OGE Outdoor Blog

Price Point Exclusive!

Win a Brian Lopes Autographed Marzocchi Fork

Los Angeles, CA, March 15, 2007 - It’s giveaway time again here at Pricepoint.com, the leading cycling internet mail order company. This time we have partnered with Marzocchi USA, one of the leading manufacturers of suspension forks and shocks, to give our valued customers the opportunity to win a 2007 Marzocchi 4X World Cup fork, autographed by no one other than Mr. Brian Lopes himself.

Brian Lopes, one of the most successful mountain bike racers in the world, agreed to personally autograph this one-of-a-kind Marzocchi 4X World Cup fork, the same one that he uses on his own 4X bike. And we at Pricepoint.com are going to give it away to one lucky winner. This contest starts on March 15th and runs through March 31st.

To enter, all you have to do is follow this link to http://www.pricepoint.com/giveaway_Marzocchi.htm and click on the link to review the Rules and Regulations for the Giveaway and then enter your valid e-mail address into the sign-up box. Click on the submit button to have your e-mail address entered for a chance to win – it doesn’t get much easier than that!

Web syndication through news distribution is one of the most powerful ways to get your press releases out on the web. The company we’re familiar with is PRWeb.com. We actually used them to post a news piece introducing OGE to the world. They’re one of the leaders in online news and media distribution. I think their Outdoor/Recreation category has something like 10,000 RSS subscribers. These RSS feed subscribers consist of webmasters publishing the news to their sites, in addition to outdoor enthusiasts and other people who felt compelled to keep an eye on outdoor-related headlines. Learn about RSS.

OutdoorGearEngine.com’s CEO Jesse Hoffman was quoted in a press release recently on PRWeb.com. The news was published on PRWeb from AvantLink, the Affiliate technology provider that many OGE merchants use to get the word out on gear and promotions.

Here is Jesse’s quote from the press release:

“In some of the larger networks there are a lot of rogue and unethical Affiliates continuously stealing traffic and revenue from honest and hard working people,” says Jesse Hoffman from Outdoor Gear Engine, a top tier Affiliate. “I don’t mind competition but I want assurances that we’re all on a level playing field, and AvantLink brings this to the table. With the level of support I’ve experienced and the powerful tools they offer, AvantLink is my first choice in Affiliate networks.”

OGE was even given a hot link in the online distribution! Check out the entire news article: Affiliate Marketers Choose AvantLink.com

All day I was hearing on the news about a dramatic rescue that unfolded on Mount Hood in Oregon. Three climbers and their dog (huh, their dog?) were separated from the group when they fell 100+ feet and holed up under a rock outcrop to sit through some weather. There are a few things from the media I didn’t quite get like 1) What in the heck was a black lab doing on a February mountaineering expedition on Mt Hood? 2) Did the dog fall, too? 3) Why did the three fall with their sleeping bags and other gear and not tents/shelters.

We all know what I joke the media can be sometimes, so I am not discrediting that the dog was in fact there and likely saved their lives. I am also VERY happy to read that everyone is ok. But dang…try harder to report a full story! The black lab is now being tagged as the hero of the rescue, which i was thrilled to see after wondering all afternoon whether or not they even rescued the dog or left it behind to freeze.

“The dog probably saved their lives” by lying across them during the cold night, said Erik Brom, a member of the Portland Mountain Rescue team. He described the wind in the canyon as “hellacious.”

Check out the full story on Yahoo!: Rescuer: Dog may have saved climbers

I just wish the news sources would provide some more specifics to keep me/us from wondering so much!

Anyone who has waited in line on a powder morning at Alta knows Rob Rowley. You may know him as Spademan Rob or various other colorful nicknames the locals have attached to him over the years. Even though Rob LIVES IN VIRGINIA he’s likely had more first chairs on powder days than any full-time Alta skier over the past two decades. It’s hard to beat him out to the line on the epic mornings.

Recently, Powder Magazine borrowed Johnny B from AltaCam.com to interview Rob and get some insight on what makes him tick, his gear of choice and his thoughts on powder skiing in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Rob is one hell of a story teller, and Johnny does a great job digging in to get the details. This is truly a classic - a must for Utah powder skiers - so turn up your volume and listen to what the ex-South Chicago gangster has to say about his time in the Wasatch:

Rob Rowley: The Fresh Price of Alta

The GravityFed Network published a new cover photo recently that features a classic Lee Cohen deep powder shot. This will be featured throughout the 2007 ski season. The credits go to Jeff Withey as the skier and of course the shot was taken in the resort boundaries at Alta. Take a look at the smaller version of the photo below, or visit GravityFed.com and click on the small version to see a larger, higher resolution version of the shot. Now, go and get some powder

-OGE

…Didn’t the new century just turn over? Wasn’t that like yesterday? Oh yeah, that’s right.. I’ve been in a blur of single track, freeride decents and powder for the last 6 years

At any rate, just a quick post to say Happy 2007 you mountain hippie bastards and bastettes. Now, go and get some powder. That’s the same advice we offered in the ‘A Hippie’s Holiday Wish‘ post. You do like powder…don’t you?

Stay tuned because after the new year there are a ton of killer deals on outdoor gear. We’ll be posting an array of sales, promos, exclusive web offers and coupon codes on this blog. Check out the header and subscribe to receive the deal alerts via RSS.

Have a Jerry Christmas and a Happy Bob Weir

Oh, and get some powder. You do like powder don’t you?

Felt compelled to post this touching story about a real life Lassie that not only kept his owner warm after being injured during a freeziing night, but led the search and rescue team right to her…5 miles from the trail head where rescuers found the dog.

“Moab police found Ballengee’s pickup truck at the Amasa Back trailhead at 12:30 p.m. Friday. As search-and-rescue personnel arrived, a dog matching the description of Taz was seen running around the trailhead. ‘The dog took our rescue personnel right to her. I think we would have eventually found her, because we were in the right location, but the dog saved us some time,’ said Curt Brewer, chief deputy with the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.”

Read the whole story: Dog leads rescuers to injured runner stranded near Moab

We found a site that features all kinds of car and truck racks for people like you who are active and need to lug gear around the mountains. BikeRackOutlet.com features the complete lines of car and truck rack systems from top brands like Thule and Yakima. It looks like they’re featuring gear from RackAttack.com. From their site: “With eight retail stores, over 60 full-time rack experts on staff and likely the largest inventories in the business, Rack Attack is North America’s premier retailer of automotive and home storage rack systems..“

The site features…

• Ski & Snowboard Racks
• Water Sport & Kayak Racks
• Base Racks
• Bike Racks
• Lockable Accessories

They also feature an RSS feed for coupons and discounts from RackAttack. You can actually subscribe to the RSS and keep an eye on what’s going on sale right from the homepage of BikeRackOutlet.com. Check it out!

We found discounted lift tickets at Snowbird Ski Resort!

Are you heading to Utah this winter to experience ‘The greatest Snow on Earth’? If so it’s likely your plans call for a day (or several) in Little Cottonwood Canyon (for LCC and Alta/Snowbord daily grind check out AltaCam). Well we’ve found some discounted lift tickets for you: Snowbird is offering 1 Day Adult Tram Tickets for $56 through Backcountry.com…regularly $64. That’s a savings of $8 per lift ticket. If you have a family of four, and you’re hitting Snowbird for two days…click the link below and you’ve just saved $48!!

Once on Backcountry.com just search ‘Snowbird’…or you can CLICK HERE to go directly to the snowbird lift ticket page.

>> Snowbird 1 Day Adult Tram Ticket
>> Snowbird 2 out of 5 Day Adult Tram Tickets

Well we’re due in Utah for one of our famous dumpages of snow…and it looks like it’s on. It’s been quite a dry spell. Although the snowpak is taking it’s time getting going this year…we all know what’s to come in the Cottonwoods: Blower POW days galore. Check out today’s Alta Powder Alert that just showed up in my inbox:

Hello Alta Powder Hounds….

In the past 24 hours, Alta Ski Area has received: 7″ of new snow
The settled mid-mountain base is currently: 51″
So far this season we’ve received 120″ of snow
The extended weather forecast is: 6-9″ inches of snow today (Saturday, December 16th). 5-7″ of snow tonight.

Sign Up!
Alta Powalert: http://www.alta.com/pages/powalert.php

Other powder junky links…
Alta Snow Report: http://www.alta.com/pages/report.php
Alta Mountain Cams: http://www.alta.com/pages/mtncam.php
Alta Pic of the Day: http://www.alta.com/pages/pod.php

Alta Ski Lift Co. features several forecast and weather links on their site, but I wanted to highlight our favorite. The National Weather Service for Salt Lake City issues a daily report for the canyons east of Salt Lake City that are the most thorough and perhaps the most accurate.

For example, here is the synopsis for today:

Synopsis:
A weak but moist storm system will move through the canyon areas this afternoon and this evening. Snow density should be higher than the Sunday night system. Flow across the ridges will be moderate to strong through the week with the snow level rising to 7500 to 8000 feet by Thursday.

Bookmark the Cottonwood Canyons Forecast page for future reference..

If you haven’t already you might want to check out Evogear.com…coming on strong as a web retailer in the outdoor gear category. It’s a grassroots and organic operation run by industry folks. If there was ever a group core to their roots it’s this crew. Evogear is quickly becoming a top multi-channel retailer to represent the ski, snowboard, wake and streetwear markets. They carry hundreds of the hottest brands and are one of the few online stores with a unique, lifestyle centric, product mix. More on their ‘About Us’ page.

Click the banner below and get Free Shipping on All Orders over $100 with your order.

Attention Ski Photographers! AltaCam’s first ever monthly ski photo contest has a winner. Their community skiing forum votes are in and the winner is Pete Coleman! Great photo he took of his friend Greg on a fresh, untracked zone of Glory Hole at Alta Ski Area with Patsey Marley in the background. Pete gets a a $75 gift certificate to Backcountry.com and his photo featured on the homepage of AltaCam for the month of December.

This contest is ongoing each month during the 2006-07 ski season so dig out your ski photos and submit them for your chance at winning. November winning image below. Click on image to see larger version and caption.

We’re snow junkies..and I happen to be partial to Alta Ski Lift Co. …like it or not a lot of these posts will be focused on snow riding in Little Cottonwood canyon! (i say snow riding to not alienate the snowboarers ;))

Each new, crisp powder day I’ll post the ‘Alta Ski Area Powder Alert‘ (click the link to subscribe).

Here’s today’s juicy news:

Hello Alta Powder Hounds…

In the past 24 hours, Alta Ski Area has received: 19″ of new snow
The settled mid-mountain base is currently: 43″
So far this season we’ve received 81″ of snow
The extended weather forecast is: Heavy snow through Wednesday. Another 10″ of snow is forecasted for Today.

AltaCam has opened the voting polls in their monthly ski photo contest. Anyone can submit their photos. All contest submissions will be included in a monthly site image gallery. Winner gets a Backcountry.com gift card and their photo/link featured on the homepage of AltaCam.com for a month.

Click Here to cast your vote for the November photo contest winner!! (must be registered to forum to vote)