Car Campers Rejoice, Ticla Has Arrived

Start the camping season out right with this brand new line

“Car Camping, Reinvented” and “Camp Better” are their slogans and they’re  doing  just that!

We welcome you with open hands; your awesome products included.

Ticla (Pronounced Tee-Cluh)

Ticla

“Ticla is a camping philosophy, brand and product line focused on helping people enjoy the outdoors.

Our mission is to create more happy campers by offering aesthetically-pleasing,

well made products that blend seamlessly into the outdoors lifestyle.”

Bold. Fun. Fresh Prints

Besito Sleeping bag
Besito Sleeping Bag $100
GOOD Kit
Your G.O.O.D. Kit includes: sleeping bag w/stuff sack, Tsubo w/stuff sack and repair kit, and the G.O.O.D. System tote bag $ 180 ———> “If it were any easier, it would be called a hotel”

Eye Catching Shelter: Wind, Rain, And Sun

 

“We Celebrate experience over equipment.

Our belief is that camping is the gateway to to other activities

and that gear should be high quality, dependable and uncomplicated

…setup in a snap to create a functional and elegant campsite.”

 
Tortuga III
Tortuga III $275
TICLA_Sako Shahinian_10
Refugio Shelter $150

So, Are We Going Camping This Weekend?

TICLA_Holly Morissette_1

You can find Ticla, currently, at the Kirkwood Alpine Shop in the Camping Department and online at www.alpineshop.com. All products can be transferred free of cost to any of our four stores, please call for any inquires!

The Exams Are Out, Summer’s In

‘Get Outside Promotion’
Join us May 16th through May 26th for some sizzling summer sales!
Relax, kick back and Get Outside with some of our very favorite essentials!
 

Morning Run, The All Weather Dress Has You Covered

 

PATAACTIVE3
Future is looking bright for recent Grads! All sunglasses, including Maui Jims, Oakley and Smith (All Styles) 20% Off!: 5/16/14-5/26/14 (Also Pictured: Patagonia All Weather Dress, available in stores only)

Tanks, Skirts, Sunglasses: Check

PATASKIRT2
So many fun colors and prints! Sure to find a favorite for any student! All Patagonia is 20% Off: 5/16/14-5/18/14 ONLY! Available Online, Lithia Skirt & Keyhole Spright Tank

Trail Ready

 

 

ellipseaero2
Salomon Women’s Ellipse Aero $69.96! (org. $100)

 

 

eskapeaero
Salomon Eskape Aero $69.96! (org. $100)

 

 

Capture Everything With The Go Pro Hero+

 

HeroPlus
Perfect for capturing any Summer adventure! Sign up for our Consumer Clinic taught by our Go Pro representative Jason Erfling June 17th, learn how you can get the most out of your purchase!

 

Your New Favorite Tee

 

Patagoniasummeressential
Patagonia p-6 Logo Tee: All Patagonia 20% off 5/16/14-5/18/14

Get Out On The Water

daggerkayak
Dagger Zydeco Kayak $599

 

Try Out A New Activity, Yoga + Water

lotusSUP
Pau Hana Lotus Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) $1,149 All SUP Boards 15% Off during promotion, get the best boards at an awesome price!

Where Did Your Alpine Passion Take You?

The results are in! We loved hearing from all of our adventurous customers and the amazing places they “Get Outside Themselves.”

The Grand Prize Winner!

The Winner is Ally Bonnot!!
The Winner is Ally Bonnot!! This was taken at Keystone Lodge in Dillon, CO this February 19th, 2014

We Had Some Awesome Runner-Ups!

Ben Mouser and Tony Pavlantos' first drop into Utah's legendary Mt Superior 3000ft tall backcountry run, with out bindings! Thanks to Grassroots Powsurf boards, handmade binding less snowboards.
Ben Mouser and Tony Pavlantos’ first drop into Utah’s legendary Mt Superior 3000ft tall backcountry run, with out bindings! Thanks to Grassroots Powsurf boards, handmade binding less snowboards.
Loren Mueller in Breckenridge, CO March 20, 2014
Molly Boland's torn MCL had finally healed in February 2014. This picture was taken just before tackling the back side of Copper Mountain for the first time!
Molly Boland’s torn medial collateral ligament had finally healed in February 2014. This picture was taken just before tackling the back side of Copper Mountain for the first time!
Josh Piant, his friends Britt and Marc ready to go down Clayton Peak at Brighton Resort, Utah in March!
Josh Piant, his friends Britt and Marc ready to go down Clayton Peak at Brighton Resort, Utah in March!

Thank You To All Of Our Participants!

The Gamble Family  "Our alpine adventure took us to the mountains of New Hampshire the second week of March 2014. We were lucky enough to experience an 18 inch snowfall in 24 hours on a ski trip. Our stay at this rustic cabin in Jackson, New Hampshire was perfect for an authentic New England experience. My camera was able to pick up the nice sized flakes at night. They aren't called the White Mountains of New Hampshire for nothing! "
The Gamble Family
“Our alpine adventure took us to the mountains of New Hampshire the second week of March 2014. We were lucky enough to experience an 18 inch snowfall in 24 hours on a ski trip. Our stay at this rustic cabin in Jackson, New Hampshire was perfect for an authentic New England experience. My camera was able to pick up the nice sized flakes at night. They aren’t called the White Mountains of New Hampshire for nothing! “
Marlana McDowell & Chase Jamieson  "Our journey to Crested Butte, Colorado is certainly one my boyfriend and I will never forget! We flew to Colorado on some free plane tickets from family and stayed with my aunt for a couple of days in Denver. She then let us borrow her 12 year old Rav4 and drive the treacherous-mountain-pass filled route to Crested Butte, CO. When we got there, we found a great last minute deal and stayed with a generous couple on "The Mountain." We think back often at how lucky we were each step of the way to our final destination. Without friends and family we never would have had the time of our lives skiing in Crested Butte--America's #1 Ski Town!! "
Marlana McDowell & Chase Jamieson
“Our journey to Crested Butte, Colorado is certainly one my boyfriend and I will never forget! We flew to Colorado on some free plane tickets from family and stayed with my aunt for a couple of days in Denver. She then let us borrow her 12 year old Rav4 and drive the treacherous-mountain-pass filled route to Crested Butte, CO. When we got there, we found a great last minute deal and stayed with a generous couple on “The Mountain.” We think back often at how lucky we were each step of the way to our final destination. Without friends and family we never would have had the time of our lives skiing in Crested Butte–America’s #1 Ski Town!! “
Casey Bierman  "On the backside of Key Stone Mountain after finishing up the most bodacious run on Cat Dancer with my boarding bros."
Casey Bierman
“On the backside of Key Stone Mountain after finishing up the most bodacious run on Cat Dancer with my boarding bros.”

 

Abby and Steve Jones "First run of the day under the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland... A picture perfect day in April for my husband and I to tackle skiing in the Alps. "
Abby and Steve Jones
“First run of the day under the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland… A picture perfect day in April for my husband and I to tackle skiing in the Alps. “
Alex Mohs  in Milwaukee, WI in March!
Alex Mohs in Milwaukee, WI in March!

 

How to Choose the Best Kayak for You!

What is the best way to choose a kayak?

You have several options to start with: recreational kayaks, touring and sea kayaks, whitewater kayaks, fishing kayaks, and many of these offer a choice of sit in or sit on designs, and even solo or tandem seating. There are positives and negatives that need to be weighed when deciding on the right model for you.

The most important factor in choosing the right kayak is to have a good idea of what kind of paddling you want to do. Renting or demoing a kayak from a store or an outfitter on a local river or lake is a good idea since no two kayaks perform the same even if the dimensions are similar. Some colleges, universities and parks offer kayak and other outdoor equipment rentals to students and community members, as do military bases for service members. Since you will usually own your kayak for quite a while, picking the right one is essential for your enjoyment of the activity, and you want to choose the one that is suited to your preferred paddling destinations and activities while on the water, such as fishing.

In making your choice, consider the places you want to go and the type of water you expect to encounter. With this information in mind, here’s a closer look at your options.

Recreational Kayaks

Recreational kayaks of the variety with cockpits that allow you to sit close to the surface of the water and possible use a spray skirt are a great choice for entry-level or beginning kayakers. They are in the 9 to 11 foot range and are often referred to as “poke-around boats,” with the understanding that due to their shorter length they are not going to be used for long multi-mile trips hauling a lot of gear. They are just kayaks for adults or children to have fun with on gentle streams or placid ponds. They are typically wide, stable, lightweight, easy to get in and out of, and priced competitively. This makes them popular with beginners, children, seniors, and others for whom paddling is a just few hours out on the water with no particular destination in mind. The short length makes them quite easy to transport and store as well.

It is important to understand the limitations of these boats, however, and realize that they will be slow in the water (compared to longer designs) ride deeper, and have poor handling in rough water or windy weather. Their initial stability does make them useful for anyone who pursues other activities while kayaking, such as fishing, photography, or bird watching (as long as conditions are not too rough). While even the economical and tough, roto-molded plastic nine foot boats are light enough for most people to lift and transport, composite materials such as Kevlar and carbon can make these boats weigh in at 25lbs or less, truly light enough for anyone to carry. Getting a composite boat can cost much more that the basic plastic models, however.

Several different options in recreational kayaks are available at Alpine Shop. Sit-on-top, recreational (with a cockpit and possibly bulkheads) and tandems are the most common models. Depending on your recreational kayaking needs, one of these will be likely be the perfect choice .

As mentioned earlier a sit-in recreational kayaks with cockpits do allow one the option of using a nylon sprayskirt that offers wave/sun/wind/rain protection that is not found on sit-on-tops, and usually allows one to sit lower in the kayak for even greater stability. The cockpit styles usually come with one bulkhead sealed, dry storage compartments, and sometimes two. Contrary to popular belief wearing a sprayskirt will not trap you in your kayak although practicing exiting the boat with on near shore builds confidence.  Basic kayak classes are very useful for getting started in the sport as well. For whatever reason the sit-in or cockpit style has been far more popular over the years in Missouri than the sit-on variety but both have their uses and proponents.

Some of the main points about Sit-on-tops are these:

-They are stable and self-draining. They are easy to climb on to from the water even unassisted. If they capsize you merely have to climb back on.

-They are an excellent platform for swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing, or fishing from.

-Since you are exposed to the elements you will get wet and have no sun protection other than your clothing and sunscreen. Conversely in the cooler months you have to dress more warmly with fleece, wetsuits, or drysuits more than a sit-in style of kayak. Your gear is more exposed and should be kept in waterproof bags bungied to the decks.

-Fishing rod holders, fish finders, and even livewells are commonly used on these types of kayaks.

Tandem kayaks, whether cockpit style or sit-on-top, are very popular so that small children can paddle with their parents, or your canine friends can come along as well. Many can be paddled solo if the other party elects not to come on occasion.

Sea or Touring Kayaks

Sea touring kayaks are performance boats for more advanced paddling. Coming in lengths of 14 to 18 feet, and chosen for your size, ability, and speed you wish to travel, a sea kayak can take you to hard to reach places you perhaps felt you could not get to on your own, such as that ideal campsite in the middle of the Mississippi River or on a distant arm of Lake of the Ozarks.

Sea touring kayaks are designed for long distances, multiday trips, rough water conditions, and advanced maneuvers and rescues. Sea kayaks are generally longer and somewhat narrower than recreational kayaks. They have two bulkheads, fore and aft, and at least two hatches. The cockpit area is enclosed, and the cockpit coaming allows for attaching a spray skirt. Inside the cockpit, thigh braces and adjustable foot pegs aid in both stability and maneuverability. Foot pegs are also used to adjust the rudder angle when the boat is so equipped (although rudders are only recommended for wide, windy ocean and lake crossings.)

A  good Sea kayak has deck lines (rope) running around the deck perimeter which are an important safety feature that allows a swimmer to grab on to when doing a deep water rescue..

Because they’re longer (and faster), sea kayaks are often heavier than other kayaks, especially in the economical plastic layups. You can counter this weight by choosing a boat constructed from lightweight material like fiberglass or a carbon-Kevlar mix.

Whitewater Kayaks

Whitewater kayaks are designed for all types of rivers—and paddlers. Don’t look at these if you’re planning a lazy float down a placid river, because these boats are designed for fast-moving whitewater conditions.

One thing that holds true for all whitewater boats is that they are shorter and more maneuverable than the other types of kayaks but there are also major and subtle differences in the various kayaks designed for true whitewater.

There are creek boats-around 8 or 9 feet long- for narrow runs and big drops. There are river runners that favor stability and tracking than go up to 10 feet and are great to run rivers without a lot of stopping and playing. Then there are playboats, with hard edges and flat hulls around 6 to 8 feet, designed for acrobatic moves. All come in varying lengths, widths, volumes, and hull designs. Each variable affects performance. No matter what the literature says, no one boat does it all perfectly.

However the new river runner and crossover styles of whitewater boats such as the Liquid Logic Remix 9 and 10 foot models, are truly all purpose. They have the rockered (banana shape) hull to handle serious whitewater, but when you drop the attached skeg on the Remixes, they paddle acceptably on lakes or slow rivers too.

-Rich Orr, Paddlesports Director