Outdoors | Evolving Consumer

For Running, Compression is Key

Socks are socks, right? Well, there’s running socks, tennis socks, cycling socks, general sports socks, dress sock and we could keep going. A little known sock is the compression sock used frequently for medical conditions. Travelers and athletes are learning compression socks can aid training and recovery. One Mile Runner David O’Meara, whose goal is to inspire athletes over 30 to avoid injury, wears compression socks during and after performance events.

As a runner O’Meara wears the Athletic Recovery Sock while traveling and after exercise. He wears the Performance Sock for running. Both are part of the Active Therapy Line from Sigvaris. The comparession in the sock helps to flush out lactic acid that builds in the leg during exercise. The sock’s benefits are the ability to relieve tired, aching legs and exercise-induced muscle soreness. Continue reading For Running, Compression is Key

Vibrant Colors Gets the Shaft

The technology of golf club design has evolved greatly since the first Scotsman took to the greens, but while the course regularly changes color with the seasons, the same can’t be said about those clubs, which pretty much all look alike. This is especially true ever since the advent of metal shafts, where you’ve been able to get your choice of chrome or plain metallic finishes. Those looking for a particular flare might as well find themselves in the bunker or water hazard, because about the only customizable aspect of clubs has been to put new grips.

But Vibrant Golf’s line of VibraCoat technology could very well change the traditional steel shaft by offering seemingly endless color combinations and finishes. The company offers opaque, gloss, flat, metallic and translucent finishes, all built around a durable polymer coating that will look good, but just as important will also protect the steel shaft from harsh weather conditions. Players can thus admire their stylish looking clubs while out on the fairway, and know that the metal is also well protected from the elements.

The clubs with VibraCoat are permitted under the rules of golf, while the addition of the coating has virtually no effect on the weight or swing. According to the company it can be applied to any steel shaft regardless of taper or stepping. The best part is that you know even if you can’t always get into the swing of things, your clubs will good trying.

Vibrant Golf Official Site

No Long Way Down For Long Boarders

Wes Sampson knows as well as anyone what goes up, must come down. And if the veteran longboarder has his way he’ll come down very fast. He’s the organizer of this weekend’s upcoming Mount Washington Downhill Race in Comox, British Columbia, and if all goes as planned he hopes to break the International Gravity Sports Association downhill skateboarding world speed record of 113.02 km/h.

Unlike traditional skateboards, this race is essentially like street luge, but standing up. Thus this can be a serious deal, and Canada.com reported that one longboarder lost year life just last month while riding down Mt. Seymour Road in North Vancouver. This week’s ride promises to be safer, as it is a sanctioned event, with traffic controlled on the Strathcona Parkway during the event. Continue reading No Long Way Down For Long Boarders

Erie Colorado to Get Velodrome

VelodromeBig — An artist's rendering of the proposed Boulder Valley Velodrome, a 250-meter outdoor cycling track planned for the intersection of County Line Road and Bonnell Avenue in Erie. (Courtesy of David A. Beal & Associates )

The Erie Trustees recently approved plans for the Boulder Valley Velodrome, which could be operational in as little as a year. This would be the first velodrome built to Olympic guidelines in the United States since 2004, and it certainly could be of interest to the world’s cycling community. While single speed and fixies have become popular in recent years, the fact remains that there are woefully few places across the country to actually compete, or even to learn the ropes. Continue reading Erie Colorado to Get Velodrome

When the Surf is Down, the Skimboard Can Still Let You Get Wet and Wild

WOODYCLASSIC_SKIMBOARD1 — Woody Classic Skimboard

Summer maybe winding down and even if the waves aren’t up for you to catch, you can still make like a surfer with a very different type of board. Enter the skimboard, a three to four-foot wooden plank that literally skims on just inches of water. It is one that is easy to learn, and can better still doesn’t require that would be riders need be near a large body of water.

Thus the sport has been catching on in many parts of the country, especially those regions where it isn’t always possible to catch the big waves. According to a recent story in The Bellingham Herald in Washington, skimboards have been around since the early 1980s as an alternative to surfing, but this year has seen a pick-up in the sport. As the article notes skimming can also be relatively cheap when compared to surfing or even snowboards. Continue reading When the Surf is Down, the Skimboard Can Still Let You Get Wet and Wild

Zoom Boom Golf Club Swings Into Action

Inventor and self-professed “golf nut” Lance McWilliams is looking to change the game. He’s in the swing of things with a newly launched training aid, the Zoom Boom. The 44-year-old Fort Worth native had already gone from average golfer to the creator of the 15 Minute Golf instructional system, and now he’s looking to truly revolutionize the way golfers make their swings. To this end he actually studied not just the way the game is played but also the players too, and found that it might not be the golf clubs that are what is at question, but rather the way they’re used that really needed to change.

In an article for The Fort Worth Business Press, McWilliams explains, “I studied all the greats and then I’d go the driving range and study the not-so-greats. I tried to figure out what makes this golfer different from that golfer.” It was seeing the so-called “not-so-greats” that was the epiphany for the erstwhile marketer turned designer. He saw that many golfers failed to stay on plane and finish their swing in a balanced position. Continue reading Zoom Boom Golf Club Swings Into Action

Not Your Dad’s Topsiders

Shot-4_Ret — You can't walk on water, but Sperry's Ping with SON-R technology let you walk in water.

Back in the ’80s topsiders were popular as the preppy shoe of choice. They faded into the background to be kept afloat by sailors and other boaters. But while the traditional style is still available from manufacturer Sperry, some new designs use tech specific to water sports. The Ping uses SON-R technology that gives the wearer feedback of the surface he’s walking on. Made to go on land and under shallow water for launching boats and small boat water sports like Kayaking and canoeing, the Ping has an “outsole-to-insole-to brain” sensory feedback system constructed of multiple pads comprising the same sole. This SON-R system lets you feel the rocks under your feet and navigate different surfaces even when you can’t see them under water.

Continue reading Not Your Dad’s Topsiders

Brain Bucket for the Slopes

Mike-Douglas-Salomon-Helmet — Salomon Patrol C.Air Mike Douglas Ski Helmet

A decade ago chances were you’d be more concerned with keeping your head warm while hitting the ski slope than with actually protecting it. But as helmets have come to be standard gear for biking, so too have the brain buckets have become part of the outfit for skiing. Getting a helmet to fit properly has never been easy – so when Saloman decided to introduce a new ski helmet they turned to Whistler-based pro skier Mike Douglas to help with the design.

To truly make a “one-size-fits-all” helmet, Salomon utilized a built-in inflatable pump. The same technology has been used in previous models, but the Mike Douglas pro-model features lightweight and breathable design that will be good for all sorts of weather conditions – because the last thing you want is a helmet that is hot or uncomfortable. If the helmet doesn’t fit right people simply won’t wear it. Continue reading Brain Bucket for the Slopes

Phoning in Your Workout

No, you can’t send your phone on a run, but you can take it along with you for added benefits. The new touch screen handset Samsung Eternity II, available through AT&T, is packed with features including apps and GPS. The GPS allows for fitness tracking so you can chart your routes and where you biked, ran, or otherwise traversed in a cardiovascular manner. If you explored the trails at a local park and aren’t sure how far you actually went, you can review your journey post-workout and map the trails plus tabulate the distance.

What’s unclear is whether the GPS app just tracks distance, or also calculates grade and elevation so you can see your progress on those hill repeats. The Eternity II also has expandable memory up to 32 GB leaving plenty of room for music to take along on your workout. The two features, plus any upcoming apps available through the AT&T AppCenter, reduce the number of gadgets you take with you for a workout, and puts more power behind that muscle.

AT&T product page

Sidewalk Surfing With the Flowboard

When singers Jan and Dean sang about sidewalk they probably never could have envisioned the Sport Technology Flowboard, but unlike the traditional four-wheeled skateboard that we’ve come to know and love (and at times loath after ending up in the ER during finals week), this one uses 14 wheels! The idea behind this unique design is that the it provides riders with vastly greater flexibility in leaning and turning, thus making it far more like an actual surfboard or snowboard than the average skate deck.

According to the company the Flowboard can allow riders to lean up to 45 degrees, which is quite a drastic set up from the typical 25 degrees that you can get from a regular skateboard. The wheels and layout also allow for more curving, which can be a very good when going down hill at speed. Now the board probably can’t handle the half-pipe quite the same way, but it would be fun to watch someone try!

Sport Technology Flowboard Official Site

Shoot Straight With Polara Golf Balls

The new Polara golf balls probably wouldn’t have kept Tiger Woods from straying, but they probably could help you shoot straighter. These specially designed golf balls utilize “self-correcting technology” to reduce dreaded hooks and slices by up to 75 percent according to the company. The result should, at least in theory, keep you on fairway and out of the rough or woods, even if it won’t keep a certain pro out of the dog house.

The Polara golf balls are now available in two different models, including the Polara Ultimate Straight with a two-piece construction with 386 dimples, and the Polara Super Straight with a three-piece construction and 386 dimples. Each of these dimples – and there are more of them then in all the Shirley Temple movies combined it seems – is designed with a very specific purpose, and just enough difference in over all shape to help keep the balls flying straight and level. Continue reading Shoot Straight With Polara Golf Balls

Tweet from the Mountain Tops with DeLorme GPS

There’s nothing like a “Climbed a category 4, now on the summit” post to Twitter or Facebook. “Just got back to base camp after a category 4 climb to the summit” is a pale substitute. But when you’re out of cell range, those location posts are difficult if not impossible. Many serious hikes and climbs take you out of range. Not only are you unable to text your family, post messages to social networks for your friends, you can’t easily call for help if your hike should come to that.

The DeLorme PN-60w with SPOT Sattelite Communicator is a rugged GPS handheld with the ability to send outgoing messages to email, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, Fire Eagle, SpotAdventures.com and Geocaching.com. Posts are geotagged and tracked by Google Maps. You might not be able to post a photo with your message, but you can give your precise location. The PN-60w, which runs about $549.95, also has GPX file support to better manage and save waypoint, geocache, and other files. The unit has an elevation profile tool that pinpoints user location; new poer management and display options extend battery life. The PN-60w has 3.5 GB of onboard memory to store maps and aerial imagery. Continue reading Tweet from the Mountain Tops with DeLorme GPS

Video Camera Takes Action

OREGON SCIENTIFIC ATC9K — The ATC9K all-terrain video camera

When you pull off the perfect stunt, you want to keep that memory forever and subject your family and friends to repeat viewings. But not only is a video camera capable of filming in HD heavy, it won’t stand up to the abuse of the road, trail, water, freefall or other dirt you might get into. The ATC9K all-terrain video camera from Oregon Scientific has you covered from 12,500-plus feet above sea level to 56 feet below the surface.

The camera’s bright yellow and black casing is built to withstand the tumbles and rolls in the dirt that come with adventure. The camera is waterproof and shock-resistant, and has a mount to allow for strapping it to a helmet, handlebars, surfboard or snowboard. To minimize the shaky video footage you see on many sports videos, the ATC9K has a built-in G-sensor that measures the force of gravity during acceleration, deceleration and hang time. An additional plug-in will enable PC-users to map the location, or the trip, where video was taken and tag it using Google Maps or Google Earth. When you ride your next century you can film the whole hundred miles and chart it on Google Maps to prove your distance and bragging rights.

To introduce the $299 camera, Oregon Scientific is running a video-upload contest on Facebook for a chance to win a prize worth $750.

Oregon Scientific