From Men’s Fitness: Are the X Games Too Dangerous?
The death of 25-year-old snowmobiler Caeleb Moore has us wondering: Is the extreme sports competition stupidly unsafe? Continue reading Weekend Reading List (02.02.2013): Is X the Danger Zone, 2013 Ski Preview, Fixtation Guru, USADA Truth or Consequences
We’ve seen inflatable airbags to help protect skiers during an avalanche but now Dainese has devised an airbag system to help protect downhill ski racers in case of a crash. The company’s new D-AIR Ski Project could even be in place by the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. This safety system features three integrated accelerometers and gyroscopes plus a GPS unit and an onboard microprocessor to detect any sudden movements.
Together this system can detect a crash and deploy the airbag to protect the rider’s neck, shoulder and collarbone and the full process can take just 45 milliseconds. Given how fast skiers travel it is clear they’d need something even faster and the D-AIR system looks like it could help skiers stay safe on those very fast slopes.
What has been missing from most action camera videos are those great aerial shots – the kind we see in pro bicycle races and other sporting events. Of course most people don’t have a helicopter at their disposal but what about a UAV – because they’re not just for shooting at the bad guys anymore.
The Lehmann LA100 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle works with the GoPro Hero 2 and 3 cameras and can fly to heights up to 300 feet for five minutes – which could be enough to time to get some aerial “b-roll” for your next daring video. Video after the jump
It was a little over two years ago that Garmin hit the links with its Approach S1 Golf Watch, and now with the golf season just weeks away the company is back in the swing with the Garmin Approach S2 Golf Watch. This new GPS watch comes preloaded with maps to 30,000 international golf courses, with updates four times a year. This is non-touchscreen device – unlike the S3 – but the S2 offers a club selection and gives users yardage to the front, middle and back of the green, plus layup and dogleg distances to improve usability over the entire hole.
The mountain won’t come to Mohammad so Mohammad had to go to the mountain – or something like that. At any rate if you opt to go to the mountains, the back woods or just about anywhere else you can bring your food in a sack or you can head out with the Grub Hub and have a freshly cooked meal when you get there.
The Grub Hub can pack up like a rolling suitcase and hold pots, pans, stove, campfire grill and just about anything else for cooking in the wilds. It is ready to roll with six-inch “all terrain” wheels and weighs in at about 45 pounds. It can unpack in minutes and let you cook a meal fit for a prophet (or just about anyone else).
Why aren’t YOU in the picture? Most action cameras provide a “first-person view” as in the camera sees more or less what you see. What is missing is… YOU. But now Dutch film producer Thijs Vrij has created an action camera mount for GoPro and other cameras called the 3rd Person View.
This device essentially consists of three parts, which includes a waterproof adjustable waistband with a carbon fiber backplate, an alloy adjustable camera pole and a locking/release mechanism to mount the camera. As with other camera extenders it puts you into the action but this one is a wear and forget, and allows you to be in the action. Vrij is currently looking to raise funds via a Kickstarter project. Continue reading Get in the Picture
Activity monitors are great, but you have to remember to put them on or the investment means nothing. You know what device you probably never forget to have on you? Your phone. Moves app from ProtoGeo is an app that uses your iPhone to monitor your activity. Continue reading Moves App Monitors Your Activity from Your iPhone
While perhaps it is best to wait for the St. Bernard to bring the drinks, for those who want to carry a bit on the slopes Stanley introduced its recycled plastic flask at this year’s Outdoor Retailer Show. It features a two-stage lid that makes it easy to fill, easy to clean, plus it is leak-proof.
There seems to be a strange – and yet somewhat serious – trend in “zombie apocalypse” gear. The truth is that the zombie apocalypse likely won’t ever happen, but movies and TV shows must have people so worried about it that various brands are jumping on board.
Among one new product introduced at the recent Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City was the Zombie Apocalypse Backpack/TentPak from High Peak USA. Basically this is just a serious survival tent that is among the gear included in the kit. It features a two-man tent, numerous accessories including machete, multi-tool, first aid kit and more. Is it enough to survive something that will never come? Indeed, and it will probably be a nifty camping set too.
We knew we’d hear good things about Bush Smarts, and one product that caught our eye was the Bear Star, a titanium line thrower that includes 50 feet of highly-visible cable. It features a simple design but one that should make throwing a line a little easier. This can allow picnic baskets and other things that you want to keep away from pesky bears tied up where they can get to it. Smart idea, so once again Bush Smarts lives up to its name!
The Barebones Safari Tent doesn’t look barebones to us. In fact this tent offers 120 square feet of floor space and can sleep up to eight people. It features aluminum frame that can anchor to multiple surfaces including concrete, wood or dirt. It is constructed of a water- and UV-resistant Cordura shell that can stand up to year round weather exposure. Additional wall panels are also sold separately and this tent design offers expandable floor panesl for those who might wish to consider a tent city.
Zanier has long made gloves that include electronics to keep the wearer’s hands warm, and now for 2013 the company is bringing out its latest designs that utilize the Heat Technology, which is powered by Lithium Ion batteries and weigh in at just 60 grams.
The Aviator.GTX line of gloves feature three heat settings and can provide up to 10 hours of warmth to the digits. This gauntlet style glove is made of goat leather with four-way stretch fabric and Goretex. It also features touch screen lether on the pointer finger and thumb so you can punch in the digits on a smartphone without exposing your digits to the cold.
Last March we heard about the Sazzi running shoes, which were pretty minimalistic with virtually no covering and just a sandal-like platform to offer some support and protection to the foot. Now Sazzi are introducing a new model in the Decimal, which provides independent separation of all ten toes. It also offers the patent pending Quad Post Lateral Stability System (QPLS), which employs four toe posts between each toe and thus offers a true barefoot feel without being totally barefoot.