Tag Archive for ‘Gregory packs’ at Gregory Goes There

Tag Archive for 'Gregory packs'

This just in … Team Dart second in U.S.

We just blogged about these guys who Gregory helps sponsor last week, but - after another first-place finish this past weekend at the Trioba 24-hour race outside Seattle - Team Dart moved to second place in USARA-ranked racing in the U.S.

Next up, the team will head down south for the Desert Winds Expedition outside Las Vegas, which is currently the biggest expedition race race in the country (also apparently staged to the music of Phil Collins and Pat Benatar, if you visit their web site … not that there’s anything wrong with that … strange things happen when you get near the limits of physical endurance).

Heat, canyons and the Colorado River will undoubtedly stretch these gals and guys close to those limits over five consecutive days of racing 24/7. Stay tuned …

Published

Dave

on September 1, 2010

in Athletes

. 0 Comments

Team Dart wins UAARA regional championships, continues the the sufferfests

Yes, some folks like to suffer for their recreation. Count adventure racers among them, but, hey, most of us who like to be outdoors can relate to that at some level or another …

After winning several races this spring and summer, including the U.S. Adventure Racing Assocation regional championships in Lake Tahoe around the first of the month, Team Dart, which Gregory co-sponsors, continues both an aggressive schedule and turning in top results.

Over the weekend of July 14, the team was at it again, this time with a 24-hour race up in the Sierras (shorter 24-hour races are places where Gregory’s Active Trail packs are right at home), where they logged second place, despite a self-described sufferfest during the bike section. Besides being gifted athletes, another talent these folks apparently have is the ability to self-shoot photos while simultanously suffering (see left).

Team Captain Cyril Ray-Jayon said that Team Dart is now up in the national rankings and well-positioned to finish on the podium at the end of the year.

Next up: the Trioba 24-hour race outside Seattle starting Aug. 27.

Published

Dave

on August 25, 2010

in Destinations, Gregory Culture and Sponsorships

. 0 Comments

Sure, your pack’s lightweight, but how does it carry?

Here at Gregory we were psyched to get notice of the Baltoro pack being included on the UK-based Outdoor: Talk’s “A list kit” for backpacks, not so much simply because of the great accolade (though we’re always honored when folks recognize the detail we put into our packs), but because they really nailed what we believe regarding suspension and how comfortable your backpack is when you do what you do with a backpack - load it up and carry it.

As they point out, if you pick up the Baltoro and it’s not the lightest weight pack measured against many on the market. But the measure of a great pack, and especially one made for many consecutive days of trekking, is how well it carries the weight on your back. As we’ve said many times, and we’ll say again now, it’s worth a little bit of extra weight put into the right part of the pack (the suspension) in order for the load to be dispersed equally and transferred in the most effective way possible to your body.

Said more simply, it’s actually comfortable with weight in it. And that’s something you’re most likely to be aware of after you’ve carried some packs that don’t distribute the load so well.

As they write, “The development and weight have gone into areas that somehow spread the load in such a way that it doesn’t seem to concentrate in any one place. … There are undeniably lighter heavy load bags on the market, and some very good ones, but when you’re on a long trail what really matters is comfort and that’s more than just a matter of grams carried and you’d be hard pressed to find anything more comfortable than this arm chair of load haulers.”

Wayne himself wouldn’t say it much differently.

Published

Dave

on August 12, 2010

in Awards

. 0 Comments

Up and away in Park County, Colorado

By Christine Rasmussen

If you’re jonesin’ to enjoy the remote, isolated feel that a Colorado 14ner can offer, but aren’t into heavy logistics and the agitation of trail traffic, explore the southern section of the Tenmile-Mosquito Range in Park County, Colorado.

Park County is home to super photogenic, archetypal peaks that usually hold snow on their very tops year-round (much prettier live than on “South Park,” which showcase these mountains in the town’s crudely drawn backdrop).

My own Tenmile-Mosquito adventure entailed summiting Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Bross in one day. Because the peaks of Lincoln, Bross, Democrat and Cameron are situated relatively close to each other, the group is a common destination for ardent 14ner baggers who like high returns on their climbing investments.

Yet while the ridgelines connect, hikers don’t so much. There are five trailhead options to access this group, and my friend Alison, Sierra-doggie and I were the only hikers departing from Quartzville Creek Trailhead. The fairly-well maintained access road to Quartzville Creek (Forest Service 437, off Park County 4, off Colorado 9) goes up pretty high, so we were walking above treeline in no time. We saw very few people and lots of bright, petite wildflowers.

We hit Mt. Lincoln first, the highest peak in the Tenmile-Mosquito. Sitting atop it, I was reminded of why I loved the drive from Breckenridge, just north of Park County, to Alma, the highest incorporated town in Colorado at 10,578 feet. From that vantage point, I saw all the peaks I usually gawk at on that drive, as well as scores of tiny, ice-blue lakes cupped in countless basins.

Next, we tramped along the ridgeline to the rotund peak of Mt. Bross, whose flat summit was ideal for throwing sticks for Sierra, sprawling out, and eating lunch without a deluge of 14ner zealots asking to take their photo.

*For this type of hike, Christine recommends the Gregory Wasatch (12 liters)/Navarino (11 liters) as the perfect daypack to summit a Colorado 14ner. The pack is just the right size for a water bladder, rain jacket, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, small first aid kit and small camera.

Recommended maps: Alma, Climax, Pike National Forest.

Published

Lauren

on August 5, 2010

in Gregory Culture

. 0 Comments

Bill AB 1998 is nearing a Senate vote

Being headquartered in California’s capitol, Sacramento, it’s disconcerting to hear we Californians use approximately 19 billion single-use plastic bags each year and that less than 5% of all single-use plastic bags are recycled. As a result, those plastic bags end up polluting our oceans and communities.

In response, a bill called AB 1998 has been making it’s way to the Senate since Assemblywoman Julia Brownley introduced it this past February. AB 1998 looks to ban single-use plastic bags in California and is currently facing the state Senate. If the bill passes, California will become the first state to ban single-use plastic bags. A floor vote is projected to happen by the end of August, where the bill is expected to see resistance. In that vein, many organizations like the Sierra Club are encouraging people to send their Senator a letter of support for the passage of AB 1998.

So if you believe in banning the plastic bag, go to the Sierra Club’s website and find out how to contact your Senator. Also, you can keep up AB 1998’s status on the Senate floor HERE.

Published

Lauren

on July 29, 2010

in Outdoor News

. 0 Comments

Avoid the crowds in Yellowstone: Go hiking

In 2009, a record number of people, 3.15 million, visited Yellowstone National Park. As shocking as that number might be, it’s all the more shocking to realize how many of those visitors only see Yellowstone from their car or bus window. So, while it sounds slightly horrifying to visit America’s oldest National Park with 3.15 million of your best friends, as backpackers, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, you won’t have to.

This past weekend, I took an all-girls (or, as we call it, JUGS- just us girls) trip into Yellowstone and expected to see the famous sites along with the rest of middle America. What I didn’t expect to find is how much of Yellowstone goes unexplored. We summited Avalanche Peak the first day and quickly learned how easily we could we could avoid the swarms of people.

Published

Lauren

on July 22, 2010

in Uncategorized

. 2 Comments

The Nor’Easter is on its way back!

In 2008, EMS organized a big outdoor festival/party up in the northeastern U.S. appropriately named the Nor’Easter. Now, during this event, there was a wee bit of rain, which only makes the name more appropriate.

This year, here in just about two months time, the Nor’Easter is back, and this time there will be no rain - they promise. Here at Gregory, we’ve signed on again as a sponsor, and we’re psyched to be making the journey from Sacramento out to Loon Mountain, in Lincoln, N.H. for the event, which is Sept. 24-26.

Part festival, part rock concert, conservation event, and part outdoor clinic, the Nor’Easter is designed more than anything to bring outdoor types together for a week of fun. While the lineup of clinics hasn’t yet been set, the bands playing have been named, the final event of the season of the Unified Bouldering Championships takes place Saturday night, and the event is right by Rumney, N.H. and some great cragging. Besides climbing, they’ll be a cyclocross race and trail running.

Here’s a little video shot with Gregory athlete Joe Kinder at 2008’s event. It was a homecoming of sorts for Joe, who learned to climb on the crags in the area.

Published

Dave

on July 19, 2010

in Events

. 0 Comments

Rock Your Socks Off: The ungodly godlike ascension of tube socks

Climbing fashion has been to hell and back. White T-shirts and canvas knickers to impossibly clashed neon spandex cover a major spectrum in climbing couture. So, when the recent thread appeared on SuperTopo.com on the proliferation of tube socks in the late 70s and early 80s, (most certainly from California climbers) it came with some speculation. Seeing those images is the visual equivalent of hearing some long lost pop hit from adolescence that takes you back to a certain moment, a certain mindset from that time. And like the song, tube socks are, well, dorky, but that’s the draw.

There’s something genuine, if not innocent, in the appearance of tube socks. Photos in “Stonemasters” of Bachar, John long, Jim Collins and their ilk climbing hard are a sight to be seen. At once, it sets off the imagination. But tube socks betray the notion of the hard man climber. White socks with colored bands pulled up past the calf? And, in those shorts? They bare more resemblance to corn-fed jocks from the Midwest than iconoclasts from Cali. In those photos I see dirtbag luminaries exploring the unknown vertical wilderness. But I also imagine them somewhat nerdy, awkward and otherwise completely harmless. “No change of clothes? No sweat. As soon as I’m finished sending this sheer rock face, I’m all set for shakes at the roller rink.”

Published

Jeff

on July 8, 2010

in Gregory Culture

. 2 Comments

Gregory spotted at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival

While ‘tarp hoping’ around the Telluride Music Festival during the Mumford and Sons show a few weeks ago, I met a girl named, Sam, rockin’ the Gregory Miwok in style. I got to talking with her about her pack and she enthusiastically said, “oh ya, I have a Gregory pack in every size. I love them. This one is my go-to concert/festival pack.”

She then proceeded to tell me that she carried her Deva 60 around South America for year and had no issues with the pack, even noting that it still looks like new. Seeing her excitement for Gregory packs, I asked her if I could take a photo for our blog. Luckily, she didn’t look at me like I had ten heads and awkwardly skirt off saying she needed to meet someone at the hula-hoop coral. No, she was gracious enough to pose for this photo to left, so I could share with GregoryGoesThere of yet another awesome Gregory packs customer and fan.

It’s like Wayne Gregory said, ‘When you see someone wear one of your packs on the street or in the mountains, it’s pretty dang cool. That never gets old.”

Published

Lauren

on June 29, 2010

in Gregory Community

. 0 Comments

Flashpacking

When I first heard the term ‘flashpacking,’ I thought of fastpacking at night with some sort of flashlight contraption. Ya…it turns out the term has nothing to do with flashlights or fastpacking, but more to do with the being a ‘flashy’ backpacker.

There’s a new generation of traveling backpackers who are neither hairy nor living on dime. No, this kind of backpacking requires a little more $$ and little more flash. What do I mean by flash? Well let’s just say they expect a little more TLC from their hostels and their pack isn’t holding only a t-shirt and a couple pairs of shorts. Rather, these backpackers have more than a few outfits and a pack full of the latest in electronics.

Scoffing at the idea? Well, according to a 2006 Hostelworld study, twenty-one percent of people carry laptops, 54 percent carry an mp3 player, 83 percent carry a mobile phone and 68 percent travel carry a digital camera.

So as it were, most of us are probably considered, ‘flashpackers.’ I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say that every backpacker with a camera should be considered flashy, but you get the point. Either way, flashpacker or not, we could all use the reminder to simplify and lighten the load because that’s what it’s all about, right?

Via How to Travel the World

Published

Lauren

on June 24, 2010

in Outdoor News and Uncategorized

. 0 Comments