Outdoor year 2011 in pictures

As the year is ending soon, I thought it would be nice to share some of my favourite outdoors moments along the year and I thought that photos would make nice variation to the thousands-of-words posts that I’ve been writing lately. But I couldn’t help adding few words in between… And there are way too many pics but try to tolerate and stop to stare only the ones that interest you – or grab a cup of coffee and go through all of them.

The year began with a nice five-day skiing trip on Lake Inari during the polar night. Great Northern Lights on several nights, easy-going and good company.

The beginning of the 2011 was mostly spend on preparations for the Ultima Thule 2011 a three-week ski expedition to Svalbard. As a part of the preparations I did few weekend trips and skiing but on the other hand, didn’t have time for longer trips because of work and preparations. But, the weekends were nice and I had some time to continue experimenting with snow shelters and I had a chance to try kite skiing which was great fun!

The Ultima Thule 2011 expedition in Svalbard was the main trip of the year, my biggest trip yet. We had good luck with the weather (though more challenging weather would have been welcome), the scenery was incredible and the expedition was a success on personal level and in general.

In the beginning of the summer I did few short trips with friends but mostly I was working after three weeks of work to catch up.

I had tried packrafting in the end of 2010 and in 2011 I pulled the trigger and bought myself a packraft. My friend rented one from a guy living in Rovaniemi and after a day of training we headed to the possibly “most wild and distant river in Finland” the Valtijoki-Poroeno-Lätäseno river system. We hiked in about 45km packrafting a bit on the way and then paddled down some 140 km doing even class 4-5 white water as the water level was low. In the end we were accompanied by friend paddling the river with a big traditional white water raft.

The packrafting trip was immediately followed by a hiking trip (with a bit of packrafting in the end) to the Western side of Kilpisjärvi with my girlfriend. A nice relaxed trip and in the end of the trip I packrafted down most of the Kummaeno river. The water level was too low and the raft too cramped for two to effectively travel the river but we tried also that for some kilometers.

In August I quitted my job at the university and started a one-year wilderness guide course. We did several trips on the guide course during the autumn but unfortunately I didn’t find any time for longer trips of my own. Couple of weekends had to suffice.

In December I started a four-week internship period working at a small husky company in Taivalkoski. For the first two weeks I’ve been mostly taking care of the 60 dogs, done some dog sledding and now that I know the dogs I’ll be hopefully doing some real guiding during the next two weeks. I also managed to do a short overnighter with my girlfriend to the Syöte National Park nearby and I’m hoping that we’ll get couple of days of in January for a longer skiing trip.

The year 2011 was very good outdoor year in general. I learned a lot of new skill and did many things for the first time in my life. I also slept more nights outside than on any other year. The number of night spent outside is somewhere over 60, I haven’t been really counting, but it still doesn’t feel like too much or even enough. So there will be more coming in 2012.

In the beginning of the year we will have a four-day winter trip with the school and I will be doing some extra work practise periods for Vaiska KY working as a junior instructor and assistant guide (or something) on weekend courses about expedition style winter trips. In the beginning of March I’ll be again working as an assistant guide for Vaiska but this time on a one-week skiing trip to Sarek National Park in Swedish Lapland. And at the end of the winter I’d hope to do a two-week skiing trip to some cool place…

My spring will be spent mostly kayaking, canoeing and rafting with the guide course and on June 8th I should qualify as a wilderness guide. What happens after it is a mystery at them moment. But I hope it would involve lots of outdoors and wild places: packrafting, hiking, canoeing, guiding, skiing – anything goes!

Satellite communiation: Follow-up 1

Not so long ago I wrote a post about different satellite communication devices available for outdoors use. And as many of the devices were brand new for the market there wasn’t too much user experiences available by the time. This is a follow-up and addition to the original post introducing some new satellite communication tools and listing few links to first-hand experience posts of some devices. As the short-burst-data technology (Iridium 9602 SBD satellite modem) behind these devices is quite new, there is a lot of things happening and devices coming up. I’ll keep following the market and post follow-ups when interesting things emerge. For the basic background information, please check the original post.

More satellite messaging & tracking devices

BriarTek Cerberlink

Picture stolen from the Cerberus website.

Essentially Cerberus Cerberlink is a satellite messaging device very similar to Delorme InReach and Yellowbrick YB3 devices:

- Cerberlink uses Iridium network.
- It has a GPS positioning system enabling tracking.
- It works as a two-way communication device, as a standalone unit sending pre-programmed messages or paired with a smart phone it can send 160 character messages and receive messages up to 1600 characters.
- And of course it can be used to send a distress message.

Another interesting thing is that in addition to being Android compatible (via Bluetooth as the other devices) the Cerberlink is also iPhone compatible (unlike the Delorme InReach) and Blackberry compatible (unlike Inreach or Yellowbrick YB3). The Cerbertouch app is also available as a standalone app working on the phone GPS and using GSM network. And there is also an open API for all you nerds out there to make it better.

The device is on the same line with the Delorme InReach: It weights 186  grams and fulfills the IP67 standards (i.e. is shock and waterproof). The recommended operation temperature is from -20C up to +55C. The device has a build-in 2000 mAh Li-Po battery that gives 60 days of standby time and 5-6 days of on-time. This is probably enough for most users and there are some smart battery saving functions. And, of course, it can be recharged on the field.

The messages are transmitted trough Cerbercenter webservice and it also supports social media connection. The Cerbercenter can also send user alert messages about bad weather or geopolitical conflicts on the area. Also distress messages are transmitted to chosen emergency contacts via Cerbercenter that can provide concierge service but they also clearly and honestly state that “we are not a Rescue Coordination Center (RCC)” and “The Cerberus system is not designed to take the place of a PLB or EPIRB..

The Cerberlink is not especially cheap with one-year plan costing 499 USD (383 EUR) for the device and additional 32,95 USD (23,30 EUR) every month. This includes 60 messages per month and unlimited tracking. The rental plans are quite competitive costing 64,95 USD (50 EUR) for two weeks (20 messages) or 89,95 USD (69,10 EUR) for four weeks (40 messages). The Cerberlink seems to be only available online through the company itself.

Summary: GPS positioning, tracking, 2-way messaging, works as stand-alone or with smart phone (Android, Blackberry and iPhone),  rugged enough, global coverage, the smart phone app also available as stand alone

E-Track Epsilon

Picture stolen from the E-Track website.

The E-Track Epsilon is more targeted for the company and government segments like the Solara in the original post. The features interesting for an outdoor enthusiast would be the already familiar:

- Global coverage of Iridium network
- GPS positioning and tracking
- Two-way communication with predefined or free messages
- Distress message

The E-Track is a stand-alone unit only, so no need or possibility to use a smart phone with it. Though I think that writing a long free message with a virtual keyboard operating with four arrow keys does suck… Luckily you can save 10 predefined messages in addition to 20 outgoing and 20 incoming messages. The tracking function can send the position of the device with intervals reaching from every second to every 18,2 hours (yes, very interesting interval) and it can start automatically when the device is moved. The Epsilon can also send messages with preprogrammed times and dates which might be useful for some.

The E-Track Epsilon is quite heavy weighting 310 grams. It meets the IP67 standards and can operate in temperatures ranging from -40C to +85C which is very good temperature range. The Epsilon uses three AA batteries (anything from Lithium and Alkalines to rechargeables). Nice thing is that is had an embedded battery charger so you don’t need an additional charger for the batteries on longer trips. E-Track offers a Cartoweb software for managing Epsilon devices and for example it enables remote controlling of the units which probably isn’t much use for an outdoor recreationalist.

I didn’t find any prices for the device or plans but I guess it is expensive being targeted for the company and government users.

See also the incredibly small 60 gram E-Track Sigma. If all you need is satellite tracking and a way to shout “Help!” this might be your choise, at least if you like cracking grams.

Summary: GPS positioning, tracking, 2-way messaging, stand-alone unit, global coverage, some smart autonomous functions, probably expensive, not for regular outdoor recreationalist

Geopro SHOUT Nano

Picture stolen from the Geopro website.

Geopro’s SHOUT Nano is another satellite messaging device targeted to the company and government segments and thus not that much in the interests of an outdoor people. It has the typical features:

- Iridium network
- GPS positioning and tracking
- Two-way communication with predefined or free messages
- Emergency message

Just like the E-Track the SHOUT Nano is a stand-alone unit only. It has a dedicated covered Emergency button and the emergency use in general seems to be well thought. The other features are quite typical and seem to be designed towards business and government use. The device weights 185 grams including a built-in field rechargeable 1920 mAh Li-ion battery. The temperature range is from -40C to +85C but the device is not IP67 certified or similarly rugged.

The traffic from Shout Nano is transmitted via  Geopro’s own network (advertised to be very secure and very reliable) and the business oriented user interface and management tool is Geopro’s own web application with a monthly fee of 17.50 USD (13 EUR).

The Geopro SHOUT Nano costs around 850 USD (650 EUR) so it’s not cheap. There is a heavier IP66 certified device Geopro Messenger available for 700 USD (535 EUR). The Geopro devices are available from few retailers. There is a 50 USD (38 EUR) software license and the monthly fee for each device is 17.50 USD (13 EUR). In addition the messages (outgoing and incoming) cost from 0,20 to 0,06 USD (0,15-0,05 EUR) depending on the bundle. Not that cheap.

Summary: GPS positioning, tracking, 2-way messaging, stand-alone unit, global coverage, expensive, not for regular outdoor recreationalist

User experience

Satellite messaging devices have many applications and naturally first user experiences usually come from the user groups that have the money for new toys… In this case it seems to be the boating and yachting segment. Thanks to the rich people with their big boats, there are some good reviews and first looks about some of the devices I’ve covered in this or in the original post:

Panbo The Marine Electronics blog has a nice two part review of the Delorme InReach. There are also some related comments with testing and some spotted problems (mainly with receiving messages). But there is also information that Delorme is actively working on the software and constantly making it better. Here is the first part of the review about the device itself and here is the second part about the web interface.

Now there are also some real user experiences about Yellowbrick YB3 from a Patagonia icecap expedition. This is very much worth reading. But it’s also worth taking into account that the review is (apparently) of a pre-production model as most of the suggested “future enhancements” are now available as standard features.

- – -

In addition to these reviews and user experience reports there might be more already and certainly there will be more. And probably there will be even more similar devices available in future. So if you’re interested in one or the other of these devices, stay alert and see how they work in real life. And I wouldn’t mind you posting links or your own experiences about satellite communication devices!

Season’s Greetings from Taivalkoski!

For me it doesn’t quite feel like it, but it’s the time to wish you all dear readers: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Glogg on an overnight pre-Christmas retreat. Merry Christmas!

And to add some content into this post here’s a quick update about what’s going on…

Preparing the cafeteria for the Christmas dinner.

As regular readers allready know I’m doing my wilderness guide school internship period at the moment at Husky Center Kolmiloukko at Taivalkoski. Usually I’ve spent the Christmas with family at my parent’s place but this year it’s very different: I’ll be working. For Christmas Eve I didn’t have much to do, only to take care and feed the dogs, which takes few hours as there are 60 dogs. Next we’ll have a Christmas dinner with the owners and then sauna. And tomorrow, on Christmas Day, we’ll wake up before 06:00 and head to the Syöte skiing center with the dogs for a full day of work. So, happy holidays for those who have a holiday!

A Christmas dinner for the 60 huskies.

It’s nice and winterish here in Taivalkoski: There’s over 30cm of snow and more is coming slowly but steadily. It’s been quite warm for the whole week with the temps hovering between +1C and -3C but the weather forecast promises colder temps and more snow.

Hopefully the weather forecast is correct...

N skiing ahead in the dark.

At the end of the week I had two days off with my girlfriend N who is also working here (and is actually working i.e. gets paid for it) so we went for a little overnighter in Syöte National Park. This time of the year the Sun rises around 10:30 and sets at 13:40. So headlamps see a lot of use, specially as it’s been mostly cloudy and snowing for the whole week. We decided to spent the night in Ahmatupa rental hut as there was also a sauna. A bed in the hut costs only 10 euros per person per night so it’s not too expensive. After checking that the hut was vacant for the night we went to get the key from the Visitor center just before it closed at 16:00. We skied some 8km along ready made skiing track to the hut. We warmed up the hut and sauna, bathed and rolled in the snow, had some Christmas food for supper and enjoyed the silence and the fire while surrounded with tall thinny spruces covered with snow.

The Ahmatupa. The hut has two sides: open side and rentable side.

After sleeping in long the next morning, we decided to continue along the snowmobile tracks of the park maintenance. We planned to ski to Toralampi widlerness hut but the tracks didn’t go there and it was getting dark so after a lunch on a fire place weturned around and ventured back to the main track and back to the Visitor center, again, few minutes before it closed for Christmas at 16:00. It was a nice trip and a good start for the winter season. Hopefully there are more trips to come but now I’m feeling ready for dinner…

Skiing back in typical Northern spruce forest.

So, Merry Christmas to you all!

Recommended read: Things to watch

As the title suggests there is not much to read this time but instead a few videos to watch.

I don’t consider myself as a climber at all. (Even though I have a slight interest to climbing related things because I see them as a part of other things I’m passionate about.) But climbing and climbers have always made good subjects for great stories. There is a big bunch of visually beautiful, exciting and/or inspiring climbing related videos and here are few that I’ve watched recently:

Vertical Sailing is a five-part video series about sailing along the coast of Greenland (and from there back to Scotland) and climbing great previously unclimbed big walls on the coast. Very inspiring stuff. And fun to watch! Here is the first part, the rest can be found from Youtube or from Patagonia website:

Everything doesn’t always go according to the plans and Mixed Climbing Avalanche Accident is one of those storied documented on a video by the climber’s. There is also some comments and discussion related to the accident by someone who probably knows a thing or two about ice and mixed climbing. The discussion might interest climbers but the video is worth of watching for all outdoorsy dudes and dudettes. it might even provoke a though or two. The injured guy deserves a big “Tough Guy” award:

Most of the readers may already have seen the trailer of the Cold but I think it’s worth sharing and watching again. It’s about climbing the Gasherbrum II (one of the 14 over 8000m high peaks of the world) in winter. A very cold and inspiring endeavour. I’d really like to see the whole movie…

This is not climbing but a nice and inspirational clip about crossing the Lake Baikal in Siberia in 2008. It’s something that I’ve been thinking and planning for a while but I won’t be doing it this winter. But maybe later?

Alastair Humphreys (for example an Adventurer of the year 2011 nominee by National Geographics) has a lot of great videos on Vimeo. For example his video about crossing the Iceland on foot and packraft is very, very good. Lately he has uploaded some very inspiring presentation from Night of Adventure events. There is a huge bunch of very inspiring stuff to watch! Here is an example related to his Year of Microadventure:

And for those who are not that interested in climbing and cold places… I just recently noticed the series of Mike C’s ULTRALIGHT TIPS as videos on Youtube. Here’s one about the entire contents of his backpack for a two-night trip:

That’s it this time. Zi Internets iz full of marvellous and inspiring things. Get inspired – but also remember to go out and play! Oh, and the latter is the more important thing.

Should I buy a windshirt?

I’ve been thinking about the question in the title for a while now… Should I buy a windshirt?

The answer may seem (and be) obvious as almost all the people imaginable swear by windshirts:
- “For those of you who haven’t got yourself a ‘wind shirt’ yet, do yourself a favour and get one.“
- “Windshirts are one of the epitome of lightweight & ultralight backpackers.“
- “No other garment in my wardrobe is as adaptable or useful.“
- “I like wind shirts.   Had walks without them, and with.  Summing up my position is simple.  Get one.“
- “Given that windshirts are the most versatile of garments, having two isn’t a bad thing at all.“

Apparently they are the best single piece of clothing available for a lightweight or UL hiker. But, should I buy one? And if so, then why? And which one?

The reason why I’m thinking this is that I’ve never owned a proper windshirt and have managed years in the outdoors without one. I have a random cheapo windshirt that I modified a little (It’s now 85g, close-fitting, full zip and chest pocket) and have used occasionally. The problem with this shirt is that it’s not too breathable and windshirts should be breathable. At least more breathable than waterproof hard shells. And this one isn’t! What I do have is a pair of “wind pants” i.e. the Montane Featherlite pants and I do like them a lot (except that they are too short for my longish legs…) They are light, breathable, comfortable, quick drying and surprisingly durable. I’m a big fan of the Pertex fabrics.

Yours truly after walking 105km in 25 hours. Wearing the aforementioned Montane Featherlite pants and not-so-breathable windshirt.

Usually I’ve substituted the windshirt with other clothing that I’m carrying. In summer my outermost layer is either Rab Demand eVent jacket (waterproof, quite breathable), Powerstretch fleece (gives some protection from the wind, very breathable and occasionally too warm) or a Haglöfs Climatic button-up shirt (very versatile: bugproof, windproof, cool enough for hot weather and so on).  In winter I’m often very happy with my Goretex shell and if the weather is nice and warm I’m often happy skiing in my fleece, merino base layer or even going topless. In autumn I wear the eVent shell jacket or thin fleece as top layer. And this autumn I also did a trip wearing a Haglöfs softshell jacket made of the Flexable material. It performed flawlessly and I wore it every day, occasionally adding a waterproof jacket on top it. The times when I really miss a windshirt are quick and short trips and a bit sportier trips with high pace. And of course it would probably be nice in certain weather like in the strong cold wind in the fells in summer or during the days of little or moderate wind with warm sun in the open arctic.

Skiing in Svalbard on a warm day. Some are skiing in merino shirts, some in Powerstretch and some still wear Goretex jackets. Maybe a windshirt would be the best option?

But I feel that if I’d buy a windshirt it would just be adding weight and stuff into my backpack (or pulka) as I wouldn’t want to leave anything out in favor of it: The button-up shirt is simply great for summer use. I want to have a thin but warm fleece for cold weather and sitting in the camp (and actually two of these for colder winter trips). And for trips longer than a day or two, I want to have a waterproof shell jacket. But maybe the windshirt would add so much comfort that it would be worth the extra 100 or 200 grams? Or maybe I would learn to substitute something with the windshirt?

Hiking in the Haglöfs Climatic shirt in Lapland last summer. A windshirt might be a good option.

If I’d buy a windshirt it would have to work both in summer and in winter. For summer use it should be: windproof, bugproof, water-repellent, light, quick drying and reasonably durable. Long sleeves with thumb loops and a pocket or two would be nice but not obligatory. I don’t know if I’d need a hood for summer use as a hood in the shell jacket should be enough for me Long zipper might be nice but again not obligatory. The windshirt should protect me from cold wind and bugs and fend off occasional slight drizzle. For winter use the requirements differ a bit: again windproof, water-repellent and quick drying but also a bit warmer and a bit more durable. Long sleeves would become a necessity (and I wouldn’t mind having thumb loops), a full zip would probably be quite useful as would a pocket or two and a good hood would be very much-needed. In winter I would use the windshirt as a shell on trips in the woods and as a secondary shell and layering piece on trips on the open fells and arctic. From these bases I’ve shortlisted some options out there:

From summer perspective the list includes:
- Montane Lite-Speed (reviewed by Joe here)
- Montane Featherlite Smock (short review by Petesy here)
- maybe Rab Cirrus Wind Top (reviewed by Hendrik here).

Or maybe I could replace my fleece with Rab Boreas Pull-on (reviewed by Dave here) to get more protection from wind but still have some insulation?

From winter perspective the list includes
- Montane Lite-Speed (with hood modified) but then turns towards heavier stuff:
- Rab Alpine Jacket being the lightest (the predecessor reviewed by Joe here)
- followed by Montane Dyno Jacket (few words by Petesy here)

Or maybe I could ditch my thin fleece and replace it with Rab Vapour-Rise Lite Tour (Vapour-Rise in general praised by Gary Rolfe here) that would provide both windproofness and warmth but still be breathable enough to layer under a shell in bad weather.

The last one in the line would be me going topless in Svalbard. Maybe a nice windshirt would have spared the poor bypassers from the sight? (Pic by Jouni Tanninen)

It seems that I might actually need two windshirts two fulfill the criteria. Or would one be enough and if so then which one? Or maybe I really don’t need a windshirt at all?

Help me out here and share your views and ideas! Also links to reviews about the stuff listed here would be nice.