With its new high-top trail shoe, Inov-8 stakes a simple claim: The Roclite 288 GTX is touted as being "the lightest-weight waterproof boot on the market."
Its GORE-TEX membrane provides a waterproof barrier. It weighs about 10 ounces per foot in a men's size 9 -- half the weight of some traditional leather hikers.
I am a big fan of this shoe-boot. With a flexible sole and sticky-rubber tread, it can tackle a wide range of wilderness terrain. It can do dirt, grass, mud, dry trail, and snow.
A major distinguisher with this ankle-high footwear, which costs $130, is its fast feel. Like Inov-8 shoes, the 288 boots have minimal midsole cushioning and a low-profile heel. This design lets you comfortably -- and speedily! -- not only hike but run down the trail.
They are not made for everyone. The boot's support is good enough for me. But the flexible sole and soft exterior material will strike many hikers as too minimal.
Protection from stubbing your toe -- or doing more dangerous things like contacting a sharp edge in talus -- is only mediocre. The toe guard is minimal on the front of the boot. The outer fabric is thin and soft.
One issue: The boot's sizing seems to run large. Compared to other Inov-8 (www.inov-8.com) shoes I have in the same size, the 288 boot has about a half-inch of extra space past my big toe. Try them on before buying if you can.
Overall, the 288 boots have been a solid performer. I will wear these high-tops on backpacking trips and long adventure races. Because they are waterproof, mountaineering comes to mind, too. Add a pair of lightweight Kahtoola crampons to the Inov-8 boots and you could sprint up some mountains.
The price, at $130, is in line with other boots on the market. Quality is solid so far. If you're looking for a fast and light boot, the Inov-8 288 is hard to beat.
--Stephen Regenold writes about outdoors gear at www.gearjunkie.com.
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Three U.S. Senators have outlined a compromise climate bill in an attempt to win votes for legislation to be passed in 2010, Reuters reports. The House passed a climate bill in June. Other countries have accused the U.S. of being soft on climate change policy, and the compromise climate bill could aid President Barack Obama's position when he joins other world leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next week. Obama addressed the need for global cuts in greenhouse gas emissions during his acceptance speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. The compromise climate bill sets a target of a 17 percent cut in national greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2020. Check out the December issue of Outside to see what former senator and vice president Al Gore has to say about climate change.
--Aileen Torres
Danish police have arrested 68 activists who were protesting in street demonstrations in Copenhagen on Friday, Reuters reports. The goal of the protesters was to disrupt corporations and industry lobbyists that they see as "climate criminals" during the UN conference. The local police said the protesters made "trouble in town," but no injuries occurred. NGOs plan a larger demonstration on Saturday, and they expect tens of thousands of participants. For more on Copenhagen, check out the December issue of Outside.
--Aileen Torres
Can Hollywood teach you valuable lessons about climbing? See for yourself by watching clips from Vertical Limit, above, starring Chris O'Donnell, complete with helpful tips on what to do and what not to do when you're dangling thousands of feet from the ground. And for a dose of real adventure, check out mountaineer Fabrizio Zangrilli's story on K2.
--Aileen Torres
'; output += ''; output += 'It just dumped about two feet of snow here in Durango, Colorado (The Powder Feed Headquarters), and it got me thinking: What does El Niño have in store for us snow hounds? To find out, I rang up a guy in the know: Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA's Climate Predication Center.
"El Niño is the big driver this winter," he said. "What El Niño does is it changes ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, which help shift patterns of tropical rainfall. That rainfall concentrates over the eastern Pacific and impacts the jetstream across the Pacific Ocean. Storms typically move from that jetstream." Here's what the mumbo jumbo means in terms of seasonal weather patterns from December through March:
• More precipitation in southern areas of the country, from all of California, across the Southwest, Texas, and Florida. At high elevations, this can mean copious amounts of snow.
• Less precipitation in the Pacific Northwest. (All you Mt. Baker folks, these are just projected trends not weather forecasts, ok?)
• Warmer temperatures across much of the West and central U.S., particularly north-central areas like Montana.
• Colder temps in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic.
• Equal chances of above-average or below-average snow years in the Northeast, since weather patterns there are dictated more by Atlantic flows.
Some handy graphics from NOAA, also known as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
'; output += ''; output += 'On Sunday, a German man who was about to board a flight from New Zealand was found to have 44 lizards stashed in his underwear, reports TreeHugger. The man confessed to being an endangered species dealer, and expected to get $1,500 in Europe for each of the geckos he had (no word on the street value of his skinks). He plead guilty to charges of trading in exploited species and hunting absolutely protected wildlife.
If you're wondering where exactly he put all those lizards, the story says that he had sewn onto his underwear eight compartments that held the various creatures -- 12 of which were found to be pregnant.
-- Lisa Lombardi
'; output += ''; output += 'Sure, it's great to see amazing feats of agility and speed in surfing videos, but sometimes you just want to see some wicked wipeouts. Luckily, TransWorld's got it covered with some cringe-worthy crashes from the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Surfing Invitational. Sit back, enjoy, and savor the fact that it's not you out there taking a gallon of seawater up the nose.
-- Lisa Lombardi
'; output += ''; output += 'Last week, tens of thousands of fish were poisoned when officials poured more than 8,000 liters of fish poison into a stretch of water that connects the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan, reports NewScientist.com. The poison, rotenone, was used as a drastic attempt to try to keep invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes (the electric shock barrier that usually keeps them out was having maintenance work done). Officials fear that if the carp are not stopped, they will overpower native fish species that are crucial to the lakes' sport and commerical fish industry, which brings in $7 billion per year. Apparently, only one bighead carp was found among the thousands of dead fish, but it is thought that the rest of the dead carp may have simply sunk to the bottom of the canal.
"We can't afford not to do everything possible to keep the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes," said an Illinois Department of Natural Resources representative in the article.
-- Lisa Lombardi
'; output += ''; output += 'Whether you're looking to get some holiday shopping done, or just need to upgrade your gear stash, a web site to watch is SteepandCheap.com. Much like Woot! and other bargain sites, SteepandCheap offers daily deals on outdoor apparel and gear, with products available at discounted prices until their stock runs out (which can be quick, so act fast if you see something you want). Today they've had Stoic jackets -- Backcountry.com's new house brand -- and a camping set of dishes and utensils, but tomorrow could mean anything from Mountain Hardwear shirts to hi-tech ear buds, perfect for running.
-- Lisa Lombardi
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Stephanie Gilmore has achieved the distinction of being the first ever surfer, male or female, to win the ASP World Title consecutively during the first three years of competing in the Tour. And she's only 21. To top off a year of victories, she just scored her third consecutive win at Billabong Pro Maui and her second consecutive win at the Vans Triple Crown. Gilmore's living the dream, and she knows it. Outside Online caught up with the Aussie wonder at the tail-end of an incredible year.
--Aileen Torres
How did you feel when you won the World Title for the third time? Did you know it was coming?
This year, it was kind of comfortable, familiar territory when it happened. Of course, it was unbelievable, but at the same time, it feels pretty normal to me.
What was the most memorable event over the last three years for you?
Winning in my rookie year was pretty cool. They're all kind of different in their little ways. The first time was a relief because I had so much expectation, from my peers as well. And then last year was really hard because everyone was, like, out to get you. And then this year, winning at home as the world champ, it's such a hard thing to do. You have the whole weight of the town on your shoulders. Everyone's on the beach watching, and they want you to win so bad, and when you lose, it's such a bummer. You feel so bad for everyone. So this year, when I won at home, it was a highlight.
What are your favorite surf breaks around the world?
Hawaii's a pretty special place. Indonesia, west Sumatra. The waves there are incredible. They're so perfect. It's so much fun out there. And I have to say, home. I love home. I grew up surfing all the time. We're pretty spoiled there, too. The waves are really, really good.
You've been traveling a lot. Is it part of a sponsor tour, or just you on holiday, or both?
It was my own doing. Actually, that was the highlight of my year. We had events canceled in the middle of the year, so we had, like, five months off. I guess everyone else was training and surfing and going hard, and I was like, You know what? I'm going to do something completely different. I'm going to travel. I'm going to go to Paris and New York and do all this awesome stuff and enjoy my other passions, which are music and fashion. So, I did that, and Rip Curl documented my travels.
What was the best part?
Driving up through NorCal, along [Highway] 1, was just unbelievable. The coastline there is so stunning. It blew me away. And then New York. I went up to Woodstock. You drive, like, an hour and a half north of Manhattan and then you're in green rolling hills, just being a hippie.
So you didn't really focus on training. You just had a good time. Went surfing wherever you wanted.
Basically. I was kind of like, I'm going to try a different approach this year, because the last couple of years, I surfed my brains out in between events. I was just consumed by trying to win and surf better.
How did you feel going into the Vans Triple Crown this year?
Hawaii's amazing because it's got every emotion, all mixed together. You come over here with world titles on the line, Triple Crown on the line, and people trying to requalify for the World Tour, the waves are gonna be big--it's like you're so scared but excited at the same time. I got here and got some really good boards--equipment is probably the most important thing here--and kind of got in the Hawaiian vibe.