Colorado is brimming with athletes who have become artistic entrepreneurs, creatively refining outdoor gear and services. The state’s hills are proving grounds for homegrown, handcrafted tools of the highest caliber. Here’s a selection of the best Colorado-crafted gear for Christmas that not only withstands the Rocky Mountains’ brutal testing but imparts confidence to play harder.
Climb | Trango
Malcolm Daly probably wasn’t planning to become a climbing legend when he hacked ragged teeth in an ancient ice tool and began scampering up steep, frozen waterfalls in the early 1970s. Today, Daly is an ambassador for the sport of climbing, and his Louisville-based Trango is an innovator in the world of lightweight climbing gear worthy of protecting lives. Trango’s patented and award-winning MaxCams (five sizes, $60-$80) are simple and lightweight camming devices with a wide expansion range. The 2-to-1 expansion ratio delivers many benefits for climbers: fewer sizes and cams to carry up routes, less time spent matching cam to crack while clinging to rock and solid, speedy placement is virtually assured in a variety of crack sizes.
www.trango.com.
‘Board | Donek
Sean Martin started handcrafting carving snowboards in his garage on the plains east of Denver in 1987. Almost two decades later, the hard- boot boarder ranks as one of the most innovative and dedicated designers of alpine snowboards. Today his company, Donek, equips Olympians and designs boards for all riders. Martin’s trailblazing use of Computer Numerical Control technology in board sculpting allows him to not only move from office brainstorm to mountain snowstorm in a matter of hours but hand-tailor custom rides for specific riding styles and needs. Martin’s Pilot series snowboards offer an entry-level race board for junior racers and beginning alpine riders for $375, or $575 with plate bindings, delivering hope for growth in alpine snowboarding.
www.donek.com
Ride | Primus Mootry
Every bike frame Joe DePaem- elaere hand-designs, cuts and welds in his Longmont shop is built with one goal in mind: being the first across the finish line. His Primus Mootry cycles have ferried many riders to the podium, especially in cyclocross, in which the team of the same name ranks among the top in the country. Every frame that emerges from the Primus Mootry shop, born in 1993, is hand-built with custom designs. DePaemelaere builds frames for all types of cycling – cross, road, mountain, time trials, single-speed and track. Prices for frames range from $700 to $1,800.
www.primusmootry.com.
Kayak | Paddling Life
Kayaking explorer Eugene Buchanan, the longtime editor and publisher of Paddler Magazine, recently led his crack team of paddling pen pushers to create a new magazine, “Paddling Life.” The Steamboat Springs mag promises a new read for whitewater fans, aiming to push paddlesports to “the pinnacle of pop-culture awareness” just as ski, surf and skate mags have done for their sports, Buchanan said. Buchanan’s Recreation Publishing Inc. will publish five annual issues of Paddling Life ($10 a year, $18 for two years) beginning in February.
www.paddlinglife.com
Repair | Coloradoskitunes.com
We at Outdoor Extremes celebrate the ski tech and bike mechanic. Unless you are the type to cut your own hair and sew your own clothes, it’s better than a great idea to keep the professional gear tweakers happily employed. For a few bucks, they take the wrench-and-file frustration out of our favorite sports. Share the love of a sharpened edge and slick base with a 10-pack of tunes ($200 to $300 depending on the tune) from coloradoskitunes.com. The veteran ski techs at the new online shop know the snow business. They will pick up and deliver your sticks – in a veggie oil-fueled truck no less – with rapid turnaround time and expert care for your ride.
www.coloradoskitunes.com
Fish | Mongo
Fishermen more interested in landing lunkers than playing the gadget game will appreciate the streamlined efficiency of Vail- based Mongo Products’ Guide Vest ($99.95). Torture-tested by Mongo himself for more than five years and tailored to the essential needs of Colorado’s pro fishing guides, its unique design is part harness, part chest pack and part vest, organized in a sleek package. Beyond the lightweight, “open air” design, smart features include internal retractor mounts to minimize tool tangles, optional internal dry bag pocket, expandable rear pack and a hydration system option. More important, however, is the practical “less is more” philosophy hand sewn into every Mongo Guide Vest. Strap one of these on your back and leave the vests to figure skaters.
www.mongoproducts.com
Ski gear | Flylow
Some people will tell you boots are the most important piece of equipment in skiing. The crew at Denver-based Flylow would argue that it’s pants. Flylow might be the only company out there making them to match your boots – specifically, your telemark boots. But you don’t have to be a dyed-in-wool knee-dropper to don Flylow’s new Drop Kick pants ($250). For the new school of freeriding, nothing compares to the freedom of movement, durability and superior ventilation of these functional threads. With three- piece articulated knees capped in 1,000 Denier-treated nylon Cordura and equally abrasion resistant cuffs, you could drop your knee on Interstate 70 without punching a hole in them.
www.skitele.com
Telemark | Bomber Industries
Telemark skiing has come a long way in the past decade, thanks to increasingly bomber gear that has transformed a sport founded on skinny, light skis into a sturdy, all-mountain rival to traditional alpine skiing. Bomber Industries in Summit County deserves some credit for sparking the telemark revolution. Its famous Bishop binding ($320), a virtually indestructible plate that fits underneath the telemark boot, debuted in 2001 and is credited with enabling the super-aggressive resort riding that forever changed telemarking. This year’s Bishop features stiffer springs for all-mountain rippers, a new toe block and a climbing wire for upwardly mobile knee-dippers. Also new this year is a titanium Bishop ($420) that shaves the total weight by a quarter of a pound to 3 3/4 pounds. The new 2006-07 Bishop will be on shelves in mid-December.
www.bombertele.com
Ski | Fat-ypus
“Wider for your skiing pleasure.” At a whopping 140mm beneath the foot, the Breckenridge-forged Fat-ypus A-Lotta is a whole lotta ski. It’s almost twice as wide as what many old-schoolers consider a “midfat.” But Fatty founders Jared Mazlish and Dave Gelhaar know powder. Their $800 A-Lotta gobbles the deep stuff like no other while its lack of camber – a relatively new trend among big-name manufacturers chasing the Fat-ypus model – provides a surprisingly stable, smooth ride on hardpack. The revolutionary design (dimensions of 172/140/158 for both the 170-cm and 180-cm sticks) recently garnered fawning nods from editors at Powder and Freeskier. Skiers can demo Fat-ypus rides at Breckenridge’s Mountain Wave and Primo Outdoor shops.
www.fatypus.com.
Outdoor gear | Melanzana
Leadville can be a cold place in winter, making it an ideal testing ground for outdoor clothing. And the local homegrown Melanzana clothing company aces every blustery exam. Melanzana has established a reputation for simple, strong and reliable clothing. Started by CU graduate Fritz Howard in 1994, the modest, five-employee operation keeps it simple by dealing one-on-one with customers through its mainstreet Leadville shop or through its website. Melanzana’s lightweight “Micro Grid” fleece is warm and wicking, the perfect midlayer for heavy-breathing winter excursions. The Micro Grid Hoodie boasts a flatseam hood that cinches close around the face, eliminating the need for a balaclava on frigid days. Shop in downtown Leadville at 716 Harrison or online.
www.melanzana.com
