A vivid moment by moment account of the tragedy at Manaslu

http://www.greghill.ca/

How to Buy Goggles: What you should know about lenses, frame sizes and more

Goggles are the window to the skiing world. They’re categorized as an accessory, but they are an essential piece of your kit. Since all goggles offer protection from the wind and cold, there is a litany of choices to be made when finding the right one, at the right price, for you.

Spherical Lenses versus Cylindrical Lenses

Goggle lenses come in two basic forms: spherical and cylindrical (commonly referred to as flat). Spherical lenses are curved on both axes, while cylindrical lenses appear flat vertically but curved horizontally.

The difference boils down to two things: optical quality and goggle volume. Many companies mold-inject spherical lenses, a process that allows for full lens tapering, in which the plastic gets thinner the further it is from the center of the lens. With tapering, the peripheral light travels the same distance to your eye as the central light, resulting in better optical performance. Lens tapering is possible in flat lenses but only on one axis. “It comes down to optics,” says Tag Kleiner, the director of marketing at Smith Optics. “If you’re able to inject a spherical lens and get better optical performance, it’s a better lens.”

The second difference is volume, which makes a difference in the fogging department. “Spherical lenses increase the interior chamber volume in the goggle, which helps with fogging,” explains Kleiner. Cylindrical-lensed goggles, by virtue of their shape, have less interior volume that leads to more fogging.

However, all those benefits come with a price. “Spherical will be more expensive, but it’s a better lens,” says Kleiner. “If there is a drastic quality difference, there will be a drastic price difference.”

How Many Lenses do you Need?

Whether you go with a spherical or cylindrical lens, you’ll be faced with a decision about how many extra lenses, if any, to purchase. Sure, extra lenses mean more cash to pony up, but the right lens for the conditions is worth a little extra money. You wouldn’t shred BC pow on skinny skis or moguls on your rockered fatties.

No lens can provide optimal visibility and comfort across all weather and lighting conditions. “You could theoretically use a darker lens tint in thick fog, but you’re not going to see very well,” says Andy McSorley, Oakley’s global category manager for goggles. “Conversely, you could use a light lens tint on a bright sunny day, but your retinas will be scorched and may cause damage to your eyes.” And if you don’t have perfect vision, lens choice is an even more integral part of the equation. “For those with less-than-perfect vision, the correct lens tint is even more critical because there’s a reduced amount of inherent visibility for you to work with already,” he says. “Compounding your slightly fuzzy vision with the wrong lens tint is just salt in the wound.”
Extra lenses are expensive, but no need to go buy five or six right off the bat. “You’re going to want a lens suitable for low light or foul weather and one lens for bright sunny conditions,” says McSorley. “Orange base tints are a good choice in snowy weather and are pretty versatile as well. On the other end of the spectrum, you’ll want a mirrored lens to knock down bright light and protect against those harsh rays in bluebird conditions. A third lens tint is a good call for the more avid skier to enhance visibility and comfort in those in-between conditions where lighting varies. But make sure you have the far ends of the spectrum covered first.”

Quick Changing Lens Systems

Since having multiple lenses is an important piece of the puzzle, many goggle companies have come up with ingenious ways to make the hassle of swapping lenses easier. From magnets to toggles to release levers, almost every company offers a faster way to swap lenses. “As we all know, lighting conditions can change pretty dramatically,” says Trevor Moore, product manager at anon. “A quick lens-change technology makes it fast and effortless to swap out a lens to adapt to any lighting situation.”

Many of the upsides of quick-changing lens systems are merely a superficial convenience, but “if it’s snowing, the longer it takes to change a lens, the more chance that you will get moisture in your goggle, leading to fogging, which can definitely ruin your day,” says Moore.

Is a quick-changing lens system a must-have? No. But if you’d rather spend your time skiing than fussing with your goggles, a better lens-change system will improve your day.

Polarization

What the heck does a polarized lens do? “It’s awesome,” says Carl Walker, marketing specialist at Zeal Optics. “It cuts the glare from the sun almost completely so that you can see better no matter what the conditions. While a mirror can reduce glare by 10 to 20 percent at best, quality polarization will reduce 99 percent of glare.” Beyond cutting glare, polarized lenses increase contrast and definition, so you’ll find reduced eye fatigue after a day on the hill.

The question isn’t whether or not polarized lenses are beneficial; it’s a question of how quality your polarization is. A ton of elements go into producing a polarized lens leaving a large price and quality gap between products. “Sure, you can get a cheap polarized lens from someone, but they are cutting a lot of corners to get there,” says Walker. “It’s kind of like a cheeseburger. You can have a Double-Double at In-N-Out, or you can have a 99-cent burger from McDonald’s. To the consumer, both are burgers, but one is definitely better. That’s kind of how it works with lenses. There are a ton of lower-end polarized options but only a few premium polarized suppliers in the world.”

While polarized lenses are not a must-have item, their benefits are undeniable. If you decide to purchase polarized, don’t go cheap.

Helmet Compatibility

Today, if you’re going to wear a helmet, you’ll need to think about helmet-to-goggle interface. Considering both technical and aesthetic repercussions, you’ll want to make sure you research how the goggle you’re buying fits with your helmet. “Even if you don’t buy a goggle and helmet from the same brand, you should try them on before you make the purchase,” says Bob Scales, senior brand manager at Giro. More than fixing gaper gap, helmets and goggles designed to work in harmony will provide maximum ventilation and comfort.

Big versus Small Frames

Goggles have been trending bigger for the past few years because larger goggles provide a greater field of view, giving you less-obstructed vision. “Who’d rather see the inside of the goggle frame than the hill or hazards off to the side,” says Josh Hartley, goggle and eyewear manager for Electric Visual. “Oversized lenses don’t just extend one’s view horizontally, they provide greater vertical vision as well. When you’re skiing, you’re often crouched, so to see directly ahead, you’re actually looking up to a degree. By increasing the lenses vertically, you no longer have frame in your field of vision. For those who do tricks that require careful tracking to land cleanly, the absence of frame in their view is very helpful.”

But simply making a goggle bigger isn’t an easy task. “When we started designing the EG2 goggle in 2005, our intention was just [to make it bigger]. Simple,” explains Hartley. “It took us two years of intensive R & D to overcome the obstacles posed by the larger lens: increased wind turbulence, greater reflective surface area on the inside and engineering an optically correct lens at that scale.”

Ever since the folks at Electric overcame the technical issues, goggle companies have been following suit, with almost every major manufacturer producing a supersized option.

The only downside is aesthetics. To assuage some trepidation that smaller-proportioned buyers might have, companies are introducing slightly smaller versions, like Electric’s EG2.5. You can go small if you want, but when picking a frame, don’t shy away from the frame that seems too large, it might just be your best bet.

Here is the link to the original article on Freeskier.com:  http://freeskier.com/stories/how-to-buy-goggles?utm_source=home_latest

The Manaslu avalanche is a serious and devastating tragedy.  The hazards in outdoor adventure sports are serious and real.  With new developments in technology we can mitigate risks better but there are still there and very real.  Events like these remind us of that fact.  Could this horrific accident have been prevented?  Right now, it sounds like that was not a possibility and those that were caught in the avalanche were victims of mother nature’s unpredictable beahvior.  As lovers of the outdoors and adventure sports we need to keep in the back of our minds the potential for accidents to happen.  We are out there to push ourselves and have fun, but we shouldn’t forget that the sports we choose to do have very real dangers and it’s important to know when we are getting close to the threshold of those dangers.  The boy scout motto of “be prepared” goes a long way in the field of adventure sports. 

We are our #1 risk.  It’s because we are seeking to push ourselves or to extract a little more adventure out of an experience that leads us to make risky decisions.  The news of the Manaslu avalanche arrives on the tail of another tragic season on Mt. Everest.  This spring was the 3rd highest record of deaths on Mt. Everest.  What was eye opening was that all the deaths this year were caused by the human factor – poor decision making.  It is great to have goals, they are what drive us, they are catalysts but sometimes we need to stop and realize when we are driving too hard towards a result and risking our lives for that result and not appreciating the journey because that is where we learn and grow.  

 Here is an update on the Manaslu avalanche from Outside Magazine

http://www.outsideonline.com/blog/outdoor-adventure/nine-reported-dead-at-least-six-believed-missing-on-manaslu.html

Ski with NASTC’s masterful coaches and improve your skiing and fun-meter to a whole new level at one of the best skiing destinations in the U.S.  

 http://youtu.be/uTijBIN34Is

Original link to the article in the NY Times:  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/for-young-athletes-good-reasons-to-break-the-fast-food-habit/

September 14, 2012, 11:15 am
For Young Athletes, Good Reasons to Break the Fast-Food Habit

By SINDYA N. BHANOO

When I ran high school cross-country 14 years ago, the bus that took us to meets always stopped at a Wendy’s or McDonald’s after the event. Most of the team would order some variation of burgers, fries and a big soda. It was fast, easy and satisfying.

Things haven’t changed much for young athletes, according to a recent study in The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

Toben Nelson, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, and his colleagues interviewed 60 parents of youth athletes, ages 6 to 13, in Minneapolis and its suburbs. They found that parents brought post-game snacks for the team that typically included such items as candy, ice cream, doughnuts, pizza, cheese puffs, chips, even something called ”taco in a bag.” They also said that stopping at fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s and Dairy Queen or grabbing a hot dog and a sugary sports drink at the concession stand during a meet was the norm.

”Generally, it’s not what you would consider healthy,” one parent told the researchers. “It’s more of the things that the kids want to eat.”

For growing adolescents, a big meal after a tough game or race is necessary to replenish the body, said Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition and public health at New York University. And since they burn a lot of calories, they also need a fair amount of fat and protein.

“They are hungry,” Dr. Nestle said. “Especially if they are adolescent boys, they need phenomenal numbers of calories.” Serious athletes, she said, are burning so much fat and so many calories that they will not gain weight from eating a couple of burgers a week. “Sure, it would be better if they ate healthier, but we have to be realistic,” she said. “Fast food isn’t poison; it just isn’t daily fare.”

An active teenage boy requires about 3,000 calories a day, and an active teenage girl about 2,400 calories. Younger children, like those in Dr. Nelson’s study, require anywhere from 600 to 1,000 calories a day less.

Problems can arise, though, when young athletes are taking in more calories than they are burning. Studies show that more than one in four youth sport participants are overweight, and half of youths who are obese say they participate in a sport.

Very young athletes may be particularly prone to excess intake. “They’re not yet exercising as much, and they’re not growing as much,” Dr. Nestle said. “They don’t need to be eating every two hours.”

And other research has shown that players spend quite a bit of time sitting on the bench during practices and games.

“The premise of sports is not about health” and getting a good workout, said Jim Sallis, a professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California, San Diego. “The premise of sports is about beating your opponent.”

Part of the tradition in American sports is also to celebrate with food, Dr. Sallis added.

Instead of the standard ice cream and pizza, he suggested some alternatives for snacks after games or workouts. “Maybe go to a grocery store, and everybody gets a couple pieces of fruit,” he said. “There are other ways to do it. Parents could take turns making something for the kids, or help the coach find healthy eating options.”

Alicia Kendig, a sports dietitian for the United States Olympic Committee who works with swimmers, figure skaters and other athletes, called fruits “nature’s perfectly sized snack” and said the most important thing was to eat natural, unprocessed foods and unsaturated fats that come from foods like avocados and almonds.

“Sports nutrition is now a competitive advantage,” she said. “If you’re eating correctly and you’re ingesting the correct nutrients, there are clear performance benefits.” Whole foods take longer to digest and keep the body full longer, she added.

In a report published last year, Sonia Kim, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that one in four teenagers ate fruit less than once a day, and one in three ate vegetables less than once a day.

Teenage girls should eat at least one and a half cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables each day, she said, and boys should eat two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables daily. A cup is equal to about one medium apple, a dozen baby carrots or a large tomato.

“Fruits and vegetables are important for everyone, but especially for athletes,” Dr. Kim said.

An athletic 15-year-old boy needs about two and a half cups of fruit and four cups of vegetables a day. An athletic girl of the same age needs two cups of fruits and three cups of vegetables daily.

Dr. Kim encouraged parents to pack healthy meals for their children so they can avoid fast food, and to leave fruit out and readily available in the kitchen. Schools and sports teams should also provide and encourage healthier options, she said, including whole grains and nuts and other healthy protein sources, like lean meats and seafood.

For parents, the time and investment in setting a good example is worthwhile, so their young children mature into healthy, fit adults. “It will have a lifelong effect,” Dr. Kim said. “Habits formed early on track to younger adolescence and into at least young adulthood.”

Twitter and Facebook are all a buzz with images of fresh snowfall in Colorado.  Maybe we’ll skip fall and move right into winter?!  Signs of a change in season is creeping into the Sierras also, this morning was distinctly cooler than all the others. Personally, this is a really fun time of year, the days are still warm enough to catch a bike ride or a run through the woods and ski movies are premiering all over the country and the newest gear has arrived at your local ski shop.  There is a sort of frenzy around preparing for ski season, it really is “hurry up and wait.”  After you have everything organized and set up, you have been going through a ski conditioning program, you’ve chosen where you are going to get your season pass, which NASTC camps you are going to sign up for 🙂 and you’ve pulled your gear out from the recesses of your garage (hopefully tuned your skis), now it’s time to wait until the snow starts falling.  But man, that first day back on your skis is so well worth the wait, so what if it’s just groomers, the rush and exhiliration of going fast and sliding on snow is so FUN!!

Hello NASTC Skiers!
If you haven’t already checked, take a look at our new season dates and locations!
Squaw, Alpine, Sugar Bowl, Northstar, Grand Targhee, Crested Butte, St Anton, Avalanche Level I and more! 
There is something for everybody. And of course, the grand dame of the summer months: Portillo.  Our group of 20 just returned from a fabulous week! Four powder mornings, big descents, bigger smiles, and new friends made for a really fulfilling week. Next year we return as always August 17-24!!
Order your preseason training package NOW while supplies last: a Sweetspot ski trainer, agility ladder, miniband, and copy of Total Skiing. Call or email us for pricing and different packages.
Ski you soon, the NASTC corporate campus, Truckee CA  🙂

Hello NASTC Nation!
Our new calendar is about to be put on our site, but if you need any dates just email us! [email protected] will get you answers! Or call anytime too. This year NASTC is going to Crested Butte, Grand Targhee, Squaw, Alpine, Sugar Bowl, Northstar, St Anton, Mt Shasta, Portillo, and more! Plus our very popular Avalanche Level I courses will be offered and some great backcountry descents around the Tahoe basin. Enrollment is open, call or email and let’s get your ski training vacation planned!