Winter OR 2007
This gear program is a report on the Winter 2007 outdoor Retailer’s Expo. When the outdoor industry gathers, it’s a major expedition for the folks at Backpack Gear Test; but it isn’t all about the toys. Jason Boyle1, Raymond Estrella2, and Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd3 report on the most interesting gear they hope to test for BackpackGearTest.ORG. They comment on products by: GoLite1, Snow Peak1, MSR1, Primus1, Fox River1, Injinji1, Sierra Designs2, Osprey Packs2, Blue Desert3, MontBell3, and Go Pro3. Backpack Gear Test has more gear to review than reviewers. You might be able to get free gear to review. Read: How to become a tester. As a wrap-up, we invited Kurt Repanshek to comment on a larger issue facing the outdoor industry. His commentary includes a statement by Peter Metcalf, president of Black Diamond Equipment. More of Kurt’s commentary is available on his web site, National Parks Traveler. Show number 75 [MP3 format; length 9:42; 2,331,316 bytes] Show number 75, extended version [MP3 format; length 11:16; 5,416,178 bytes] Show number 75 script Bonus segment, original reports from BGT [MP3 format; length 14:22; 1,724,628 bytes]
Canadians Head Outside to Fight Big Oil
“Connecting the Drops” tour focuses on Alberta’s oil sands development.
Bay Area Wilderness Training, part 1
This outings program takes us on a Wilderness Leadership Training course offered by the non-profit group, Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT). This part 1 of 2 is a follow-up to our original program on ethnic diversity among wilderness users. Steve meets a diverse group of teachers, counselors, and other youth workers at the Cherry Lake campground just outside of Yosemite National Park. He talks to: Roger Miller, executive director of BAWT. Hector Nuño, a volunteer youth counselor from San Jose, California. Judy Kuang, a youth coordinator for the Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco. We also hear from Chelsea Griffie, program director for BAWT. So what happens to our teachers on the trail? How does BAWT finish the process of turning them into qualified wilderness guides? We’ll rejoin them in part two of Bay Area Wilderness Training. Show number 91 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,400,229 bytes] Show number 91 script
Yosemite Snow Vox Pop
This outings program is a Vox Pop where we ask: Are snow campers and winter wilderness visitors super-human? Steve recorded the candid thoughts of several skiers, snowshoe hikers, and snow campers at Summit Meadow along the Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park. Summit Meadow is about a mile from the Badger Pass downhill ski area, a popular trailhead for winter access to the Yosemite backcountry. First, we hear from Howard Weamer, the Hut Master for Yosemite Park’s backcountry ski hut at Ostrander Lake (who we heard from in edition 72), about the history of cross country skiing in Yosemite. Then we hear the intermingled comments of Kevin Schwartz, Tazuo Han, Ken Branson, Karina Schwag, Rich Rasmussen, Chris Gorton, and Chris Clay. At the end, Steve invites listeners to contribute their comments to Vox WildeBeat, our companion podcast of community conversation. Show number 77 [MP3 format; length 8:09; 1,959,939 bytes] Show number 77 script
Jim Gaffigan – Beyond the Pale
Jim Gaffigan – Beyond the Pale Under the white guy “everyman” exterior lurks one of the cleverest original comedians of today. An established star in standup comedy and a frequent guest on the late shows of David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, Jim Gaffigan is a noted actor as well, f – PR Newswire – [...]
Listening to Parks, part 1
This wild places program explores sounds in national parks. Do you go to parks for the peace and quiet? Should you expect peace and quiet at national parks? Steve starts out in a relatively remote campground in Yosemite National Park, and discovers some noises he wasn’t counting on. He interviews two campers, Maria Mustanen and Bill Garcia, about how they feel about man-made noise in parks. Steve interviews Kurt Fristrup, a scientist for the Natural Sounds Program of the National Park Service. Kurt explains the mission of the Natural Sounds Program, and how they monitor the parks for noise pollution. He plays clips recorded by their audio measuring equipment, which they place in remote locations in the parks. Kurt mentions the park service’s Night Sky Program, which we covered in our Wilderness at Night, part 1 (#13) and part 2 (#14). So what have Kurt and his colleagues found out about noise in parks? How can you help their efforts, and collect sounds for yourself? We’ll explore those questions in part two. Show number 89 [MP3 format; length 9:50; 2,361,460 bytes] Show number 89 script
Great Walk of China
Australia’s Mark Scholinz will attempt to walk length of Great Wall.
