How To:

How to wax your skis or snowboard

Everyone makes mistakes

Last year the snowsports industry went crazy over the new Marker Duke, a totally new and unique product from a company that's been making ski bindings since 1952. Whats unique about the Duke is that its a downhill binding with alpine touring capabilities versus an AT biding with downhill capabilities. The folks at Marker managed to give the Duke a din setting of 16 which was previously unheard of in the world of AT bindings. How did they make this possible? Lots of heavy plastic and more metal. Those of you who like to hike up the mountain before you ski down it may see this as a problem. You're absolutely right. The Duke is noticeably heavy when you're heading up and for a skier like me, not quite necessary when you're skiing down. See, I'm a little guy. At 155 lbs and very respectful of gravity, I would never use a din setting higher than 10! In the Duke's defense, there are some dudes out there that weigh a lot more than I do and are hucking it big of cliffs and jumps. Those guys could actually use a higher din setting making the Marker Duke the ideal product. Lesson learned. I hiked today with my new Fritschi Freerides and I love them.

Lets sum this up. If you're a little guy like me and you stay on the ground most of the time, I don't think you should get it! If you're a little heavier and you go big in the air not just on the ground, it's probably perfect for you.

Stop by BreckGear.com to take a look at all the great new The North Face products available for this coming winter!!

Breck Opens

ITS HERE

The season has finally arrived and we here at breckgear.com couldn't be happier! Breckenridge opened a few days ago and the staff has been hitting the slopes hard.
One piece that has been constant for the crew is the sentinel thermal jacket. This piece has accomplished early season excellence by combining the supreme wind proofing and breathablitly of Gore "Windstopper" materials with a light weight, but durable, shell nylon. The piece also boast a highloft fleece interior for adding warmth. My friends keep giving me a hard time saying the jacket is so soft and comfy that it must be made from baby seals or unicorn horns or something.
It isn't; baby seals are a myth.
This jacket has been awesome for resort skiing and it is breathable enough for us to wear while we hike and skin in the mornings or evenings.

love
jasper the dog

shoulders

Shoulder.

Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines shoulder as the laterally projecting part of the human body formed of the bones and joints with their covering tissue by which the arm is connected with the trunk.
There are a few other definitions including parts of garments, pieces of meat and a few verb definitions to include carrying a load or knocking something over.

Whichever you choose, shoulder means only one thing to the Breckgear.com crew. Cleaning. In the summit county vernacular the shoulder is the time of year between ski season and all the other seasons. A-Basin and Loveland ski areas are open for business, but we (snowsnobs) tend to find ourselves hand washing baseboards or cleaning the interior of the trash can. You and I both know that cleaning the interior of the trash can is reserved soley for the truly bored or the completely "retentive." Main street Breckenridge will soon change from tumbleweeds to toontown and thanks to the doldrums of shoulder season we will be ready and waiting for the crowds.

Although I seem to be casting these "tweener" times as pretty weak, it is actually a great time to visit summit county. The Summit Daily is teeming with 2 for 1 deals at all the restaurants, hotel rooms are less expensive and you can literally dance around in the middle of Main Street. The weather is chilly, but lets be honest, it's a great excuse to release your inner pyromaniac. You know that guy, it's the voice in the back of your head that can't wait to get all the ornaments off the Christmas tree and see how big the flames will be once it's in the fire pit.
This time of year may not be for our usual adrenaline seeking crowd but there is ample room for a more mellow crew. Come on up and visit, the locals will be siked to see you (sweet diversion) and you know the shops will be spotless.



Jasper the Dog

Take a virtual tour!

Many of you have been to our store in Breck and you know what kind of customer service we offer. If you have not been to The North Face Breckenridge before, now you can take a look around without even getting up from the chair you're sitting in! Simply click HERE to take a virtual tour of our store......its amazingly beautiful!

Gore-Tex Unraveled

Gore-Tex Unraveled,

How warm is gore-tex? Do I need Gore-tex? Did Al Gore invent Gore-tex before or after the global warming?

These are a few examples of the misconceptions the staff here at Breckgear.com confront on a daily basis. We love it when people ask questions; as there is no sound as pleasing to our ears as our own voices, but understand that some people can be a little shy about phoning us up. That is why I, Jasper the dog, will set the record straight on this Gore-tex enigma.

To Dispel the aforementioned myths; Gore-tex itself is about as warm as a plastic grocery bag, you may or may not need Gore-tex, that depends on you and Al Gore invented neither of those things.

A brief bit of history:
Gore-tex is produced by the W.L. Gore and Associates, Inc. which was founded by Bill and Vieve Gore in 1958 when they started fiddling with their chemistry sets (or whatever it is that scientist do while wearing their haughty lab coats). Since then, the company has been producing some pretty amazing barrier layers with a lot of applications. You can find Gore-tex in electrical wiring sheaths, cutting edge surgical procedures and of course fine outdoor gear products.

The chemistry behind Gore-tex is fairly simple. It relies heavily on the fact that water vapor molecules are much smaller than liquid water molecules. Gore-tex is a membrane comprised of millions of tiny cones, the openings at the small end of these cones are bigger than a vapor molecule but smaller than a liquid molecule. Guys, as you get moving in the out of doors your body produces a bunch of sweat which is in turn vaporized by body heat. These molecules are pushed into the large end of the cones and out of the small end because your body is producing a lot more sweat. As in all things, when there is an overcrowding of these molecules in one place they will disperse to greener pastures, so to speak. Girls, a similar process occurs when you exercise except we all know that you don't sweat. Reread that last section and replace the word "sweat" with something like strawberry short cake or glitter or whatever you do. All of this is accomplished without letting any water or wind in.

Why does this matter? A garbage bag is waterproof, but you will probably freeze if you wear one because it doesn't let any perspiration out. Gore-tex does; and it is the best because it allows the most moisture out of any membrane. Thus, no water is hanging around your skin, sucking up all your heat and making you feel uncomfortable.

Gore-tex is a great waterproof breathable membrane but only you know if you need it. Every outdoor gear company has their own membrane or coating to accomplish the same goal, these are great options because they will keep you dry, they will breathe and they help keep the cost down. Its up to you to decide if you need more breathability

Opposable thumbs are for pansies,
Jasper the dog.

New Snow in the Mountains!

Book your trip to Breckenridge NOW because winter is here! On monday, Breckenridge Ski Resort Snowmakers came out from hibernation and started making snow. On top of that, I woke up this morning to see a few inches on the ground outside my house and about 6 inches at the resort. It may be october, but its time to start thinking about the upcoming ski and ride season and what type of North Face gear you need to stay warm this winter! Check out the Live Cam to view our winter wonderland and check out The North Face Breckenridge for the latest and greatest in winter outerwear.