CHICAGO, USA (Team Geared Up) - This week I’m posting some personal pictures. For the last 10 days I was in Alaska, USA on a vacation trip that is really worth the 6:30 hours (from Chicago) in a plane without room for even moving your toes. I was in Anchorage, Seward, Homer and Denali National Park hiking, fishing, bear viewing and kayaking, among other things and I’m posting a few pictures of the kayaking part. As our (wife and I) experience as paddlers is not great (nor we have any adequate equipment), we did a one day organized tour with Kayak Adventures Worldwide. 5 paddlers, an excellent guide and an awesome day paddling close, very close to the Aialik Glacier. Totally recommended!!

Also posting a picture of the Mt. Marathon race, an annual competition in Seward where runners go up a steep and muddy peak on a cloudy, 10C degrees day… half naked? ;)

-Ed-
Trail, ultra and adventure running at trailrunningsoul.com

Image credit….. myself!

SINGAPORE (Team Geared Up) - Not just for the fishermen among us (yawn), I would imagine that this would be ideally suited to photography too!

This is the only kayak available that uses a patented extendable outrigger system to stabilize the craft, enabling outdoor enthusiasts to fish from a standing position. Made of durable polyethylene with stainless steel and aluminum hardware, the kayak has two independent outriggers that pivot outward 45 to its centerline, yet both swing back into position to form the aft section of the craft to allow for smooth paddling. Both outriggers can be removed for easy transport and each has a watertight storage compartment.

It also has a bar that pivots up as a handle to steady yourself. I think it’s clever.

I thought it was an idea worth sharing. Simple is best.

-Robin.

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - It’s a quite day today in the outdoor world - no news hitting our radar yet! So - here’s a post a long time coming. Have you seen IrishFreestyle.com?

The Irish freestyle kayaking team is made up of both a Ladies and Mens teams that comprises both seniors and juniors. The team is chosen from selection events which are held up to a year in advance of major international events. The site features a great photo gallery, a blog and forums with an active buy & sell community.

I’m hoping Shane of IrishFreestyle.com might do a guest-post here, and explain the freestyle scene in Ireland at some point!

-Robin-

(Image Credit: Pic of Snaxboofing on the little white salmon. Picture taken by LJ Groth of the epicocity project. via Irishfreestyle.com)

LONDON, UK (team Geared Up) - With such a good response to our top 5 mountain biking & snowboard crashes we’re going to continue the series! Today we look at the top 5 helmet-cam (head mounted camera) videos.

5th Place, skiing down the longest escalator in Europe (Angle Tube Station, London)…

4th Place, dropping down some big waterfalls in a kayak…

3rd Place, Red Bull Boys ride down through the inside of a skyscraper (inc crash)…

2nd Place, Speed Riding Down the Eiger…

And in 1st Place, and deservedly so…

-Robin-

(Image Credit: By the Author)

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - The Great River Race paddled past my flat on the Thames today. The annual river race lets competitors race down the Thames for 4hrs to Greenwich. Racers use any form of canoe, dragon boat, kayak, paddle boat, skiff they want… and many seem to dress up in costume for the day.

What is special about this race is the handicap system. Each vessel is given a start-time that is offset by their expected speed. This means that all boats arrive at the finish-line at the same time (in an ideal world!) and gives a magnificent view as they power down the Thames in a massive flotilla through the city. I caught an Irish boat in the photo below!

Meanwhile back in Ireland, today is the Liffey Descent.

-Robin-

(Image Credit: All photos by the author.)

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - How cool is that, what a great photo.

Sitting in a 3.8-metre sea kayak and watching a four-metre great white approach you is a fairly tense experience.

Courtesy of GOBlog