SNEWS best outdoor reads from around the web

What did the SNEWS team read this week that other industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out!

• We do take a lot of gadgets with us when we go on the slopes, and Signal Snowboards is making it so we can charge those devices on our boarding breaks. The Adventure Blog recently wrote about a solar charging snowboard that the company recently designed, though not for production. Not yet, the blog said.

• There’s something about reading about other people’s adventures that makes us happy. Virginia Hutchins, a reporter from the Times-News, gave us a glimpse into her top 10 outdoor adventures of 2012, which included snowshoeing the Craters of the Moon National Monument.

• Ever wondered why human beings evolved so much differently than other mammals? Read this New York Times story to find out just why. Turns out our ancestors who ran and walked everywhere made it so our brains were shaped differently than other mammals, making our evolution a bit more advanced. So lets keep on hittin’ those trails so future generations can reap the benefits!

• This Billings Gazette column discusses how the dry winter wasn’t all that bad for some retailers in the hook-and-bullet industry. One of the reasons was that an early spring was perfect for lots of fishing excursions. This is good news for our industry as fly-fishing seems to be becoming popular.

• One of our most memorable camping experiences was snowshoeing up to a yurt and spending a night filled with delicious fajitas and endless games of Yahtzee. It got us a little bit hooked on the outdoors. This About.com Guide story talks about how people who don’t like camping can get interested in outdoor activities by renting a yurt for a few nights.

• We’re all about “Best Of” lists, so we found Steve Carsons’ list of “Best and Worst Outdoor Stories” in the Chico Enterprise Record. Most of the stories are about fishing, including the one about the largest yellowfish tuna caught near San Diego.

• This is good news for all outdoor retailers: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service recently released a survey saying there has been a resurgence in interest in outdoor activities. Since its last survey five years ago, participation levels for hunting increased by 9 percent nationwide and the number of people fishing grew by 11 percent. Overall, nearly 38 percent of Americans say they took part in wildlife-related recreation, which reverses the trend that previously showed interest and participation had been declining.

• Retailers, find out if your state is on this Huffington Post list of the best and worst states for heart health. Since getting outdoors is more than just for the pretty scenery, it’s exercise masked by good times, outdoor activities could benefit your customers and potential customers

• One emerging trend is that of outdoor fitness spots. Lynwood Park recently got a $250,000 grant from $250,000 the Los Angeles County Regional Park & Open Space District, $160,000 of which will go to building an outdoor fitness area, complete with weatherproof.

• There’s nobody who would turn down a delicious glass of wine after a hard day working out in the mountains. Now if you all are going on your outdoor adventures in Napa Valley, you’re in luck. The area offers a wide variety of excursions like the Napa Valley Bike Tours and people can catch a wine tasting at the end of the day. Check out this story. 

Have you read anything interesting you’d like to share with us? Send a link to the story to us and we’ll check it out.

–Compiled by Ana Trujillo