1. Draw on your face with colored pencils. For men this is only for when your friends pass out drunk; then you get to draw on THEM. When you’re a woman, you have to do it to yourself. Every day.

2. Strap spikes to your shoes and balance on them. This makes you look “nice” if you’re a woman.

3. Change your name to say you love someone. When you really really really like someone you’re supposed to stop being yourself and start being someone different, symbolized by changing your name. Pointing out that women start out with their dad’s name and switch to some other guy’s name, so they never really have a name of their own, isn’t a groundbreaking observation, but it’s still weird. On the other hand, when else do you get the chance to get a new name so why not (unless your life love’s name sucks)?

4. Play hard to get. If you’re a woman and you’re approached for a date by someone you like, you are supposed to say “no”. Eventually you can say “yes” but then you have to cancel at least once and only sporadically respond to said person’s attempts to communicate with you. And this is how you’re supposed to treat a person you LIKE! Even when you’re an adult woman you’re still supposed to act like you’re all a bunch of kids chasing each other around on a playground. Weird.

5. Install paint on your fingernails which, weirdly, makes them more delicate rather than stronger (cuz you can’t mess up the paint, don’t ya know). Which serves no purpose. What? I notice that several weird things women are expected to do involve staining body parts unnatural colors. I’m not even going to mention that anal bleaching thing (though I just did).

6. Act like you can’t do all the things you can do. People always tell me to back off on my abilities so that others (well…men) won’t be intimidated, or they’ll feel needed, or whatever. As Madonna sang, “when you open up your mouth to speak, can you be a little weak.” Weird. Just because I can use a table saw doesn’t mean I don’t need help with other stuff; why isn’t it as charming to need help with the vacuuming as it is to need help with the framing of my new garage extension?

7. Plan your wedding when you’re in the second grade. “Every girl has a dream wedding in mind.” “As girls, we spend our whole lives dreaming of what our perfect dream wedding will be.” “All girls dream of their wedding day.” “Every little girl plays ‘bride.” I pulled those quotes from the top Google results for “wedding”. My personal favorite is “Girls start planning their weddings at age seven. Boys wait until the day before.” Ha! That does it, a man’s soul lurks in this X chromosome-laden body. Don’t get me wrong, I, too, would love to be a princess, but only because I want a kingdom to command, not because I want to put on a fluffy white glorified tutu, parade around in front of all my friends calling it “my day”, and force them to fight nearly to the death for the flowers I throw at them. Actually, you know, that does sound kind of fun.

8. Be willing and able to never go anywhere alone. If you’re female, there are men who want to hurt you. It seems that we’re stuck with that. Weirdly, though, rather than the general sentiment be “we should stop these people from hurting women” it’s “we should keep women from doing anything on their own.” I realize there’s a reason to do things for personal safety, but it really does seem as if all the energy goes into convincing women it’s too dangerous to go out on their own rather than convincing bad men that they belong locked up forever.

9. Take forever to get ready to go out. Ever had a climbing partner drop you off to change before dinner, saying he’ll be “back in an hour and a half”? An hour and a fucking half? No. If I’ve been climbing, I’ll be starving and need a burger and I’m not waiting no ninety minutes to get one. Leave the car running in the driveway; I’ll go put on clean underwear and some jeans and put on a beanie and I’m good to go. Is this about that colored pencils thing again? It’s not gonna happen when I’m hungry.

10. Not like sports or motors. You’re a girl, you can’t like baseball, you have to ease it up and make it “soft” ball. If someone asks you what kind of car you have you’re likely to respond “a blue one.” You won’t know how to change the oil or even change a tire. If you can, I refer you to #6, which describes how you’re supposed to pretend you can’t.

Bonus #11 – If you, too, think all the above expectations are weird, you’re gay. Look, I’ve no problem with my Sapphic sisters. Those chicks are fun as hell! But you don’t have to be a lesbian to be into motorcycles and short fingernails. It doesn’t matter if you are or not, it’s just the assumption that bugs me.

Once I got done writing this, I started wondering what weird things we expect men to do. I suspect that deep inside we’re all pretty much the same regardless of gender so I’m sure that men carry a burden of weird expectations too. I’m a woman, so I couldn’t answer that question, but I still wanted to know, so I asked Brendan Leonard of http://www.semi-rad.com to answer it for me. So here are:

10 Weird Things You’re Expected to Do When You’re A Man

Courtesy of Brendan Leonard, Man’s Man, Blogger, and King of Enthusiasm

1. Keep track of football scores/know the names of professional athletes. I don’t hate football. But a lot of football games take place during the hours that tend to be perfect for climbing and other outdoor activities – i.e., daylight. Thusly, I’m a little behind on who is playing for what team, and who is doing well. I mean, three hours is a long time to set aside on a weekend. Most movies aren’t that long. Sorry. I realize this is un-American. We’re going to have to find something else to talk about. Perhaps we can bro out about bicycles, or skiing, or The Departed? That would be great.

2. Know what’s wrong with a car. I don’t know what’s wrong with your car, I’ll just be honest here. If it has oil, coolant, gas, and air in the tires, and it’s not overheating, it should be running, and if it’s not, I don’t know what to tell you. I have a AAA card. They can help. Let’s call them.

3. Wear closed-toed shoes. These are my toes. They are not pretty. They hate socks. They like Chacos, which are the Air Jordans of Colorado, which is where I’ve spent the majority of the past six years of my life. Sorry if that’s “feminine.”

4. Own power tools. I own ice tools, an avalanche beacon, several ropes, and a whole collection of dinged-up cams and nuts and carabiners and all that stuff you use for rock climbing. I bought my first drill about 18 months ago, and have used it twice. When it comes down to taking care of a home, I don’t know how to do shit. But I can probably fix your bicycle, which I think is probably less masculine than mentioning that I need to run down to Home Depot and pick up a new rip saw. Actually, I don’t even know what a rip saw is. But I will build you a bomber rap anchor if needed.

5. Not talk about things other than sports, cars and power tools. Men are not supposed to talk to each other, unless we’re sitting next to each other in a bar or the front seat of an automobile. No sitting across from each other in a restaurant or coffee shop, just talking. If you want to talk to a male friend, go climbing together, or watch football, or at the very least, play pool. Preferably while drinking beer. But don’t, under any circumstances, get together just to talk to each other.

6. Not listen. Woman, please. I am watching the game.

7. Objectify women. Trust me, I love looking at beautiful women just as much as the next straight guy, but being put in situations where women are nothing but sex objects makes me feel dumber, and kind of sad for America. Please, take away my man card. Hooters, for example. If the food was really that good at Hooters, would the waitresses really need to dress like that? Beer billboards: If you drink Bud Light, this ad agency-hired model will definitely sleep with you. Sure. Cheerleaders: Are cheerleaders leading the cheers? No, the sports team is. When the team scores, the crowd cheers. When the cheerleaders come out, mostly men just stare at them and think about what they would look like if they somehow lost the tiny articles of clothing they are wearing.

8. Ride a horse. Just kidding, nobody expects you to know how to ride a horse anymore.

9. Not cry/be sad/emotional. Do men purchase Bon Iver albums? Yes they do.

10. Realize when women are attracted/interested in us. See Jill’s #4. If my life experience is at all similar to most men’s, we have no idea. We are clueless. I mean, seriously. Just say something. Don’t worry about being too forward. It’s refreshing, especially if you’re in your early 30s and have been wandering around totally ignorant since the eighth grade.

Thanks Brendan! See, people? We’re all the same. It’s just these weird expectations that make it so hard to get along. Next time you’re at a loss for what to do in a situation, remember, there are no hard-and-fast roles to which you must subscribe. Just be yourself. You’re going to have to do it anyway at some point so you might as well start now.

“…..No….”

This is the conversation that sticks in my mind as representative of the last week, as I write this on the plane home from Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. My outdoor industry family is ingrained into my life to the point at which they care about whether I’m being appropriately sexually serviced by the partner of my choice. It’s sweet, really. The asker of this question evidently has an introduction she wants to make, which naturally means I simply must go heli skiing halfway across the planet so that my dear friend can introduce me to her other dear friend in hopes that sparks will fly and the answer to that question will change. To that I say….okay!

Regardless of whether that actually happens, I always leave OR with the sense that there are people all over the planet I connect with as a part of the outdoor industry, which is why I keep coming back to the show. It’s a sentiment I keep hearing from others who make the pilgrimage, and though some of you might be signing on to the blog to read about the cool gear I saw at the show, I’m afraid you might be disappointed by this post. Talking about the gear will come, I’m sure, but first I have to finish recapping the people.

Walking through the show floor is an exercise in hugs, shouted greetings, business card exchanges, random encounters, and big smiles. What makes you feel more welcome than a huge grin and open arms charging at you from down the hall? If you’re not in the outdoors industry, chances are you don’t start your business meetings with big hugs, but that’s how we roll at OR. I’m kind of a reserved person so four years ago I wouldn’t have ever booked a work trip and looked forward to the hugs, but it’s a perk of OR that I’m not about to give up.

Sometimes you recognize a person right away, like when Paige Boucher (who I weirdly and spastically introduced to Bret Wydysh as Paige Brady – short circuit, likely caused by a late night at the Franti concert, but quickly corrected – regardless, I apologize to both Paiges. Sorry. What the hell…?) and I ran into each other in the halls, other times it sneaks up on you: while waiting around for a friend to meet me, I spotted an attendee with great pants, and stared at them for a minute, idly wondering what kind they were. The wearer also had on a great shirt (Earthtec Boxelder Hoodie) as well and the clothing so distracted me that I didn’t realize at first that the wearer was none other than Amy Jurries from TheGearcaster.com. Big hugs ensued, naturally.

Sara Lingafelter and I found ourselves with the hurricane eyes of our schedules miraculously aligned, and we spent an unheard of forty minutes chatting, strolling, and introducing each other around at the show. If you’re lucky enough to be in Sara’s circles, you know how great this is because, as she puts it, “some people I won’t say anything bad about, but others make me want to say nice things about them.” I think I speak for most OR attendees when I say that Sara’s endorsement really does mean something, as does her friendship (and hugs). If Sara thinks I’m legit, I must be doing something right, and I’m saying that as a reflection on Sara’s character rather than mine.

My biggest failing at this show was not saying hello to Brendan Leonard, whom I saw standing at a booth, talking (we’ve never met in real life but believe me, he’s unmistakeable). I didn’t want to interrupt his conversation (I’m reserved, remember) and I figured we’d run into each other later, but we didn’t . So, Brendan, huge virtual hug and apology for my reticence though do wish to point out that I was only trying to be polite and not interrupt you.

See? I don’t even know that guy yet and I fully intend to hug the hell out of him next time I see him. And the vibe doesn’t stop there; at one point I needed a ticket to a party. A stranger handed me one. I needed a ride to the airport in the middle of the day today; one of my clients dropped everything and took me there. I hadn’t brought enough changes of clothes; Kelsey at Five Ten handed me a t-shirt. And don’t even think for a second that if you want a beer you won’t immediately have one put in your hand – that almost goes without saying. At OR you’ll get lattes in the morning from Royal Robbins, energy food throughout the day from Clif and Honey Stinger (I don’t even try to pretend I’m not basically making lunch out of their samples) and others, much-needed afternoon-downswing Red Bull from Arc’Teryx (thanks Josh!), and beer and cocktails at happy hour from just about everyone. If you’ve never seen Michael Franti and Spearhead in concert and you’re in the back of the concert hall but want to be front row center, outdoor industry peeps will not only let you through but they will actively help you move through the crowd to the front, to be eventually enveloped in a big, sweaty Michael Franti hug.

As for me I’m happy to do my part; to make introductions between friends and contacts and walk someone over to someone else with whom there might be some mutual benefit to a connection. Sure, this is a business, but there’s no reason why it can’t operate on the cooperation model rather than in pure competition style. No one can be good at everything and we can’t have it all, so we might as well help others have a piece of it.

It’s not normal, this industry. And for that, we’re lucky.

Today was the Outdoor Demo day at Outdoor Retailer trade show. I’m a never ever for demo days so I thought I’d make the effort this year. Basically you hike yourself over to the Salt Palace, wait in at least three lines to get passes, waivers, and stamps, then get on the bus that drives you to the demo day. That all took way longer than necessary which is all right, but being trapped on the bus while it maneuvered backwards and forwards around the parking lot while the driver yelled instructions to us that couldn’t be heard way in the back of the bus was pretty lame. Just let us off! We’ll figure it out.

So we finally got spat out of the bus and waited in yet another line to basically do the same thing we already did at the Salt Palace except that they didn’t give us little green pieces of paper to use as tickets to demo gear (by far the dumbest thing ever. Surely it’s a demo day and we should try as many as we like, that’s the point, right? But no, we only got three, which was OK because most of the brands didn’t take the little green slips but a few did, so if you demo boots and skis and poles….you’re done and that’s what you’re on all day, which seems like a good way to get people to, well, hog gear all day. But what do I know?) so of course there was another line.

All that done with, I met up with a friend who had been patiently waiting and waiting and waiting for me to get through all that crap, and we hit the slopes.

Have I mentioned Anchorage is having one of its record years for snow? Yeah. So huge patches of ice, bare rocks, and exposed vegetation everywhere wasn’t the most thrilling thing ever. It turned out that my friend is a former ski racer from the East coast, so he took to the conditions like a duck to water while I gingerly sideslipped down the sketchier patches (which were legion). It’s been a while since I had a ski partner have to wait for me at the bottom of every run, but then again I usually ski either the backcountry, where you ski one at a time anyway, or solo at the resort where I’m naturally the fastest one in my group of me.

I tried four pairs of skis over the course of the day, two I really REALLY liked, one I thought was okay, and one I hated, but I don’t think the testing conditions of the two losers were very good (one pair was just far too short for me and the other pair was most definitively a powder ski and mounted all wrong for me) so I don’t think it’s fair to harsh on those particular skis or even name them until I’ve a chance to try them out in better conditions. The gear made a huge difference; on the skis I disliked, I felt actively uncomfortable and lost all my confidence. I felt like I was constantly on the verge of a terrible crash. So I ditched those skis after two cautious runs and picked up another pair I thought I’d like better.

The two I really liked were the Black Diamond Element, a huge pow ski that did super well on the ice and hardpack, which was shocking; and the 4FRNT Aretha which was one of the most fun skis ever. Both of these skis are going in my quiver somehow. Mark my words!

Honestly, how do people buy big things like skis and bikes without trying them first? That’s what we have to do in Alaska, where demo days are all but nonexistent. I would have liked to have tried other skis, but there wasn’t a ton of time and, as is traditional for the outdoor industry, a lot of the tents started closing up early so I was outta luck. Even though it’s a pain, I highly recommend finding a way to test anything big that you want to buy. These things are highly subjective and what suits one person might not suit you so try it before you plunk down 900 bones on skis you don’t know at all.

It started dumping snow in the middle of the day and the last few runs were markedly better and more fun. We skied until the lifts closed and laughed when we found the 4FRNT guy, who luckily is a friend of my ski partner, sitting in a chair where his booth used to be, having packed it up already and just sitting there waiting so people wouldn’t think he already left.

The one real downer of the day was having a company, one I’ve featured on my site before and with whom I’ve an appointment at the show on Friday, treat me like shit at the demo tent. I could barely get anyone to notice me – they pretended I wasn’t there – and even when I spoke directly and repeatedly to the staff, they all but ignored me completely, one guy tapping at his phone and not once looking up while he reluctantly spoke back to me, obviously hoping I was going to just go away. When I finally talked them into letting my try some skis, they backed out immediately, citing the fact that their “binding guy isn’t here right now”. Uggghhh. You can bet that I’m going to mention this experience when I visit the booth at OR on Friday. And I’m a little soured on that company at the moment. Why would you treat people like that at an event designed to showcase your product?

So, basically an okay experience but what made it truly fun was having a friend to ski with, especially one really knowledgeable about skis and brands and all that fun stuff. He’s the one who suggested the 4FRNT Arethas and he was so right, they were great. I was very stoked to find new skis to fall in love with and I’m hoping to get my hands on them again for experimenting with them in better conditions.

Aaaand now it’s time to get ready to go out for pizza. Tomorrow and the next day and half of the next day: booth appointments with lots of fun stuff in between, including the Industry Party and the Franti concert. Not sure if I’ll update everyday but my guess is that it’s not going to be a top priority.

If I were shopping for pants online and came across the above picture, I’d just scroll on by. I don’t really understand the idea of using unflattering pictures for gear, especially for pants like this pair, which are really nice and look really good. That’s why I chase down these pieces for review; you never really know until you get your hands on them.

When I asked Mountain Hardwear if I could try them out, they almost didn’t want to send them because this pant is evidently a staple of their collection and, as their PR staff put it, the Winter Wander Pants “don’t need any help.” They usually like me to focus on new product. But I begged, because I really want to help you readers find better pants, since you’re always asking me about it. And I’m sure glad I did, because these are indeed a great pair of pants.

A few caveats, though. The Winter Wander pants are a pretty basic softshell. They are designed to “shed water and snow” but I don’t think I’d wear them in precipitation; the finish is just not durable enough. I also don’t use them for very cold weather; brisk fall days (Alaska-style brisk; into the low 30s/upper 20s, maybe, though I wore them last week in low 20s and they did OK for a short time) are the most they can handle unless you are really exerting yourself. That said, I do really like these pants and have been using them this winter, but usually with a long coat or down skirt to add a little extra warmth on my legs since the pants are just a little too thin. I might try wearing them as a midlayer while skiing, because they’re cut slim enough to fit under other pants.

The fit is why I like them so much. They fit like jeans; nice low rise, slim cut around the hips and legs, and a flare at the hem. I wear them with my big winter boots and pull the pants down over the boots, which keeps the snow out. Even my stylist (remember her?) said they looked really cute and she usually clucks at me for wearing outdoorsy stuff. They’re great for wearing around town on stormy days because they barely look like snow pants at all. The softshell fabric is pretty thin which is why they’re not particularly warm, but that’s also why they’re so flattering. I love the design and the fit, though, and I’d like to see this fit tried out with a tougher and warmer softshell material.

They fit pretty true to size in my experience and I believe they come in a short length if you’re not willowy and tall. I am pretty average height and the regular length is perfect for me. They’re not the warmest or the toughest, but they’re pretty good and I hope that MHW saves the design to use with other, warmer materials.

This one has been on the review list for a while but I had a special request today on Twitter to address the issue of down skirts. Here in Alaska, winter skirts have been fairly popular for a while so I’m not surprised they’re making their way to more mainstream manufacturers. I even saw someone skiing in an ankle-length winter skirt the other day; it’s definitely a common sight here when it gets chilly.

It seems that people’s first reaction to insulated skirts is either intrigue or ridicule. I’d heard enough positives about them that I was eager to try one so when Sierra Designs offered to send one of their new Gnar down miniskirts, I just had to agree. One of the reasons I wanted to try one is that I’ve found that that the myth of body fat being an insulator is just that – a myth. My most ample assets are the ones that get cold the fastest. My core is always toasty but my booty and upper arms seem to be where the chill settles. I realize that this probably brings to mind a mental image of me looking like some bastardized female Popeye, but come on. My picture is on this site, you know I look normal. But I can tell where my body fat is because those are the parts that get cold. There’s body fat on my ass, so there you have it.

Gnar skirt to the rescue. You’d think that there would be no way an open-ended garment could keep one warm, but really – your jacket is open at the bottom too and it still keeps you warm. Further, I’ll bet some of you wear long trench-style coats and why? Because they’re warmer. The Gnar skirt is just like adding an extender onto your coat; it’s the same idea.

I like wearing the Gnar when I’m out riding my fat bike in really cold temps. It adds just a little extra insulation and keeps me warm on the bike. Last time I wore it while riding, it was only about zero degrees out and I had to take the skirt off because I was too warm. I wear it over softshell pants for hikes when I need that extra kick of warmth.

There are a few design flaws in this particular iteration. The snap closures in the front are problematic because they come undone really easily. I mostly wear all but two or three open anyway, so it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but having the waist also close with a snap is annoying. It should be a buckle, for security’s sake. What would really fix this is having some elastic in the skirt. As it is, if you leave the snaps buttoned, it’s too hard to walk at more than a city-girl pace. Having a stretchy down skirt, now that would be awesome.

I would also like to see more realistic sizing. I’m usually a size small but couldn’t get the S size skirt around me! The medium fits OK but I have to cut down on the doughnuts if I want to be sure I can wear it all year. Anyone bigger than a size 6 would have to bump up into the large unless they have particularly slim hips.

The tags said that the skirt has two interior pockets but mine doesn’t – those would be a welcome addition. Could be just a sample goof – that happens sometimes.

And how does it look? I have no idea. I put it on to stay warm and I don’t actually own a full length mirror. I can imagine that a few stylin’ chicas could pull it off as a fashion look; I’m not sure I would try. Well, maybe – I think it’s got potential to be pretty cute. Anyone got insight?

All in all I like the concept and I find this to be a pretty helpful piece. I would like it to be more secure and allow for more freedom of movement. Maybe even a little longer?

1. There’s no need for a pre-trip diet or workout regimen. If you don’t have anyone taking pictures of you, who cares what you look like in that bikini?

2. There is no one to witness your stupid mistakes. The goofs I made during my first trip abroad were legion. But there was no one to laugh at me so what does it matter? They make great stories now and I just don’t tell the really embarrassing parts.

3. You can do whatever the hell you want every single day. There’s no compromising on the day’s activities, no debate about how to spend your time, no one sleeping too late or setting the alarm too early. It’s all you, baby.

4. You can still claim to speak the language. Notice how “no witnesses” is the theme here? You can loftily tell your friends about how easy it is for you to travel since you’re such a language maven, because they’re not there to watch you stumble and stutter your way through a simple request for directions.

5. You make new friends – because you have to. When you travel with a companion, you’re usually focused on that companion. When you’re alone, you have to reach out to the people that you meet or your trip will be pretty lonely.

6. Vacation hookups. OK, so I’ve never done this in my life, not even once, except kind of this one time when I was 12 and my mom took me to this Dirty Dancing-esque retreat in the Catskills (note: not as glamorous as it looks on that movie) and there was this other pre-teen that I thought was cute, so we chased Daddy Longlegs spiders together (not an early bloomer, me). No, I’ve never found my Johnny Castle while on vacay. But the possibility is there. If you’re by yourself, and you do run into a group of hot NOLS students or want to pick up that sexy hitchhiker, there is no one around to besmirch your reputation.

7. Your comfort zone is all that matters. If it turns out that Nicaraguan trade routes are a little too full-on, you can sprawl on the beach for two weeks drinking caipirinias and all anyone will gather from your trip report is “I went to Nicaragua and you didn’t.”

8. One change of clothes is plenty. Who’s gonna know?

9. You can let your bad attitude flag fly. Once I was in the Yucatan after a solo jungle trek, being put up at a five star resort, with all my needs attended to. But I was just not having fun. At all. So, I picked up the phone, called the airline, changed my flight, paid the fee, caught a taxi, and was on a plane home 90 minutes later. I never regretted it. If someone was with me, chances are they would have complained about leaving behind an all inclusive extravaganza in favor of the deep dark of an Alaskan winter.

10. You’ll always, always end up the better for it. Even the worst solo trips produce great life lessons and memories that will last for years. Sure, I felt stupid skinny dipping in the Italian cliffside pool that turned out to have a full bank of underwater windows to entertain the bar patrons, but it was a learning experience that will never leave me. I held my head high walking through that establishment to go back to my room, and you know what? I’ll never forget that hotel, or the people I met that night who proved to be lifelong friends and who, though to this day still laugh about my full-monty gaffe, shared some of my most-cherished, and most-told travel stories ever.

For us stunted earthlings, protection from the elements is important. When Bogs asked if I’d try their boots out for review, I was eager to do so in order to get in on this new trend. I naturally asked for the basic colors because that’s just my thing. I tried the Classic Ultra High Handles style and a pair of the Bridgeport slip-on shoes.

The Classic Ultra High are rubber and neoprene and, as you can tell from the name and the picture above, have handles for ease of pull-on (very much appreciated). The thick sole helps insulate feet from the cold ground and naturally the rubber boots are completely waterproof. This is great for what we call “breakup” in Alaska – when the snow and ice melt and “break up” into piles of slush. Some say this season coincides with the end of all those “keep me warm through the long cold winter” relationships-of-convenience, but I don’t know if there is anything to that. It’s not going to be breakup for a good long time though, and I was interested in the Classic Ultra High boot primarily to try for winter biking. We’re having quite a cold winter and as usual I’ve been struggling with cold feet and these are rated to -40. The women riders in the Yukon that I follow in the blogosphere wear Bogs in some of their pics so I wanted to see if they would help keep me warm too.

Unfortunately I did not find that the temperature rating was too accurate. I can’t wear these for biking because I get too cold; the wind chill and proximity to the metal pedals is too much for these boots. Since they are waterproof, they also make my feet bathe in sweat (sexy, no?) which I think that contributes to why my feet get so cold. I don’t think this is a real failing on the part of the boots; it’s hard to keep feet warm when biking in the winter. The boots are still great for doing outdoor winter chores (they were originally developed for dairy farmers), for fishing, and for day hiking if you want to cross marshy areas (which I often do). It’s winter right now, but I’ll likely use them for fishing too. If you’re a horsey person you’ll love these around the barn. They are a nice alternative to Xtra-Tufs and there are many other styles to choose from if you don’t like the Ultra High Handles style.

The fit is kind of hit and miss from what I can figure. They don’t come in half sizes and I thought that my regular size fit OK, but I’ve been researching what others say and evidently the boot is supposed to fit more snugly than it fits me. However, some people say the boot runs small and I didn’t find that to be true. I’d recommend trying on a few pairs to get the fit you want.

I also tried the Bridgeport slip-on shoe style. I fell in love with these immediately. It helped that we’ve had the most bizarre winter – record-breaking snow along with five major thaw events that have turned everything into a sloppy, slippery mess until it freezes again. I’ve been wearing the Bridgeports around town during those events and they’re great. They’re comfortable and supportive and actually look pretty cute with jeans (more important than I expected). I actually like these better than the tall boots; they seem to fit better so maybe there is a sizing issue with the taller pair. The sole isn’t as thick but they’re a reasonable choice for around town, or on a boat deck (you fish, right?) or anywhere you’re likely to encounter puddles (obviously). A great option if you’re not into tucking your pants legs into tall boots.

All in all I think the Bogs have a lot to offer. They come in such a variety of colors and heights that you’re bound to find something that you like. For a rubber boot they’re pretty warm though I think -40 is an exaggeration. I didn’t stay warm yesterday in 32 degree temps while riding my bike, but I do allow that bike riding is a difficult situation for footwear. You can check out more Bogs styles on their web site here, but don’t get confused about the menu showing “Agricultural,” “Outdoor,” and “Casual” styles; they’re all the same thing. Have fun picking out your pattern!

I’ve been wearing the Professional Clogs for years. They are the basic clog of the line, and you see them on nurses and Alaska Airlines flight attendants regularly. Honestly, if you are a flight attendant and you’re not wearing comfortable shoes…I don’t know how you do it. They are my favorites of the line (I like simple and basic, I admit) and the latest iteration hasn’t changed much. The thing I like about the Pro Clog is that the base is nice and wide so you’re not teetering around (not that you’ll ever teeter in clogs, unless you’re doing it wrong). The Pro comes in all kinds of colors, from the basic to the crazy, so you’re sure to find something that strikes your fancy. I’ve always wanted snakeskin, myself, or is that officially “trying too hard?” The Pro can successfully pair with business-y attire if you’ve an eye for that kind of thing; it’s nice in the winter to have reasonably sensible shoes when hiking urban streets to go to work. You do see people wearing these with dresses and skirts, to which I say…eh…to each her own. Think Lisa from Six Feet Under.

Because I’m stuck in my ways, I would have been happy with a pair of Pro Clogs in each the basic colors. Dansko wanted to highlight other styles, though, so I was forced out of my rut with the Stacie. Yes, it looks almost the same, with a little extra stitching and styling. I found that this shoe is a little daintier and narrower than the Pro Clog which really can’t hurt. They have a little less of that obvious clog look which is nice, and I have no trouble pairing these with slacks or dress pants. The foot hole (I don’t know…? the place in which you slip your foot? Someone help me here) is smaller than the pro clog and the shoe stays put a little better; no slippage. I wore these today for one of my very rare dressy office days and I loved them. Super comfortable, nice cushy insole. I think they’re a tad more comfortable than the Pro Clog.

The base of support is a little narrower, conceivably making it easier to slip – my one complaint about clogs is the thick sole; if you slip you can do some serious ankle damage, so I caution against wearing them on ice. The thick sole makes it dangerous to slip but it does make for convenience when walking through a few inches of snow. Your jeans hem might get wet but your socks have a chance of staying dry.

If the snow is any deeper than that, you might want to go with the Stormy. It’s an ankle boot on the same clog platform as the Stacie. The upper is lined with shearling and folds down if you want a different look. I have the black but I think it’s cuter in brown because it has a lighter shearling so there’s some appealing contrast there. I like the nice warm shearling, but the bummer is that it’s not extended to inside the clog part (which makes sense, but would still be super cozy until it wore out). I can’t quite pull these off with a dress but I bet some of you fashionistas can.

So there you have it. How to dress like an Alaskan, and how to dress like a slightly more fashionable Alaskan. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Pro Clogs for ever and ever. They’re just not too original up here where people wear comfortable shoes, though since I’ve seen more stilettos on the streets of Anchorage lately, you never know. Which reminds me; another major benefit of clogs is that they make you look taller without looking like you’re trying to look taller. Tom Cruise, clue in.

Verde PR keeps me pretty well stocked up on the latest and greatest from Julbo so I’ve come to expect really good things from goggles. When Julbo is all you use, you tend to get complacent. Their goggles are all really nice and I’ve yet to feel that anything was lacking. Still, Verde urged me to try the Superstars and I’m really glad I did. They’ve been my favorite for resort skiing – I don’t think I’ve taken them off my helmet since I got them.

Mostly I really like them for the fit. They have extended outriggers to make them more helmet-compatible than most and, although they’re not billed as a women’s specific goggle, they fit my smaller face just fine. The biggest difference I notice is that the Superstars don’t fog up nearly as much as other goggles. I also notice the enhanced view – they seem to give me more peripheral vision than many other goggles.

The Cat 3 lenses are a little overkill at this time of year; we’re just past solstice and I don’t think the sun actually hits the mountain at the local resort, or at least it doesn’t when I’m skiing in the morning and afternoon – another few weeks to go before I need to screen my eyes from the golden orb. Still, I end up wearing the Superstars a lot because they’re so comfortable and they seem to prevent fogging really well.

I’d love to see this goggle with interchangeable lenses to get me through the entire Alaska winter, or with a photochromatic lens so I get the best of both worlds.

Get them at Backcountry.com for just over $100 by clicking here.

I think of “low rise” as normal, anymore, and high rise is thankfully getting thrown by the wayside where it belongs. Pants should never have a high rise for the following reasons:

1. They are uncomfortable. A seam digging into your waist/rib cage makes you miserable.

2. They are hard to get on and off. This is really bad for base layers, but for outer pants it’s also an issue. We’re using this stuff outside, and usually in cold weather. When we need to drop trou, we need to do it quickly and effeciently, and hiking our jackets up to our armpits to find the tops of our pants is not efficient. It’s also not efficient for the waist of your pants to be way above the hip belt on your pack.

3. All our other pants are low rise. Having high rise base layers sticking out of low rise pants looks and feels stupid. Having low rise base layers under high rise pants is uncomfortable. Styles should match.

4. It’s a lazy style. High rise pants are for designers who don’t bother to figure out how to actually fit a woman’s body. Don’t be lazy. Everyone else has figured it out, you should too.

5. It looks terrible. High rise pants look awful. They make hips look huge, asses look big, indicate that one’s general style is frumpy, and contribute to the dreaded camel toe phenomenon.

Stop making these stupid things already. There’s no need to show crack, but there’s no need for pants to go anywhere near a woman’s rib cage either.