MOUNTAIN KHAKIS - Built For The Mountain Life Blog

Run Like the Wind, and Then Run Some More

Labor Day weekend at Grand Targhee Resort means one thing: run, run, run.  The 4th annual Grand Teton Races, held August 30-31, includes a 50-mile, 100-mile and marathon trail run for the ultra-athlete and enduro-freaks everywhere.  That's correct, 26.2, 50 or 100 miles of trail running on undulating pathways throughout the beautiful Teton Range.  These races are clearly no joke, and at press time, the 100-miler had 39 participants and the marathon had 54 participants, coming from as far away New York, North Carolina, Alaska, Canada and everywhere in between.    

This year also features the 2nd Annual GTR Kids Fun Run.  Race organizer Jay Batchen is expecting a great overall turnout and it appears as though the weather is going to cooperate.  There's something for everyone this weekend at the Grand Teton Races.  Good luck to all the competitors, including a special good luck to MK Ambassador Josh Fuller, who will be running the 50-miler.  May the pain be brief and the blisters be small. 

Global Warming Myths, Debunked

The following excerpts are from a Wired Magazine article about the truths and myths of global warming.  The article addresses many issues and activities that are commonly deemed "green" but might not be as earth-friendly as we think they are.  Pretty interesting stuff here. According to Wired:

-"urban living is kinder to the planet, and Manhattan is perhaps the greenest place in U.S.  A Manhattanite's carbon footprint is 30 percent smaller than the average American's."

-"A/C is okay and inherently more efficient than heating.  Salving the summer swelter in the U.S. produces 110 million metric tons of CO2 annually.  Heating the country releases nearly eight times more carbon over the same period."

-"Organics are not the answer.  Dairy cows raised on organic feed produce 8% less milk per cow.  So it takes 25 organic cows to make as much milk as 23 industrial ones.  More cows, more cow emissions.  Organic beef steers take longer to achieve slaughter weight, which gives them more time to emit polluting methane.  Organic fertilizers deliver lower-than-average yields, so those crops require more land per unit of food.  And plenty of pesticide-free foods are produced by industrial-scale farms and then shipped thousands of miles.  The result: refrigerator trucks belching carbon dioxide.  What really matters when it comes to food is eating locally grown and in-season foods."

An MK Wyoming Wedding

Newlyweds Mitch and Amanda Irrgang recently sent us the following photos from their wedding at the Lakeside Lodge at Fremont Lake, just outside of Pinedale, Wyoming.  The groom and groomsmen all wore Teton Twills in Natural.  Lookin' good fellas!!

Wingsuit Flying: The Ultimate Rush

Watch the video below, featuring MK Ambassador Baxter Gillespie educating the masses on wingsuit flying.  I can't think of anything cooler than ripping across the sky in one of these suits.  Amazing.  Baxter is also a BASE jumping instructor in Twin Falls, ID.  I think I might have to be one of his future students...

Nick Troutman Takes 2nd at World Cup Event #1

Congratulations to MK Ambassador and Team Jackson Kayak paddler Nick Troutman for his 2nd place finish in Prague.  This was the first event of the Freestyle Kayaking World Cup in Europe.  Next stop is Germany.  Go get 'em Nick!

Nick in the 2 slot, sporting his MKs