The Goat

A North Carolina doctor who specializes in interactions between humans and animals is keeping us updated on animal-related fatalities in the U.S.  Though people worry about bears and sharks more than say, bees and pigs, there were 533 American killed last year by bee stings and a couple people eaten by pigs. One woman was also stabbed in the chest by a jumping Blue Marlin and another was bit on the breast by a horse. According to the report, men were attacked by animals about 75% of the time and white people accounted for about 90% of human fatalities involving animals. Watch out for those jumping deer while rolling around up north in your Buick.

via Outside

Screaming downhill at 60mph on skis with a parachute strapped to your back is a lot more fun when you setup some gates and run people two at a time. This video’s from the Red Bull Blade Raid that took place at Crystal Mountain in the middle of March. It’s a race among the hybrid parachute flying and skiing crazies.

via GetOutdoors

Solar bike lights are nothing new, even if they are still hard to find at local bike shops, but this new LEDtronics solar bike light is the best of the crop. It only weighs 1.6 ounces and costs $17, and it has a vibration sensor that automatically turns the light on and off when you ride. The light turns on after dark when you begin riding and then shuts off 30 seconds after you stop riding to prevent it from turning off while sitting at stop signs. The LEDtronics bike light fully charges in 3 to 5 hours of sunlight and deserves the title of easiest bike light ever.

via Alternative Consumer

Just once I want to go on a trip where everyone wears pith helmets and these National Geographic Global Travel Jackets. There would probably be Land Rovers involved, and maybe I would even find out why these jackets all have leather elbow patches. National Geographic makes their Global Travel Jacket with Teflon-coated cotton so you can wear it in the rain and wipe off lattes that you spill while driving around in said Land Rover. The Global Travel Jacket sells for $150.

via Uncrate

If you don’t stock up soon, you’ll have to start lurking by your bike shops loading dock so you can try to steal a case of inner tubes. The shortage of butyl means inner tube prices are likely to shoot up about 40%, so you’ll have to pay almost $8 for a tube. Not exactly breaking the bank, but come on, we’re a bunch of deadbeats. Add the shortage of steel, the Chinese plant closures for the Olympics, plus the weakening dollar and you might be shopping for bikes at the police auction this year. At the Taipai Cycling Show people are saying bike prices will rise 8 to 10 percent next year.

via Dirt Rag

Wend put all their back issues online in a “virtual” world where former issues of the magazine are free. For now it looks like they only have one issue available, but they have plans to add the rest

An alternative headline could have been, “Wool Jacket, Just in Time for Spring.” But hey, it’s on sale. You have to respect that Backcountry had the presence of mind to put a small logo on the neck of this thing instead of a big screen print across the chest. Logos look a lot less cool when they have the “.com” stuck on the end. It makes them look like free jackets given out during a travel agent convention or something. No, Backcountry.com does a pretty good job on this one. It’s a clean jacket, good features, no obtrusive logos, and they don’t charge too much for what they give you. The aptly named Backcountry.com Wool Hooded Jacket is on sale right now for $134.

via Feed The Habit

It’s tough for me to admit I want an iPhone, because I know that I’ll be unrelenting in giving the first friend to get one a ton of shit. Calling him a yuppie, asking to borrow it every five minutes, pushing him down the stairs. Whatever. Now some super cool kid at Podpro.ca has optimized some Utah and Canadian ski trail maps to run on the iPhone. The worst part is that I can’t even make fun of Canada for being America Lite anymore since their dollar is worth more than ours. It’s humiliating. I remember when the exchange rate for a Canadian quarter was equal to a pitying look from an American.

via The Adventure Blog

It’s mind boggling that any company with half a brain would bother developing this stuff anymore. What new technology can you bring to the spork? It folds, it’s—you know—a spork, it’s made from titanium. What are you going to bring to the table Optimus? Is this thing going to be made from depleted uranium? Actually that would be pretty cool, a tad heavy, but it would glow in the dark and be easy to find. Look for the Optimus Ti Folding Spork out this spring.

via Outdoors Magic

This sweet Roberto Bettini photo reminds us of just one of the reasons pro bike racers put up with the annoying rules and drug tests conducted during their son’s funerals. They can pee outside with no negative repercussions. Wearing one of those sponsor-covered jerseys is like carrying a permit around that says you can line up with you buddies and piss on any roadside. Didn’t LeMonde Lemond ride in the Tour one day with brutal diarrhea? Would have been a tough day to sit on his wheel.

via [Boing Boing] Cycling News