Gogo Love from Norway

We always love hearing from NEMO customers and the beautiful places they take their tents. Our friend Przemek has had some of his pictures featured before on the blog. He's recently sent some more shots from a solo traverse of the Svartisen glacier in Norway.




His blog contains more of the same (beautiful photography, stark landscapes, amazing portraits, etc). If you've got some of your own NEMO tent trip pics to share feel free to email them over to journey@nemoequipment.com. They just might make their way over to the blog!

-Connie

Strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff

Last Friday marked NEMO’s 18th beach cleanup of Jenness Beach in Rye, NH. I’m always impressed by how clean the beach looks when we arrive…and how dirty it really is once you start looking around. We keep tallies of all the trash we pick up to give both qualitative and quantitative measurements to the Blue Ocean Society as part of their larger study. On any given cleanup we may find almost nothing but soggy rope (ocean based trash) and on another we’ll be disgusted by the styrofoam coffee cups and cigarette butts (land based trash). Friday was an exceptionally light trash day, which is exciting since we were expecting to see a good bit of leftovers from the end of the summer crowds. In less than two hours we picked up 50lbs of trash which is about half of what we collected last month. This is the tally based on Blue Ocean’s database categories:

Gloves – 3
Nets (including bate bags) - 10
Traps/pots - 5
Floats/buoys - 4
Fishing line - 13
Rope > 1m - 13

Condoms - 0
Metal beverage cans - 10
Glass beverage bottles - 3
Balloons - 17
Six-pack rings - 1
Straws - 16
Tampon applicators - 4
Syringes - 0
Dog poop unbagged - 1
Dog poop bagged - 3

Plastic bags < 1m - 9
Plastic bags > 1m - 0
Plastic beverage bottles - 12
Plastic food bottles - 2
Plastic bleach bottles - 0
Bottle caps - 31
Motor oil containers - 0
Cigarette butts - 31
Styrofoam cups - 8
Cut straps - 4
Closed straps - 0

Dead animals – 2 (small shark and a crow)

Don't be thrown by the 0's above. We've found at least 1 of everything on the list in past clean ups. In addition to the above data, other points of interest were Kathryn’s find of 5 flip flops – none matching – and a voluptuous blonde wig.

Upcoming beach cleanup dates will be posted on our “NEWS” section on the NEMO homepage if you are interested in joining us.

-Suzanne

Follow Climate Ride

The Climate Ride is currently on and you can follow the riders as they make their way from New York City to Washington, DC. Riders are pedaling 300 miles in an effort to spread awareness of climate change and to speak with representatives about the importance of legislation to combat it. Click here for daily reports from the road.

~Kate

The Burns Effect: Coming Soon to a Screen Near You

Sunday, September 27th will be the premiere of Ken Burns's new documentary on America's National Parks on PBS. There's no doubt that watching in the comforts of your own home is nice, but it's also great to see events happening all over the country (including some hosted by REI as well as other institutions). If you're lucky, you might have caught the free screening in Central Park with Alison Krauss last night.


The Boston Globe's National Parks photo contest has also come to a close. The slideshow of winners and honorable mentions is definitely worth a look.

High-Country Heroes

NEMO ambassador and Global Cooling Consultant, Alison Gannett, wants to show you how you can contribute to global cooling. She's a tireless advocate for environmental education (as well as a world champion freeskier and pretty crazy mountain biker) and is one of the few who really walks the walk (or bikes the bike). If you haven't caught one of her slideshows, put it on your list. You'll see amazing footage of her rippin' big lines from movies by Warren Miller and Teton Gravity Research, all while learning easy ways you can make an impact.

This month’s Ski Magazine has a feature titled High-Country Heroes, highlighting 11 ski town locals and organizations that are making a difference in the world. While Alison definitely steals the show, others featured are Lynsey Dyer, one of Powder’s Top 15 Skiers in the Reader Poll 2009 and co-founder of the non-profit, SheJumps and Cheryl Jensen who collects old ski resort uniforms to donate to those in need and coordinates ski trips to Vail for veterans returning from war.

If the article inspires you, here are a couple of great resources to get you going:
C.R.O.P.
CarbonFootprint
Energy Star
Earth911

~Kate

The Most Beautiful Time of the Year

It's that time of the year again. The crowds and mosquitoes are gone, apples are ripe, the weather is warmer than this past July, and the leaves are just beginning to turn. If you're looking to maximize your leaf peeping, look no further than this interactive New England Foliage map.


If you're so inclined, you can also register as an official 'foliage ambassador' to give reports.

-Connie

Modern Surf Photography

Today's NYTimes has a nice piece on surf photographer Brian Bielmann, whose dynamic photography of waves, surfing, travel, and all the other good things in life are worth checking out.

When he assisted fashion photographers early in his career, Mr. Bielmann said, everything in surfing photography was “fast and sharp and blue and pretty.” So he adopted popular fashion techniques, like “really grainy films and cross processing,” to create a gritty look for portraits and advertising shots. These grew popular with other photographers and surfers.

There has been no shortage of good surf photography recently from Clark Little to Eric Nelson. It's great to see the evolution and experimentation going on right now.

-Connie

Backpacking Library

I just printed off this list found on Bookride.com of quintessential backpacking books. In my mind backpacking books can be two things; either a lightweight fire-starter that has the added benefit of a quick entertaining story, or the often heavy (both physically and mentally) exploration of philosophies that heighten the experience of traveling out into the wild world with all your necessities carefully strapped in a neat package on your back. In case you are wondering, this list focuses on the latter.


My personal additions would be Ishmael (D. Quinn). Into the Wild (J. Krakauer), and Cat's Cradle (K. Vonnegut, Jr.)

-Suzanne

I Dream of Skiing

While it may seem a little early to some, I have started dreaming of skiing this week. Maybe it’s because the days have already become noticeably shorter and cooler, or that I worked in the ski industry for so long or maybe it’s because I’ve just gotten the news that I’ll be skiing in Argentina next summer with my friends at CASA Tours. Whatever the reason, I’ve flipped the switch. The countdown is officially on.

Ski movies are a personal thing and most skiers and riders have their favorite producers. TGR is one company that has been on the top of the industry for years. While checking out their fall show schedule, I found a trailer for another new film they’re working on, Generations, a film on climate change.


From their website, “Within the span of a lifetime, one can observe the planet's changing climate. Mountain guides, skiers, snowboarders, farmers and climatologists across the world are all seeing change. Ski areas in the Northeast United States are feeling the effects of less snow. California farmlands are experiencing water shortages and the glaciers in Europe are receding at alarming rates. Skiing, which started as a mode of transportation, has become ingrained within mountain cultures everywhere.”

If you’re a skier, rider or are just interested in learning more about climate change and how it affects the activities we all love to participate in, check out their website to see when RE: Session and Generations is playing in your town.

Sweet dreams,
Kate

2009 Reel Rock Fall Film Tour

It's the season for climbing/adventure films (more news about the Banff Film Fest to follow), and the Reel Rock film tour is coming to a town near you. Check out the tour calendar for more details.


Films on tap include Chris Sharma's Jumbo Love, Kevin Jorgeson's Ambrosia, Tommy Caldwell's El Cap, and the world premier of Sender Film's First Ascent: The Series.


We'll likely be at the Arlington, MA showing on October 8. Hope you can make it out to your local showing.

-Connie

Family Camping, 1890's style

Artist Amy Crehore posted these fantastic images that she found in an "ancient box of family photos".



Click on the photos for a closer look at the gear and fun times. Check out the post-flipcup pose in the lower left corner and the girl strumming the tennis racket like a guitar. Best of all (in true luxury camping style), you can spot a sofa and some dresser-type furniture inside the tent too...

-Connie

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2009

If you’ve been itching to see some amazing astronomy photographs after last weekend’s full moon, check out the winners of the Royal Observatory’s photographer contest. Get ready to be inspired and astounded by some of the images that can be captured on non-professional telescope equipment.

[Star Trails, Blue Mountains by Ted Dobosz]

On the same note, Outside Magazine’s September issue has some nice articles on adventure photography.


Check out the features on best adventure photography trips and stories of some of Outside Mag photographers' toughest shots.

-Connie

Local Wildlife Part 1

Hi everyone,
It’s Bill, the graphics guy over here at NEMO. Beyond creating graphics and shooting photos for NEMO, my passion and hobby for many years has been wildlife photography and art. I love to learn about all of the creatures around me. Constantly observing wildlife, I often find myself dragging my tired body out of bed before sunrise, grabbing the camera and heading for the forest in the off-chance that 'today is the day' that the perfect photo will be captured. I figured with so many amazing animals and birds around the NEMO headquarters, it would be fun to share with you the images and scenes that the casual observer might miss in the hurried pace of modern life.

Recently I have met a few local wildlife enthusiasts that have shared some local knowledge on bird migrations. Last week I found myself standing on Runnels Bridge in Hollis, NH at about 6:30pm waiting. Kevin Klasman, my new friend and fellow photographer was certain " they would come". We waited about 15 minutes and he said, "There! Here they come!" Sure enough, one after another, a small bird known as a Common Nighthawk darted it’s way overhead (destination, South America). I learned that Nighthawks follow rivers when they migrate. Starting a bit before sunset they fly catching insects in loose intermittent groups.

Since Nighthawks are rarely seen in the wild because of the way they tend to 'lay' on a branch or fence rail, this was a really cool experience. Many bird groups track and count the sightings of these birds in an effort to get a sense of it’s population. From what I can tell, it seems like they are doing really well.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,
Bill

NEMO Ambassador Spotlight - Jesse Coombs

Professional kayaker and all-around good guy, Jesse Coombs, recently joined NEMO’s team as an ambassador. Before his latest trip to Mexico, we checked in with Jesse to learn a little bit more about him.


Name: Jesse Coombs

Birthplace: Washington DC

Current residence: A van filled with kayaking, biking, rock climbing, ice hockey gear, chess and a guitar. I store my other gear in my house in Corvallis, OR.

Day job (what pays the bills?): Educated as an Engineer and MBA, but smart investing has allowed me to focus solely on goals: athletics, guitar, 2nd language and friends.

Life Motto: The day you stop taking risks is the day you stop living.

Favorite organization you support: Jesse Coombs Foundation

What are you doing to change the world? Encouraging kids to chase their dreams and say no to drugs.

Favorite piece of NEMO gear & why: Gogo EX. My life is full of self-supported adventures that need protection from rain, cold, mosquitoes and/or hot nights. From British Colombia to the Western US to Central and South America to the Far East – this tent is my perfect companion in ALL CONDITIONS!

Songs that get you going: When I am getting amped up to push my physical and mental limits: Rage, Pantera, Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin….

Give us a ‘green tip’ that you personally do: I cut open containers that still have life but can’t be squeezed out for the last of it. I am notorious for not wasting anything and I learned it from my mom. She once stopped the car on the highway and made my brother go back for a piece of trash he threw out the window.

Favorite trip & why: Futafeulu. It was the perfect combination of amazing kayaking, ease of mind, truly stunning scenery and loving every moment.

Food you miss the most while on an expedition: chocolate chip cookies

Something you always bring on your trips that you don’t need (good luck charm, etc.): I am the guy who brings the true minimum. My friends will have two large bags and I’ll have one bag ¾ full. I pride myself on bringing the minimum.

Hidden talent, party trick: I can do a split.

Friends describe you as: happy, smiling, and optimistic.

Who inspires you?: My sister. 4 wonderful kids, partner in major law firm, loving wife, athlete and indomitable positive spirit. She can and does do it all.

Bonus items you’d like to tell us about yourself: I really appreciate people who introduce themselves with a smile and want to say hello.

Check back soon for Jesse’s trip report from Mexico – you’re going to be tired just reading it.

~Kate

2010 Sneak Peek: Meta 2P

There's a 2 person version of Meta 1P in the works for 2010 too (highlighted earlier in August). We've been developing a new 20D nylon ripstop fabric that is being used throughout the tent.


The setup will require two trekking poles. In return, you'll get two reconfigurable vestibules, two entrances, and a whole lot of fun for 2.9 lbs. Suprisingly (or not), the whole package stuffs down smaller than our smallest bivy.

-Connie

NEMO Office Dog Profile Part 4: Tsuba

Age: 1.5(ish) years
Breed: Alaskan Malamute
Favorite Snack: Pomeranians... kidding, ICE CREAM
Pet Peeves: Feet (they're SO gross)
Favorite part of being at NEMO: Hanging out with his pack of people, walks in Mine Falls, and bossing around Charlotte and Leroy
First thing people notice: That he's big
Best known for: Being big, being hot, shedding, WOOoooing, digging holes in inconvenient places
Greatest Fears: Feet and Great Danes
Favorite command to disobey: "Come" (when the alternative is swimming)
Wishes NEMO would make: Inflatable, portable walk-in freezers
Aspirations: To figure out how to open that magical cold food box in the kitchen.
Naughtiest Moment: Walking through the house shaking an open bag of cake flour. Or wait, was it eating the area rug? Or that whole episode with the interior of Dad's truck?