MARCH without the break. You may of noticed that this issue of our newsletter is out a bit later. Well we haven’t been slacking off, we have been very busy! We were waiting a couple extra weeks to get in some of the great new products that have arrived for spring! Our store is ready for the spring season to start, Jess has our new Lole Yoga section ready to go, and great new clothing from all our brands - like The North Face - featured this month. Ryan has received some pretty exciting new products in our camping department - Sea to Summit gear, Benchmade Knives, waterproof stereos from Exogear to name a few. In footwear Kieran has expanded our lines, with some pretty good looking shoes for running, hiking and general hanging out. Have a look at some of our favourites inside this issue. With the wet and muddy season on the way, we have lots of waterproof footwear at the ready. Our cycling section is full of new 2013 bikes from Trek, Specialized and Cervelo, and our new cycling clothing department is pretty impressive - a great selection of everything you need to get out this spring. In the next couple of weeks our Snowboard and Nordic departments will disappear for another season - be sure to check our our Clearance Room as some of these products migrate downstairs with heavy discounts! Take a couple minutes to read the newsletter and see what’s new! Sincerely, Wild Rock Outfitters
As far as outdoor brands go, The North Face is about as iconic as they come. North Face products are as common a sight on the streets of Toronto as they are at a mountain base camp. Wild Rock has carried The North Face since we started back in 1992, and continue to carry their product subscribing to their commitment to producing some of the best gear in the outdoor world. The North Face is one of the most highly recognizable brands in the outdoor industry. Their logo represents Half Dome, a massive granite rock formation in Yosemite National Park, and, like the giant monolith, was not made to be discreet! The North Face is a great big company that has a giant product mix that appeals to a wide range of users, which is one of the main reasons why we love them. From walking the dog up Armour Hill to climbing Mount Everest, every person interested in going outdoors can find something that will suit their own specific need. Their product lines include gear for skiing, hiking, snowboarding, running, climbing, travel, mountaineering, and have more recently included gear for activities such as yoga and commuter cycling. From casual clothing to technical outerwear, The North Face has you covered from base camp right up to the summit. The North Face is recognized and sold worldwide, and like its logo, the brand is big all around.
The North Face does it all, and they do it well. Sometimes when companies grow to be this big, it becomes hard to keep high quality products, but not The North Face – they have kept their standards high, and their prices low! We throw the word “value” around quite a bit when we speak about The North Face product, but don’t let that make you think they are less than top quality. The North Face has engineered some of their own technologies such as HyVent, their own proprietary waterproof breathable fabric, but have also combined forces with other top brands like Polartec, Gore-Tex, and PrimaLoft, to name a few. Some of the biggest and best athletes around the world use The North Face product – one of the fan favourites being Alex Honnald. You may remember him from this year and two years ago at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, an event that The North Face has sponsored for a long time. Yes, he’s that crazy rock climber who free solos up giant rock faces! Watch this clip if you don’t remember… Whether you are a beginner, amateur, professional, or an extremist like Alex, The North Face wants you to NEVER STOP EXPLORING, and gives you the gear to keep going.
What’s a canoe company to do when the lakes and rivers have frozen over and the snow is ten feet deep? Build skis of course! Skis were an easy crossover product for local canoe companies because they already had the equipment, suppliers and skilled workers required to steam, bend and manipulate wood into early cross-country and down-hill skis. It is difficult to pinpoint precisely when the Peterborough Canoe Company began manufacturing skis, however, it can be safely assumed that it was sometime before WWI. Ads from the 1930’s depict Peterborough-ians gliding along icy paths on skis whose quality “equal[ed] the best imported ski”. Many of the early skis made by the Peterborough Canoe Company featured pointed “tips”. These tips made it possible to attach a “climbing skin”. Originally made from sealskin to aid in the uphill slog, later versions were manufactured using nylon. Although climbing skins came in handy for steep uphill climbs, they were not favoured in the Peterborough area, in part because it took so long to stop and attach them! Skins were not wholly necessary for another reason, early ski hills like that at the Bethany Ski Club featured rope tows as early as the 1940’s. Although skiing can easily be traced back at least 5000 years, it began as a purely utilitarian way of getting around. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries skiing as a recreational pursuit took off (literally!) as people braved the snow and participated in ski jumping, cross-country, and down-hill skiing. With ski builders and hills at their disposal, Peterborough locals were no exception! Peterborough skiing legend Otto Laderach was one of a group of young men who took brought passion and daring to the sport as early as 1926, when ski clubs were starting to become more popular and established. Peterborough resident and ski enthusiast Ian Blaiklock can remember embarking on day long excursions with Otto. A group of skiers would make their way to the CPR station, catch the train to Cavan, and ski from Cavan to Bethany in order to enjoy a day on the hill. Once their day of down-hill
was complete, the group would ski back to the train station and make their way home. Ian recalls using Peterborough Canoe Company skis with cable harness bindings on these multi-disciplinary adventures. When skiing cross-country, the cable binding was unlocked to allow your foot to have a wider range of motion. When skiing down-hill the cable secured your foot firmly to the ski. On more than one occasion Otto would bypass the train altogether, instead opting to ski all the way from Peterborough to the Bethany ski hill (and back again!). Ian can remember joining Otto on several of these day-long treks, and has remarked that they must have laid down in the snow and slept before taking on the hill! Otto Laderach has had a lasting impact on local ski culture. From his design of the Nassau hill ski jump (now Trent University), to his active role in the formation of the Peterborough Ski Club, Otto led the pack when it came to mobilizing his passion and sharing it with the community. Peterborough’s enthusiasm for skiing has not changed much in the past 80 odd years! Kawartha Nordic carries on Otto’s legacy by providing trails, rentals and lessons for the skiing inclined. Check out Wildrock’s wide range of nordic and cross-country skis to find your perfect match for a day out on the trails!
A special thanks to Ian Blaiklock and Cy Monkman for their help in researching this article. Cy’s book “The Forgotten Sports Era: A History of the Peterborough Ski Club” is the foremost authority on local ski history and culture. The Canadian Canoe Museum is located at 910 Monaghan Rd. in Peterborough, ON. Visit canoemuseum.ca to find a wide array of family and adult programming. Registration is now open for our “Arctic Afternoon” March Break Camp for kids ages 8-12. Contact Karen Taylor at karen.taylor@canoemuseum.ca for more information.
Peterborough-Hastings Trans Canada Trail Association Fundraising Dinner
Peterborough-Hastings Trans Canada Trail Association presents Fundraising Dinner 2013 Supporting the development of the Lang-Hastings Trans Canada Trail Grand Prize: COMPLETE CYCLING PACKAGE value $5,500 Prize includes: ■ Two TREK FX 7.5 Hybrid or 1.2 road bicycles ■ Two Giro Indicator Helmets ■ Cycling Excursion for two in Mallorca, Spain March 2014 (Airfare excluded) Sponsored by: Wild Rock Outfitters and TREK Bikes $100 per ticket to include elimination draw entry, 3 course dinner and annual trail membership. Date: Saturday, March 23rd, 2013 Time: 6:00pm Dinner: 7:00pm Venue: Elmhirst's Resort, 1045 Settlers Line, Keene, ON For Tickets Contact: coordinator@ourfavtctrail.ca
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