Rebecca Rusch Beats Every Guy In Alaska

September 2, 2010

…or at least I hope she tries. Because if anyone can shut down an entire state full of racers, it’s probably Rebecca Rusch, commonly known by her nickname, Reba. Reba took some time to chat with me last week about her latest victory and new course record in Leadville, what it’s like to be a 42 year old professional female bike racer, and why we’ll see more fast women as time goes on.

Thanks for taking the time to talk with me. You’re back home now, right?

Yeah, I am.

How is that?

It’s good! It seems weird that it was only a week ago. But I went to another race last weekend that was close by here, so yeah, I’m kind of in and out, but that’s how my life is.

It seems as if you’re used to that kind of thing with all of the traveling that you’ve done.

Yeah, but I love coming home here, it’s a great place to come home to.

Yeah, in all the interviews I’ve read with you, I keep thinking that I want to come visit Ketchum.

Where do you live?

I’m from Alaska but have been spending this year in Bellingham and Vancouver BC.

Oh, nice.

Yeah, a little break from the cold. So, just in conversing with you over Twitter a couple of times, and reading your blogs and other interviews that you’ve done you’ve given me some great tips on how to get better as a biker…

Good!

I think the biggest one was, strangely enough, to get on a road bike more often. I never expected that to make such a big difference but it really really does, so I wanted to thank you for that.

Cool.

It’s really fun to see a woman of my generation out there kicking ass and living life really big and bold and you have a really rare job, as a professional female athlete and a well known one at that.

It is a rare job, yeah, I kind of laugh about it all the time, especially now that I’m turning 42 this week, I just keep thinking…oh my god. For a bike racer…I was watching football last night and they were saying “oh, Brett Farve, he’s 40 and in the NFL” and I just thought “he’s younger than I am!” But I don’t get hit, I don’t get beaten up like football players do.

You don’t, even on a mountain bike?

Well, at least I don’t have people trying to hit me on purpose.

True.

It’s really cool to have been able to have extended my career like this and to be able to do stuff I love to do. It’s a blast.

Do you see yourself as an unusual person?

It’s not unusual for me, because my life has always been a little bit, um, not by the books. But when I look around or go to my high school reunions or what have you, and hear “oh ,you’re so lucky” – I just think that it’s not “lucky”, it’s choice! I know I have an unusual job, but I’ve just kind of followed my heart and things have fallen into place. I never set out to be a professional athlete, and I never set out to be a bike racer, and all these things just kind of fell into place because I was open to opportunities. So it’s been cool (laughs).

Yeah, to say the least, that’s very cool. It reminds me of being out riding a bike and getting comments on the trails about how unusual it is to see a woman on a mountain bike. For me, I know a lot of women that ride, so why do you think so many people are still surprised to see women on bikes?

You know, I’m kind of blown away by it too, because where I’m from, you all get beaten in a race by a 60 year old woman or whatever. It’s normal here to look at the race results from ski races or whatever and you’ll see a 25 year old girl, a 60 year old guy, all in the top three – a 14 year old ski race kid – every type of person. Here it’s not unusual to see everyone and their parents and the kids and the wife all participating in sports, but I guess when you go to places that aren’t super heavy resort towns or just aren’t outdoorsy then you start to realize that there still is a little bit of discrepancy. Like the number for Leadville; there were 1500 racers and only 250 of them were women. So I think wow, really? So there is this disparity that exists.

Somebody asked me in an interview “are men rude to you when you pass them?” and I say absolutely not, they’re used to seeing fast women. So I definitely think it’s changing. This year there were a couple first ever in the US women’s only bike races that I read about, so I definitely think it’s changing which is very cool to witness. I love to teach women’s clinics and to encourage women to get out there so it’s changing for sure – but we’re still a little bit in the minority.

Do you think that the numbers in the races are reflective of the numbers of women that are riding? Do you think women are a little reluctant to race?

Yeah, I definitely think that to a lot of women, and a lot of people, that race is a four letter word. A lot of women are out there riding just to have fun, and the idea of a race – lining up and being timed and having a whole bunch of people around is intimidating. I mean, it’s intimidating for anyone but I think even more so for women. A lot of women don’t want to measure themselves against other people, it’s not why they do it. But I really try to encourage women to race because you are measuring yourself against yourself. You are putting yourself out there on the line to get outside of your comfort zone, and whether you are first or last I think it’s a really valuable experience. So I really try to encourage women to get out there and race, not because you need to beat anybody, or be in front of anybody but to push themselves. It’s intimidating you know, with a bunch of guys, you think, “oh god I’m going to be plowed over,” and it takes years to learn how to hold your own. That’s why I think the women’s races are great – and now they separate out the short track races so that all the women race together, and that’s gotten more people involved, because they’re not afraid to line up and lead the way.

Yeah, we’ve all had that experience with guys trying to kill themselves going up a hill to avoid getting passed by a woman, right?

Right, and I just think “all right, go ahead, I’ll pass you later.” (laughs)

There was an article that came out in a newspaper in Alaska last summer, stating that many male racers have the single goal to just not get “chicked” and I thought “Really? Still?”

I should come to Alaska and do a race then. (laughs)

Yeah, I really think you should. I think that would be great. Not that they don’t already get chicked sometimes up there.

I guess in the weird male sort of way, it’s a compliment, they’re like “aw, I don’t want to get beat by a girl”, but they’re thinking about it “oh, maybe I’m gonna get beat by a girl!” So I guess it’s an offhanded compliment.

That’s one way to look at it. I like the positive spin. Men don’t grow up hearing that getting beaten by a man is shameful but they grow up hearing that getting beat by a woman is shameful for whatever reason, so…

..or someone older, or whatever, you know, there are always those extremes…you know, a 60 year old woman beats you then – then she’s stronger than you are.

And that’s the reality, right?

Exactly.

So you started getting serious about mountain biking at around the same time you started your EMT/Firefighting work, correct?

Actually yeah, it was about the same time.

Are there any parallels there or was that just a coincidence?

No, I think it was just a coincidence. I’ve always been interested in fire service and I went through some training in LA when I was there, and I had a bunch of friends I was palling with – women that were firefighters – and that was years ago, but I thought “wow, these women are super strong and this is really cool, and I’ve always been interested in that job. And the beauty of being in a small town is that you can do it part time. They won’t take just anybody, but they’ll take people who are fit, and interested. When I am home I have a really open schedule so it actually worked out really great. It’s a nice diversion for me to do something else that is still athletic and motivating. Every day is different, it’s not all bike racing all the time, and I can give back to my community. And I’ve met a whole new group of friends as well, a bunch of them are cyclists, but some of them are hunters – all these different groups of people that maybe I never would have hung out with if I was just hanging out with my little bike clique.

That’s a good point, you’d think that bike racers and firefighters might be a bit different, but actually in your town it sounds as if everyone has their hands in a few different things.

Yeah, it’s probably a lot like Alaska, everyone does a little bit of everything here. Firefighting is a blast. Not that I hope for fires, but when the pager goes off I think …yeah!

So you once said that you were a lousy cyclist…

..well yeah!

…and I think you turned out to be the fastest woman in the first race you entered, I believe, so why did you think you were lousy and was it winning that convince you otherwise?

Well, I would still say that technically I am way behind someone like Sue Haywood or someone who has been a cyclist since they were a kid. The reason I’ve been able to win races is more fitness, you know, I can go uphill pretty well but I’ve really had to work on the downhill, and learning how to pedal efficiently. That comes back to the road biking as well. I’ve gotten better but I’ve put a lot of time in to try to ride better technically. I am still for sure a late bloomer, behind some of the women who have been riding since they were kids. It’s harder as an adult to make up for lost time with the technical skills. So I put a lot of attention into that. But I’m still not, you know, a really ripping descender, but I’m working on it.

An article in 2008 in Mountain Bike magazine was entitled “Winning Ugly” –

(laughs) uh huh!

– and it cited your lack of technical skill in the ‘ 07 24 Hours of Adrenalin race. So when you read that, how did it make you feel and what made you rise to meet that challenge rather than backing down?

You know, I wasn’t insulted when I read that, because it was true. That was the first race where – and I’ve mentioned Sue Haywood’s name already – when I was riding behind her on one of the laps and was just blown away by how smooth and beautiful she was riding on the technical stuff and it was like this light bulb went off in my head, that oh my gosh, I’m wasting so much energy. And watching Sue, and then riding the same speed as her, but I’m burning way more calories because I’m overcorrecting and oversteering and overbraking, and if you watch her, she’s just like water, like a river flowing over rocks, and I definitely wasn’t (laughs). Because I was like this beach ball, just bouncing through them, instead. It was this really visual illustration of wow, that is the way it’s supposed to be done. And I did want to rise to the occasion because there’s nothing worse than passing someone on the uphill and then having them pass you on the downhill, those parts when you’re supposed to be resting. I was just working way too hard and I didn’t want to give up time there any more. So I entered Super D races recently, and short track races, and cyclocross; all those are ways for me to try to work on my technical skills. My boyfriend Greg helped me out a bunch, and I got more of a downhill bike that I played with, and it’s making me more of a complete cyclist. And it’s fun to get better at something, it’s fun to see your skills change and be able to ride something you couldn’t ride before.

For someone like me, who is very strong, but is not as strong with technical skills, it’s a constant frustration for me. So what is the number one thing that I should be doing to improve?

You know, I really think that for me, it was getting out of my element. When I go on a ride, instead of working on my strength, which was going uphill – which sounds like you, with the fitness – I spent a few days riding up the chairlift at Baldy and just riding down a few times. And entering cyclocross races which I think are great bike handling sessions. So for me it was just getting out of my element, trying new things, you know, if I didn’t ride over something, instead of getting mad and moving on, it’s more like “okay, I’m going to go back and try that.” And just kind of working yourself, kind of take your medicine. (laughs)

Does that sometimes come with some bumps and bruises and frustration?

It does, but I also think that there are learning atmospheres that are more supportive than others. I’m actually considering going up to Whistler this fall and taking a women’s class, and doing stuff like that, which will be really fun. And all these lift access places – Keystone’s really fun for that, and Winter Park – there a bunch of places where if you can take a lift up and take a few downhill runs, it’s a lot faster learning curve than having to go out for a normal XC ride and maybe only do one technical section. I think the repetitive nature of it is really important. And there’s tons of women’s classes and ways to start small. I also think the bike makes a big difference, you know, getting off the cross country race bike and getting on a squishier bike that is more forgiving and makes you think “oh! I can go over that.” (laughs) Hopefully then that transfers to your cross country riding.

That’s really interesting that you mention that because up at Crankworx last weekend I spent some time demo-ing the Specialized bikes. I took out some of their women’s bikes and I thought that the suspension design was by far the most noticeable difference.

Uh huh. Which bikes did you take out?

I took out the Safire –

-oh, nice, that’s a great bike.

Uh huh, it’s a great bike. I took out a few other ones too, but to me the suspension difference was very very noticeable, and I’ve read some comments from you about it as well. So how important has that difference been for you?

Two ways, the suspension on my race bikes, you know, with all the Brain technology, which is awesome – you can have full suspension but basically it rides like a hardtail. But like you said, in working on technical stuff, getting on something like the Safire that has a slacker head tube, more suspension, it’s more forgiving, but you can also pedal it uphill, that makes a big difference because the bike is built to go over more things than perhaps the Era might be. But even when I first got the Era, I rode over things I could never ride before, and that’s the suspension, 100%.

The Era is a 29er, correct?

No, not yet. The Era is the women’s version of the Epic, and for 2011 they have a 29er Epic but they don’t have a 29er Era; the Era is 26. So for more technical races, cross-country type races, I’ll ride the Era, and then for Leadville I rode the 29er hardtail because it’s not a technical race, it’s a little more of a roadie race.

I found a really big difference when I rode a 29er; I’m really excited to get one now. But it’s been a little difficult busting through that resistance in shops; I’m not a tall person and the assumption is that I shouldn’t be riding one, but I know a lot of women racers ride them.

Yeah, and it’s like you said, you’re demo-ing them and trying them out, it’s the only way to tell if it’s right for you. A lot of people ask me about it – I’m just barely 5’7” and I’m sold on the 29 wheels for someone of my size; I think it’s fine. And the bikes have gotten so much lighter now that there’s not really a weight penalty to it. Initially I would have said that if you’re small and it’s that much heavier, maybe it’s not worth it, but now there’s not that weight penalty anymore.

I decided to try one because of all the things you were saying about it in interviews I was reading.

Yeah, you gotta try, it’s the only way, and that’s what’s so cool about the demo program. I even went to Crankworx Colorado last year because I wanted to demo a whole bunch of bikes, and try some of the downhill bikes – it’s just such an awesome way to work on skills and try new bikes. You wouldn’t buy a pair of shoes without trying them on, yet people will buy bikes without demo-ing them, which I don’t really understand. (laughs)

So I read another quote from you, that “people are more used to seeing fast women.” We talked about that already a bit, but do you think we are going to be seeing more fast women?

Absolutely. If you look around, like at our local pump track that we have right here next to my house, and you see all the little girls on their bikes, and they’re ripping it up. It’s definitely going to be the trickle effect; when those kids are 15, 16, they’re going to be so good at whatever sport they chose whether it’s skiing or cycling, and those opportunities are available for girls, now, in riding. There’s the whole high school league that’s taking off, are you aware of that?

No, tell me more!

Oh my gosh. Well it started as California high school league, and northern and southern California, and it’s like a normal sport like basketball or track, and it’s been so successful that now there’s a national high school league called NICA – National Interscholastic Cycling Association – and it’s spreading to Colorado, Oregon, there are new chapters everywhere around the country this year and it’s super exciting. In talking to the guy that runs the whole program and started the California one, he said that last year he had to separate out all the girls classes because they had too many female racers. It’s just growing and growing and growing so all these kids are getting the opportunity in high school to race bikes as their sport, and stuff like that is just going to make it all take off. It’s pretty cool.

So are you taking any steps to bring along new women riders?

Well, Specialized is a sponsor of the high school league, and hopefully I’m going to be signed up for some clinics in 2011. I do some local stuff here with the women’s group but I definitely want to get more involved in the high school league for sure, and as my racing slows down hopefully I’ll have more time to be doing clinics. I took the Leadville movie around and showed that as a fundraiser last year, and there were a bunch of girls and a bunch of young people at the show, which is really cool. Hopefully what I’m doing is inspiring other people.

I can speak for myself, it’s definitely inspiring. You seem to be having a great time with the Ask Reba contest, and fans seem to really love conversing with you. You’ve been called the “most accessible elite level athlete of any stripe.” Is this something you consciously strive to develop?

You know it’s kind of twofold. Selfishly, I keep up the web site and all that because I want to keep doing my job because I like what I do for a living, and sponsors definitely want that kind of communication. But I also do it because I really like it. And I spend the time answering the questions myself for Ask Reba, and I do it because I want to be an approachable athlete, and I want to share my knowledge – I have a master’s or a PhD or whatever in endurance racing and if I can share that with somebody else, I’m all for it. It’s a ton of time and effort to keep up with blogging, and Twittering, and everything (laughs) and some days it’s a little overwhelming. But it’s also really cool, for instance, to chat with you and hear from you “oh, you gave me advice on Twitter” – that to me is super rewarding, and if people are actually reading it, and it’s going somewhere and it’s not just my mom reading it…

(I crack up because that’s sometimes what I think about my own web site at times)

…and if it helps then that’s awesome.

Well it definitely helps and I definitely notice that you’re willing to talk to people and talk to fans and I think that’s great.

Cool, thanks.

So I was curious about another thing I read about you. I read that last year you were put on warning for riding a race along with Greg, and I was curious about that – were you both put on warning?

Yeah, we were actually. It was the 24 Hour World Championships last year. He and I were put on warning during about 6 hours into the race, our crew was notified and all this hubbub was created because Greg and I were riding too close together. We were accused of helping each other, but I thought, you know, hmmm….what is the official amount that we can be together? Because we train together all the time we finish close together in almost every race – we’re about the same speed, so it’s a coin toss as to who will be in front of the other in most races. What was weird about that is that he’s racing single speed, he’s the defending 24 hour world champion, I’m the two time defending 24 hour world champion, so Greg and I are thinking “well, if we’re cheating, then who’s the domestique?” We’re both going for the win, so who is sacrificing their race to help the other person? And, I don’t know – it was kind of a bogus call. It’s a very technical singletrack course, so there’s no draft, so how can you help each other?

So it was a pretty unfortunate situation and it soured a little bit of the race for both of us because our crew was being accosted, and Greg and I were thinking, you know, “I don’t understand – what are we doing wrong?” Being accused of cheating, when it’s not like we came out of nowhere, and [it’s not as if] we’d never won a race before – so yeah, it was kind of hurtful and the race director and I had words about it afterwards. And I said that if there is an official protest then we all should sit down and talk about who is protesting and what the problem is. It wasn’t great communication and we never got a straight answer about what we were doing wrong. So what happened in the end is that my crew actually sat me down and said “you don’t talk to Greg during this race” and they held me for half an hour, and I stayed in the pit to put enough of a gap between myself and Greg so that we didn’t see each other the rest of the race, just to be safe. I trained all year for that race, I’m not about to get disqualified. So I sat for a half an hour and we didn’t see each other the rest of the race and we didn’t speak to each other. So it ended up being fine, we weren’t disqualified and we both won and got the titles, but it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth for sure. I’m not that type of an athlete, I would never cheat. If someone is accusing me that’s fine, but come right to my face and tell me what I did wrong, and I’ll correct it. So it was a little weird.

If you had caught up with him do you think there would have been additional problems?

I don’t know! And that’s what was so confusing is that I just didn’t understand what we were doing wrong, because we weren’t right together – he’s on a single speed and I’m on a geared bike, so the way that it was working out I’d see him throughout the course; on the climbs he’d be faster, on the flats I would catch back up. So it was kind of ebb and flow, but we’d always end up coming through the aid station within a couple minutes of each other, even if I hadn’t seen him the whole lap. So that’s why I wondered “how are we cheating if we’re not even seeing each other?” So I don’t know. I have sort of let it go, water off the duck’s back or whatever, but I was frustrated for that race. But I guess it provided Greg a lot more motivation and I think he went a lot faster because he was mad. (we both laugh) So I don’t think I could have caught him if I wanted to. But the result ended up fine and everything was fine, but at the end I was just sort of “hmmmmm….I’m not a cheater!”

Well that sounds frustrating.

It was frustrating, especially having put my heart and soul into that race, it was my peak event of the year and a big goal of mine, and if I had been disqualified, especially for something I wasn’t doing, I can’t imagine a worse outcome. But luckily that didn’t happen and it all turned out okay. But I guess I learned….well I don’t know what lesson I learned.

That’s unfortunate because it’s got to be usually a good experience going through a race like that supporting each other.

Well it’s definitely nice, you’re all alone out there in the middle of the night to then see somebody that you know and just say “oh hey how’s it going?” and just exchange a few words, it’s definitely a nice little bit of motivation. But like I said it turned out okay and everybody’s recovered from it (laughs).

Well good, I didn’t mean to drag up old issues then.

Oh (laughs) it’s okay, no problem.

So how does it feel to have a backpack, the Gregory Arreba, named after you?

You know, that was really fun. That was an old project from adventure racing days. With any sponsor it’s really fun when they get the athletes involved and want our feedback, and ask us about products and let us try prototypes. It’s definitely one of my favorite things and when they are using their athletes in that way, I think it’s great. I don’t know – is the Arreba still in production, or is that long gone?

I think it’s gone at this point. (I try to speak with authority having just met with Gregory at ORSM to go over their 2011 line.) I still think it’s neat, and I wondered what else you might want to have named after you at this point?

Well, Light in Motion did a light for me a couple years ago called the Rusch, they did a limited edition of their Stella and called it the Rusch, and made it orange which is my favorite color. It’s definitely fun, and I keep one of each – I have an Arreba and I kept one Rusch – I keep one of each of those little items. But it’s cool, it’s an honor that someone wants to name something after me and ask for my input – it’s great.

Do you see a Reba or a Rusch bike in the future?

Oh man, I don’t know, you know Specialized doesn’t really name their bikes after people so, I don’t know…it’d be very cool, I’d be honored, but I can’t call them up and say “hey, you should name a bike after me!” (we both laugh)

You can always try, the Specialized folks are pretty fun.

It would be cool. People always ask me if the Rox Shox Reba fork is named after me, which it’s not…it’s actually named after a dog, who’s now dead, but somebody’s dog was named Reba, so the fork got that name. People always say “your name’s on your fork!” and I have to say “no, it’s not really named after me…”

Is that a conversation stopper when you say “no, it’s someone’s dead dog?”

No, I don’t always say that, it depends on the person. Mostly I just say it’s named after a dog. I never met the dog.

(I resist cracking some Indiana-Jones-named-after-the-dog joke) So in a more general sense, what do you think is the biggest obstacle for women mountain bikers – recreational riders, racers, and women who just want to get into it right now?

I think probably finding a group or learning from other women, because I definitely see that women will sign up for, or find it more encouraging to sign up for a women’s class, or ride in a women’s group, or do a women’s race – it’s not as intimidating. And while those things are out there, they’re not as prevalent as, say, the Wednesday night group ride that’s mostly men, or whatever. We have a local women’s mountain bike group, and I think most communities are starting to get that, but I think it’s super important for women to seek out other women to ride with. It’s a different experience, it’s an easier learning curve, it’s a little bit more encouraging – not that guys aren’t encouraging, but they’re just different than girls. If you see your girlfriend riding over something you’ll think “oh, she did that, I’m going to try it!” when a lot of times when you see a guy do it you’ll think “oh, well he’s a guy” or “oh, he’s been riding longer than I have” and you might not try to ride it. I do think that it’s important, whether you’re starting out, or whether you’re getting into racing, or whether you’re like me, a pro, it’s still important to seek out the girlfriend opportunities and make sure you’re not always riding with the guys.

After we just talked about how common it is to have women out there riding, we’re now talking about how tough it is to find women to ride with!

Yeah, they’re out there, but finding the right group, finding the people who motivate you, who are about your same speed – you know, that’s hard for guys too. But that would be my biggest advice, to start a little group or club, or find one near you, or go to Whistler and take a women’s class, or – you know there’s a Dirt Series that’s all-woman mountain bike clinics and they do stuff in Canada and in the U.S. So the stuff is out there, it’s just a little more research. Or start your own group, you know, your own little posse of girlfriends that you ride with. I have a few training buddies that are all women who I rely on pretty heavily. Even though they are slower than me, they’re willing to go out and do whatever training day I have on the roster.

That’s got to be a challenge, to come out and try and keep up with you during one of your training days.

Well we just kind of circle back, or I’ll do intervals, or we’ll meet up during the down times, and we just kind of make it work. But for me it’s really motivating, and way better to have someone out there with me – we do the warm up together then do the hard work on our own, then meet back up and it’s just so much easier for me to have another person there than to go out all by myself and do that alone.

On that note, with all the training that you’re doing, and I know that you have no plans on stopping anytime soon, do you think you’re at the top of your game, or do you think there is more to come?

I don’t know, you know, every time I think I’m at the top of my game – you know, for Leadville I thought there’s no way I can go faster than last year and then something else works out, and I was 30 minutes faster than last year, so I just learned a lot more about resting and recovery and nutrition and training, so I still think there is room to grow, for sure. Especially in races like Super D races and stuff like that, where I have more technical skills to learn, for sure.

Your Leadville race was so much faster than last year but you also said this was one of the hardest, biggest sufferfests you’ve ever had.

Yeah, I went pretty deep. I worked really, really hard. It was interesting, in his pre-race speech the night before, the race director Ken mentioned something about how all of you out there who think it’s easy for the winners and those at the front of the pack, they suffer just as much as you do if not more. I definitely agree with him. Someone who’s last, they might think “oh it’s so easy for somebody at the front,” but whether you’re first or last – I’m giving 110%. So it definitely wasn’t easy for me in any way. I went super hard and had the course record in my mind, but that’s what it’s like to be a competitor I guess. You are digging super deep. Yeah, Leadville was hard. Even though my time was much faster, it was much harder than it was last time.

So when you think about next year’s Leadville, do you kind of look forward to the pain, do you dread it, or is it just part of the job?

Yes and no, I have mixed feelings about it, I mean I just won this race and everybody’s already asking me about next year, and I just think “ahhh, can’t I just enjoy this win for a couple months?”

(I feel guilty for asking the question)

But the competitor in me is already thinking about next year, and, oh, I know the course…so it’s a little bit of both. Part of me wants to just sit on my butt and rest on my laurels a little bit, and part of me can’t.

Yeah the athlete part of you probably doesn’t spend too much time on her laurels.

…sometimes I feel like I do! (laughs) But races are really motivating for me. I went to a race this weekend, not because I needed to tick off another race, but it was a really fun course and it was close to home, and I’m much better lining up and doing something like that than I am at going out and pushing myself for five hours by myself. So I really like to use racing for training, it’s fun – but not everybody’s like that.

Yeah. I admit to being one of the people who is a little intimidated about racing and I’ve never tried it, because I got into mountain biking a little later in life. It’s been hard to convince myself to take that step.

Have you considered signing up for a women’s only mountain bike race rather than a mixed one?

I’m actually signed up to do a mountain bike leg in an adventure race, so we’ll see how it goes.

Oh, nice. Right on.

So I’ll remember the lessons I learned from you in this interview.

Sometimes the hardest part is just signing up. Once the gun goes off and you’re actually in it you just sort of deal, you just get through it.

Yeah, I guess at that point you have little choice.

You’re there, you gotta – you either quit or get to the finish, so figure it out.

Way to break it down and simplify it – either quit or get to the finish!

Yep, those are the options!

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me.

Well that was a great interview, you’ve done your research.

(I just included that part so that you all could read that Reba thought it was a great interview)

Thanks again to Rebecca Rusch for taking so much time to chat with me. 45 minutes! That was a LOT to transcribe, believe me. More than once I was remembering Reba’s words “either quit, or get to the finish….”

So if you’re as tired of reading as I am of transcribing, have a look at this video from Specialized, featuring Reba’s awesome record breaking performance at Leadville. Then put your reading glasses back on and check out Reba’s blog post about her Leadville experience.

Thoughts on OR. The good.

August 16, 2010

I didn’t intend on separating bad from good, but that’s the nature of the creative process, isn’t it? I did see a lot of great stuff at OR. That one bad experience (click here) just needed to be dealt with separately.

Mostly I was very happy with how much women’s gear has improved in the few years I’ve been involved in the industry. Everywhere I looked I saw great women’s specific product, particularly from the established companies and manufacturers. New companies that weren’t making ONLY women’s product tended to be a bit behind the curve, still, but they’re working on that Euro method of dumping the men’s product out, seeing if it does OK, THEN making a women’s version. I personally think they could be missing out on some serious money making by not putting out good women’s versions from the get-go, but it’s their bottom line so let them do it their way.

Women’s packs have taken big strides, with Gregory and Mammut’s offerings taking top honors from me. I’m keen to give those packs a try so look for them in the lineup soon. I was happy to see that the too-big Petzl ELIA sample helmet I had been testing was just a goofed-up prototype and the real ELIA fits just fine. SCARPA gets a big thumbs-up for jettisoning the hackneyed Diva name from their ski boot line and coming up with the Shaka and Gea as well. I’ve never been disappointed with a pair of SCARPA ski boots so I’m excited to see what the new versions have to offer. Ortovox was a lot of fun to meet with and seem to be very keen on improving the women’s line, though their current women’s packs are already in the front of the line in my gear room. All of my wheel-squeaking paid off with RAB, which has finally released the women’s version of the Alpine Trek Pants. I was so excited about the pants that I absconded with them to the changing room to try them on, and they fit and look great so I’m stoked to get my hands on a pair to try in the real world. Because no, the RAB fitting room at OR is not the real world.

Footwear companies seem to be catching on to the fact that women have feet, too, with Tecnica and La Sportiva presenting an impressive array of women’s specific footwear. As you all know I am convinced that La Sportiva can do no wrong, but I’ve never tried Tecnica and I have to love their blatant casting aside of the minimalist trend as they bring forward some maximalist running shoes. Again, real world experience is needed so just stay tuned.

Skirt Sports and Isis were outstanding with their women’s apparel as usual, and I was impressed by my first meeting ever with Carve Designs, a company making surf and swimwear as well as beach lifestyle apparel exclusively for women. I love the photography in their catalog and on their web site, which portrays women as surfers and athletes, not just “models”.

Buff stole my idea for cutting Buffs in half to make them fit better under a helmet, but then they gave me two more Buffs so I forgive them. They also plan to make more of their Buffs with insect shield, which really really works. That too was my idea but if they give me another insect shield Buff I will forgive them for that too. Buff can really get away with a lot because I love Buffs. I can be bought with Buffs, yes – but only by Buff itself. The rest of you have to come up with something else.

At this point I was tired but the new watermelon flavored Chomps from Gu gave me a little pick-me-up. That was pretty much the sum total of my lunch that day so the fact that I’m not lying on the show floor dead of hunger is probably a good endorsement for Gu.

Lafuma and Millet were brand new to me but I was really impressed by their stuff. I currently have a Millet pack to test but I liked the clothing as well so hopefully I’ll have some details for you on their stuff later. Mountain Hardwear, a perennial favorite, was fantastic as usual and it was great to see the familiar faces again after spending a few days with them testing packs last year. I made fantastic new friends at the Columbia booth and was happy to see that my feedback on the Ravenous running shoe had been heard loud and clear and that another, stiffer version of the Ravenous is coming to the market.

I got some SUPER EXCITING news for women from Patagonia, but I can’t tell you what it is because they specifically asked me not to tell. If you are familiar with the Patagonia line and you can think of a great product that is currently not available in a women’s version, you will be very, very happy when this news becomes public.

My visit to the Icebreaker booth was just a drop by but the very personable and entertaining Nick won me over by filling my swag bag with socks and a dress. A dress! I love dresses ergo I love Icebreaker. I have used the socks already and can tell you now that Icebreaker makes great socks. I was really digging on their line of cycling apparel and their general vibe and great product. I had a fun time at the Polarmax booth with Don Watkins checking out the base layers and the new undies with “Scent Prevent”. I warned Don ahead of time that I was going to have some fun with that one and I think he may have blushed a bit.

Mountain Khakis has some great new stuff and were good fun to visit as always. I hope all you media types took advantage of their great pre-order offer which benefited the Conservation Alliance as well as whoever bought Mountain Khaki pants for that cheap. Even if you didn’t, MK is fantastic and even the full price pants are a good buy.

Dog gear was out on full force as well. Every year it just gets better and better. I guess I have to disclose that my dog is a sponsored D-Fa athlete so we get to try all of their great stuff. D for dogs, said with a New Zealand accent, D-Fa, get it? This year we got a new D-Fa DFD dog PFD to keep the furry little guy safe in the water, and a danger orange reflective Moon Walker raincoat to keep him safe on the dark, rainy streets of Vancouver. He’s really looking forward to using his Puff Doggy coat this winter in the cold weather, and he just generally likes going to D-Fa because the folks there are so great to hang out with. He always gets a full session of belly rubs and head scratches, and probably more ego-boosting comments about how gorgeous he is than he really should get. Don’t want him to get a big head or anything.

Geardog kept his strength up with new treats from Zukes and PeakWaggers. I usually don’t give him any treats because he is highly allergic to many dog foods and treats. However, I felt bad for him having to hike the show floor so much, so I let him have tons of treats and he didn’t have a reaction to any of them. He was INSANE for the Zuke’s treats at the Verde PR media event, and was always happy to go to the Bark Park where a basket of Peak Waggers waited to give his blood sugar a boost.

He and I were also highly impressed by Ruff Wear which has a GREAT new product on the market; winter booties for dogs that have built-in gaiters as well as protection from cuts from ski edges. Geardog even got a new Lunker toy which he was VERY happy with, and got to rest for a while on the new Highlands bed which he liked very much. Usually we go for the winter stuff to keep him warm during his avalanche duties, but in Salt Lake City we would have been happy to try the Swamp Cooler cooling jacket too.

Whew! What a wrap up! That’s really only about half of what we saw. Tons of good stuff this year, a great vibe, and all around a great show. Look for details on the new products in the reviews section over the next few months, and let me know if there is anything I missed, because the show is just so big that I’m sure I missed a lot.

Thoughts on OR. The bad.

August 16, 2010

“Thoughts on OR” great title, eh? I’ve done two trade shows/industry events in the last two weeks on top of researching three separate articles and my creativity is circling the drain, so that’s the title I came up with. But I do have some thoughts on OR that I want to get in print, so here goes.

This is Monday of the Big To-Do List so I’m just going to cut to the chase. My first thought is that I was beyond disappointed to see women in thongs with their asses hanging out at a booth in the show, promoting “technical lingerie” or something like that. When I walked by I was on my way to an appointment so I didn’t have much time to react, but I sure wish I’d had taken a minute to stop by and tell the booth minders what I thought of their attention getting technique. I didn’t, though, so I’ll tell you. I think it is really disrespectful and inappropriate. People like me and countless others have worked hard to build respect for women into the industry and along comes a bunch of dumbasses (pun intended?) who think that OR is equivalent to some sort of car show and that mostly-nude “spokesmodels” are the way to go. I got out of the fitness industry because there is no role for women other than as sex objects there. I see this type of thing in the bike industry as well and that is why I don’t go to Interbike very often. I have no problem with the human body, really I don’t. But I do have a problem with objectifying women in order to garner attention at a trade show, and shame on OR for allowing it to happen. What’s next, “technical breast implants?”

I’ve taken other well-known industry powerhouses to task behind the scenes for making objectifying comments on their blogs (such as the “woo hoo, trade show, free beer and hot women!” type of thing) so this type of thing is nothing terribly new in the industry, but I’ve been in a glowing bubble of denial, thinking that the industry has taken great steps in the last few years alone to improve its treatment of women. Yes, I know that half the schmucks walking the trade show floor and manning the booths have nothing better to do than blatantly ogle the women walking by (I know this because my male writers and photographers tell me about it when we go to the show) which I find to be just kind of pathetic on a personal level, but I really had thought the outdoor industry was getting past this kind of thing. The ski industry and bike industry are still crawling out of the ocean on this one, so to speak, but the outdoor industry as a whole seemed to be improving. This booth was a huge step backwards, or maybe it was just blatant confirmation that I’m wrong about the industry’s personal growth. Yes, I am talking about you, company at OR whose name I was not able to suss out, I am offended by your marketing techniques. I am a woman, a human being, not a mannequin or a piece of eye candy for you to utilize as an attention getter, and neither are the women you dressed up in thongs to parade their bare butts around a professional industry event. Perhaps they don’t know that yet so they went along with it, but I do, so I’m speaking up to tell you that you should take it to the adult industry, not the outdoor industry. And OR – how about I not have to see that type of thing at the next show, OK?

Laces

July 6, 2010

Last time I got going on zippers. This time it’s laces. Why? Because I’ve had a footwear focus this year and if there is one thing I’ve noticed, it’s that there is a lot of great footwear out there that comes with COMPLETE CRAP LACES. You know the type. They come untied every quarter mile, they fray, they break in about a week, they get stuck in the eyelets – this can’t be a coincidence. I have boots and shoes that have proudly worn their original laces for years and years and years, and then I get new shoes with laces that seem as if they are made with toilet paper.

What’s up with this? A $100 pair of running shoes with garbage laces, are you kidding me? No, I don’t want to just double knot them; that is completely beside the point. There are good laces out there on the market. Stop trying to save production costs with crap laces.

I think the ones that come untied are by far the most annoying. Even the ones that break early don’t break THAT early. One can usually get a few months out of them at the least. But the ones that come untied? Agh! Evil incarnate. I’d love to be more technical about this, but I guess I’m a tad ignorant about shoelace construction. However, I can tell you with certainty that the soft squishy kind with a kernmantle feel about them (though they have no core, hmm, interesting and perhaps very relevant) are the ones that come untied. You know them. They are on your brand new $120 trail running shoes and your mid-hikers. They come untied all the damn time. You can cinch them as tight as you like but as soon as you take a few steps, they stretch, loosen, and fall apart. You have to stop and tie them several times during each trail run and each time you get exasperated. Well, at least I do. So please, footwear manufacturers, just put good laces on your shoes. We will notice.

Living Out

June 19, 2010

Do Not Twitter From The Himalayas

May 21, 2010

I’ve said many times that this site is about gear, and it is. The site is mostly pretty impersonal aside from the odd bits of information that make it into our reviews; we’re not posting about our personal lives, relationships, deep thoughts about our next career moves too often. That said, people seem to like a little bit of personal flavor in the site, and at times I like to get my own ideas out there when the people I live with get sick of hearing me talk about them. Oh, who I am kidding, it all comes down to the fact that I’m the boss of this blog and if I feel like writing about something, I will.

So I’ve decided to revisit that ever so hypocritical topic: blogs. I’ve mentioned a few times how hard it is to find good blogs to follow because most of the ones out there tend to irritate me with their overemphasis on angst and conflict, self-involved tone, and attempts to turn the mundane into the epic. “Dude, we so gotta blog about this when we get home,” “yeah, and I’m gonna post it on my Facebook” is the running joke between me and my partner when we’re out having fun. We’re both tired of people’s spray and their intense need to share every scrap of minutia as well as their attempts to transform any mundane visit to the out of doors as a serious adventure. Those of you who think your every step is worthy of winning the Boardman-Tasker: look, we’ve all been there, we all think our adventures are fun and exciting. I’ve been guilty of this a time or two. But unless you are already a famous outdoorsperson, chances are your adventures are pretty darn normal. So tone it down a little bit, will you? Rule two: if you are blogging from your trip, you’re already doing it wrong. Writing about adventures is for doing AFTER the adventure is over, not while you’re still doing it. The fact that people can Twitter from Everest now is just heartbreaking to me. Why are you “out there” in such isolated natural beauty, if you’re just going to bring the entire Internet with you? Yeah, yeah, personal choice, I get it. But please. Just because you can bring your blogging software with you doesn’t mean you SHOULD.

If you are still determined to blog and you’re having trouble figuring out what is worth blogging about, you’re in luck! After exhaustive research and careful analysis, here are:

The Top Five Overdone Outdoor Blog Cliches According to the Head Geargal

1. Self-centeredness: Endless string of “I’m so epic” self portraits. Blogger on a mountain. Blogger on another mountain. Blogger on a trail. Blogger’s dirty feet. Blogger’s wet jacket. Bad weather endured by blogger. Sweeping vista seen by blogger and the ten thousand other people that hike to the same place every year.  Ugh. Stop. We get it, you were there.  But do we really need to know every step you take and every single activity you do?  Yes, your blog is likely about you, so you’re somewhat authorized to post All About You if you want. But step back and take a good look at your blog, or even your Twitter page. Does it seem to say  “I’m the Center of the Universe”?  Does it have the sentence “I am awesome”  on it (honest to goodness, I really have seen this more than once)?  Have you never once posted about anything but yourself? Do you think about blogging your trip while you are still DOING your trip? Do you take pictures JUST to post on your blog and show the world how extreme you are? If the answer is yes, you are officially self-centered. You should back away from the keyboard, go rejoin the real world, and interact with real people who will not let your every interaction with them be All About You.
2. Way-too-personal introspection: You don’t know everyone on the internet and they don’t know you. They cannot solve your problems. Chances are you’ll find a core group of readers who will applaud you constantly and slaver over your every achievement, giving a rah-rah go-you comment at the slightest provocation, telling you how great you are and how awesome your blog is and stay the course and thanks so much, don’t listen to the “haters” etc., etc. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that these people have any clue what they are talking about. They don’t know you, and have no idea whether you are awesome or not. If you are using your blog as therapy, please – get real therapy. Stop telling the world about your latest breakup or your imminent personal crisis, the world does not care. If it did, it would be looking at relationship blogs, not outdoor blogs.
3. Constant calling attention to injuries and/or tiredness to make things sound more epic: Yeah, we get it, you went hard yesterday and you felt it when you got up this morning, but you went hard again today anyway because you are Just Too Awesome not to. Oh, and you are at your best when conditions are at their worst, you are a walking tire commercial, we know, we know. You and everyone else who has ever gone biking in the rain or skiing in a windstorm. Look, there has never been a single time at which a person got wet and didn’t get dry again later, so just get over it. Leave the epic weather stories/injury cataloguing to Joe Simpson. He deserves it and you do not. The bar is set and you are well under it. Stop filling the internet with lame attempts to make yourself sound like a badass just because your quads are a little sore.
4. Getting too big for your britches: If you’ve developed a core readership, they are probably looking at your blog because they like your blog. Turning it into a hot zone for commercialism is such a turnoff. Look, we all want to make money from our blogs and web sites. Some people actually do it. But when a site turns into a nonstop “become a fan on Facebook” and “check out our new giveaway on Twitter!” hot mess, we lose interest, and so do a lot of other people. Stay true to the mission of your site and don’t get pulled into some weird constant media blitz.
5. Self promotion: This is a tough one. We all have to promote our blogs or else they would die. However, the best promotion is the promotion done by other people. So if you find yourself reposting about a trip you went on, over and over and over, to try to call attention to it and whatever cause you were doing it for, this is a clue that no one really cares about that particular trip. If they did, they would have picked up the story and spread it on their own. I’m sorry that no one thinks your trip is all that neat, but that’s life. Try again with a different trip. Your self-promotion is looking desperate. To this category I add that heinous crime of pointing out repeatedly that your blog made some “best blog” list somewhere on the Internet. Everyone who is surprised about making a “best blog” list really should be; not to mention they should be skeptical of the legitimacy of the “best blog” list itself. If you really do have the “best blog” you don’t need to tell your readers, they already know. So ease up on the self-promotion. If you have a successful blog, it’s a fine line to walk, I’ll give you that. A place to start: Do Twitter OR Facebook if you must do that kind of stuff. Not both. That is WAY too much.  This also applies to those who violate Cliche #1 above. Heck, this applies to just about everyone in the outdoor industry, too.  Think of all the time you could be spending developing more cool gear rather than maintaining your Facebook page!

Blogs That Do It Right

I guess if I am going to complain, I should follow up with some examples of What To Do. And here they are:

Confessions of Captain Swallowtail – Eric’s blog hits the perfect note – a blend of the mundane day-to-day happenings at Eric’s needs-a-new-name bike bags shop and the mind-blowingly awesomely truly epic trips that Eric takes from time to time. If Ed Viesturs sets the professional epic trip bar, Eric sets the amateur bar. And he sets it high, with incredible photography and one-of-a-kind travels. Eric finds it normal to carry a bike for miles through thick alders or along boulder-strewn, wave-thrashed beaches in the middle of nowhere. Eric doesn’t make a blog post about the time he broke a bike component on an afternoon ride and had to walk a mile back to the trailhead in the rain; Eric notes with characteristic understatement that his bike broke 2000 miles into the wilderness and he needed to arrange an air drop of spare parts. Eric has been known to mention occasional soreness or tiredness but since such statements all occur after evening runs that cover more ground than a typical person would cover in a backpacking trip over a three-day-weekend, I can’t help but think his “I’m a little sore” translates into “a normal human would be dead.” All brought to us on with minimalist narration, a refreshing absence of ego, and some understated humor as well. See, Eric doesn’t have to TELL us how awesome he is, we can just tell. Of course, I also know because I’ve met Eric and think he’s very cool and very nice as well, so this one I can verify personally.

Life According to Kellie – Kellie does it right, pure and simple. No angst, no dramatics, no bitching about tiredness – even though she does some of the flat out most awesome trips ever conceived, she’s never one to cry about her aching quads. She’s too busy going on more unbelievable trips. I don’t know Kellie personally but we’ve got some friends on common, all of whom have a crazy story about some intense trip with Kellie. For most people, a Kellie-style adventure is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, when for Kellie it’s pretty much her lifestyle. She lets us into her world in a matter-of-fact, straightforward way with absolutely zero of that self-deprecating tone that I have come to loathe in typical blogs from women (which pains me to say, but seems to be a common thread in a lot of women’s blogs. Blah blah blah I’m not that good, yadda yadda I was scared but so and so helped me through it, I’ll never been an expert but I can have fun, hurk. Stop it, ladies. Fly your flags proudly and stop being so precious. You don’t see this happening on dude blogs so just knock it off).

I can forgive almost any misstep on Kellie’s blog (there are, after all, a few obligatory self-portraits) because Kellie’s got the goods. I don’t even mind the self portraits because they usually feature her massive Bro skis as prominently as herself, and are always paired with Kellie’s smiling mug, the enthusiasm evident. I also like that I know some of the cast of characters in Kellie’s blog, but that’s not the only reason why I like it – mostly I am just jealous that they are friends with Kellie while I don’t even know her. I bet that being friends with Kellie is pretty darn cool.

This guy. I don’t know this guy, but if he solo skied Pioneer Peak from top to bottom with no rappelling and no downclimbing and only wrote a paragraph and a half and posted two pictures about it, I like him. I’ve seen this same trip blogged in a 2000 word, 15 picture post so I really appreciate the brevity of this version.

Steph Davis’s blog. Face it, Steph is one of the world’s biggest badasses and she does it all with a perky smile, a happy demeanor, and a friendly attitude. I’ve conversed with Steph on Twitter and I don’t know many – or, well, any – other pro climbers who are so accessible. Steph sometimes makes me rethink blogging in general, because if you’re not jumping off cliffs and gliding to a safe landing, or zipping up the Salathe Wall or some other intense climb, you’re nowhere near Steph’s level. And I’m not. Hardly any of us mere mortals are, so Steph – we’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!

New Feature in the Works

December 31, 2009

Since the Geargals are globe-trotting international product testers these days, we’ve decided to add a new feature. We’re going to be reviewing destinations and resorts – if we ever go to them, that is – to give our readers some ideas for outdoor-oriented vacations.

So, you guessed it – we’re on the hunt for destinations! If you’ve got any to suggest or if you just want to plug your own resort, destination, or vacation idea, drop the Head Geargal a line at jill@geargals.net.

Zippers

October 6, 2009

Industry, let’s have a talk. You’ve made such incredible gains in technology and design lately. Every year your products get better, lighter, tougher, and more fun to play with. Except for your zippers! What gives? This year I’ve had zippers fail on more products I can think of. Jackets, backpacks, storage items – nothing is worse than having a zipper fail in the field. OK, well not NOTHING. But still, it’s pretty sucky.

Yes, most of you have a good warranty and will fix zippers at no cost. But come on! I don’t want to be without my precious gear for the six weeks it takes to send it in to you to get a new zipper. Every time I send an item back for repair, I am a little anxious about getting it back. I’ve always gotten it back, but still. Who knows if you’ll decide to just replace it with a different one I won’t like as much? The last thing any of us need is added stress in our lives, especially about things as petty as zippers.

And the thing is, I can tell immediately when zippers are likely to fail. They feel flimsy and weak, and zip all weird, and it’s easy to tell that a zipper is crap. I know if I can tell, you can tell – so why are you sending out garbage zippers? I know there are a lot of weight weenies out there. I bet they can suck it up to deal with a few extra grams of good zipper if needs be. A jacket that stuffs into a pocket doesn’t do much for me if the zipper that seals the pocket busts immediately. A backpack with a bad zipper – useless.

You can probably tell that I recently experienced a negative experience with a zipper. I was stuck in the field with a bag with a broken zipper. This is an issue when you’re traveling by helicopter and the rotor wash scatters all your stuff every single time the helicopter lands. It’s also an issue when it rains or snows and you want to keep your stuff dry. Face it – it’s just an issue.

So please, please, don’t send us crap zippers. We know that you know they’re crap. This zipper failure epidemic has really only started in the last year, so something is going on when reliable manufacturers suddenly are releasing products with shoddy zippers. QC, people, QC.

The Long-Awaited Relaunch!

September 10, 2009

Welcome to the new and improved Geargals site! After months and months of promises and delays, we finally got our stuff in a pile to bring you this snazzy new site. Based on reader feedback, we wanted a site with more ways for readers to communicate with us and with the industry. The super-snazzy brand spanking new Geargals Forum is now live, for you all to fill up with chatter. So go and chatter, and behave well, for if you are foolish, I shall smite you from the Forum and you will chatter no longer. One other thing about the Forum: it’s for ladies only! Sorry, dudes. I know I’m all about equality but let’s face it, most of the outdoor forums are mostly for dudes with a “ladies room” or some garbage. So this is my way of helping to balance the Internet. However, since the point of this site is to give women more information about gear and outdoor stuff, I will make an exception for industry peeps. So if you’re an industry dude, let me know and you get a free hall pass to wander the forum and contribute in valuable and meaningful ways.

Also new on our site is the much-hyped Geargals Dressup! It’s our most fun new feature and the one many of you have been waiting for. You may have noticed we’ve reviewed a lot of gear since we launched the Geargals site in 2007. We’ve had the privilege of checking out dozens of brands and hundreds of products, and we wanted to find a way to recognize the stand-out pieces from the last year and a half.

In true Geargals fashion, we couldn’t bring ourselves to do some lame, recycled “gear of the year” gimmick, because you can turn to your favorite magazine for that (oooh, the “gear issue!” I think my favorite tidbit of “gear issue” lameness was a feature on “The North Face Jacket.” Um, right, which one? Could it be more obvious that “gear issue” magazines are bunk? Anyway…) Thus, instead of cranking out tired rhymes and the standard studio pics of the “gear of the year” pile, we developed the Geargals Dressup! We chose our favorite products from the last year and made a game out of them. Visit the Geargals Dressup page and choose from all the gear we thought was top-notch, and just drag-and-drop it onto the Geargal and the Geardog to create your own perfect outfit.

We chose the gear for this year’s dressup out of all the products we tested in 2007 and 2008. Featured on the Geargals Dressup this year are:

On Geargal-
Mountain Hardwear Stimulus Jacket
Mountain Hardwear Synchro Pants
Mountain Hardwear Compressor Jacket
Ellsworth Epiphany Mountain Bike
Mountain Hardwear Synchro Pants
Cannondale Roam Bike Shoes
Julbo Trail Sunglasses
Sugoi Neo Pro Bike Shorts
Patagonia Ice Field Jacket
Volkl Queen Attiva Skis
Scarpa Star Lite Ski Boots
Isis Long Jane
Julbo Revolution Goggles
La Sportiva FC 1.1 Hiking Shoe
La Sportiva Nepal EVO GTX Boot
APF Powersox

On Geardog-
D-Fa Sub Woofer Jacket
Ruffwear Bark ‘n Boots Grip Trex
We wanted to feature one of Geardog’s favorite toys, but he loves the Gourdo the best and however we drew it, it looked just….wrong. I’ve gotten some weird looks carrying it around in real life, too, so for now we’ll just say: Geardog likes the Gourdo.

Happy dressing! Keep checking back for the, er, last-half-of-2009 Dressup! And don’t forget to get the conversation going on the Forum!