Runners thinking beyond the competitive confines of sport are also important. Rickey Gates, Joe Grant, Beau Miles, Kelly Halpin, Anton Krupicka, and Justin Simoni are a few more obvious names who rarely, if ever, run races — at least anymore — and continue to put movement, art, and storytelling first. Brands continue to find value Continue reading…
If I wrap my feet in plastic bags in the middle of summer and go for a run, I’m going to have swamp feet. It’s an absolutely terrible idea,” says Justin Simoni, a guidebook author and long-distance athlete based in Boulder, Colorado. “Things are a little bit different when it gets very cold. Then you really Continue reading…
Project Blue Skyline follows along as THE LONG RANGER tries to make yet another idle daydream into reality by tracing the distant skyline one sees from his previous home in Denver, CO culminating with a summit of 14,000’+ Mount Blue Sky. Fortuitously, a bus stop is located at both the southern and northern borders of Continue reading…
I’ve updated the Cycling Sunglasses reviews over at Outdoor GearLab for your purchasing enjoyment. This review is the work of many hands – mine being only two of them. Of the products I checked out, my favorite were probably the Julbo Edge REACTIVs, as they were stylishly just a lot of fun to wear. I’m Continue reading…
Check out my video on the long term durability of the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro, what small issues I found, and what I can do to repair them to keep running in them!
We’ve updated the Sleeping Pad Reviews over at Outdoor GearLab (along with UL Tents! And UL Sleeping Bags!). Sam Schild recently did a fairly substantial update, so most of what you read here is his. I added three new award winners for Most Comfortable, Best Ultralight, and a Budget Buy. This past summer, I’ve been Continue reading…
Along with UL Tents, we’ve updated the UL Sleeping Bag reviews at Outdoor GearLab. This was mostly a streamlining of the products we were showcasing, as many of my own favorite sleeping bags have been discontinued for the time being because of the banning of PFAS, which many of these bags were manufactured with (my Continue reading…
We’ve made a small update to the ultralight tent reviews at Outdoor GearLab — check it out if you’re looking for a new lightweight tent. My personal favorite tent in the review is the SlingFin Splitwing, which is what I used the most on my Nolan’s 14 recon trips, Collegiate Loop training, and other fastpacking Continue reading…
LONG RANGER (Justin Simoni) braves the very crest of the Continental Divide yet again to attempt to link up the lonely, wild, rolling terrain between Hoosier and Loveland Pass – this time: starting in the southern terminus. No one else has claimed to have finished this route. Will he be the first and make it Continue reading…
NiteCore has recently released a new version of their Carbo power bank, the Nitecore Carbo 10000 Gen2. What’s Carbo all about? As someone who spends time in the mountains in adverse conditions, for me it’s all about its IPX8 rating. This translates to a high level of water resistance: being able to be submerged up Continue reading…
Some of my favorite gear from La Sportiva released this year.
An early season trip linking two of my all-time favorite routes: the Sangre de Cristo Range Traverse and the Mosquito-Tenmile Traverse.
I’ll be going (again!) for the Unsupported Collegiate Loop FKT starting in the very early morning of September 3rd, 2025. This is somewhat of a last minute decision, as my actual plan was to do an Unsupported Nolan’s 14 run right about now, a goal that I’ve been planning, recon’ing and training for these past Continue reading…
Jornet’s human-powered link-up of Colorado 14ers — pedaling a bike from peak to peak — has been done a few times before, most notably by Hamilton in 2003 and endurance legend Justin Simoni in 2014. Boulder County’s Joe Grant did a human-powered ascent of all the 14ers in 2016 in 31 days.
The Gossamer Gear Grit 28 At A Glance The Gossamer Gear Grit 28 is an absolute exemplary fastpack for super ultralight pack outs where long days, miles, and pushing your limits is your primary goal. Stand Out Features of the Gossamer Gear Grit 28 The excellent value for what you pay, the Grit 28 is Continue reading…
The Self-Powered Athlete: “I moved from Denver to Boulder and just became like a Zen Buddhist monk, living in a little room and dedicating myself to this goal.” After six or seven months of training, I just felt ready to go.”
As I like to do for Big Projects, I’ve started a page about the Hoosier to Loveland Pass traverse I’ve dubbed “The Argentine Super Spine“. I think it’s an excellent adventure route for those looking for a bit more spice in their backpacking trips.
Howdy all, I’ll be going for the Unsupported Collegiate Loop FKT Attempt starting in the very early morning of July 15th. If my asthma doesn’t make an appearance and I don’t get run off the high country because of a dangerous lightning storm (I write this as one is overhead), I think I have a Continue reading…
Thursday 5/1/25: StairMaster, 1hr L7 — just getting back to it. HR was low (av of < 105bpm), but legs were sore, so my guess is that my aerobic conditioning is really good right now, even with such a grueling trip. Friday 5/2/25: StairMaster, 1hr L8, average of 121 bpm. Still pretty good. Still felt Continue reading…
Tuesday 4/1/25: Rest I had plans to work out, but I also had to nap twice, so that’s a good sign more rest is needed. Wednesday 4/2/25: Running, StairMaster Long work day, so I’m happy anything got done! Ran to the gym, then to work (4.5 miles), then the StairMaster at L7 — all Z2. Continue reading…
The Northern Sangres Traverse Loop starts/finishes at the Rainbow Trail Trailhead on the road up Methodist Mountain outside of Salida, CO. Start by hiking 20 miles southeast on the Rainbow Trail to Hayden Pass Road, then hike up the 5 miles and many thousands of feet of elevation gain to the top of Hayden Pass. Continue reading…
Saturday 3/1/25: Rest Sunday 3/2/25: Longs Peak via Cables with Drew After last Tuesday’s shutdown Drew and I both peeped the forecast, which looked much better and penciled in Sunday for another go. Weather turned out to be pretty much perfect — toasty, even! — and Drew made light work up Cables. I recorded the Continue reading…
