The non-profit list includes Washington Trails Association, Evergreen East Mountain Bike Alliance, Dishman Hills Conservancy, Inland Northwest Land Conservancy, Bower Climbing Coalition, Friends of the Bluff, Northwest Whitewater Association, and Peak 7 Adventures. “Not long after I first opened the shop, I was thinking of creative ways to give back to the outdoor community since I wasn’t always available to help with dig days and the business wasn’t healthy enough to donate cash,” says Schneider.  “I enjoy trail work and participate when I can find the time, but I knew there had to be other opportunities.” 

Schneider frequently shows up at local trail work days, and he often helps with a number of trail projects around the region. He believes our regional quality of life is closely tied to the great outdoors, and he wants all of the non-profits to succeed at their respective missions. He also admits there is room to expand the program, and after a few months, he will probably add to the list of recipients for Consign for a Cause. “I think this is the best way to ensure that your gear and clothing reach someone who will use those items to their full potential, while giving back to the land we all love. Consignment is much easier than holding a garage sale, or selling individual items online,” says Schneider. “We make the consignment process as simple as possible, and with Consign for a Cause, you get the satisfaction of knowing that your donations will go to help maintain and protect our public lands.” 

If you have a kayak or tent or backpack you no longer use, or if your kids have outgrown those bikes in your garage, then consider donating those items to Consign for a Cause.

Find complete program details at Rambleraven.com/pages/consign-for-a-cause.

The post Consign Your Used Outdoor Gear for a Cause appeared first on Out There Venture.

I’m frugal but not handy, and I don’t like working on gear. When I do, I sound like the dad in “A Christmas Story,” inventing a new lexicon of swear words while fixing the furnace.

I’m a dyed-in-the-wool dirt bag, and it shows as clearly as the orange duct tape holding together the seat of my ski bibs.

Here’s the thing about duct tape though: It doesn’t really work. It falls off after a few washings and leaves a glue-y residue. And because it has no elasticity, you can forget about patching stretchy material or a hole near a joint.

When gear repairs exceed the scope of adhesive, I give up.

Take my Rab puffy. Three years ago in Glacier National Park, a black bear startled me while I was climbing over a fallen tree, and in my surprise I snagged the armpit of my jacket and added a 4-inch-long DIY pit vent. For more than two years, that puffy went from the coat closet to the coat rack and back while I gradually tuned out the “send in jacket for repair!” sticky note on my laptop.

Then I discovered NoSo Patches. These pre-cut patches come in an array of colors and shapes, from skulls-and-crossbones to salmon. They apply in seconds, and the strong-yet-stretchy material stands up to the rigors of whatever activity rips gear in the first place.

I placed an order for a handful of patches, and the day they arrived I swabbed the tear in my Rab jacket with rubbing alcohol, applied the patch, smoothed it out with my thumb, and threw it in the dryer for five minutes. Then I experienced the special kind of satisfaction that comes only from completing a task that’s been delayed out of proportion to its actual difficulty. I experience this feeling a lot.

Like that, my Rab jacket was back in rotation. It was like putting on an old coat and finding forgotten money in the pocket.

The old adage says something like, if the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything like a nail. After I applied my first NoSo patch, everything I owned all of a sudden looked moth-eaten.

I immediately dug out my cherished Brooks Range expedition-weight puffy, which regularly exhales feathers from a number of leaks ranging from pinhole- to pencil-eraser-sized. I pasted a skull-and-crossbones patch on the shoulder and immediately got compliments. No one has ever complimented my tasteful duct tape work.

Since then I’ve patched stuff sacks, stove burns in coat sleeves, and blown-out seams. I’ve applied the patches to purely cosmetic holes for purely cosmetic reasons. I’ve rescued things that had been consigned to, if not the dustbin of history, then at least the cardboard box of good intentions.

More importantly, I’ve given new life to old gear, which in this world of high prices and high carbon footprint means more than a little. For my gear, NoSo Patches have meant the difference between “loved to death” and “loved.”

The post Must-Have NoSo Patches appeared first on Out There Venture.

Since receiving these little wireless gems of headphones as a gift last December, silly little “problems” that were not really a big deal but were persistently annoying have vanished from my life. If it’s a frigid morning and a couple of miles in I decide to take off my vest and need to set my phone down on the ground to do so, there’s no wire to unplug, nothing extra to juggle. When I need to take off or put on my gloves a little while later, it’s the same story. Once they’re in my ears, the adjusting or rejiggering or reconfiguring of anything headphone related is off my mind. 

I also love what seem to me rather magical features. When you take one AirPod out of your ear, whatever you’re listening to automatically pauses. Put the AirPod back in, and it automatically resumes, right where it left off. No unlocking phone screens or swiping and fumbling for a pause button required. 

The AirPods are simple to set up for first use and to pair with devices, and they have good sound quality. I’m not especially picky about that sort of thing, but they certainly meet my needs. They are fast to recharge and hold a long charge as well. They can also be recharged multiple times off a charged AirPod case. People ask, often, if it feels like I might lose one—could it just pop out and, tethered by nothing, be lost forever? 

I’ve never had that happen. The AirPods feel snug and secure in my ears and much more comfortable than the free headphones that came with my smartphone—which fell out with some regularity and often felt unignorably uncomfortable, especially after sustained use. Plus, most of my problems with headphones were related to the cord. I have knotted, tangled, and even snapped headphone cords while running, but that worry was eliminated with AirPods. 

The pairing with my device—an iPhone—was very simple, and I was easily able to adjust a couple of settings that enable me, with a quick double tap on my left headphone, to skip to the next song on my Avett Brothers-heavy playlist, or the next episode of whatever podcast I’m catching up on. Right now that’s The Daily, The Liturgists, Bundyville, or my current favorite, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, which often has me literally doubled over in laughter on the side of the road—maybe not the best when trying to make good time, but who couldn’t use some more gigantic laughs in their life?

So far the only downside is that my husband thinks they’re ugly, but did he go out and buy himself a pair after seeing my immense happiness with mine? Yes, yes he did. He uses them all the time. 

The post Effortless AirPods appeared first on Out There Venture.

Backcountry

With the popularity of self-powered explorations outside of the resort to find fresh powder and dawn patrols, Spokane’s Mountain Gear is the perfect shop for someone looking to get into the backcountry. Mark Beattie, the manager at Mountain Gear, and his team are extremely knowledgeable of all their cutting-edge backcountry gear. The new Scarpa Maestrale boot is highly recommended by Beattie because of its versatility of skiing at the resort one day and in the backcountry the next. Mountain Gear happens to be the only shop that sells telemark ski gear, and one of the select few to have Jones splitboards. If you’re nervous about the financial leap of getting new gear, take advantage of their rental or demo programs. They also offer free backcountry awareness classes. 

Alpine Ski & Snowboard Gear

Pistole Boardshop is one of the area’s only true board shops. The shop is rider owned, and Josh Yandell is a guy you’ll see in the lift line on a powder day, wearing and riding what he sells. Pistole offers top of line Volcom Gore-Tex outerwear, Smith goggles, Union bindings, and boots by Vans. Pistole consistently has an impressive quiver of top of line boards by Lib-Tech, GNU, and Capita. For snowboarders looking to ride fast and loose, this shop is for you. 

Spokane’s recently remodeled Shred Sports Outlet offers a vast amount of skis, boards, boots, and outerwear for all different ages and skill levels. Chad Ohman, the manager, is stoked to offer Armada skis this season, especially pro models by Tanner Hall, Phil Casabon, and Henrik Harlaut. With a fleet of new snowboards, the Lib Tech Travis Rice Orca is definitely a stand out. They are offering this pow slasher/resort ripper in a variety of sizes.  

The Spokane Alpine Haus is stocked up and ready for the 2020 season with boxes of new skis, snowboards, boots, and outerwear literally stacked to the ceiling. With the motto, “Internet can’t fit your boots,” the husband and wife team aim for the highest quality service, fit, comfort, and performance. Owners Rachel and Drew Harding are keeping the tradition of a shop on Spokane’s South Hill. The Alpine Haus is definitely a ski and snowboard destination for the entire family. They serve up an incredible season lease program, which is perfect for families with children and adults looking to get into winter sports. The Alpine Haus recently purchased brand new, top-of-the-line tuning machines for skis and snowboards. The combination of the new machines, with the knowledge and experience of their shop tech, Fred Nowland, enables them to produce exceptional, highly-quality waxes and tunes.

T. Ghezzi has written multiple ski and snowboard articles for OTO the past two winters. He’s stoked to ride fresh powder and shred Wild-Cannon style. 

The post Winter Shop Talk: Gear for 2019-2020 appeared first on Out There Venture.