Every August, the buyers at Alpenglow Sports are lucky enough to attend the bi-annual Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, UT. The gear on hand is for the summer of 2012, believe it or not! It’s cool to have a jump on what’s new and fun, and we’re stoked to share it with the passionate readers of unofficialsquaw.com
Ready to check some sexy-light, fast and interesting gear for spring/summer 2012? More photos are available on our Alpenglow Facebook page.
The Smith Pivlock has always been a go-to frame for both mountain and road riders. With it’s feather-weight and fast look, it’s just a RAD frame. Tejay van Garderen was rocking the new 2012 Pivlock in the Tour de France when, consequently, he won the King of the Mountains jersey! It is characterized by interchangeable lenses and a really cool adjustable nose piece for a custom fit.
Camelbak’s enters the water purification arena in 2012 with their All Clear water purification device. The All Clear uses UV light to kill all bugs and has a shock-resistant design enhancing durability. Innovative cap maximizes UV exposure for fast, effective microbiological purification and a clear LCD read-out makes water treatment simple and intuitive. An insulated bulb retains efficiency even with exposure to cold water temperatures. Last 10,000 cycles! $99. No weight yet.
The new Big Agnes Insulated Q Core. For a 20″x72″ insulated pad (not Primaloft but similar synthetic fill), you get a 3.5″ thick, 21oz., $140 backpacking gem. Wider and taller baffles on the outside provide a barrier to rolling off the pad. Plastic valve cuts weight.
New Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 2 Platinum, weighing in at 1lb 13oz! Two man tents have never been so light, and so sexy. When one considers the fast fly weight (rain fly, poles, footprint) the weight plummets even more.
The new Easton Kilo 1 person tent looks SICK! 1lb 14oz. and 18.8 square footprint AND the best feature, a side entrance that makes for a big gear storage area in the vestibule (8 square feet). $349
Cool new seat kit for the ThermaRest NeoAir, the NeoAir Jembe. Weighs 3.8oz. Now you can kick it in style in camp and might even be able to bust out a beat to keep all the long-hairs entertained.
The brand new, and extremely exciting Mountain Safety Research Whisperlite Universal. From MSR: “The legend continues with the first hybrid-fuel stove, combining canister and liquid fuel capabilities into one package. Fuel-specific jets and fuel source couplers let it burn just about anything. A trail-friendly light and packable design, and capacity to burn an inverted canister for improved performance.”
This was probably the single coolest new item we saw at the trade show. Burns white gas, kerosene, unleaded gasoline and IsoPro. Includes basic stand for inverting canisters for better cold weather performance and more consistent output over the life of each canister. Aluminum mixer tube, stainless steel legs and refined design keep weight to a minimum (11.5oz).
Easy transition – simply swap one of three self-cleaning Shaker Jets and one of two source couplers to match fuel type
The redesigned Mountain Safety Research Windpro II! From MSR: “The incredible efficiency and versatility of the original WindPro stove, adapted to burn inverted canisters for liquid-feed. The results are increased cold weather performance, faster boil times and a more consistent output over the life of every canister. Includes inverted stand.
Remote burner also allows for the safe use of a windscreen. The WindPro II is the lightest remote canister stove on the market at 6.6oz. SICK.
The new Black Diamond Magnetron, which works with, yes you guessed it, magnets! Really clean locking option that will be made in the popular new Gridlock and tried and true Rocklock. Not available until Fall 2012. Check out a great video demonstrating the use of magnets in this trend-setting concept.
For the runners out there, the Hoka brand is considered “maximalist” runners, opposed to the barefoot trend going on these days. A huge chunk of EVA foam has been compared to switching from a hard-tail to a full-suspension mountain bike! Goofy as hell, but man when you need that cushion…….Only downside is that they are spendy – $180! But if you have running injuries, you know you’d pay triple that to be healthy!
It wouldn’t be a trade show without some ski stuff! Check out the new Scarpa Alien 1.0. Carbon cuff, Boa lace, this thing is one sexy rando-race machine! I don’t think the rippers at Squaw will be riding this boot, but if you wanted to lace up for an uphill challenge (yep, that’s an Alpenglow event in the pipe folks!) it would be a great option. Weight? Ridonkulously light.
Alpenglow Sports is Northern California’s go-to resource for all things outdoor. Summer specialties include trail running, hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing. Come see us for the friendliest most knowledgeable specialty service in town!