Experts say that in 10 years, the “greenness” of gear won’t be a distinction, it will be an expected part of the product. Welcome to the future.
1. Völkl Amaruq Eco
This environmentally-friendly ski is made from sustainably harvested wood, omits most fiberglass and plastic, uses 100 percent recycled material for the base, 60 percent recycled steel for the edges and replaces standard epoxy with an eco-resin made from renewable resources. Most important, the 127-88-109 Amaruq Eco rips on hardpack and floats in the untracked.
$995; www.voelkl.com
2. Venture Odin
Silverton-based Venture handmakes its board cores using sustainably grown and harvested hardwoods certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Good wood like that helps the lightweight big-mountain Odin weave quick turns and elevate in the pow.
$585, $895 split; venturesnowboards.com
3. Scarpa Pebax Rnew
Pebax Rnew, a 100-percent organic and recyclable plastic derived from castor oil instead of petroleum, actually performs better than petrol-based plastic at lower temperatures while requiring 29 percent less fossil fuel and emitting 32-percent fewer emissions. It’s in Scarapa’s Hurricane Pro ($739), Mobe ($749), Maestrale ($599) and T1 ($699) boots.
scarpa.com
4. Bamboo Bottle
Americans consume 1,500 plastic water bottles every second—most end up in the landfill. The Bamboo Bottle is a clean, safe alternative made from sustainably harvested bamboo and recycled glass.
$25; bamboobottleco.com
5. Green Guru Ruckus Bike Tube Backpack
Boulder-based Green Guru “upcycles” everything from old wetsuits to climbing ropes to make new gear. This waterproof bag made of six mountain bike tubes, 100 percent recycled PETE fabric and recycled nylon mesh can withstand a beating and looks hip enough to impress the Occupy Wall Street crowd.
$140; greengurugear.com
6. Practical Climbing Chalk Bags
Practical handmakes these bags from repurposed hemp scraps, old saris and a combination of new and reclaimed cordura and cotton. Plus, if you have a favorite old pair of climbing pants or a t-shirt that have seen better days, they will turn it into a custom bag.
$17; practicalclimbing.com
7. Krebs Recycle Dog Leashes
Climbing gyms usually retire rope after three months, guides after just a season of climbing—creating a lot of waste. Krebs gathers climbing ropes from around the world and transforms them into dog leashes.
$13-$16; krebsrecycle.com
8. Nau Insular Jacket
This posh jacket fuses Cocona-activated carbon sourced from coconut husks discarded by the food industry with recycled polyester to create a synthetic fill that warms, wicks and manages odor better than traditional poly.
$355; nau.com
{ 9 comments }
I love the opening of this article. “Experts say that in 10 years, the “greeness” of gear won’t be a distinction, it will be an expected part of the product. Welcome to the future.” Nice. As a co-owner of Krebs Recycle, a small family owned business in Seattle, WA, it’s great to get this kind of mention with these other great products.
“Experts say” Really? Who are these so-called “experts?” Sounds like a bunch of green crap shoveled out by Sierra Club nazis bent on forcing inferior, over-priced products upon a gullible public that foolishly believes it makes one iota of difference. EO should be ashamed of spewing this garbage but it probably makes your advertisers feel all warm and fuzzy.
Practical is a very small, young business and I work hard to find affordable, reasonable ways to keep my company green. Taking cuts of fabric that are too small for other companies to use in their own products and using them for my chalk bags, when possible, is one way I accomplish it. Thanks for the article mention EO! Climb happy everyone!
Sam – First, let me say that I understand how overwhelming it can be to figure out ways we can actually make a difference when it seems like the planet is already in such dire straits. Second, I did not write this article to make our advertisers warm and fuzzy….Actually, of the products featured – only Scarpa advertises with us. Third, the experts include environmental strategists and statisticians who have studied gear trends over the years. I can send you specific studies and stats if you want them.
I have spent the majority of my life working as an advocate for the environment and our intention with this article was to highlight some options we have when choosing gear. We wanted to make people think about what they buy and how they enjoy the outdoors. Thanks for adding to the dialogue and helping us to make people think even more. Perhaps the original introduction to the article (which didn’t fit and which I am including below) will help explain what we were going for here.
“Save the planet while skiing? Curb global warming while hiking? Well, not exactly. No product is totally ‘green’ because making anything consumes energy and materials. But, some products are better than others. So, if we want to continue playing in the places we love, we can make decisions that help keep them intact. The choices we make, from how we get to the trailhead to what kind of gear we use CAN make a difference. Experts say that in 10 years, the “greenness” of gear won’t be a distinction, it will be an expected part of the product. However, for now we still have some choices to make. Here are some cool gear options that may not reverse global warming, but are at least a step in the right direction. “
Nice try Chris. You sound like a wet-behind-the-ears recent college grad full of delusions and little experience in reality. Froufrou shit like chalk bags, dog leashes, and fall-apart bike tube packs are only for looking cool to clueless peers. That kind of nonsense makes the dilutions in homeopathic “medicines” look like purified crack. If you had tried the bamboo-glass bottle, you’d know its a piece of junk only suitable for yoga classes and Fiji water. Can you truly say the “eco” skis will last as long and delivers the same performance? Are the bases going to be as durable and hold wax as well as a good sintered bases? Will the Scarpa boots crack after 2 seasons instead of 6? Industrial production of castor beans isn’t as green as many think. Will that coconut insulation hold its loft more than a season of real use? Patagucci has done far more harm under the guise of GreenPC than they have good: durability and performance has unquestionably gone down while prices and profits have gone up. Look behind the marketing curtain and it isn’t pretty. You’re just mindlessly pushing the latest snake oil. Sad.
“Froufrou shit like chalk bags….”? I work very hard to make an extremely durable product that is a necessary piece of euipment that every single climber I have ever come into contact with uses. I am one person working my backside off (not behind a “marketing curtain”) to give climbers a well-made, U.S.-made product.
p.s.
no worries sam, i’m tough, i can take it. :) happy climbing!
Sam, I would love to turn your arguments and the many counterpoints I could fling your negative, narrow-minded way into a “Butting Heads” for a future issue of Elevation Outdoors. The “humor” of your insults only comes at the cost of others and, perhaps worse, if everyone shared your skeptical attitude it would result in a tremendous toll to the environment. I’m sorry you woke up on the wrong side of the bed but Chris’ realistic and highly-educated approach to this topic is hardly wet-behind-the-ears just because she recommends choices that effectively decrease the impact on this planet and its diminishing resources.
Oh, Sam, don’t take it so hard–I’m sure Herman Cain and Bachmann will find meaningful, fruitful ways to spend their time after this little gong-show of a GOP primary has run its whimpering, diaper-filled course. In the meantime, I think you need to click off the Fox News, leave your mom’s basement, and try and enjoy the world. EmbitteredPanickedWhiteSingles.com perhaps? Find a date. Live a little!
I hear there’s a high school in Wyoming in need of a football coach (http://tinyurl.com/cg6c2jt), too–that might give you a captive set of teenagers to mentor with your perspicacity and cut-thru-the-bull attitude. Penn State might have an opening, too. You sound like a football kinda guy.
Anyway–just wanted to sign on and say “Chris +1″…right on, brudda!
p.s.–I didn’t notice you taking Chris up on his offer to send you specific studies/stats. Not interested in a little reading? Damn, that might actually teach you something or change your mind. I’ll tell Yvon he’s off your xmas-card list, too.