Wavesport Diesel 70 Update
I went down to the local paddling shop the other day and was drooling all over the new Diesel 70 again when one of their shop staff suggested I take it for a demo. I realize now she probably just wanted me to wash the drool off but hey, it got me in the boat. The boat paddles like a dream. It's perfect for the type of paddling I like to do. This demo run was on the South Fork of the Payette (class III / IV)at about 2500 cfs.
The edges are definitely softer than the Diesel of years' past but once I got used to how it handled, it was amazing. I felt pretty indestructable in this boat. It tracked well, turned when I wanted it to, and rolls super easy.
Bottom line, this boat would be great for anyone from the beginner paddler just learning how to not tip over all the way up to an advanced paddler looking for a fun, easy to paddle boat that can take easy class V, tight technical creeks, and everything in between.
The hills are alive…but I can’t hear any music
A couple of climbers recently were swept up in an avalanche in New England while ascending Mt. Washington. Here's there story.
A brave new world…sort of.
Several years ago a few whitewater kayak manufacturers decided it would be a sweet idea to put a storage compartment into one of their boats. The idea rocked but it was a little before it's time and sales were a little less than stellar.
Enter 2009 and it's a whole new world of boating. The market has finally arrived for whitewater boats with storage capacity. Source to sea expeditions are taking place on rivers around the globe. Very few of these rivers have epic whitewater or glassy flat water the entire way and kayak manufacturers have made note of this and two of them stepped up to the plate with new boats for the growing genre.
The first of which is Liquid Logic.
They took their uber popular Remix from last year, puffed it up a little, added some storage and a skeg (drop down rudder looking thing) and have a rocking new boat called the Remix XP. It comes in two sizes and looks quite capable of handling the big stuff while still being enjoyable for the paddle out.
The other boat is the new Jackson All Water.
Again quite a capable boat with a storage compartment and a stowable skeg. These two new boats are bringing back an idea that was a bit ahead of it's time at what we believe to be just the right time.
Holy Snow Rollers Batman!
While poking around on Digg we came across this little piece of Idaho. Camas Prairie is where most of the area's snow kiters head to do their thing as the area gets moderate amounts of snow and great winds. One other thing these conditions allow is the formation of "snow rollers". From the looks of things the wind kicks some snow around until it gains momentum and starts to stick, creating rolls of snow. The largest of which in this incident are said to be about 2 feet tall. Here's some more.
Two dollars, I want my two dollars (Better off Dead…anybody?)
For those of you that have enjoyed gear-addicts.com over the years and have always wondered what you can do to help, we've come up with a solution. Just recently we realized that there's a simple way to donate money to keep small sites like ours up and running. We're quite happy to introduce the "Support Gear Addicts" page. Check it out. You don't have to but we'd sure love you if you did.
Wavesport Diesel 70
After spending all winter thinking about kayaking, the season is finally here. We started boating again in late March and have tried to make time at least once a week so far. I think this will be the year to get a new boat and after looking around on different boating websites, I saw some amazing news! My favorite boat of last year, the Wavesport Diesel 75, has undergone some changes. From the sound of things, everyone that's tried the new boat (the Diesel 70) is a huge fan. A few of the things I felt the old boat was missing, including the ability to quickly resurface after a drop, have been fixed in the new boat. Add to that some sexy new lines and the boat looks like it could be a hit. I'll try to find one to try out and I'll let you know what I think. Stay posted.
Greg’s bike build – Part 1
Since it seems that all the cool kids are doing it, I figured I'd start writing about the new bike that I'm building this spring. I decided at the end of last year that a 6" travel full suspension bike would be pretty darn fun, so I got to researching.  So far, most of the drive train has shown up, as well as the frame. For my frame I ended up going with an 07 Specialized S-Works Enduro. It wasn't ever one of the front runners for a frame because I had no way to get one for cheap but then one morning there it was on Ebay with a price well within my budget so I snagged it as fast as possible. It's beautiful and I'm super stoked to get it built up.
For my drivetrain I decided to go with full Shimano XT. I picked up the Shadow rear derailleur to try to keep the rocks at bay.  A buddy ordered the Saint version of the Shadow and it made me start wishing I had gone the same route. Oh well, mine's a bit lighter. For those that are reading this and asking what the heck a Shadow derailleur is, it's the same derailleur that you're used to only with a narrower profile. This allows it to tuck under the frame a bit more to protect it from angry rocks. Should be pretty cool.
That's pretty much all for now. I'll keep things posted as the days progress.
Sometimes you’re just cold
We here at GA would like to introduce you to the newest member of the performance sweater family, the Full Body Sweater. I know you're thinking that the performance sweater died out in the 80's when the moths finally consumed your dad's ski sweater, but you're oh so wrong. This new sweater is made of the finest 50% cotton, 50%acrylic, 50% scientific stuff they won't even tell us about,  blend to keep you warm and performing your best, not to mention looking amazing.Â
