NEMO Equipment, Inc., manufacturer of AirSupported™ and Extreme Conditions Tents™, sleeping pads and backcountry accessories, has donated over $30,000 in tents and sleeping pads to Haiti relief efforts. Teaming up with Mark Richey Woodworking, a local Newburyport, MA business, NEMO was able to deliver 50 brand new Nano OZ tents, footprints and Removable Insulated Floors, as well as a few previously loved tents from its employees. The tents joined an already scheduled shipment heading to Florida and on to Haiti.

I first saw this story the other day on the Twitter feed and was reminded of it while over viewing The Adventure Blog. We have posted stories about extreme kayaking, base jumping, snowyaking and more. However, this is the first time we have posted anything about skydiving while in a kayak. I have to agree with The Adventure Blog…it is pretty interesting to watch the free fall but the landing is what is truly amazing!

Adventurer Lei Wang departs in less than 2 weeks to make an attempt on Everest. Born in Beijing, she says that she grew up as a typical city girl. She graduated with a B.S degree in Computer Science from Tsinghua University in Beijing followed by an M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After working in the IT field for several years, she decided to pursue her M.B.A. degree at Wharton. It was there that she was first introduced to ice climbing and mountaineering and climbed her first glacier mountain in Ecuador (Cotopaxi). Upon graduation, she traveled to Africa where she reached the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Alas, the much anticipated, and in my opinion, long overdue “BikeThere” feature has been added to GoogleMaps, an official announcement is rumored to happen tomorrow at the opening of the US National Bike Summit in Washington D.C.

The BikeThere feature has gained many supporters, with one website leading the push, gathering over 50,000 signatures in an effort to convince Google to offer the service. A combination of high gas prices and an

Posted over at the Red Bull site on their “Holy Shit” list, and that just might be what you’ll say after checking out this latest video about a 36km freefall project sponsored by Red Bull.

From the folks that bring us the Untamed New England event, Untamed Switzerland is a 3-day alpine stage race. The race combines orienteering, trekking and snowshoeing through the heart of the Alps and is open to solo competitors or teams of 2, 3 or 4 people. The dates for this year’s event are April 9-11. The slideshow below is from the 2009 event.

The beauty of a softshell is how versatile they are, and when you add a hoody – you quickly find it your favorite outer layer. In the world of technical apparel, you may wonder exactly how the softshell fits in?
Besides looking really slick, the main feature is that they offer great WIND PROTECTION and moderate rain protection in a lightweight and FLEXIBLE fabric that is perfect for a high level of activity.

I have been watching some of the threads and getting inquiries of late from friends and colleagues about snowshoeing. With the enormous amount of snow that has hit the mid-Atlantic states this season, the race staff has suggested to the participants of the Endorphin Fix that they add snowshoes to their gear list. So, we wanted to post our tips from Travis Macy (that appeared in our January 2010 issue) on snowshoeing.

With the start of the Iditarod today, we felt it a perfect time to post our story on Lance Mackey after his 3rd consecutive win last year. AWM contributor, Amanda Jones interviewed Lance after his ‘three-peat’ of the more than 1100 mile race from Anchorage to Nome. Lance is just off of a second place finish at the Yukon Quest and could potentially set a record that will be hard to beat if he is successful with this year’s event. Good luck to all of the racers this year.

The February numbers are available for the USARA National Rankings.

Presented By:

March 3, 2010

TEAM NAME/ POINTS
1. HoustonAdventureRacing.com/Hammer Nutrition 105.00
2. Trakkers 79.00

Okay…so I know that I am a little late in posting this since Outdoor Retailer was in late January. Upon returning from OR, I took a little holiday to south Florida for a mid-winter warm-up. Then upon my return, Pittsburgh received the most snow in a single month on record (thus preventing me from flying out to Ecuador to cover the Huairasinchi Adventure Race). And, since most of the gear spotlighted below won’t be available to the general public until at least spring…we are still very much ahead of the curve. And, can you ever get too much info about new gear for our wish lists?

The third event in 2010 of the AR World Series, Xtremo6000 just wrapped up and here is a selection of images from that event. Look forward to an event wrap-up in the next few days.

Enter online for your chance to win a trip for two this fall to mountain bike with 3-time reigning 24-hour solo mountain biking world champion, Rebecca Rusch. It is time to dial up the training in the basement until I can get out on the trails to prepare in the event that I win this great opportunity.

Huairasinchi was the first event in 2010 for the AR World Series. Below is a slideshow with select images from this year’s event.

Immersion Research’s Comp LX Dry Top leaves no room for excuses. Paddling is a year round sport and IR can prove it. Designed for the movement of a paddler, the dry top boasts ergonomic seaming throughout. Latex gaskets on both the neck and wrist combines with 4 layer waterproof and breathable Entrant® fabric to keep water out. An adjustable neoprene waistband prevents water from entering into the kayak through the skirt, maintaining a dry lower body as well.

Phatchicks.com, in partnership with RACEDAYRUSH, are hosting a contest where four selected participants will go through a 12 week training program in order to qualify for one of two spots on Team RACEDAYRUSH.com at Saucony RockstAR Adventure Race on July 24th 2010.

We have selected some more images to follow up to our earlier slide show from Days 1-3 of the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race. Enjoy!

Xtremo6000, the third event in 2010 for the AR World Series gets underway later this week. Check out some of the images from last year’s event.

The 2010 edition of the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race came to a close on Friday night with an emotion-filled ceremony that involved a marriage proposal, a proud victory speech and a list of happy teams revealing their desire to return to Chilean Patagonia for the next race in just under 12 months time.

Over almost 600km of intense racing, competitors have experienced much of the virgin nature that Chilean Patagonia has to offer, from the wind-swept beach on northern Tierra del Fuego through rolling pampas, the climbing hills of the Karukinka reserve, the majestic Darwin Range and the choppy waters of the Beagle Channel.

2010 RACE RESULTS:

1. 1 Helly Hansen-Prunesco UK 126hrs 8mins
2. 16 Air Europa Bimont ESP 142hrs 46mins
3=. 4 Switzerland SWI 145hrs 6mins
3=. 9 Herbertz DE 145hrs 6mins
5. 7 GearJunkie.com USA 147hrs 31mins
6. 5 Untamed New England CDN 148hrs 17mins

The Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race saw competitors to take on sub-zero temperatures in the southern mountains of Chilean Patagonia this month and finished with a team of British adventurers retaining their title and six other teams making it all the way through the spectacular scenery for the closest podium battle in the race’s history.

British team Helly Hansen-Prunesco, returning after victory in 2009 to join a bumper field of 14 teams, performed faultlessly over almost 600km of kayaking, mountain biking and trekking through the remote and spectacular wilderness of Chile’s Tierra del Fuego and Isla Navarino, taking the lead midway through and finishing in just over five days and six hours.

This is the do anything, go anywhere jacket. The Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover is one of the most versatile pieces I have in my quiver of apparel. I have used this jacket in everything from snowshoeing to trail running to the monotonous task of shoveling snow from my driveway. It has also found its way into my carry-on arsenal. It is surprisingly warm and super lightweight. It stuffs into the left chest pocket though I have never used that feature. I always find myself just stuffing it into one of the bottle sleeves in my hydration or carry-on pack. I have also wadded it up to create a make shift pillow while flying to my next destination.