• Russians Dominate Bouldering At World Championships
• John Bachar Dies While Free Soloing
• Alaska's Burkett Needle Gets Its Fifth Ascent In 45 Years
• You Can Buy A Route Name On The UK's Castlebergh Crag
• Dave Turner Puts Up A New Route On Baffin Island's Broad Peak, By Himself

I kind of made that tagline up, but it seems appropriate. Hell, B.C.'s current tagline is "Best Place On Earth" so mine seems understated in comparison. But you'd be hard pressed to argue with either. British Columbia, like much of western Canada, is a truly an outdoor playground. It's strange coming back to a place you grew up 25 years later, and finding little has changed in the town of 600 people. 

New Denver lies on the shores of the Slocan Valley, about 60 miles north of Nelson and 220 miles north of Spokane, WA. It's a quiet, sleepy town, with a couple of food stores, a few retail shops , a hardware store, and of course a bar. Since I've left it's become a bit of a tourist destination, and accommodations like  Cabins on Bigelow Bay (where we're staying - more later) and Villa Dome Quixote Lodge popping up to supplement the old standbys at  Glacier Views Cabins and Valhalla Inn. If you want to camp in town you can stay at Centennial Park, but for a more secluded and beautiful camping experience, I'd recommend Rosebery Provincial Park, 6 km away.

As far as things to do outdoors, New Denver has everything. Valhalla Provincial Park is across the lake and Kokanee Glacier Provinical Park is down the road. The latter is probably your best bet for hiking, while Valhalla offers some nice challenging backpacking trips. You can canoe, kayak, boat, and fish on 28 mile long Slocan Lake or any number of smaller lakes and creeks in and around New Denver. There is the Galena Trail, a short 13 km trail between Rosebery and New Denver. Rossland, the "mountain biking capital of Canada" and home to the Seven Summits Trail, is about 130 kms away. Class 1 and 2 rafting can be had on the Slocan River. Lets not overlook Cody Caves Provincial Park just outside Kaslo, where you can enjoy some family spelunking.

In the winter, you've got cat skiing at Retallack, on Hwy 31A between New Denver and Kaslo and world class skiing at Red Mountain. Of course, you're also within driving distance of the fabled Selkirks for heli-skiing. New Denver is also within easy driving distance of Nakusp Hot springs,  Halcyon, and Ainsworth Hot Springs. Or you can just sit around doing nothing and still be surrounded by some of the most stunning scenery and outdoors in the world. Believe me. I've pretty much seen it all. Not much compares.

Despite claims of the need to protect fish stocks, the furs, skins, meat, and genitals are all sold for profit.

• Angel Island, a former military fort and immigration facility in San Francisco Bay;
• A parking lot at the summit of Mount Diablo east of San Francisco
• A lighthouse and land at Point Sur State Historic Park in coastal Big Sur;
• The three beaches of Fort Ord Dunes near Monterey, Point Mugu State Park near Malibu and Border Field along the Mexican border

• Triple Crown Bouldering Series schedule announced
• When Hell Freezes Over, the DVD of an Andy Kirkpatrick lecture, is for sale
• Three Americans over the age of 60 summited Everest this year
• Sharma flashes 300-foot 5.14b
• Honnold, Leary climb Salathe Wall in 4:55
• 12-year-old Ukranian girl climbs 5.13c/d

Not sure how we're going to settle it. Saran seems like the easy winner. Then a tarp tent. Then, well, hell lets give it to these folks over at Terra Nova who claim to Photo Elite is the "lightest tent in the world", weighing in at a slim 1 lb. 7 oz.; a little more than 4 quarter pounders at McDonalds. 

The new Laser Photon is set to break our own record for the lightest two-skin tent commercially available. With a packed weight of just 790g the Laser Photon beats all comers, in the lightweight tent stakes, hands down. With the same shape and dimensions of the Laser Competition user comfort is not compromised and the Laser Photon will still sleep two on an event such at the OMM. New fabrics and pegs create the bulk of the weight saving after painstaking research by Terra Nova. Our new Titanium skewer weighs just 1g and is exclusively available on the Laser Photon. In another first for Terra Nova the Laser Photon features a silicon coated groundsheet, which allows lighter weight fabrics to be used and still maintain waterproof performance

The Photon Elite Tent is available on sale for the low, low price of $326.

“The Performance Compression Toesock’s lower-leg graduated compression system coupled with Injinji’s patented design, which provides unmatched mobility for the toes, offers optimal circulation for runners and other performance athletes,” explains Jan Kimbrell, vice president of sales for Injinji. “It’s an all-in-one system that negates the need for other devices.” Graduated compression has been proven to prevent blood from pooling in the lower extremities, thus reducing swelling and the onset of muscle fatigue. The Injinji Performance Compression Toesock’s patented Anatomical Interface System (AIS) Technology, which separates each toe with a thin layer of anti-friction fabric, provides a unique advantage in that the wearer benefits from compression and enhanced circulation starting from the tips of the toes. Part of Injinji’s popular Performance Series, the sock is ideal for running, walking, cycling, cross-training and other performance activities.

Regardless of whether there are any benefits to the compression, we're liking the over the calf look. We're seeing this as clipping into our garters when we hit the town cross dressing. And the separate toes? We tell you about our foot fetish? Forgetabout!