MOAB

Monarch butterflies, the roaming herds of African Wilda Beasts and Summit county residents all have one major thing in common. Seasonal migration. Every spring, while the snow melts and the tourism takes a break the residents of summit county attempt to colonize Kane Creek campgrounds just outside of the town of Moab. This area is the perfect break from the drab may melt of Breckenridge, it has hot weather, a lot of sand and you can swing a dead cat without encountering another great outdoorsy adventure.
We went for the mountain biking. Many trails were explored, the highlights being the Sovereign trail and the Amasaback trail (until Rob had to go and break his leg). Also the sovereign bluffs trail has dinosaur footprint fossils on it, which is pretty cool.

Jump Day!

Sadly, Breckenridge is near the end of the 2008/2009 season, but the snowpack here in summit county is still holding strong. It is this time of year that we start to look just outside the boundaries of our beloved Breckenridge to the summit county back country for good times.

Recently the crew headed out just south of the town of Breckenridge (beacons, probes and shovels in tow) to explore some outlying areas and look for the perfect spot to build a jump. What better way to learn new tricks than to land in waist deep powder right? The day couldn't have gone better and here are some shots of the results.

Here Chaco the dog checks out some ski's, the crew hiking in (Austin stays comfortable in the Borealis Jacket and Drew keeps the wind out with the Diad Jacket) and Rob taking a short break in front of the kicker.

Austin Guinea Pigs the jump with a method grab
(FreethinkerII Jacket)

Tom goes for the backflip (oh he landed it)

Why would Ian go forward when he could go backwards

As always, thanks for checking in gang and we look forward to your next excuse to come visit us. Keep in mind that if you see something here that you can't find on our website give us a shout at 888 TNF BRECK.

Peace, Love and Kibble.

Jasper the dog

Spring foolishness

A lot of people only spring break where there' a lot of sand and a lot of drinks with tiny umbrellas on top.
Those people are what we like to call wrong.

Spring in the high country is the time to be out an about and the Breckgear.com crew has been leading the way in alpine tomfoolery.

For your consideration the top ten things to do with your spring break in Breck.

1. TAKE ME FOR A WALK. I jasper the dog love being walked about town and YOU are perfect for the job.



2. Go Snowmobiling. Its like jet skiing with out all that pesky sunscreen.



3. Go Sledding. We stopped the aging process right around Seven.


4. Go Dog Sledding. You know you have always wanted to do that. We have the perfect spot for that. (Good Times Adventures)



5. Go Cross Country Skiing. here margo enjoys a lovely view of the summit county back country while a breathable apex softshell keeps her comfy.





6. Go Back Country skiing. Here Austin cruises up peak six for the ride of his life in a Cipher Windstopper.

7. Steal your college mascot and take him skiing. Recently the Rocky Mountain Dukes Club hit the hill. (James Madison University). Austin models the freethinker II jacket.

8. Go on a hut trip. The outlaying areas of Colorado are riddles with perfectly well equipped back country cabins. Great for a one night in and out or stringing a couple spots together for a longer voyage.

9. Go for a Snowshoe. Breck is surrounded by trails for all experience levels. We love an excuse to get out there and enjoy the world around us...So will you. We even know where you should rent Snowshoes!

10. Hit the hill. Breckenridge has acres of world class skiiable terrain, including trees, high mountain bowls, moguls, freestyle parks and all the groomers you could want to have a great day on the hill.

If you see something you like but can't find it on the website give us a shout at 1.888.tnf.breck and we will get you hooked up.

We'll see you out there!!

Jasper the dog.

Fleecing the facts

Lets face it, there is a lot of fleece out there, and its a confusing world with its own language. To help you figure this mess out, I, Jasper the dog, have recruited an expert on the subject, Dr. Rahm McSheepy (pictured below with his wife Ewellen), to shed some light on the subject.

J:Hello Dr. McSheepy, Thanks for joining us on today's Q and A session.
R: Ahh yes my boy happy to be here, and you may call me Dr. Rama.

J:Okay, Dr. Rama, what is fleece?
R: Zat is a good question, the fleece you are thinking of is a very lightweight sheet fabric made from synthetic polymers.

J:What does multiple wives have to do with anything?
R:Polymers, Jasper, not polygamy. A synthetic polymer is a man made material. The term is generally used in reference to plastic.

J: You mean like water bottles?
R:Well yes, and actually a lot of fleece is made from recycled plastic bottles.

J: So what makes fleece so good for outdoor gear?
R:A couple reasons. First, fleece traps a lot of warm air, which keeps you warm, without being bulky. Fleece is hydrophobic, meaning it doesn't soak up water. So as you sweat, it vents that moisture, and if you happen to get wet, it dries quickly. Fleece can also compact very well so it is very packable.

J: Sweet! I just got excited...I am a dog. Okay next question. How warm is it?
R:That depends on its gram weight.
J:Small words doc.
R: Those words are literally small words.
J: you know what I mean.
R:Fleece is sold by how much it weighs per square yard, generally in multiples of 100. For instance the TKA 100 Glacier is a fairly light weight fleece, good for layering or lounging. The Khumbu is a 200 gm fleece and is a little warmer but a little more of a jacket, and the Denali is a 300 gm fleece and is for very cold days or to be worn on its own, as a jacket around town.

J:Interesting. A fleece for all seasons! So whats with those names?
R: Well Khumbu and Denali are exotic mountain locales. Many Outdoor gear companies use the names of these untamed places to lend credit to their products. The TKA monacher is essentially a brand name of sorts.

J:I like Butterflies.
R: I see I've lost you, but I will keep going anyway. There are a number of fleece producer in the world. The North Face uses two primary types; TKA fleece, which is their proprietary brand of fleece and Polartech, an outsourced material.

J: There's no fleece Czar!?!
R: Ha. Far from it. But the North Face uses these two as they are the best. TKA is a high grade in house fabric so it is affordable, and the Polartech product is lighter and warmer than anything else on the market.

J: mmm I like warm and light.
R: well, you should look into the Aurora fleece or the Denali fleece if you want something a little warmer.

R:Jasper you are drooling.
J:oh right, sorry, Well that's about all the time my attention span has for me so I am going to say thank you and good bye and go chase that chipmunk out there.
R:Annnd he is gone.


Thanks for visiting Breckgear.com

Telluride

Telluride...more like Telluriden...HA

Recently the Breckgear.com staffers had themselves a field trip. Normally we wouldn't be caught dead cheating on Breckenridge, but we couldn't resist the chance to go on a little sortee in search of new terrain.

We found ourselves six hours to the southwest in a cowboy town called Telluride. This town, like Breck, is one of the few places in CO that was a town first and then a ski resort. This gives the town a lot more character and historical context. Telluride got its name from people saying "to hell you ride," due to its untamed wild west history, but it has a friendlier demeanor now.

It has certainly got some beautiful views. This is Drew enjoying oneAlthough we had all sorts of terrain to chose from we found we liked the tree riding the best. Steep but open, these trees offered something Breckenridge doesn't and we made the most of it.

By the way if you are there and looking for lunch...we found a winner. Its called Fat Alley. Its about a block from the base of the Gondola.

I'm pretty sure this picture sums up our experience in Telluride.

Thanks

Jasper the dog

Sizing chart

Welcome back gang!!

We have been getting a lot of questions lately about sizing. This is the link to a sizing chart that we use pretty often to help people get the fit they need.

Women's clothing conversion chart

Hope this helps and always we are available for further queries at
1-800 TNF BRECK.

Thanks,
Jasper

This is why I'm Hott!!

Who knew the staff here at breckgear.com had so much talent. Not only can they accurately pack orders and ship them across the country while maintaining a sweet website with an even sweeter discount, but they can sculpt as well.

This year the staff entered the Breckenridge Snowflake challenge. This is an amateur snow sculpting competition hosted by the town of Breckenridge. This year's theme was winter dreams and we immediately realized that nothing would be a better dream come true than partying with a bunch of penguins. BAM! Team Loaded Penguins was born. We set about immediately setting the stage with an igloo and a hot tub, everyone knows penguins live in igloos and relax in hot tubs.

Next to be built were our party penguins, we carved a pair of trash can sized emperor penguins and a few more smaller penguins in the igloo and around the hot tub.

Guess what gang. we won SECOND PLACE in our first ever snow sculpting event!!

Jasper the dog