saved at least a bar or two for ourselves), but headed straight for Toots park to give a slackline demo. Somehow we seem to get too excited to eat when we are sharing our passions. Luckily, our host Keith showed up at the park, and after learning the basics of standing on the line, he invited us to hurry home for dinner (wonderful stirfry). No need to ask us twice. We stuck around for a bit longer, teaching a few more people the basics and then rode home on tired legs.

Dinner was great, and hearing the story of how our hosts Katie and Keith met hilarious. For dessert we were spoiled with ice cream, fresh strawberries, and chocolate syrup. Sam was in heaven.

As we did the dishes, Dan dropped a bomb. After consulting several people in the health field by phone, he was pretty certain that he had serious tendonitis of the MCL. Bad news. We are discussing our options tonight.

Keep Dan (and his knee) in your thoughts. Tomorrow we will stay in Steamboat, maybe climbing, or paddling the Yampa, but mostly figuring out what comes next. Any budding YogaSlackers out there looking for something to do this summer? We may have a heavy trailer that needs pullin’….