The 2012 Winter Outdoor Retailer Show was a hit. With thousands of outdoor minded people and over a thousand companies, there was plenty to see and some great new innovations and cool pieces of gear to play with. It was hard to narrow it down to just a few of our favorites as we could have picked many more, but we felt like these are some of the newest products that one might want or need. As always we would love to hear from you.
Even when the landscape is covered in snow, there are a few easy principles you can follow to minimize your impact on the environment.
Snow Camping
Even though the nights are cold and long, try to resist the urge to have a campfire. During winter, when all downed wood is buried under the snow and the only available fuel is tree branches, fires are a bad idea. As a “warm glow” alternative, bring plenty of fuel for your stove and try candle lanterns.
Upon leaving camp, dismantle your snow shelter and fluff up the white stuff so that visitors coming after you can enjoy a natural setting.
Winter can be a time for many people to be wishing for the summer months to come and the snow to disappear. Many people are ready for spring and summer, so they can get back out into the mountains and experience some of the favorite trails. Living in Utah, I hear a lot of people complaining about the snow. There are some days, even I am ready for the snow to be gone, especially after a slow commute into work during a blizzard. But since I was a little kid, my mom was always so excited when it snowed. So by default I have always enjoyed playing in the snow. I have snowboarded and snowmobiled since I was little, but a few years ago I came across snowshoeing. Snowshoeing is now one of my favorite things to do in the winter weather.
Most hikes that are done in the summer can now be accessed in the winter. You can find yourself in solitude while snowshoeing even on some of those over-crowded summer trails. A hike that you might have been on a hundred times in the summer will look like a new hike in the winter. So head out and rent some snowshoes and give it a try. I believe one time out and you to, will be hooked. So far everyone that I have taken, has either went out with me again borrowing a pair of mine or went out and bought their own pair. If your planning on taking kids, I recommend dragging a sled up for they can ride down. Or at least for I can ride down with them.
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