55-Year-Old Italian Hans Kammerlander Completes “Second Seven Summits”

By Contributing Editor Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal. Photograph courtesy www.kammerlander.com.

Italian alpinist Hans Kammerlander this week completed a quest that was little heralded and hardly celebrated, but nonetheless very cool and worth noting: On Tuesday, he topped out on Antarctica’s 15,916-foot Mt. Tyree, thereby become the first person to climb the second-highest summit on each of the world’s seven continents. Kammerland was the first to climb Tyree in 15 years and only the eighth person to gain the summit, which lies 13km from Mt. Vinson, the southern continent’s highest peak.

His bid to tackle the Second Seven technically began when he successfully ascended K2 in 2001, but became a quest in 2009 when he tackled South America’s second-highest, 6893-meter Ojos del Salado (6893m), and 5199-meter Mount Kenya in Africa. In 2010, he tagged North America’s Mt. Logan (5959m) and Europe’s Dychtau (5204m), followed by Oceania’s Puncak Trikora (4730m) in Indonesia in spring 2011.

The 55 year old from South Tyrol has had a long and storied climbing career, which included stretches as Reinhold Messner’s partner. In 1984, the two traversed Gasherbrum II and Hidden Peak without returning to base camp, and in 1996 Kammerlander set an Everest speed record, climbing from base camp to the summith via the North Col in 16 hours 45 minutes. He skied most of the descent but was unable to stitch a complete line because of conditions.

Read more at Adventure Journal

Gear Review: Anon M1 Snow Goggles's Magnetic Changeable Lens

By Contributing Editor Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal

This goggle doesn’t exist yet. It’s new for the 2012-13 season, but Red/Anon (a Burton brand) released the above YouTube vid to give the world an idea of what’s to come, and we have to admit it looks intriguing. Smith already has their Outrigger I/O-I/OS lock/unlock system that allows lens changes much more quickly, but Anon is promising something mas rapido, with magnets holding the lenses in place and small levers at the bottom of the lens and goggle frame junction facilitating a quick swap even while you’re still wearing the goggles.

Pitfalls? Well the lack of a mechanical latch to hold the lens in place might mean that it could detach inadvertently — say, during a face plant in a few feet of powder. And what we’d really love is for someone to invent a light adaptive and tint-adaptive lens to make swapping a thing of the past.

$199 – $220, depending on the style. LINK

 

Adventure Journal: Congress Moves to Push Bikes Off National Park Roads

By Contributing Editor Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal

If you’ve ever ridden a bike on the pavement at Arches National Park or Yellowstone, you know how liberating it can be. Cars are often jammed on roads that weren’t designed for the freeway-like crush that hits parks every summer, but on a bike you can cruise at a comfortable pace. And just like riding anywhere else, you’re more a part of the scenery, not walled off from it. But the current transportation reauthorization bill worming its way through Congress could make it illegal to ride a bike on any federal road that has a pathway running parallel to it, not just those within national parks.

If no parallel, alternative pathway exists, cyclists would have a right to the road. Reassured? Don’t be.

Continue reading this story and sign the petition

Gear Reviews: The Best New Cameras

By Contributing Editor Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal. See more of Casimiro's gear recommendations in our Gear of the Year 2011 - Fall/Winter.

Retro Camera

Photograph courtesy Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s X100 

At last, a great-looking retro camera that shoots as good as it looks. Fujifilm’s X100 is the runaway camera of the year, thanks to its 1950s rangefinder styling. But this is one digital model that backs up its pretty facade with dynamite performance. Photos produced by the 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor are stunningly true to life, with the strong color accuracy, great skin tones, and a minimum of noise even in low-light situations. The metal body feels rugged but not heavy, the flash results look natural and blend nicely with ambient light, and the viewfinder displays all the settings you need. Oh, and the operation is nearly silent. Its best application might be for travel shooting, where being unobtrusive counts. Keep in mind its fixed focal length lens (f/2, 35mm equivalent) can’t be swapped for a telephoto ($1,200; www.finepix-x100.com).

Rugged Camera

Photograph courtesy Nikon

Coolpix AW100 

It has to be said: What took you guys so long? Nikon was the second-to-last major camera manufacturer to make a rugged point and shoot, but the very tough Coolpix AW100 was it worth the wait. The Nikon is packed with high-quality specs, including full HD video at 1080p, and it cranks out top-shelf images in challenging conditions. It’s drop-proof from five feet, waterproof to 33 feet, and freeze-proof to 14ºF. ($380; www.nikonusa.com)


Compact Camera

Photograph courtesy Olympus Imaging America Inc.

Olympus E-P3 

The first versions of the compact Olympus E-P series performed as if they had a Celica engine in a Corvette body, but no more. The E-P3 is a hot rod under the hood. Critically, its autofocus is blazingly fast—it evaluates focus 120 times a second—and combined with 3.0 frames per second shooting rate you get a compact camera that’ll grab action like a much bigger DSLR. There’s a new built-in flash, too. And with the Micro Four-Thirds format, you can swap lenses for a bigger zoom or better light gathering, depending on whether you want to pull in the big game or shoot after sunset—the versatility is incredible ($900;www.olympus.com).

 

Travel Tech: Air Display App Adds Instant Screen Real Estate on the Go

By Contributing Editor Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal. See more of Casimiro's gear recommendations in our Gear of the Year 2011 -  Fall-Winter >>

The Air Display ($9.99) app solves a problem of the modern world: Not enough screen. Even on a 15-inch laptop, real estate is lacking. Processes as simple as emailing can feel constrained and if you’re working on something more involved, say, bouncing between Power Point and a spreadsheet, forget about it. But Air Display turns your iPad (or iPhone, but let’s get real) into a second display and, while we aren’t talking about magically adding a 30-inch big screen, it does improve the situation dramatically.

Gear of the Year Fall-Winter 2011 Awards Are Here

Gear is close to all of our hearts. It keeps us dry and safe. It renders "bad" weather harmless. It helps us explore new places and challenge ourselves in ways we couldn't otherwise. And it just keeps getting better.

For our Gear of the Year Fall-Winter 2011 awards, longtime Adventure contributor Steve Casimiro scoured the best of the best new gear to shape a collection of products that says something about where we are today. Besides core responsibilities to keep us warm, dry, and safe, we've evolved to also expect quite a lot from our gear these days—which is obvious from this spread. So check out the goods. You're sure to find a thing or two you really, really need. 

—Mary Anne Potts 

Gear Review: Nau's Better Than Cargo S-Cargo Pants

By Contributing Editor Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal. See more of Casimiro's gear recommendations in our Ultimate Hiking and Camping Gear Guide >> 

You know what drew me to the S-Cargo for travel pants? Under “design inspiration” Nau writes “I...hate cargos. But I love these.” Ha! Sometimes that’s the perfect approach—to take something you despise and craft it by eliminating the offending properties.

Me, I don’t particularly hate cargos, but I would agree they’ve overstayed their welcome. And no matter how utilitarian for travel, do you really want to be trying to sweet talk your way into an international upgrade looking like a refugee from boot camp? No.

The S-Cargos ($125), then, fit the bill ideally. They feature two extremely low profile pockets on the legs with just enough room to slip passport and Moleskine journal or perhaps a map, but otherwise look like normal pants. Normal meaning something you’d wear to work, dinner, etc.

The fabric is organic cotton with one percent spandex—and that one percent makes all the difference. When you’re into the third or fourth hour of your flight and everyone else is squirming against their restrictive denim jeans or plain cotton chinos, you’ll be smiling because the S-Cargos move with you in every direction. And movement, of course, is where travel begins.

Gear Review: Summer's Coolest Tech? The Sand-Free Ground Cloth

By Contributing Editor Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal. See more of Casimiro's gear recommendations in our Ultimate Hiking and Camping Gear Guide >>

The coolest technology I’ve tested this summer isn’t an electronic device, a bike, or something built of carbon fiber—it’s a ground cloth that works better than anything I’ve ever used.

Ground cloth? Yeah, I know, not the kind of product that sets the heart aflutter. But CGear’s Sand Free MultiRug ($44-$74) is amazing. It uses a two-layer sandwich of fabric to create a one-way channel for dirt. Sand, dirt, dust, and grit can slip through the top layer and past the bottom, but they can’t come through the bottom to the top. Much as waterproof-breathable fabrics allow water vapor to escape, but block liquid water from entering, the CGear mat funnels the bad stuff away and won’t let it back in. One trip to the beach will tell you why that’s a big deal. (Note: Rug is a slight misnomer. It’s softer than CGear’s Mat and is thus designated, but really is mat.)

The system was developed to reduce dust clouds during military helicopter landings and takeoffs. Rotor wash creates “brownouts” that are especially troublesome in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, where roughly 75 percent of chopper crashes are due to the severely impaired visibility of brownouts. CGear’s Tactical Helimats come in huge sheets and are remarkably effective—assuming crews can lay them down without getting shot, of course.

They’re built with a simple concept: The top layer has a slightly looser weave than the bottom, allowing particles to pass in one direction. Surprisingly, they never get lodged in the space between, but simply move through like hurried commuters in Grand Central, disappearing out the exit.

Dirt, of course, is a part of the outdoor experience, and none of us would be out there if we were all that finicky. But keeping a little cleaner goes a long way. So far, I’ve used the CGear as a ground cloth for my tent and sleeping bag, as a changing mat for the wet and sandy post-surf wetsuit exit, as the support under a towel for chilling at the beach, and as a welcome mat outside my camper van. After months of use, it still looks new and there’s no dirt clinging to it. You simply shake it out or, worst case, hose it down. And in each case, the mat kept feet, body, and van far cleaner than using a tarp, towel, or nothing.

I don’t even have a major complaint about the CGear, which is unusual. Well, it’s 50 percent PVC and that’s a bit of a problem on the sustainability scorecard. Otherwise, it’s pretty darn flawless: a product that’s unique, works as advertised, and makes a difference in your outdoor life.

Gear Review: New DeLorme inReach GPS Can Send AND Recieve Text Messages

By Contributing Editor Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal. See more of Casimiro's gear recommendations in our Ultimate Hiking and Camping Gear Guide >>

Technology is about to take another step toward ubiquity in the backcountry. This October, you’ll be able to buy DeLorme's inReach ($250) satellite texting device, a product that trumps the SPOT Satellite Messenger because you’ll be able to send AND receive texts instead of just texting.

This has obviously huge benefits for emergency situations, where rescuers can stay in communication with someone who’s lost or injured and can learn more about the extent of a victim’s condition. Two-way satellite communication has the potential to revolutionize search and rescue by providing critical information that SAR folks can use when allocating resources, which are almost always limited.

And of course, two-way satellite texting opens the door to much more mundane applications, like tweeting what you had for breakfast deep in the Kalahari Desert.

The handheld inReach is quite adaptable: It pairs with DeLorme’s PN-60w GPS (the unit that works with SPOT for one-way texting) or with Android phones and also can be used on its own to send prewritten text messages. And, unlike the SPOT device, it has a signal indicator that tells you if your SOS message has been received by search and rescue, so you don’t have to keep signaling for help.

Pricing is $10 a month for the minimalist texting plan, which DeLorme calls the “safety plan.” There are two plans above that, with larger bundles of texts included, but per-text cost has not been announced.

Gear Review: POC Am Sunglasses Could Be Perfect

By Contributing Editor Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal. See more of Casimiro's gear recommendations in our Ultimate Hiking and Camping Gear Guide >>

The Poc Sports Am might be the perfect sunglass. Just this week, two people have stopped me, said, “whoa, who makes those?” Then they grabbed the Ams off my face and tried to abscond with them.

Attention getting doesn’t equal flawless, though. Why these glasses rock is only fractionally about their distinctively happy oversized styling. It’s much more the lens quality, which is excellent all the way to the edges, and the coverage, with seems as ample as that of goggles without looking dorkly. And the photochromic transition from light to dark, so you can rock them in the beach house and stroll out to the sand without switching. And the lens material, NXT, which was developed for the military to be as close to bulletproof as possible and is guaranteed by Poc to be unbreakable (and is far clearer than polycarbonate).

It all adds up to a sunglass so good looking people want to steal it off your face and so functionally excellent that you’ll bust our every ninja move in the book to keep it there ($235).

Photograph courtesy POC