the view from our goggles...

Hurry up and wait: ColdAvenger athletes plan to make Everest summit bid

john — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:26:10 +0000

ColdAvenger athletes Eric Meyer, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Brad Johnson will attempt an Everest summit push on May 22, 2013 after being forced to wait out a bronchial infection and a window of unstable weather.

In a recent message, Johnson said, “Right now our team is leaning towards summit Everest on May 22 and Lhotse on May 23, which means we will depart base camp and head up to camp II on May 18, rest at camp II on the 19, move to camp III on the 20, climb to the S. Col on May 21 and leave that night to summit the morning of May 22 and return to the S. Col and possibly down to camp II.”

He continues, “Eric and I plan to descend to Lhotse high camp, spend the night and climb Lhotse on May 23 and descend to camp II on the same day. If all goes well we would be back in base camp on May 24 and begin packing up to head back to Kathmandu by May 27 or 28.”

To get ready for their summit departure, the ColdAvenger team is spending their time loading up on calories and taking day hikes up to 19,000 feet or higher to maintain fitness and acclimatization. While maintaining health, everyone on the team still has dropped weight, grown beards and has either dark tans or severe sunburns.

Check back for additional updates!

Courtesy of Hari Mix

ColdAvenger athlete finishes 2nd at the 6633 Ultra

john — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:27:23 +0000

Ian Hall finished second overall in the 6633 Ultra in March 2013. We want to say congrats on the amazing accomplishment! The 6633 Ultra is a 352-mile race from Eagle Plains in the Yukon to the Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk which is through the Arctic Circle. This race is a non-stop, self-sufficient foot race. At the beginning of the 2013 race there were 20 starters and only four that finished. Hall’s race time was six days and 19 hours which earned him second place. Check out the pictures below of him at the Arctic Circle and during the race wearing his favorite cold weather face mask, the ColdAvenger!

May is Asthma Awareness Month

john — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:26:35 +0000

Hey all you ColdAvenger fans, did you know that May is Asthma Awareness Month? Since this is the month for everyone to learn a little bit more about this serious, sometimes life-threatening chronic disease, we have pulled a few websites together that can help.

Check out the USEPA’s website on “What is Asthma” here: http://www.epa.gov/asthma/about.html

Go here to identify asthma triggers in your home that you can help control.

Also check out Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s website here: http://www.aafa.org/

Lastly, learn more about cold weather induced asthma and how the ColdAvenger helps prevent it here: http://www.talusoutdoor.com/coldavenger/uses/asthma

Visit all seven summits from your couch

john — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:31:05 +0000

Recently, some of Google’s employees used up vacation days and traveled to the highest mountains in the world… for our enjoyment. While there, Google employees snapped photos and now you can explore some of the most famous mountains on Earth including, Aconcagua (South America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Elbrus (Europe) and Everest Base Camp (Asia) on Google Maps. See the photo gallery that Outside Magazine pulled together by clicking on the picture below. Thanks Google! But, it is still a goal of mine to get out there and experience it for myself–but while at the desk these images are a very nice distraction!

Hari and crew head to Everest Basecamp #3

john — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:22:08 +0000

Talus athlete, Hari Mix, and his crew headed to Everest Basecamp #3 for the final climatization climb. Hari and team are searching how everyday activities are affected in extreme environments. Hari left a phonecast on his last blog dated April 24th, 2013 saying that he was looking forward to the climb and would be back in five to seven days. To listen to the entire phonecast click here. We would like to say good luck to Hari and his team on his climbs and research on Everest!

Update: The Coldest Journey – The Holey Land

john — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:21:52 +0000

Talus Outdoor Technologies’s supported, The Coldest Journey’s Ice Team, is stuck in what Rob Lambert, a crew member, calls the Holey Land. From a blog report posted on April 28th, Rob reported that the Ice Team was stuck in the middle of a minefield of crevasses. Crevasses are holes in the ice that could potentially damage the Cats or injure team members. The Ice Team is focused on predicting the location of crevasses so the ice train can continue the journey safely. But, at the current moment things are standing still until a safe route is found to continue. To stay up-to-date follow our blog or to get the most recent news follow The Coldest Journey’s Blog here.

Check out the video below by Ian Prickett wearing our ColdAvenger face mask, telling everyone about their position and about crossing the Mother of All Blue Ice Crevasses Field. Plus check out their exact position on the live map.

After watching that video, I’ve never been so sure that the ColdAvenger is at home with that crew!

Talus athlete heads to Everest for research project

john — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 06:13:10 +0000

Reasearcher and ColdAvenger athlete, Hari Mix, is attempting to climb Lhotse without oxygen this spring with Chris Klinke and Dr. Eric Meyer. Hari is also a part of the The Extreme Environments-Everyday Decision (Triple ED) Mt. Everest research project that aims to study decision-making processes in the dangerous context of Mt. Everest. The team of six researches will interview guides, climbers and sherpas during their two-month expedition to the Mt. Everest base camp. During an acclimatization climb Hari also gathered information for Adventurers and Scientist for Conservation. Just below the summit of Lobuche East he rappelled off the lip of a crevasse to gather snow and ice samples for a colleague that is focused on the thinning of Himalayan glacier due to climate change and the role of dust and other particles in accelerating the melting. To hear more about his research projects and see his postcard like pictures go to his website and read his blog here.

Mountain biker completes descent of Kilimanjaro

john — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 06:12:02 +0000

Until recently, mountain biking on Kilimanjaro has not been allowed but that didn’t stop Doug Pitt and his team. Doug led his team of trekkers who received special permission to climb to the summit of the tallest peak in Africa and descend on mountain bikes. Read more about the descent that they say was the “greatest mountain bike descent of all time” via The Adventure Blog here.

ColdAvenger Spring 2013 Sale

john — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 06:11:02 +0000

It’s spring time and here at Talus Outdoor Technologies we are doing some spring cleaning. Check out our store for great sale prices while supplies last. #StayOutLonger

Team ColdAvenger is #1

john — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:28:29 +0000

It was a great hockey season this year for team ColdAvenger. They finished the regular season with a record of ten wins and four losses. In the middle of March they went into tournament time ranking 4th overall. They won the first round, three to zero, against the 5th placed team with only six players on the ColdAvenger team. The second round they challenged the 1st place team with only seven players on the CA team and the other team had eleven players. They lead the game one to zero until the last two minutes when the other teamed scored and tied it up. This took the game into overtime were neither team scored so they went in to a double overtime shootout. Team ColdAvenger sent Carl, Health and John as the shooters and they ended up scoring and winning two to one after the shootout! They had the three game series championships round and they came out on top of the defending champions, The Missoula Club. Congratulations to all of the athletes on a great season. Check out the image below of the trophy that team ColdAvenger took home and drank PBR out of.