Stranger Magnet – A Valentines Love Story

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Mountain Dad is a magnet. A stranger magnet.
Unknown people ask him to take their pictures, or occasionally take pictures with him. If there is a car stuck in the snow he’s the one drivers approach. Every time we are on outdoor adventures a stranger approaches Mountain Dad for something – directions? Check. Recommendations? Check. Random small talk? Yep. Once we went UTVing and the only other person in sight struck up a conversation about suspension, towing capacity and aftermarket parts.
Some of the more outrageous stranger magnet moments he’s had? Two winters ago he and Big E were having a snowball fight in our yard when a random group of Korean tourists stopped and asked to take their photo. Snowballs, flannel shirts, flushed faces, maybe it felt like an Eddie Bauer catalog moment?

Then at the Sundance Film Festival this year, no less than five different groups grabbed photos with him in a single night while hanging out down at the Resort. Maybe they thought he was famous? I’m not sure why anyone would want to take their photo with random strangers, but of if they did, Mountain Dad would be the one they would ask. If we are on a hike or at a campground people come over to chat, not with me, but with the bearded guy in a flannel shirt. Stranger magnet.

It’s not like he’s the only person around. It’s not like he exudes approachability. He’s a broad shouldered man with facial hair. He’s introverted. Between the two of us, I would be the one most open to talking to strangers. But something in the universe makes people gravitate toward him. This is the mystery of our adventures. 

This interaction has happened so often in our lives that Mountain Dad has a nickname – American Friend James. What is it about a broad shouldered man in flannel that gives people a sense that he knows what he’s talking about? Does he exude friendliness? No. 
He exudes expertise. 
It’s true, Mountain Dad DOES know a lot. He researches, plans, and has experience with outdoor activities. When we invite other families to go camping with us I make a point to say, β€œIt’s easier if you camp for your first time with us. We know what we are doing.”

Mountain Dad is confident. His quiet confidence leaks through everything we do in the outdoors. I trust his judgement with finding camping spots, loading up gear, and knowing where we’re going.  
When we were dating, he took me on hikes and camp outs for the first time in my life. He introduced me to the fresh air feeling of enjoying the outdoors. When we first got together, I never would have expected how much the outdoors have become a part of our lives. It has enriched our time together, become our vacation choice, been our family bonding time. For our ten year anniversary we spent the week in Alaska, camping in Denali National Park, viewing glaciers fall in Kenai Fjords National Park, watching bald eagles and grizzly bears and wild salmon.
I love that. I love him. The outdoors has been a large part of our life and our love story. What about yours? 

Peets Dryer Review

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Part of our 2016 gear review series. Thanks for the write up Mountain Dad!  

So I bought the PEET Four Shoe Dryer for Mountain Mom a couple of years ago and it just sat in the box. She felt it was kind of frivolous and wanted to return it, but days slipped into weeks, and then months, and then it was too late to return it.

But this year is an El Nino year here in the West, and Sundance is getting pounded with snow (almost 5 feet in one week). With so many relatives coming over to play during the holidays,forcing us outside even more than usual, I decided to crack open the box to see if it would help us combat the piles of wet shoes, boots, gloves, etc in our home. What do you know, it works awesome!


The PEET Four Shoe Dryer is a simple device, with a mildly heated fan, a timer control, and four posts with various end attachments, not unlike a vacuum. It comes with adult size boot attachments in the box, but I purchased an additional glove attachments and helmet attachment. PEET gave Mountain Mom a set of the smaller kid’s mitten attachments for Big E and Little G’s boots and shoes last summer at Outdoor Retailer.

These attachments can be mixed and matched as needed by simply popping them on and off the base. It is made of thick black plastic, is lightweight, and easy to move around if necessary. It seems sturdy enough for the task, even if it looks a bit cheap. I think you could even easily pack it for ski/snowmobile vacation if you wanted.

What I Love
Simple is good. Throw your gear on the PEET Four Shoe Dryer, choose heat or no heat, and depending on how wet they are, turn the timer to a setting (ranges from 10 minutes to 200 minutes in 10 min increments), and maybe check on them every once in a while. The timer automatically shuts it down when the timer runs out, and viola, dry gear! 

How long it takes depends on how wet the items are, but I don’t think we have ever needed to exceed the maximum timer setting. If you did, you would simply turn the timer again. Unlike setting your gear next to a fireplace, there is no risk of your gear getting singed/melted or your heat moldable ski boot liners getting screwed up, as it produces very mild heat. The attachments are easy to attach/remove yet sturdy enough that you don’t feel like it is going fall over or break. The plastic is thick and sturdy and looks like it will hold up well.

Attachments
The adult sized boot attachments work good for our ski boots, snowmobile boots, rain boots, and normal shoes. There is a PEET Boot Extension Attachment if you have really long boots or waders, but we haven’t needed one to date. It dries the foot bed extremely well, with longer boots taking more time to get the upper interior as dry.

The smaller PEET PeeWee Kid’s Mitten DryPort Attachment work good for the kid’s boots AND gloves, particularly mittens (the adult sized glove attachments are too big for kids gloves). I am assuming this is because kid’s gloves are smaller, with shorter fingers, and less likely to flop over and block the airflow.

The PEET Glove Attachment works very well, although putting on the gloves can be a little tricky depending on the size. This is due to the attachment opening and directing airflow directly into the fingers, which makes short work of moisture. Gloves typically dry out pretty quickly.

We have not yet tried the PEET Helmet Attachment but I expect similarly good results.

What I Don’t Like
That we didn’t start using the PEET Four Shoe Dryer sooner? Honestly, this is a great little piece of equipment. It is a little pricey at around $100 + any additional attachments (approx. $15 each), but we have used this often during the last month and are very pleased with it. Hopefully it will hold out over time and prove to be reliable and dependable.

This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase something from these links I receive a small commission. Usually only a few cents, but every little bit helps.

Birthday Month Giveaway!

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January is great for many reasons.

  • New Years Resolutions
  • Learn to Ski or Snowboard Month
  • My Birthday
  • Big E’s Birthday
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder (just kidding)
The best thing about January is Birthday Month! Both Big E and I have birthdays in the first (and best) month of the year and a few years ago I decided that one day of celebration is just not enough. 
How could I have lunch with my girlfriends, go snowboarding all day, have a romantic date with Mountain Dad and a birthday party with extended family all in one day? There’s just too much to celebrate. So January has become the month to give myself permission to buy books, get a massage, and splurge on a homemade croquembouche just because it’s my birthday. It only comes once a year so I’ve got to stretch it out to enjoy it.

This year I convinced some friends to try a new sport with me. Curling! The Utah Olympic Oval has a Learn to Curl program every Monday and Friday night all winter long. This Olympic sport well loved by Canadians is a cross between bowling and housecleaning ON ICE. 
I wish I could say I’m now an expert curler with a killer delivery and mad sweeping skills. I’m not, but I had a lot of fun and encourage anyone with the opportunity to try it.
The final celebration of this celebratory month is with you dear blog readers. It starts today, the last day of January and will run until February 7, 2016. You have a chance to win two great prizes! Make sure to hit the left and right arrow to enter for each prize.

Signed copy of Fresh Snow by Natasha Wing Illustrated by Shaundra Schultz

A while ago I got an email from author Natasha Wing asking me to review this cute picture book about a snowboarding rabbit. In the email she mentioned some other books she had written including her popular “The Night Before” series. What would you know, I have her book on my kids’ shelf! It’s not everyday I get emailed by a published author I have read so I was pretty stoked.

The story is a clever introduction to snowboarding terminology. As a wanna-be-pro snowboarder myself I’m always glad to support the sport in the next generation.

Velobling Recycled Bicycle Chain Necklace
Last year I discovered Velo Bling Designs, a company that uses recycled bicycle parts to create unique and beautiful jewelry and gifts. I have blogged about them before and even included one of their pieces in an Instagram giveaway last Thanksgiving. They are my favorite.

So please enter below and enjoy a special birthday gift from me. And have a happy birthday, whenever yours is!

Best of Winter Outdoor Retailer 2016

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Every winter over 20,000 people gather in Salt Lake City for Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. The trade show attracts companies from all over the world with some of the newest and coolest gear on the market.

This year I got to try out some of that cool gear at Demo Day at Solitude Mountain Resort. Snow shoes, skis, even and electric bike were there for attendees to try. It was like recess for adults, complete with a beer garden.

There was so much to see in the show. Here are some of my favorite picks.

It was great fun slipping and sliding on the fat tires of this Polaris E Bike at Demo Day. The pedal assist feature makes the bike do all the work when the gears shift. Instead of grueling uphills your legs pedal at the same level as a flat open trail and the bike picks up the slack. It’s like riding a bike with a boost. Also, I discovered I’m not a natural snow biker.

This stainless steel insulated beverage bottle has a unique magnetic tether. Instead of the lid flipping back into your face or flopping off to who knows where it magnetizes to the side of the bottle so you never lose it. Plus the lid doubles as an emergency compass – it floats!


Clif Bar Organic Energy Food
Clif Bar makes more than just granola bars. They now offer Organic Energy Food pouches in savory flavors like Pizza Margherita and Banana Beet Ginger. I know it’s not baby food, but Baby L enjoyed it even more than I did.

Socks may not be exciting for some, but Fox River Socks were exciting for me. The original home of the Rockford Red Heel, this company makes so much more than the Sock Monkey puppet we all know. The variety of kid, men and women socks was truly surprising.

This little waterproof camera from Intova doesn’t come out until Spring. The Duo action cam is an entry level, lightweight camera designed with easy controls. It would be perfect for kids to use too.

InnoBaby
I was impressed by the awesome AquaHeat line from Innobaby. Just add water to a heat packet and you can easily warm bottles, food or water on the go. It was like magic. Their food and storage containers are really cool too.

4FRNT skis is a Salt Lake based company that’s run by skiers. High five for local love

Although I haven’t tried Craft’s baselayers myself I was impressed with Craft’s Demo Day promotion to trade my base layer for one of theirs. The base layers they collected went to charity.

These are the lightest snowshoes I have ever worn. The pair together only weighs half of a typical pair of snowshoes. Plus they are based in Wisconsin where I grew up.
Platypus new fiber filter mixes soft sided water storage with a portable water filter. Scoop from the river you’re hiking by and you can conveniently drink or pour into another’s bottle. 

Fimbulvetr snowshoes are a complete redesign of the traditional snowshoe. This Norwegien company created a unique asymetrical design from a polymer material that has only one contact point with the foot. The shorter, wider shoe distributes the weight outward instead of backward. Plus it’s fun to say Fimbulvetr.
These were just a few of the cool things at this years Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. Enjoy!