Top Three at Junior USSSA Nationals?

“What will be the storyline after the National Junior Championships come Sunday February 26? Will it be Samantha Lewis’ third straight Championship? Will it be former Cheyenne Mountain High School’s and current CU freshman Mitchell Kasyon’s second straight National Championship? My biggest question is this: will Colorado Junior Snowshoe racers sweep the podium at the 2012 Dion Snowshoes USSSA National Snowshoe Championship 5K?

My answer: the country better watch out for the high altitude racers.

Athletes from all over the country will ascend to Summit High School for the 12th annual championship race. Paul Smiths College in northwestern New York is sending their team out to compete and they will definitely contest for the race. David Kucia, Jack Mulvihill, and Ana Hull will represent their college as 19-year-old racers in this division. These three give our Colorado contingent the biggest threat for the national team. Watch them try to break up the sweep. Melissa Tekippe of Wisconsin has shown she will mix it up with the girls by winning her classification this year. Look for sophomores Eric Hulbert of Mexico High School in Mexico, New York and Henry Sime of Cimarron High School in Cimarron, New Mexico to continue their snowshoe racing traditions.

Walking from the school to the start line

All of these names are foreign to most of us here in Colorado, but here some names that will remind of us of why Colorado will go for the sweep on the boys’ side: Evergreen’s Jackson Sayler and Sam Sahli, Cheyenne Mountain’s Ben Fox and Alex Baer, and 2011 Colorado High School Snowshoe State Champion from Smoky Hill Kyle Ames are just the high school boys in the race. These names alone strike fear in most coaches around the state; let me throw two others at you: former Cheyenne Mountain stars Postyn Smith of Williams College and defending national champion Mitchell Kasyon of CU. What a lineup we have representing our state at this championship race!

I will be lucky enough to watch this race unfold as I do not race the 10K until 11:30, but I am not sure who to pick as my lead horse. Ames is growing into his own as a determined and competitive snowshoe racer, and during the race two weekends ago I saw a true grit on his face that he did not have at the 2011 CO HS Snowshoe State Championship. This will be his third snowshoe race, and he will definitely contend.

As a Summit coach, I have witnessed the Evergreen teams in real life, and I was present to watch Sayler and Sahli compete with one of the state’s best snowshoe racers at the Swift Skedaddle in Silverthorne. While I was leading the 10K, I glanced back at the 5K turn and saw these two Cougars racing their guts out against PowerBar Team Elite racer Tim Hola. I was quite impressed with their running, which had improved greatly from when they raced at the 2011 Snowshoe State Championship.

Fox and Baer at CMHS continue their school’s outstanding tradition in distance racing this weekend. They will represent with pride, and they have made big leaps from last year’s snowshoe state championship too, much like Sayler and Sahli. They will not be alone, as their former teammates Kasyon and Smith will continue their Summit County traditions of shredding the snow at SHS.

My prediction: Kasyon and Smith will go 1-2 in the race. I think Kasyon has a slight edge in the race with his altitude training, but Smith is no slouch. I cannot wait to watch these two young men race each other again in snowshoes; this will be the first time they raced one another since the inaugural 2010 Colorado Snowshoe State Championship where the two men were 1-2: Kasyon then Smith. Kyle Ames will finish behind them for the third and final National Team position, while Sahli, Sayler, Baer, and Fox will fight for the next four spots. I will not discount Paul Smiths racers, but the altitude training that Evergreen and CMHS have will be the difference in this race with a 300 foot climb from 1K to 3.5K.

The girls’ 5K will be Boulder High School’s Sam Lewis’ final snowshoe race at her storied course in Frisco, CO for a few years while she races for the Beavers at Oregon State. Lewis has become the greatest snowshoe racing girl in the history of the sport, surpassing Golden’s Anna Lieb from the mid 2000s. This is Lewis’ race to win, and she will set the bar high for any future snowshoe girl racer for the history of the USSSA. Since the boys and girls race this race together, I really hope that Lewis can race with Ames again like she did two weekends ago. It would be something to see her come in front of him, much like she finished third overall in the 2011 National Championship behind Kasyon and Ben Palladino of Paul Smiths College.

Mitch Kayson demonstrates how to breathe after touring this championship course

The girls’ race from 2nd place back will be interesting. There is still a chance other CMHS girls will come race, and although I cannot find much information on Hull of Paul Smiths, I foresee her coming in the top three. It will be interesting to see where Summit Middle School’s McKenna Ramsay will finish in the race. She was second at the 2012 Colorado Snowshoe State Championship. Could Ramsay be the next Lewis? That is a question that will be answered next year, but she could contend for the 2nd spot. Pomona High School’s Mariah Henderson is quietly becoming a star in the sport too, and it will be great to see her race Nationals. Henderson could sneak in the top three ahead of Hull with the fact she has been training on the high plains of Arvada, CO. Hull has the only real shot at breaking up this Colorado sweep, and I look for Wisconsin’s Tekippe to throw her hat in the ring for that third and final national team spot.

I feel a lot of Colorado pride coming into this race. Watching our Colorado runners dominate the snowshoe racing field this weekend will be the icing on the cake for this race. The Junior 5K starts at 9:00 AM this Saturday (2/25) at Summit High School in Frisco, CO. Do you want to race, but you did not qualify for nationals? You can race the Citizens’ Race at 1:15 PM, which is the same course your high school brothers and sisters will be racing earlier that morning. Come up, watch the races, and compete in the 5K later that day. Bring your cowbells and Colorado flags…this is the Centennial State’s Race to win!”

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Teaching a Snowshoe Lesson! Robert Bolton, SD (51) showing Bronze Medal power. Not pictured, Bill Perkins (51) 5th, and Lisa Mills (50) 1st Woman

After last year’s Frisco Elk Fiasco, the US Forest Service (USFS) asked the race director of the 2012 Love Me Tender to avoid Iron Springs Open Space for the 2012 version. Where to go though? Ask and beg for the use of a Nordic Center, or maybe just run on the flats surrounding SHS multiple times. “There’s always that Highland Meadows Open Space to the south of Summit High School (site of the event),” race director Darren Brungardt said to himself.

He went running and asked a random owner of a property in the Highland Meadows area who the president of the HOA is. He got the info, went back to SHS, and started scheming on a new route. The HOA was more than happy to allow Brungardt the use of their open space, and the race was set. Highland Meadows came through for SHS, and now Brungardt had to make a new course.

He went exploring on Tuesday February 7th, his birthday. He found a nicely packed trail that went all of the way to the top of valley to the USFS boundary line. He found another really solid trail that wound through the woods. The trail popped back out into the open space, but where to go from here? Brungardt was clueless; this open space property was vast but only a few solid trails. He thought to himself, “What would my great-grandfather have done in 1937 while logging trees to the west of Loveland?”

“Gosh darn it Darren,” he shouted down the valley, “I’ve got snowshoes on; I will go make my own darn trail!”

Start: (L) 753 Mitch Kayson 10k overall, 770 Samantha Lewis 5k womens,817 Rafael Darras,826 Tim Hola 10k mens,762 McKenna Ramsay(14!)1st age, 769 Robert Bolton 10k Bronze, 832 Ed Oliver 1st age

He did. Cutting a straight path to the willows below, Brungardt stomped out a perfect trail all the way back down to SHS. The trail cut through willows and sage brush, but it was a snowshoe trail, and it was going to have to work. This space is a swamp in the spring, summer and fall, but a perfect snowshoe course in the winter. He GPS mapped it the next day, and by golly it was nearly dead-on for a 5 km loop. He did it, a 5 km loop will serve as the Colorado High School Snowshoe State Championship 5 km, and the 10 km will double-run it for the USSSA qualifier. It is on!

This year’s race was a special one. Not only was going to serve as the precursor to the national meet, it was the first time the LMT had a title sponsor: PowerBar. They provided two bars, gels, drink mix, clothing giveaways, and drink mix for the runners. Peaceful Mountain, an all natural health company, provided racers with recovery cream for their weary post mace muscles. Bee Nut Free, a hypoallergenic snack company based in Summit County, provided racers with a tasty snack. B Sweet Cupcakes provided a cupcake for every racer. The SHS Girls’ Rugby Team made pots of chili too. DJ Impaulse was spinning tunes outside. The indoor race setting was set, back to the field.

Runners came and came and came. It turned out to be the biggest LMT/CO HS Snowshoe State Championship ever. Legends made their way to Frisco. Bill Perkins, a Northeastern transplant that made his name as one of the creators of Red Feather snowshoes brought himself over Fremont Pass to take on the freshly powdered course. He brought with him a new device that he invented that he is excited to unveil to the snowshoeing community this coming Nationals weekend. Adam Chase, Boulderite and Colorado’s Atlas Snowshoe Man, drove the 90 miles up the hill to take on the national preview course.

Stephen Holonitch has just trudgged down the mount on right. National racers will go up; could be a fast start.

Mitch Kasyon, now CU freshman but last year’s CO HS and National Junior Champ showed up sporting some fancy new Eastons and a national racing jersey he picked up at the Wisconsin nationals last March; Mitch chose to race the 10 km this time and challenge himself. His buddy and LMT Hall of Famer, Samantha (Sam) Lewis, donned some fancy purple and black tiger-striped tights while warming up with Atlas racers on her feet. She, too, was wearing her champion jersey from Cable.Tim Hola, the PowerBar sponsor, made his way in a sporty pair of Atlas racers too. And the biggest surprise was Bob Bolton, South Dakota’s master-élite snowshoe racer, popped out of his jeep with DIONs on his feet ready to take on the highest altitude race he had ever run.

The high school teams were big this year. Smoky Hill High School brought up some stud runners, and 2011 runner-up Kyle Ames made it known that this was his race to win this year. His teammates followed his lead and wanted to team snatch the team title out of the grips of Cheyenne Mountain High School’s hands. CMHS have been the state championship team since the event started in 2010, and they were not going to let SHHS take it easily. They came in Force: 21 team members comprised of 3 girls and 18 boys donned their D-12 Team apparel and readied themselves for the showdown. Jeff Bliven and Stan Lambros, of SHHS and CHMS respectively, deserve some sort of snowshoe award for growing this sport among the high school kids. It is blossoming, and it will be even bigger next year.

The race started quickly. Brungardt asked veteran racers Sam and Mitch to lead the runners out so no one got lost, and they quickly followed his instructions. Ames was in the mix too, and Brungardt led the runners up the first climb one-quarter of a mile in. He allowed Mitch and Ames to pass, but they missed a flag and took a zig when they should have zagged. Brungardt quickly redirected them from behind and much to his surprise his long time friend, Sam Lewis, led the boys down the hill and back out to the flat part of the course. An immense sense of pride overwhelmed Brungardt after he picked up a face-planted rookie high school runner out of the powder; then he watched from 25 yards back Sam Lewis, in her third LMT, lead the entire group in the race. He will miss her greatly as she heads northwest to run for the Beavers at Oregon State for the next four years.

Face Plant: Been there, done that. Helps to have the RD right behind

From here the race developed quickly into a speed event. Sam was eventually passed by Mitch and Tim Hola, but held off a gritty attack by a pair of high school boys: Ames and Josh Fowler of CMHS. Bob Bolton was breathing hard behind them, and Brungardt eventually passed a string of high school racers to be situated in the rear of the leaders. He continued to check course markings, race volunteers, and tested the gel consumption at the aid stations. He was in no hurry to get back into the race, he was just happy he got the whole thing off successfully.

Racers climbed the 300 feet in elevation gain up Highlands Meadows HOA. Sam continued to push the boys up the hills, Brungardt observed her awesome tights from 200 meters back. Mitch was gonzo; he had taken a commanding lead and would not surrender it as he won his first ever 10 km race in snowshoes. Hola finished behind him for second overall, and Bolton was third. The high school race was coming down to the wire. Brungardt watched Sam and the two boys battle down the valley into the willows. He briefly lost them in thick brush, but made out Bolton’s green tights and Sammy’s purple ones for brief moments.

Once clear he really saw the race turn into a match of attrition that pitted Sam Lewis, the fastest girl in snowshoes in the nation, up against two of Colorado’s premier high school distance runners: Ames and Fowler.

It appeared to Brungardt that Ames took off and passed Lewis. Fowler quickly followed suit. It then appeared that Fowler and Ames were neck and neck. Oh how Brungardt wished he was there to watch them battle it out down the stretch! Ames was in his second year as a racer, and this was Fowler’s first time. Ames wanted it too much, and he nudged his way to an 8- second win, followed by Fowler then Lewis, 45 seconds back of Ames.

SHHS did it, they dethroned the CMHS reign of individual champions. The numbers for CMHS were too much in the end however; CMHS stormed home to win the meet by a wide margin.

If someone next to you jumps like this on the start, don't plan on passing them

Other racers, like Lisa Mills a SHHS coach and former Olympic Trails runner, won the women’s 10 km. Brett Tomlinson, Snowy Peaks Principal in Frisco, won the Best Dressed Elvis Award. Griffin Elementary’s Gina Kelble, a two-year pro of the LMT and a mere 11 years old, qualified for Nationals and looks forward to competing in the Junior B category for the first time.

Racers loved the course so much that they encouraged Brungardt to have it be the National Race course. He thought it over with Mark Elmore, USSSA Sports Director, and with much anticipation the two men decided to make it so, only in reverse (That smacks of a devious Elmore idea; another twist, another challenge in finalizing a world-class layout. ED) . The two are looking forward to the race weekend, February 24-26, as SHS hosts the “Big Show,” and Colorado’s first-ever bid for the snowshoe nationals.

Come one, come all, and behold the beauty of Summit County from this awesome course.

Top (lead) Photo: courtesy Coach Alan Versaw www.milesplit.us

3rd Photo: courtesy Sue Brungardt’s camera by Karen Campbell

2nd, 4th, Last Photos: courtesy Jim Lewis (Why does that last name seem so familiar in this article?)

Comments, write phillip@ultrasuperior.com and include article title in the subject line, please. Will see you at Frisco! On the trail, look for me trudging up in the rear with the gear as is the Captain’s preference in Kubrick’s movie Full Metal Jacket.

Jeremy Dormer won the Pennsylvania State Championship in 41:59, followed by Gerald Blasko for the silver in 45:10. Tyler Angeli took the bronze in 45:44.

Ann Sick won the women’s Pennsylvania State Championship in 47:52 as Sherry Robinson took silver and Tak MacArthur captured Bronze.

In the 5 km event, Jacob Fetterman (16) zipped through the course in 19:13 while Rock Warnagiris came in 23:35. Kent Jackson followed in 25:11.

Frank Gaval completed the event in under thirty as did the overall women’s winner Stacy Mears. Lee Baskin and Mary Lynn McBride completed the women’s field.

January, 2012, with cold

The course is double-track in and around the rollings hills of the Nescopeck State Park, a 3500 acre preserve of wetlands, rich forests and mountains to climb . . . perfect for foot races whether on shoes or snowshoes. Snowshoers are welcome in this park!

The race awards graciously to 16 age groups of women and men, top three, along with overall men, women plus masters. The generosity of the event extends to the Hazelton American Red Cross in the area, the recipient of the proceeds.

February, 2012. Wise ducks decide to stay here for the winter

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From the 2010 DION USSSA National Championships

Just in case you were there in ’10, the (downloadable and free) souvenir race poster answers the elephant-in-the-room question: What about the hill?

The featured image is that famous finish line at the top of what felt to be the peak of Old Smoky: a long and arduous climb at the race’s end, challenging lungs and the quad choir singing in the legs to make it up there . . . and then over the line, a minor detail. What doesn’t help is the no speed-zone downhill completing this U-shaped finish where the chance to catch the racer in front is tantalizingly dangled, but the cost is called “depletion” when going back up.

What’s a racer to do?

It won’t be any easier as a foot-race either, a requirement this year as snow has drifted north and south of the course. Griffin reminds us “The race features wooded forest trails, single track, groomed and ungroomed trails,” such anonymous words masking the exciting challenge awaiting those venturing into this fun-but-tough challenge.

Overall gold was taken by Eric Sambolec in 42:08 while Kenneth Burd came in for the silver at 45:08 with Steve Rivers securing the bronze in 55. James Miner and Kermit Cadrette both had finishes.

This is the way the noon start is supposed to look at Highland Qualifier

In the women’s class, winning overall was 18-year-old Rae Tobey in 49:39 as Jill Cusack just missed a sub-hour finish for the silver. Mary Rivers took the bronze and Elaine Kimpel finished with the Pewter.

Rachel Jones (13) won the 5 km under 30 minutes, 29:08. Lisa Jones and Cindy Bell were silver and bronze. Eric Hulbert, 16, took the gold in 22:56 as John Ferrini, three times Hulberts age, finished two minutes back. Dave Jones just missed a sub-to minute finish.

Bike Loft East, Syracuse, has stepped up as sponsor for the Highland Snowshoe Race, now carrying Atlas Snowshoes.

A generous noon start is a treasured treat for racers along with the gorgeous Skyline Lodge accommodating the crowd while affording terrific views.

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Ben Harper legging his way to the 5 km gold. Beautiful backdrop of snow fell overnight.

On Sunday, February 19, snowshoe racers from across the Empire State came together for a race some would consider one of the most adventurous courses ever seen. 

Mother Nature certainly helped out as well. With five inches of new snow that fell the day before, mostly sunny skies, and temperatures around 30, you couldn’t have asked for anything better. We had about a 6 inch base in the forest prior to the new snowfall, but new powder made the course that much better.

Earl Steinbrecher won the 10km course race, which was nearly 11 km, about 30 seconds in front of his good friend Eric Sambolec.  Steinbrecher admits “I wasn’t even planning on going.  I hadn’t been on snowshoes all year. I didn’t think there was going to be enough snow.  I had no expectations whatsoever. The course was like a hard trail race…very challenging…all that uneven terrain. I just felt good today.”  Steinbrecher says. Local snowshoe racer Kenny Burd rounded out the top three only a minute behind the first place finisher.

Empire State Championship 10km Racers just prior to the start

 In the 5km course, Ben Harper continued his winning ways and became Empire State Snowshoe Champion for the 2^nd year in a row. According to Harper, “the course was awesome and conditions were just perfect for a snowshoe race.  The course had a great variety of terrain, with steep inclines, and of course declines, some obstacles such as downed trees and stream crossing that had to be jumped over, single track winding through the woods and more open trails.  It was just the right mix of obstacles, not too technical but yet challenging.

Westerlund concedes – this type of race course isn’t for everyone. “I design a course based on what I believe the sport of snowshoe racing should be”.   Third place winner Burd, feels a similar way.  “Today’s race is what snowshoeing is all about! The course was long, wet, cold, hilly, while also meandering through the most beautiful wooded areas in the East.  Local athlete, and Cross Country coach from the local high school, Jim Pelton brought out some of his cross-country athletes to the race.  “The course was as challenging as I would have wanted”, says Pelton.  “I like the idea of mostly single track and then finishing on a little wider trail. I had a good time even though my lungs felt like they couldn’t provide me with enough air and my legs were on fire and felt as though they could be burning the trail down to dirt.  Pelton’s top runner for the Sandy Creek Cross Country Team Cody Donahue  placed 2^nd in the 5km, coming in only a few seconds behind Harper. Harper says “I felt him behind me most of the way”.  At the finish, Donahue laid himself out in the snow, smiled, and said “That hill was really hard”.

Ryan DeLola, 13, has a big future in snowshoe racing along with 10 other teens (including Connor Kerr, 9!)

Jim Tucker, president of the Empire State Snowshoe Racing Association, and coach of Paul Smith’s college snowshoe team, agrees that the event went off really well.  ESSRA sponsored the race, and brought an abundance of trophies and medals for winners.  These championship events couldn’t go off as successfully without ESSRA’s support. I am grateful we have this organization supporting the sport here in New York. 

The layout is designed with the 5 km distance providing a good-but-not-overbearing challenge, and then the 10 km beast utilizing the most difficult of trails his devious mind can find. “The 10km distance was carefully designed to be the most difficult I could possibly create in this forest. There will be new single-track trails, climbs and crawls along with regular single track and groomed trails otherwise.” In other words, a healthy mix to keep a competitor entertained . . . or as Westerlund exhorts, “Embrace the challenge!”

Unreported were how many of the possible obstacles the race warns of were encountered: logs, boulders, open water, downed trees, snowmobilers, skiers, and wild animals.

5 Km State Champion Women (L-R) Rachael Jones, Rachel Yerden, Carol Yerdon

Winona Forest is one of the snowiest places east of the Rockies with an average snow fall of 200-plus inches per year. In winter, the prevailing westerly winds move cold winter air over the warm water of Lake Ontario producing massive lake effect snow fall on the Winona Forest in the Tug Hill area.Winona Forest, located on the Southern boundary of  northern Oswego country in Northern New York, is a 9,233-acre state forest that offers many recreational opportunities.”

The first 70 participants received a commemorative Championship Mug. Plan to use them in the after party where delicious food for participants is complimentary along with. grilled hot dogs, and a crock of a special creation.

This is an old-school race, a refreshing throw back to older days, so physical awards for finishing don’t exist. What does exist is Westerlund’s comment that, “You are all winners at this race.”

Support is provided by DION Snowshoes who provided 50 DION Snowshoe Hats for ESSRA members, ESSRA, Winona Forest Recreation Association, and Hammer Supplements

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Nellie Ballou racing and winning her first snowshoe event

2007 USSSA medalist Chad Carroll reported, “It was a perfect Fairbanks day at 10 degrees and sunny.  In mid-January the temp was a minus 50 so this was quite a pleasant day to be out snowshoeing.”

Conducted by Running Club North (“We’re up and Running”), the series is intense fun where some events can find temperatures edging new -50 F. If you didn’t think this winter was already wimpy in the lower 48, knowing they experience that extreme really can cause a bowing of the head in shame.

Keith Pollock races the tough Alaskan trail now coming for the finish

Nelson entered this event with a scant ten-point series lead.  Without No. 2 in points Kevin Brinegar competing, the new champion didn’t have to win to clinch . . . but he did. However, there was a surprising close call by the overall silver finish of Carroll who pushed the younger Nelson within 24 seconds at the line.

“The Snowshoe Classic changed to a new venue this year moving to the classic ski trail at Goldstream Sports,” Carroll told me.  “The 8 km race featured three sections of ungroomed, unbroken trail through two-plus feet of snow with a separate trail for men and women.  Ben Nelson led the race from the start opening a gap of 20 meters on me in the first 2 km before hitting the first ungroomed section.”

As Nelson broke trail, Carroll quickly caught him only to watch him scamper away on the groomed sections.  This pattern repeated itself throughout the race as Nelson pulled away for the win in the last 2 km.  On the last and longest ungroomed section of trail, third-place finisher Andy Holland (55) caught sight of the leaders and “had a glimmer of hope in catching us until he started on the challenging section of the course himself.”

Traditional wooden snowshoes raced by Jerry Sam were a smart alternative on the deep ungroomed sections of trail

Native Alaskan Jerry Sam had very little trouble covering ground on the unbroken trail as “he raced in traditional wooden snowshoes allowing him to float across the snow.”

In the race, Andy Holland won overall third. Eric Rankin, Jerry Sam, and Keith Pollock rounded out the top men’s finishers.

Nellie Ballou won the women’s class with the numerically pleasant 53:35. “Ballou enjoyed her first snowshoe race.  She led the women’s race from the start and due to her light weight she didn’t have much of a struggle racing through the ungroomed trail sections.”

Taking silver overall and therefore winning the women’s division in the Finnish Series was points-leader Susan McDiamond who along with Nelson earned the title “King and Queen of Fairbanks Snowshoe Racing” by winning the 6 race Infinity Snowshoe Series.

The companion 4 km found Shane McBurney with gold in 25:42 while Steve Lanford finished with the silver.

The Infinity Snowshoe Series attracted  45 hearty competitors for 2012 and is consists of these races: Ballaine 9 km, Emily’s Memorial (8 km), Moose Mountain Snowshoe Challenge (8.5 km), Almost Solstice Snowshoe Shuffle (1 mile),  and the Heart of Darkness (7 km).

Training runs are held every Tuesday at 5:30 pm with this ominous note: “The training run will be held regardless of temperature.”

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Although it does a generally good job of protecting the skin from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays, it falls short when it comes to actually repairing already damaged skin. Sunscreen as most of us know it is a preventative measure, not a restorative product.

Enter Neova sunscreen from PhotoMedex. Designed as a clinical product, the company claims that Neova is the first sunscreen to “target photodamaged skin, [helping] to visibly repair it.” Neova claims to be among the first skin care brands “to make the association between DNA damage and premature skin aging and provides complete, continuous and optimized correction with DNA Repair and Copper Combination Therapy skin care.”

In short, this isn’t your everyday, average drugstore sunscreen.

First of all, Neova sunscreen isn’t the sort of thing you smear on poolside and forget about. This is part of a regular skin care regimen that’s designed to work before, during and after sun exposure, offering “DNA repair and potent antioxidant protection combined with high-SPF broad-spectrum physical UVA/UVB filters.” Neova claims to operate at the cellular level, mitigating the DNA damage of the sun while “preventing and inhibiting new photodamage.”

For active users, the first stop is Neova’s DNA Damage Control Active line. Designed for outdoor enthusiasts, the line offers the same DNA sun protection as Neova’s daily use and beauty products but with the water and sweat resistance that you’d expect from an active sunblock. At $46 for a 3-ounce bottle, this is clearly a premium product, but for those looking for advance sun protection and repair, it’s a premium that may be worth paying.

Neova DNA Damage Control Active is available in an SPF 45 formula, while the Everyday version (not so sweat or water proof) is available at SPF 43. A 2.5 ounce bottle of Neova’s DNA Damage Control Sheer SPF 45 is $39.

For more information on Neova, visit http://www.neova.com.

Of course, that’s not to say that they have abandoned their roots. The company has remained dedicated to producing all-natural products, with a focus on powering outdoor athletes and backcountry adventures, with a particular focus on energy products for winter sports. Per Bear Naked PR: “Ever since our first batch of granola, we’ve been committed to selecting nature’s most powerful and flavorful ingredients to provide simple, honest nutrition without sacrificing taste.”

As far as snowshoers are concerned, the company’s soft baked cookies are of particular interest. Available in both Fruit and Nut and Double Chocolate varieties and easy to toss in a jacket pocket for a day in the backcountry, both cookies are based on Bear Naked’s signature granola and include whole grain oats and of the other all-natural, energy packed ingredients that come along with that.

The Fruit and Nut cookies include raisins, walnuts, cranberries and almonds, while the Double Chocolate are all about semi-sweet chocolate chips and cocoa with the added crunch of walnuts and almonds. Both are ideal for backcountry snacking, and pack that natural type of energy boost that only comes from granola.

Cookies too bulky for your pack, or too at risk for crumbling? The company also recently introduced a series of trail mixes. Available in three flavors — Pecan Apple Flax, Cranberry Protein and Chocolate Cherry – all of the Bear Naked rules apply: All-natural, whole ingredients, healthy nuts and dried fruits. It’s like granola that you can eat out of the palm of your hand.

Speaking of the granola, Bear Naked has expanded from its initial line and now offers four different varieties of traditional granola — Fruit and Nut, Maple Pecan, Heavenly Chocolate and Banana Nut – as well as two types in its low fat Bear Naked Fit line –Vanilla Almond Crunch and Triple Berry Crunch. They all include whole grain oats, honey, whole nuts – including various almonds, walnuts and pecans – and dried fruits, depending on the variety.

For more information on Bear Naked, visit http://www.bearnaked.com.

Even the tried-and-true down jacket — a backcountry mainstay since the early 20th century — has taken on new forms.

Case in point: the HyBridge Jacket from Canada Goose. Designed around what the company calls its Thermal Mapping Technology, the jacket offers insulation where you need it and flexibility where you don’t by placing 750 fill power Hutterite white duck down “shields” over specific body areas where warmth is at a premium – like the core, neck and lower back. The shoulders, elbows and hems are left uninsulated and articulated for greater range of movement. The result is an ultrawarm jacket that doesn’t fit or move like one. Think of it as an athletic garment that just so happens to be at home in the deep powder.

Beyond the insulation, the HyBridge jacket features a Polartec Power Shield O2 fabric softshell shell that’s been treated with a durable water resistant finish. In addition, the down panels are covered with a lightweight ripstop fabric that’s also been treated for water resistance. That means the jacket doesn’t give up the warmth when it gets a little wet.

The brushed tricot lined collar puts a little extra warmth up at the next, while the extra long back hem covers the hips without limiting movement. There is also a wind blocking storm flap up front, 3M reflective tape around the cuffs for increased visibility in the backcountry and an adjustable hem that can be pulled tight to seal out wind and snow.

As a result of this “warm but flexible” design, the HyBridge jacket is marketed as the go-to choice for active winter sports – like snowshoeing and skiing – that does not sacrifice the warmth or performance of true down insulation. According to Canada Goose, it’s the best of both worlds.

The slim fitting HyBridge Jacket is available in both men’s and women’s versions –with gender-specific targeted down shields depending on the wearer – in black, red or blue for men and black or red for women. Up to six different sizes are available. In addition to the jacket, Canada Goose’s HyBridge design is also available in a hoodie, a lite jacket (without the softshell) and a lite vest.

For more information on the Canada Goose HyBridge Jacket, visit http://bit.ly/Am4beV.  To purchase Canada Goose products, click here.

All this has left me yearning for some more opportunities to do some close-to-home snowshoeing.  Not to discredit climatologists or derail any environmental movements, but it’s looking like the culprit in this instance was not necessarily global warming, but rather La Niña, a regular fluctuation in seasonal weather patterns occurring every decade or so.  Just look at Europe, which had a very bountiful snowfall this year.  When the pendulum swings one way, momentum will bring it back to smash the other.  It’s simple physics really.

So, while I failed to get much action on my Baldas Snowshoes this season, I predict that come Christmas 2012, the situation will be reversed.  And just in time, too.  A godly belch of frothy flurries is exactly what we need to satisfy all those aspiring snowshoers locked inside and glued to the tube by this season’s paltry snowfall.  Everyone I’ve talked to over the past few months has explicitly told me that despite this season’s pitfalls, snowshoe numbers are nonetheless growing (hint hint, Wall Street).  With so much at play, next winter, the snowshoe will rise.

By their very nature, snowshoes are just too darn irresistible for them not to be loved.  They’re easy to use and you can go almost anywhere.  Newcomers all over are learning the lingo, albeit casually at first.  So, whether you are young or old, get ready to tap into your adventurous side for the 2012-2013 Winter and truly own the snow by purchasing a new pair of trendy snowshoes.

Start by considering the baby boomers.  Yes, they have command of the marketplace, and yes, they are looking for excitement just like everyone else.  At age 65, it might be a tad late to pick up skiing or snowboarding, but it’s never too late for snowshoes.  If you can walk, you can snowshoe, but you’ll still want to do both with poise and style.  Snowshoes are rapidly transitioning from a piece of equipment to an all out fashion accessory.

And a lot of the time, you don’t even need to pay those pesky ski hill tolls as you can just pull off to the side of the road and go.  This brings up a very valid point – paths are for pushovers.  In an age where GPS trackers are planted in almost every new electronic device, exploration into the unknown is the new high.  At least, that’s the hook for the college kids.

For decades, snowshoes have been shoved aside by the ski and snowboard cliques, but their comeuppance is nigh!  Snowboards force you onto slick, open downhill trenches while cross-country skis groove you into a forested track like you’re riding a streetcar.  And who do you think built those cross-country tracks in the first place?  Snowshoes can go anywhere; up a mountainside, or even deep into the woods to investigate that long abandoned, and probably haunted, log cabin.  Plus, snowshoes are fantastic for multitasking, so all those youngsters can amble through the snow and never miss a gossip-filled text on their smartphones.

Market research shows that snowshoes will soon emerge as a household top-of-mind item, and maybe even surpass their snowbound brethren in overall popularity.  Become a pundit now – early adopter as the technical term – before everyone else hops on the band-toboggan.  That way when the ski lift breaks down, you can slip on your snowshoes, ascend the slope and shout back, “See you at the top, suckers!”

Let’s talk Baldas for a minute now.  First comes function, then comes fashion, and nobody knows couture like the Italians.  As snowshoes grow in popularity, so too will the need to be fashion forward when strutting your stuff out on the hill.  Good thing Baldas is already the sartorial snowshoe, so you’ll always be dressed to impress.  As well, they’re wholly made in Italy so you know the long-lasting durability is all there.  Furthermore, each model has a special binding for maximum comfort and arthritic soothing.  Snowshoe in style, snowshoe with Baldas.

So, this summer, while you’re sitting in that cool, air-conditioned theatre watching the latest, greatest superhero boondoggle, never forget that winter is coming.  And for all those apocalyptic party poopers who might contend that we won’t even make it to 2013, let me remind you that at least a third of the possible End of the World scenarios involve a snowball Earth, or some form of long, harsh winter.  How stupid will you look when you can only move through the blanketed terrain at a mile a day?

Armageddon or not, next winter, the snowshoe will rise.  If you’re looking for another The Dark Knight Rises connection, just know that Batman most definitely owns a pair of super hi-tech snowshoes that he uses to fight criminals atop Gotham Mountain.  As goes Batman, so goes what’s vogue.  You better get on board now before you’re left out of all the fun!

For more information on Baldas, visit http://www.baldas.caribou.ca.