Backcountry.com's Gear Lists

sunday i was having a conversation with my buddy steve as we skinned into the crystal mountain backcountry. we are both admitted gear junkies and i was telling him exactly what mountain hardwear athlete / backcountry.com pro skier andrew mclean used for gear.  i've had a lot of trouble finding the right ski boot and i noted andrew's choice of the scarpa spirit 4.  steve had just brought a ton of slightly used gear to second ascent here in seattle and said "if i had these gear lists a few years ago i wouldn't have just sold $400 in used gear to second ascent".  using the pro's gear lists and the amazingly relevant reviews on backcountry.com is the only way to go when deciding on big ticket items that can make or break you trip into the backcountry.

andrew mclean's wasatch backcountry skiing gear list

• my cascade backcountry skiing gear list 
• my winter trail running gear list

Department of Goods confirms: ”Full Price is Dead”

Department of Goods confirms: ”Full Price is Dead”

New online closeout store brings wallet-relief to gear junkies

PARK CITY, UTAH (Nov. 11, 2009)—With the economy stuck on its crux move, savvy gear shoppers have been faced with the scary possibility that the only way to afford new gear this season is to scour the aisles of sticky-floored discount stores and drop-shipping closeout sites in the off chance that they’ll discover some affordable piece of out-of-season gear that isn’t a mauve colored size XXXL.  But starting today, the era of settling for shoddy gear in questionable colors and tent sizes has passed. Today, the Department of Goods, a new online gear megastore, opens its e-doors — to the lucky few, that is.

The Department of Goods, another new store from the team at Backcountry.com, sells the latest and finest outdoor, surf, skate, bike, and mountain equipment from more than 400 pinnacle brands like The Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, Montrail, Oakley, Volcom, Burton, Rocky Mountain, and Giro. The selection; the deep, in-stock inventory; the ability to find what you’re looking for fast; community reviews and Q+A; and the bend-over-backwards customer service you’ve come to expect from Backcountry.com, mean, simply, that you’ve stumbled upon the promised land of premium gear.

But there’s a catch. Not everyone can get in. Not yet, at least. The grand opening/beta launch is VIP only. To get past the velvet rope for the first shot at the goods inside the Department, you need to get yourself an invitation — or use your wily resourcefulness to track down a key code.

The lucky ones will receive an email invitation. Others will get in because they “know people.”  But if you just show up at the door without an invite, the Department’s doorman will shut you down. You can politely ask for a code, but you’ll, politely, have to wait.

Once you’re in, you’re in. You’ll have immediate access to insane deals on amazing gear. And it’s worth your while to shop, because during the beta roll out, the Department of Goods will be giving away $150,000 in gear. A set number of first comers will be matched with a surprise prize from a bona fide grab bag of swag, with gifts ranging from socks, t-shirts, and multi-tools to kayaks, skis, and bikes.

On top of that goodness, one in 10 purchases will be comped at random for a limited time. Fully comped. So if you’re not beside-yourself-ecstatic because you’ve just paid pennies on the dollar for your dream cart, you’re completely blown away because you just scored that gear for free.

To keep up on the deals, to try to score a code fast, or for the inside scoop on what the in-crowd is taking away for free, check out the Department of Goods’ Facebook page.


Yes, this is Backcountry’s fifth store launch in 2009, in the midst of this Eeyore economy, and even the hard-working people within our walls that make these things happen wonder what the hell we’re thinking. Especially since Department of Goods is a replacement for the long-lived (but let’s face it, not very inspired) BackcountryOutlet.com.

But the Department of Goods is different. It’s the only place to find the breadth and depth in selection of high-end outdoor, bike and action sports gear (BackountryOutlet.com is seriously lacking in bike and action sports), leaving its predecessor lame and whimpering in the dust.

As for the fate of BackcountryOutlet.com? After we work out the kinks during the beta test and launch Department of Goods wide open to the public in early 2010, Backcountry Outlet will be taken out back and, unceremoniously, shot.
DepartmentofGoods.com: you’ll never have to choose between gear and groceries again.

BACKCOUNTRY.COM'S Semi Annual Blow Out SALE

it's that time of year!! my incredibly cool sponsor backcountry.com is having one of their MASSIVE SALES right now.

Up to 70% off 12,000 items, get some!

Backcountry.com Launches Road Bike Site - RealCyclist.com

RealCyclist.com is here.

Introducing the world’s first exclusive road cycling specialty shop online

PARK CITY, UTAH (May 21, 2009) — There are online retailers that sell bikes and there are online retailers that sell only bikes but, until today, there has never before been an online retailer that sells only road bikes — and only premium, high-end, top-dollar road bikes at that. But now there’s RealCyclist.com. It is the first exclusive road cycling online retail specialty shop in the world.

Real Cyclist features only the most honed and perfectly crafted bikes, components and accessories from the industry brand names that kick start your heart and make you sweat before you even gear up and ride. Best-in-class brands like Pinarello, Colnago, Look, Litespeed, Campy, Shimano, Zipp, FSA, Castelli, Hincapie, Craft and Capo Forma are only a few clicks and next-day delivery away.

Our inventory is as deep as it is elite. We stock more than 6,000 products from 130 brands, because when you know what you want and you want it right now, “sorry” just won’t cut it. We’re transparent in that you can always see the inventory on hand. (Yes, we really do have 13 $4,500 Litespeed Archons in stock.) We believe in the product, so we order the product. We also know that while drop shipping may be easiest on a retailer, it’s never easiest on a customer. When you order a fully built bike, frame, wheels, components or clothing from RealCyclist.com, your order is immediately fulfilled at our own distribution center, professionally packaged, and shipped directly to you.

We’re not going to lie here. Shopping on Real Cyclist is in no way as much of a senses feast as actually running your hands along the bikes, lifting them, jumping in the saddle, and smelling the lube and tires, but at least you can do it 24/7. Each product page includes super-detailed tech-specs, sizing charts, and product images. And, unlike any other cycling retailer anywhere — online or off — our customers play a leading role in providing product information. The Real Cyclist community (made up of you and other riders like you) provides reviews, asks and answers questions, and posts images. An entire world of riders is on hand to share their own first-hand knowledge with you and everyone else on the site. This takes doing your gear research to a whole new level.

Plus, all the RealCyclist.com employees are passionate roadies. Their thigh-to-ankle, bicep-to-wrist, and neck-to-forehead tan lines are one dead giveaway; their shaved legs are another. But what really sets them apart is their unmatched knowledge of cycling, their (unrequited) love of the gear, and their full-on dedication to deliver the most comprehensive, friendliest, and best service to each of our customers. You will never get snobby, holier-than-thou, shop-guy treatment from anyone at Real Cyclist. Ever.

We build and ship fully built bikes, ready to ride just moments after you sign the UPS guy’s e-pad and tear the tape from the box. So you need to know that only USA Cycling race-certified bike mechanics will ever touch your bikes. And if what you get just isn’t working for you, we have an unlimited 30-day return policy. No questions asked. No problem.

As a little incentive for you to give us a test ride, the first 20 people to place an order for more than $1,000 on RealCyclist.com get a free Real Cyclist team kit. Check this out for more details.

RealCyclist.com is another in Backcountry.com’s family of core bike stores, including HuckNroll.com for mountain bikers and the two ODAT (one-deal-at-a-time) stores: Chainlove.com (mountain biking) and Bonktown.com (road riding).

About Backcountry.com:
RealCyclist.com is owned by Backcountry.com — an online retailer of high-end outdoor gear and center for gear knowledge online. Backcountry.com carries more than 400 brands in various categories, including backpacking, camping, cycling, hiking, climbing, trail running, paddling, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and adventure travel. Backcountry also operates Bonktown.com, Chainlove.com, HuckNroll.com, SteepandCheap.com, Dogfunk.com, Tramdock.com, WhiskeyMilitia.com, and Brociety.com. Backcountry.com is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Interactive Group (Nasdaq: LINTA).

Backcountry.com Launches Mountain Bike Site - HuckNroll.com

PARK CITY, UTAH (May 21, 2009) — Starting today, there’s HuckNroll.com, a store dedicated to dirt riders and our take-your-personal-best-and-shove-it-up-your-ass, meat-hucking, scab-picking habit known as mountain biking.

HuckNroll.com is an online mountain bike shop. You heard right. Online. And we wouldn’t be putting it lightly to say that the bike industry didn’t want us. The consensus when we first approached suppliers about launching a high-end online mountain bike shop was, “It will never work, the bike industry is different.” Our response? “Damn right, it’s different. It’s the last industry in existence to accept the Internet as a viable sales channel.”

So we went for it. And along the way we’ve made friends with the industry’s best. In fact, the raddest brands in the biz are snubbing the status quo to team up with us. (They mentioned something about Specialized and Trek pushing them out of bike shops…) We’re stocking more than 6,000 products from 130 high-end bike-specific brands. We have components from Shimano, Race Face, Truvativ, Avid, Easton, and Gravity; apparel and accessories from Fox Racing, Troy Lee Designs, POC, Sombrio, Dakine, Endura, and Zoic; and complete bikes from Santa Cruz, Intense, Titus, Look and Rocky Mountain. (We’re the only authorized online dealer of Rocky Mountain in the U.S.)

HucknRoll.com is staffed by mountain bike gear freaks (including that dude who rambles on about the frame geometry of the 1993 Fat Chance Yo Eddy every time he laces a wheel). Only USA Cycling race-certified bike mechanics will touch your bikes, and only fully trained customer service gearheads will take your calls and answer your live chats. Our goal is to provide, hands down, the best customer lovin’ in the industry.

HucknRoll is community-powered, with gear reviews, Q&A, and images all submitted by you and other riders on the site. That means you get the god’s honest truth on the goods, whether the guys that make the bikes like it or not.

We mentioned our friends. As more proof that we have some, log on to HuckNroll.com/sweepstakes to check out the vid of pros and bros who at least humored us enough to say our name on camera. If you can ID all 15 in order, you’ll get the chance to win $2.9k-worth of gear, including an Intense Tracer VP frame, a Giro helmet and gloves, and an ass-load of Cutter swag.

HuckNroll.com is another store from Backcountry.com, who pretty much realized that skiers and climbers don’t know jack shit about mountain biking. Probably against their better judgment, they gave us some room to do what we do, the way we want to do it. We are proudly related to Chainlove.com, as well as the two shave-your-legs-to-your-scrawny-buttocks roadie sites: RealCyclist.com and Bonktown.com.

So here we go, y’all. It’s a whole new day in the bike world. We don’t give a rat’s ass if you love us or hate us, but we’re here and we’re open for business.

About Backcountry.com:
HuckNroll.com is owned by Backcountry.com—an online retailer of high-end outdoor gear and center for gear knowledge online. Backcountry.com carries more than 400 brands in various categories, including backpacking, camping, cycling, hiking, climbing, trail running, paddling, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and adventure travel. Backcountry also operates RealCyclist.com, Bonktown.com, Chainlove.com, SteepandCheap.com, Dogfunk.com, Tramdock.com, Brociety.com and WhiskeyMilitia.com. Backcountry.com is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Interactive Group (Nasdaq: LINTA).

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BONKTOWN.com - One Deal At A Time!

road bikers rejoice!

let's face it, backcountry.com is core. they are also smart. aside from backcountry.com they run a handful of one deal at a time sites that help you feed you addiction and not break the bank. they sell top of the line products at wholly shit cheap prices. when i was in their office this summer their own employees were scampering to buy some full carbon fiber road bike online. their latest site is for road cyclist. it's called bonktown.com... check it out (if only because my roadie shoot is used for the ads)

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It's In the Blood

Have you ever purchased a single month of cable T.V. just to watch the Tour? Shaved your legs to avoid road-rash? Calculated out your ideal Q-factor? Weighed the benefits of titanium versus carbon fiber with the intensity of an aerospace engineer? Pushed yourself to the point that you fall over trying to clip out? We have. We know. Join us.

Here's how it goes down:

• We slap a primo piece of cycling gear on our site at a scandalous price.
• We sell it 'til it's gone.
• You leave feeling like you just lapped Lance on a time trial.
• The gear arrives fast and you're back in the saddle.

Sign up for Instant Alertsso you always know The Deal. But don't blame us if you overdose.

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.. and in case you are curious, and i know you are. here are some of the other sweet one deal at a time sites:

for the skier - - SteepAndCheap.com

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for the mtn biker - ChainLove.com

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for the backcountry skier - Tramdock.com

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for the painfully hip - WhiskeyMilitia.com

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for the jibber - DogFunk.com

2009 Ski Setup - Let the Fun Begin!

let the snow begin is what i should have titled this. after lots of research and emails to friends who simply know more than me, the setup is finally complete... behold.

the skis: K2 COOMBA


the boots: GARMONT RADIUM (make sure you read the great review from chris davenport)


the bindings: DYNAFIT SPEED CLASSIC


the skins: BLACK DIAMOND ASCENSION SKINS

thank you backcountry.com for making this possible and more affordable.
i'll still be paying this setup off for years to come - spend that money!

Win A Free Pair of Montrails - Climb The Guru List Contest

WANNA WIN A FREE PAIR OF MONTRAIL SHOES?!?

well here is your chance. enter the "climb the guru list" contest.

backcountry.com has a rating system for all it's users. if you've ever bought anything there then you have a user account. the more products you review on the website, the more questions you answer and the more your reviews get helpful thumbs up, the higher you climb on the leaderboard of gurus.

so the contest is simple. in 1 week, 7 whole days who can climb the highest on the leaderboard. the easiest way to do this is review your favorite shoes, backpacks, jackets, skis, etc. the winner gets a certificate that you simple mail in for any pair of montrail shoes!

some rules:

• you must post a comment here with your entire backcountry.com profile url
  mine is - http://www.backcountry.com/store/profile/2463838/Matt-Hart.html
  
  ** this is my indication you are in!
  ** the deadline is friday nov 21st at midnight (tomorrow night at midnight)
  
  
• you must be a new user - this contest is from scratch (next weeks will be for current users, which everyone who entered and did not win this week will be for eligible for (and you'll have a head start too).
  

Galapagos Bound

some things before i leave for ecuador and the beautiful galapagos islands to coach a running camp.

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nolan's 14:
you ever heard of nolan's 14? neither had i. that is until jared revealed his affinity for the redonculous...

60 Hours
100 Miles on Foot
14 Summits over 14,000 Feet
90,000 Vertical Feet

the question: how many of colorado's 14,000+ foot peaks could be combined in a 100 mile race?

jim nolan's answer: 14. he calls it the "death race" - read more history.

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backcountry.com gear guru #20!:
marit and i are both pretty competitive. if you've ever been to her blog then you already know who the superior writer is. so i find comfort in our latest contest, which i am currently winning. who can climb highest on the backcountry.com gear guru rankings. backcountry.com has the best products (with the exception of rudy project glasses) and most relevant reviews online. this is why they are the biggest online outdoor retailer. well i'm knee deep in reviews and i love watching my profile climb the ranks. if you feel passionate about a product you love then go do your fellow outdoorzy doods a solid and write about it.

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my update:
my neuroma is "manageable". i've been training for the last three weeks with mild pain and bi-weekly shots. i've changed the focus of my training from miles to vertical gain for this upcoming season. last week was the third of my meso-cycle and thus the largest week before this week of recovery. i was able to run 22,000 feet of uphill this week. i feel good about that for now, but i have a lot of work to do. i'll rest this week before the craziness of coaching a running camp. i leave tomorrow morning and arrive tomorrow night in guayaquil, ecuador. i am now officially excited!

what's coming with me from the kitchen
it's dumping up high in the wasatch right now. when i get back - i'm going to ski! however i'm leaving town with the first 25 miles of the wasatch 100 course un-run. hopefully this section is low enough to be runnable when i return. if not i have kahtoola running cramponsto get the job done with.

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lisa's dear friend marshal ulrich just ran across the country! go check it out. i think he was like 4th fastest ever. impressive.

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now go vote!

Backcountry.com Pray For Snow Party

i was lucky enough to tag along to the backcountry.com"pray for snow" party. it was off the heezy fo sheezy.

marit interviews some of backcountry.com's pro rippers in this vid. karl makes an appearance with his fresh off the appalachian trail fully rounded beard, but jon atencio steals it. i guess he used to be sponsored by lee jeans as a rodeo rider!? who would have thought.

Backcountry.com Roadie Shoot

last week i had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot for backcountry.com with photographer tommy chandler. he's good.. check it.

Appalachian Assault - Day 1

i'm going to give a shot are recalling my adventure on the appalachian trail. 300+ miles in 8 days happened so fast. looking back now some of them have blended together. however day 1 still stands out in my mind. here is what i recall.

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41 miles of appalachian trail on day 1
(the total for the day was 45 miles w/7,739feet of vertical gain)

me checking the map before we started up katahdin
(check out the superhero arm warmers.. i'd need them)
karl and i headed out at sunrise from abol campground to climb mt katahdin. this was a slightly shorter but insanely steeper route to the summit of katahdin, which is the terminus of the appalachian trail. you get no credit for this 4 mile and 4,000ft climb as the appalachian trail starts at the top. the abol route we took up felt like a massive slide path of sharp boulders. the tough climb was made even harder by the wet conditions and the lack of coffee in the morning. by the time i got to the top (i think it was 1hr 30min) i had much respect for mt katahdin.

you can just barely see karl on our way up (i love this shot)
as we climbed i was feeling rather flat. karl was ampted to get started and pulling away fast. i kept thinking "dood, your going for the 2,174 mile appalachina trail record.. not the fastest time up mt katahdin." as we got closer to the top the rocks became wet and mossy. it was super slippery. i just stayed steady and by the top karl had slowed so i could catch up. that was my job afterall, to be an anchor to karl in the first week, and to slow this astonishingly fast 40 year old down. "3.5 miles per hour for the record".

karl meltzer on top of mount katahdin - about to run the entire appalachian trail
at the top we took a video of his start with vio camera i carried up just for that purpose. 7:08am on august 5th, 2008 karl meltzer headed south on the appalachian trail in a bold attempt to break the record. at the time i had a vague idea of just how bold this attempt was. now in hindsight after running 300+ miles of the north section i know what a monumental task this actually is.
now the down. this trail is downclimbing boulders, sharp boulders. karl always wears 1/2 fingered biking gloves when he runs for this very reason. i didn't think it was necessary - i was very wrong. so i used my arm warmers to help, which worked ok.

again on the way down i struggled to stay in contact with karl. he was moving fast, too fast in my mind. i bet when he looks back he will agree. it was dangerous terrain so a misstep could mean game over - no record. the risk wasn't worth the reward of a few extra minutes on day 1 of a 46 day run. honestly what was running through my head was what would happen if karl drops me on the first day. "do i just get in the rv and start again with him later?" i wasn't going to let that happen.. i just couldn't. by the end i caught karl and he said "i was just taking advantage of gravity". he's fast.

the amazing marit fischer - support crew extraordinaire (nice puffy!)
we're just 4 miles into the appalachian trail but we need to start eating lots now
we had 2 tabs of nuun, 2 scoops of ultragen and two egg burritos each
marit fischer and karl meltzler sr, who we just started calling senior (much to his disliking) were our support crew. marit is the superstar pr person from backcountry.com. karl senior is the most ripped 65 year old man i've ever seen.. and i have to assume the most ripped 65 year old in existence - 6 pack and all. they were there at abol campground to meet us. i still wasn't hungry but ate a lot and we were off again.

karl meltzer senior and junior checking maps
now it gets blury for me. i know i slipped on my montrail slippers, or streaks rather and was in heaven as we ran and hiked fast for another 36 miles or so. i wore montrail continental divdes for the earlier rough terrain and they turned out to be perfect.

all the day 1 flickr shots - i'm putting together the video now - and of course you can follow his current progress at where's karl.com.

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some stats nonsense:
total miles on the day - 45
total miles on AT - 41
from abol campsite to the top of katahdin at 5,267 ft via abol trail 1:40:50 with 4,000 feet of gain 4:21:10 -
katahdin to abol bridge w/285ft gain 1:40:51
katahdin to katahdin stream mile 5 2:36:19
katahdin streams to abol pines campground
7:37:10 w/3,454ft abol bridge to south nahmakanta lake