The End of the World for Paramo?

Far from it, in fact, but please forgive my bad pun on the name of a cool new brand I've heard about...

Finisterre makes outdoor wear with a strong surfy slant and serious environmental commitment. So far, so Patagucci, I hear you say.

Be that as it may - if there's one brand every outdoors company should aspire to, it's Yvon Chouinard's gang in my opinion.

Interestingly (to me at least), Finisterre is also one of the handful of small British outfits that use Nikwax's brilliant Analogy technology in their garments. As does Paramo, of course. I refer you again to the title of this blog.

Check it out, anyway - and remember you heard it here first: -
http://www.finisterreuk.com/

(NB: In the spirit of openness, I must declare an element of self-interest here - my office colleague vageuly knows one Finisterre's founders. Purely in a friend-of-a-friend kind of way, you understand. So sue me.)

Feeling Sheep-ish?

Maybe, like me, that's because you've seen that yet another trendy underwear company has launched.

This one's called Embers Merino, is based in Derbyshire, and apparently aims to move away from the technical look of existing base layers, into the lifestyle market.

More info here: http://www.embersmerino.co.uk/default.asp

Be that as it may, but I think the whole merino fetish is just the latest flash in the outdoor marketing pan.

Yes it's soft, yes it's natural, sure it smells sweetly - but have you actually tried getting a merino top properly saturated? It may well keep its thermal properties, but man is it heavy, and man does it take time to dry. For me, gear shouldn't just be comfortable on the hill - it should be comfortable in the pub afterwards as well.

Don't get me wrong - I own plenty of merino sweaters for work, which I love, but an office in London is never going to be the most testing environment, is it?

Wear wool on the hill if you must, but I'll take a well-sorted synthetic top any day of the week. Rant over.

You Old Smoothy...

I've been experimenting for a few years now with smoothies. These are an excellent way to pack extra high-quality nutrition into your diet, whether running late for work or needing more calories to supplement your training regime.

I now feel I've got the recipe down to a pretty respectable formula, which is quick to throw together and ideal for breakfasts on the run, meal replacement or post-training snacks. Whilst the many pure fruit smoothies you find down at the supermarket are not inherently bad, they do lack the full range of essential nutrients. No such shortfalls here.

(NB: This recipe was inspired by David Zinczenko's The Abs Diet <http://www.absdiet.com/uof/absdiet/> - a book that, despite its rather painful American title, contains some of the most sensible, practical healthy eating advice I've found to date.)

Here, then, is my recipe for the ultimate power smoothie: -

1 x banana (riper is best)
1 x cup, porridge oats (a sachet of Oatso Simple also works fine)
1 x cup, semi-skimmed milk (organic if possible)
1 x scoop, whey protein powder (vanilla flavour works best)
1 x cup, frozen berries (other frozen fruit works but berries rule)
1 x handful, flaked almonds
1 x tsp, runny honey
1 x tbsp, ground flaxseed (not vital but highly recommended)

Give this lot a blast in the blender (I use a heavy-duty Kitchen Aid model) for around one minute, eh voila...

The oats provide slow-digesting complex carbs; the whey powder delivers high-quality protein; the almonds/flaxseed contributes essential unsaturated fats; and the fruit includes powerful antioxidants. God knows, I can bore for Britain when it comes to healthy eating, but this smoothie represents a smart addition to anyone's diet.

It's a Cham

I've just discovered this nice little website, which provides a really cool and well-designed guide to Chamonix: -

http://chamonix-valley.com/

Whether this information is accurate, I will better equipped to tell you in March, when I'm heading out to the Valley for a week-long winter alpine and ice climbing course with top UK outfitter Icicle Mountaineering (http://www.icicle-mountaineering.ltd.uk/).

Bring it on!

(Dri)Clime Every Mountain

Resuming my cycle rides to work after the Xmas break has again reminded me how fantastic Marmot's DriClime gear is.

Worn next to skin in a variety of (admittedly mild) January conditions - from high winds to sheeting drizzle - I magically seem to stay warm and comfortable no matter what. I've used my Dri-Clime jacket for sub-zero Alpine skiing, chilly climbing expeditions, frigid sailing voyages, icy morning runs - no end of sports, in fact - and it always, always delivers.

Not something you'd wear down the pub, unlike the various good-looking but ineffective hard/soft-shell imposters out there, but totally essential gear nonetheless.

Some stuff you buy and quickly realise it will end up on eBay. Some other gear, by contrast, you know you'll use for the rest of your life. Or at least until it breaks, at which time you'll simply buy the same thing again. DriClime definitely belongs in the latter category.

Sure, there are some strong additions to the soft/soft-shell market these days - Rab's Vapour Rise range gets consistently excellent feedback - but for me, the original remains the best.

Wondering how I can evagelise so much about a simple jacket? Quite sad, I admit, but buy one and you'll soon see. Truly world class kit, especially since I discovered that Marmot has dropped its new-fangled design and returned to the classic look (see: http://marmot.com/products/product.php?cat=cloth&subcat=13&style_id=I5607)

Robinson Crew - So?

See what I did there?

Delighted, though hardly surprised, to read today's BBC reports, claiming that England coach Andy Robinson will 'resign' today. From the expected terms of his dismissal, it seems clear that the hapless coach has been given the long-awaited ultimatum.

The correct result, obviously - Robinson's recent post-match interviews and frankly bizarre squad selections have increasingly resembled those of King Canute. However, quite why it took the stuffed suits at HQ so long to reach this conclusion is beyond me. Any armchair rugby fan would have seen the warning signs flashing ever since 'Taitgate'.

Of similar concern is the BBC's suggestion that Martin Johnson is in pole position to assume Robinson's vacant mantle. Now don't get me wrong here - I have utmost respect for Johnson's achievements on the field, and we all know how totemic his presence proved in the run-up to England's World Cup victory. He would almost certainly make my all-time World XV team, in fact, alongside Colin Meads in the engine room.

However, let's get real - Johnson hasn't even coached a pub sevens team since his playing career ended, let alone a national squad. Whilst his presence in the dressing room is likely to galvanise England's tattered yeomen, it will be essential that he is supported by a qualified coaching team. I can't realistically see any of the Premiership's usual suspects being allowed to break their club contracts mid-season, which rules out the likes of Richard Hill or Deans Ryan and Richards. Nigel Melville is also out of the question, of course, and it will be interesting to watch how the USA team improves under his stewardship. No, Brian Ashton must therefore be seen as the only realistic choice. With Ashton filling Clive's previous role, and Johnson in Andy Robinson's original place as squad Sergeant Major, that could work quite well.

Unlike the many doom-mongers out there, I still think England are capable of mounting at least a basically respectable defence of their Webb-Ellis Trophy. We may not have the stellar squad of 2003, at least seven of whom could have walked into any other national set-up, but there is still cause for a little hope. Providing, that is, the RFU don't let desperation cloud their already dubious judgement, and we end up with a genuinely credible coaching team.

Required Reading - In praise of The Hard Way

As a devoted trans-Atlantic subscriber to Outside magazine, it was with genuine sadness that I recently witnessed the final instalment of Mark Jenkins' celebrated column of outdoor essays, The Hard Way.

For those who haven't had the pleasure, Jenkins has regularly contributed some of the most powerful, articulate pieces of adventure journalism seen in recent years, covering subjects from alpinism and serious adventure travel to his family's sacred annual pull-up competition. His departure from Outside leaves a void - check out the latest Outside letters page to see how deep feelings run about this guy.

Fortunately, many of Jenkins' best musings live on via his own website, www.thehardway.com

Do check this out sometime.

Gourdon Brown

I never intended for this blog to become an extension of Alpkit's advertising team, but they just keep coming up with some great ideas at ludicrously low prices.

I would categorise Alpkit as the Innocent Smoothies of the outdoor world - seemingly too good to be true in product terms, and complemented by outstanding customer service. Their website also contains some lovely general musings on the outdoor lifestyle.

Witness the latest addition to Alpkit range - a stripped-down, fully waterproof dry bag/day pack called Gourdon:

http://www.alpkit.com/gourdon/

Simple idea, nicely executed. Kudos to the boys from Ilkley, yet again.

Quote of the day

"What is the appeal of freezing trackless wastes? Well, if they were trackless they wouldn't actually appeal to me. But freezing... oh yes, I love cold weather. It can't get too cold for me. It stimulates me somehow, the cold. And it's so easy to cope with - I mean, you just put more clothes on. In extreme heat there's nothing you can do except curl up and hope to die. Of the two extremes the cold is the one I go for every time."

(Dervla Murphy, travel writer, c/o The Independent on Sunday, 19/11/06)

Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated...

... but I have been remarkably slack at updating my blog recently. This will change. From now on, expect far more content - including climbing , music, rugby, nice quotes, general ramblings and plenty of updates on my favourite topic of all - KIT. That's outdoor gear, not the talking car. Though I can't rule out Hoff-related content, obviously.