So, I am beginning to see a trend. A friend gets an iPhone and they disappear.

Surf sessions are missed because they stay up late uploading apps. They spend hours playing ‘angry birds.’ At a dinner party with cool music they keep on yelling out the band, song and album name because they are obsessed with ‘shazam.’ I get it. Technology has captured us. And I kind of dig it.

Think of it this way. The next time you paddle out at trestles it might be empty. Because everyone is playing with their iPad. You are out for a trail run and the single track is in great shape because no one biked it during the rain tearing it apart. They weren’t biking in the rain because they were playing with their new apple product.

What do you think?

Last mental picture, you train for months to prepare for a half-marathon. On race day you find yourself passing dozens of people on a small climb. As you pass them you look over and see that everyone is playing with their iPhone. They didn’t do the training because they were playing with their iPhone4 32G. So now they are hunting for a song to pump them up and get them over the hill.

Tell your friends about the new phone and then join a club to keep yourself motivated so you can beat said friend at the next 10K.

The drive to the show fills my head with things I should be doing once I arrive. I am the guest of Evolv Climbing, they are the shoe company I work with as a climber and I am really excited to see what the booth looks like as well as the whole show. 7.5 hours later I roll into the city and find my way to the convention center. Once inside, I become lost amid the booths and displays. I must look lost, because once I find a friend Ian, he points me in the right direction with a laugh and kick in the butt.

The feeling around the floor of the mammoth center is awesome. Every company I ever heard of is there with the gear and clothing that makes me giddy with happiness.

As I’m hanging out in the booth a bit, getting my bearings, I bump into a guy by the name of Jeremy Collins, he is a very talented climber and illustrator who the year prior had illustrated a piece I did for Rock & Ice. I feel like we are old friends in that we both have a shared strong faith in our lives, as well as trying to balance the climbing and family life we both love. I end the first day late in the afternoon and head out to meet my friend who I will stay with, of course before I leave, I get lost again…I may need to do the bread crumb thing tomorrow.

The second day I meet with companies and work on product sponsorships. Being a photographer, I don’t look for money from companies, which for the most part makes the choice easier for them. I do however need gear to do the things I love, and selling yourself nonstop is tiring and a bit weird. It’s hard to feel like you deserve the things they want to give you, but I feel like together with the companies I like, I can do good then if I try to go it alone.

I also meet with my friend Fitz Cahall who is the creator of The Dirtbag Diaries and The Season. Both showcase his amazing story telling ability and for the up coming Season, he has asked me to be an athlete that he and his partner Brian will profile. Talk about being humbled, I am excited but in the same breath, scared that what I do is really just not that big a deal. Fitz senses my angst, since he begins to tell me that we will work together to make something we are proud of, which relaxes me almost as fast as he says it.

I head back to the booth and finally ask Chris Sharma for a photo, he is sponsored by the same shoe company, but is the best climber by far in the world right now. The cool thing about him is he is so darn humble and nice, the total package, and has been at the forefront of climbing for over 10 years now.

The last day is spent making deals, getting shut down by some and embraced by others. My new friends at Friksn Climbing apparel are super cool, and the team of Evolv just continues to blow me away with the love and support they throw my way.

As I power back up the hill past Park City and enter back into the flats of Wyoming, the first answer seems to be clear for me know. I went to meet people and to see how I would fare in a market of elite companies and athletes. The second question only got cloudier, in fact just an hour into the drive, I was aching and asking the same question over and over…

Craig DeMartino
outsideallday.com

More info at: www.homelessgear.com

Follow on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/homelessgear

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Mission:
The mission of Homeless Gear is a simple one. Collect unwanted outdoor gear (packs, sleeping bags, tents, tarps, etc) & outdoor clothing (coats, rain gear, boots, etc) and re-distribute these items to the homeless. Homeless Gear intends to find a home for all unwanted outdoor gear and make the outdoors a little more like home for those without permanent shelter.

Why:
A segment of the homeless community can not gain entrance into an overnight shelter because there are no more beds available or they have issues with drug or alcohol use. Even if they do find overnight shelter they have to spend the majority of their day outside in the rain or snow. Imagine what a warm coat, a good pair of boots, a blanket, or sleeping bag could do for someone forced to sleep or spend the day or night in their car or outside exposed to the elements.

A large percentage of the homeless move from one location to another and need a means of transporting and storing their personal belongings. A pack (any size) is perfect to help them organize, store, and transport their personal property. Cardboard boxes, shopping carts, and other similar containers simply don’t meet the needs of someone constantly on the move.

There are organizations already in place to provide the homeless with vital services such as shelter, medical care, food and substance abuse assistance. Clothing is generally available. The central focus for Homeless Gear is collecting and distributing outdoor gear (packs, sleeping bags, etc) and outdoor clothing (coats, rain gear, boots, gloves, etc.) to the homeless.

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I’m decided to reach out to this organization to see how I can get involved. It’s been on my heart for a while. Long term, I would love for both of my boys to be able to serve people within Fort Collins. I’m excited to see what might happen.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

This past summer my parents took a 7,000-mile trip visiting national parks starting at the Grand Canyon into the Rockies, landing in Banff. This upcoming weekend the Calumet Photographic store will have a reception and photo show of these images. My parents shift between Joshua Tree and Idyllwild so can you expect some local photographs as well.

The reception will be on Saturday, September 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Calumet Photographic is located at 1430 Village Way, Santa Ana, CA 92705. The phone there is 714-285-0143. The off ramp to get to the facility quickly is McFadden.

Frigid winters and humid summers taught them all socks are not created equally. Living in the most unforgiving climate in the lower 48, their socks had to be tough and of course they certainly had to keep feet dry and warm. Whether skiing, hiking, biking, climbing or running, Darn Tough Vermont socks kept feet oblivious to the elements.

The team spent over a year testing yarn combinations and designs, confident that during this process they could create something unique; a sock that could be guaranteed for life. And as a 3rd generation sock family, this is what has kept them in the sock business, in America, is the pursuit of quality. To date, DARN TOUGH VERMONT, is the culmination of those efforts.

Darn Tough Vermont is unique. In an era of outsourcing and corporate take overs, they remain true to their roots. Family owned and run, in Vermont, since 1978. In a word, local. All socks are backed by a lifetime guarantee.

Matt S
Outside All Day

Laird Hamilton is known as the guiding genius of crossover board sports, and he is truly amazing in the water. His size – 6’3”, 215 pounds – makes him seem indestructible. ‘Laird is the elder son of 60’s surfing legend, Bill Hamilton, and is a throw back to that time when surfers prided themselves on being an all-around waterman.’ His mother, Joann, gave birth to him in a “bathysphere” with reduced gravity as part of an experiment at the UC Medical Center in San Francisco. Joann was also a surfer and decided to move the family from California to Hawaii when Laird was just a few months old. They lived on Oahu’s North Shore and later in a remote valley on Kauai, not far from one of the world’s best surf breaks. He learned to surf between the ages of two and three on the front half of a surfboard, and at age eight, his father took him to the 60-foot cliff at Waimea Falls where Laird looked down, looked back at his dad, and jumped. ‘He’s been bold since day one,’ says Bill, ‘and hell-bent on living life to the extreme.’

Laird teamed up with Steve & Barry’s in spring 2008 to debut his Wonderwall (thisiswonderwall.com) clothing line, a men’s surf and skate line offering high-quality, comfortable merchandise at low cost. Having grown up in a single parent home, Laird knows what it’s like not to have money. “My family was on welfare. If I lost my shoes, I wouldn’t have another pair for a couple of weeks. So I can appreciate that people can’t afford to buy stuff that everyone else is wearing,” says Laird. “Guys that live the surf and skate lifestyle want to spend their time tracking the next big swell or finding a new skatepark, not worrying about having enough money for t-shirts and shorts.”

Laird heads up a technical pro-model line with longtime sponsor, Oxbow. The Oxbow brand launched in the United States in summer 2008. Oxbow, an authentic rider/action sports brand, boasts a rich 25-year history with internationally recognized athletes.

Laird also joined H2O Audio’s Board of Directors in 2008. Laird will be strategically guiding the company with marketing its brand and developing its next generation of surf/music products. “I have been an H2O Audio proponent for several years, and I am really looking forward to infusing my passion for watersports and music into future developments with H20,” says Laird.

Laird is working on two books with best selling author Susan Casey. “100: Stalking the Giants of the Ocean” is due out in 2009 by Broadway Publishing Group. It’s about the science of giant waves, 100 ft. or higher, and the surfers who try to ride them, an undertaking that often requires helicopters, wave runners and precise timing. “Force of Nature: Mind, Body, Soul, and, Of Course, Surfing” is a fitness guide by Rodale Books and hit retailers on October 28, 2008.

‘Path of Purpose’, a short documentary about Laird’s endeavor with his tow partner, Dave Kalama, to help fund and raise awareness for Autism, premiered on the Sundance Channel in July 2008. A new film release entitled, ‘Water Man’, and distributed by Video Action Sports, premiered in film festivals in Spring 2008 and hit streets on September 23, 2008. The film has already garnered attention by winning awards at the film festivals and taking home Best Cinematography at the 2008 Surfer Poll Awards.

Laird is famous for doing all kinds of extreme things in the ocean from making epic long distance journeys on his ocean-going paddleboard to creating the fast forward speed sailing loop. When he was twenty-two years old, Laird entered a speed-sailing competition in Port Saint-Louis, France, defeated the heavily favored French champion, and broke the European speed record of 36 knots. Today, Laird surfs the outer-reefs in Hawaii with his friends and uses his years of knowledge of working with different board designs to catch the giant waves he’s famous for mastering. He and his friends use a method that involves getting into a Wave Runner, taking a water ski rope, and towing each other into waves that are too big to paddle into on their own. The water craft flings them into the wave at full speed. Laird uses footstraps on his board to keep from getting bounced off and to enable him to do mind-boggling things like aerial liftoffs and 360’s. “Jaws Maui,” a book published in 1997, features Laird in action and is filled with spectacular photography of the men who pioneered tow-in surfing. “Bigger. Higher. Faster. I want to go after the world speed sailing record. I want to ride bigger waves. I want to try and invent some new sports, combine some existing ones. I want to be creative,’ says Laird.

Photo shoots with sponsors such as Oxbow have taken Laird around the world from the Caucasus mountain range to snowboard, a jungle preserve in Java, Indonesia with a world-class surf break just offshore to the Great Barrier Reef. He can be seen profiled on the CBS News show ‘60 Minutes’ and on the cover of magazines such as National Geographic, Outside, The Surfer’s Journal, Men’s Journal, Surfer, Surfing, and in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, People, Life, GQ, Interview, L’Uomo Vogue (Italy), Paris Match (France), Surf (Germany), High Wind (Japan) and Sailboarder. In 2004, the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association named him “Waterman of the Year”. He was named “Breakout Performance of the Year” at the Surfer Poll Awards in 2000 and was honored with overall “Rider of the Year” in France 2000 (M6). Laird was also awarded “Feat of the Year” at ESPN’s Action Sports & Music Awards in 2001, and People magazine named him “One of the 50 most Beautiful People” in 1996.

Laird was a featured surfer and an executive producer on the Summer ’04 theatrical film, ‘Riding Giants’, by Sony Picture Classics (www.ridinggiants.com). The film looks at the history of big wave surfing. Laird was also featured in the film, ‘Step Into Liquid’. He doubled as James Bond for big surf in the MGM film ‘Die Another Day’ and served as the stunt coordinator for the film’s big wave sequence. Laird has also been featured on TV as a host on Fox Sports Net’s, ‘Planet Extreme Championships’(2000), on the Outdoor Life Network (1999), and in ‘The Extremists’ (1996-97), where he took incredible risks while air boarding, rock climbing, kite surfing and jet-ski surfing. He is featured in the documentary film ‘Endless Summer II’ (1994). Laird’s filmmography also includes ‘Waterworld,’ (stuntman), ‘North Shore,’ ‘Night Waves,’ ‘Totally Committed,’ and ‘Five Summer Stories.’

Laird started his production company, BamMan Films, with tow-partner, Dave Kalama, manager, Jane Kachmer, and cinematic directors, Don King and Sonny Miller. BamMan Films produces for film, television, commercial and media companies. BamMan released ‘Water Man’ (2008) and the critically acclaimed film ‘All Aboard The Crazy Train’ (2005), which looks at the state of big wave surfing. Other BamMan films include ‘The Ride, The Day’ (2004), ‘Strapped: the evolution of tow-in surfing’ (2002) and ‘Laird’ (2001). BamMan’s other credits: Associate Producer on Maui for ‘Riding Giants’, production work on ‘Step Into Liquid’, and Producer for the television documentaries, ‘The Ride’ (2004), ‘Ride the Wild Surf’ (2001 with RDF in the UK), and ‘Ride on the Wave of the Gods’ (2002 with NHK in Japan). Commercial productions include: American Express and Coty Prestige/Davidoff.

Surfer Magazine’s editor, Sam George, in the magazine’s ‘Most Powerful People inSsurfing’ issue said, “Laird is flat out surfing’s biggest, boldest, bravest. He is the best big wave surfer in the world today, bar none. He is the sport’s most complete surfer, displaying almost unnerving expertise in a multitude of disciplines: tow-surfing, bodysurfing, longboarding, paddling, sailboarding, kite-surfing.”

Compliments of LairdHamilton.com

Matt S
Outside All Day

Backpacks and bags, you can never have to many and The North Face have some of the best. You can never go wrong with their quality.

The Sidetrack 19 is calling my name for business travel. I hate looking like a business dork in an airport.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

So you have those vacation days stored up to getaway from the Man and you can’t decide on the destination. You have a list that you just can’t reduce to one: Mount Antero one of Colorado’s 14ers, Rocky Mountain National Park: Lily Lake Loop, The Rainbow Lakes outside Boulder, CO, or the Harrisburg Short Track outside Charlotte, NC. You are looking for a good solid opinion without calling every hiking shop near the destination to get their thoughts. Well then check out Backpacker Magazine’s Destination section. They have lots of advice – from editors to readers like you and me. And then go outside all day.

Our friends over at Outside Magazine have posted their Summer Buyer’s Guide. If you are trying to figure out what sleeping bag to pickup for your affair with the Sierra or pair of boots for time in the Rockies then head on over to the buyer’s guide and get an educated opinion.

This Friday, June 26 at REI stores and REI.com the summer sale clearance begins. Items will be up 30% off. Be sure and get there early to grab some product for your summer adventures.

You can expect to save 20% – 30% on selected clothing, footwear, and camping and cycling gear. Selected bikes will be 15% – 20% off.