SNEWS best outdoor reads from around the web

What did the SNEWS team learn this week that other outdoor industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out.

• Running is healing in so many ways. Pearl Izumi athlete Timothy Olson can attest to that. Olson chronicles his journey from addict to champion ultrarunner in this post on the iRunFar blog. The read is truly amazing and inspiring.

• Another inspiring athlete is 11-year-old Ashima Shiraishi, a bouldering enthusiast from New York City who recently won the national bouldering championship. Check out this New York Times story about the phenomenal youngster and her experience at a two-week climbing expedition at Hueco Tanks in Texas.

• Since we love to read so much, perhaps we’ll pick up some of the books on Seattle Backpackers Magazine’s “Best Books for Backpacking List.” The list includes greats like “The Mountains of California” by John Muir, “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson and “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer.

• We’re in full Outdoor Retailer Daily mode here at SNEWS already (and we’re being hounded by Deadline the SNEWS marmot every day! Seen his picture on our Facebook page yet?), and so are some Salt Lake City tourism officials who are scrambling to keep future summer shows at the Salt Palace. But some industry veterans, including Black Diamond’s Peter Metcalf, don’t feel the outdoor industry has a place at the table with Utah politicians, many of whom favor the sale of federal land to private ski resorts. Check out this Salt Lake City Tribune story for more information.

• Many landowners and outdoor enthusiasts are concerned about New Hampshire’s House Bill 1551, which deals with public recreation on private land. The bill was spurred by a hunter who fell and sued the owner of the land where he was hunting. Though the hunter eventually dropped the suit, it left private landowners who previously welcomed outdoor enthusiasts reluctant to do so. Check out this Union Leader story on the current state of the bill.

• It’s about that time — we’re all planning our summer outdoor excursions. Let the Calgary Sun help! The publication put together this slideshow highlighting what it considers to be the top 10 camping destinations in the world. On the list? Denali National Park, Cotopaxi National Park in Ecuador and Glacier National Park in Montana.

• There’s an app for everything these days, and there’s now an app for camping. Check out this New England Cable News Network story on the We Camp Here app. Users can find campsites on the app, write reviews and get driving directions.

• For many years, ski resorts have relied on young, passionate (bordering on fanatic) snowboarders to bring in the bucks, but this Denver Post story recently claimed that such fanaticism is gone with the wind. As those youngsters age, so does the sport, one expert noted, and ski resorts are seeing the number of snowboarders go down.

• One of us here at SNEWS can definitely relate to this Campsite Blog post by Meghan J. Ward. It’s hard being blind in the wilderness and having to struggle with glasses and contacts. Maybe we should stop complaining and do what Meghan did: Get laser surgery. Poor vision is the one thing keeping us from perfection. Plus, being able to not have to worry about glasses or contacts seem so liberating.

• Our friend, Myrian Solis-Colonel of REI, posted this LA Weekly blog post about Anthony Bourdain’s Baja trip, and we agree with the bloggers who touted it would make us want to cross the border immediately. Maybe Outdoor Retailer Summer Market could be held in Baja? Just sayin’.

Did you read something interesting that you’d like to share with us? Email it to us and maybe we’ll include it in next week’s column, along with a shout out to you.

–Compiled by Ana Trujillo