Google Glass Will Replace Your GoPro - A Glimpse into The Future (POV Video)

What about having a camera that you'll be always wearing and that can start recording whenever you say: Okay glass. Record video.?

I guess you won't be needing your GoPro camera if you get the Google Glass.

So what is Google Glass and what can you do with it?

About the GoPro iPhone App, WVIL Artefact Camera and The Future of Android Cameras

Now that you can control your GoPro HD camera with your smartphone, I guess having a remote makes no sense. Unless you don't have a smartphone, of course.

But who's gonna not have a smartphone and want to do remote video shooting in a few years?

I mean, what today is seen as remarkable technology innovation, it'll be standard common stuff by tomorrow.

So we have the GoPro app, we have Android cameras - what's next?

Sony and JVC Announce Their Action Cameras - GoPro Is Not Alone Anymore

Update: Sony HDR-AS15 Action Video Camera (Black) is available for pre-order on Amazon. Separate accessories include: headband mount, waterproof headmount kit, handlebar mount, adhesive mount.
--
GoPro created the action sports camera market as we know it today, and now the big names in video equipment and electronics want a piece of the pie as well. And we can't blame them, right?

I'm particularly excited about the Sony cam - with CarlZeiss lens and their awesome SteadyShot image stabilization system. But what I really hope to get from these new cameras is a higher frame rate in video shooting mode. And neither is offering that...

DIY Belay Station - Simple Double Bolted Protection in Multi-pitch Climbing Routes

If you're in the process of bolting a multi-pitch climbing route and want to save some cash, here's a picture to inspire you: DIY belay station with anchor (hanger) and screw link for rappelling.

All you need is a stainless steel flat-stock which you need to drill and bend. So you get a double bolted belay station at the fraction of the cost.

Samsung Galaxy Camera or How Android OS May Run on Your Compact Cam - Video

What if you could edit your pictures with professional software directly on your camera? And then upload them directly to your Dropbox online storage.

And maybe also track a GPS route while you're trekking outdoors. All done with the camera.

How To Choose Your Point and Shoot Camera - A Simple Way To Find Out What's Hot

As any respected amateur filmmaker, you wanna have a small point and shoot camera for your outdoor videos.

By no means I'm saying this is a better alternative to a DSLR but, when size and weight matters, why not go for a smart compact cam? Or an Android camera, I may add.

So how do you choose your camera? Which one is the best for you?

Your GoPro Case Broke? Check Out This Aluminum GoPro Housing - Video

I don't know about you, but my GoPro case got micro cracks that I had to repair with a resin glue.

So this aluminum GoPro housing promises to eliminate our worries about getting our cam smashed.

How To Save Battery Life when Using Your Smartphone as a GPS To Track Your Hikes or Cycling Tours

The technology we have available today is ridiculously powerful but, for portable devices such as smartphones, it's limited by battery life. And that's frustrating.

I'm almost done reading a book on green energy - Mad Like Tesla - and, if all goes well for the inventors who claim to revolutionize energy storage, you'll charge your phone just once a month. Until then, we have to actually think about saving battery life when using our smartphones extensively - especially outdoors where we can't charge them (not really true - more on that below).

Now, perhaps you've noticed that the battery runs out fast if you have 3G (internet), GSM, WiFi and GPS all turned on on your phone.

So what do you when you wanna track a 6 hour hike up the mountain? How do you make sure your phone doesn't run out of power?

How To Go Trekking High Tech Style or How To Not Get Lost Outdoors

I am by no means an early adopter and I'm not particularly a guy who wants to have top gear for my outdoor activities. However, when I get to test a nice piece of gear, I find it enjoyable.

Technology and innovation can make your life more pleasant and now that it's all about mobility, you can enjoy the benefits of modern life even if you're outdoors, in the middle of nowhere.

Long story short - after my old phone broke a few times and after $30 repair costs I decided it's about time to ask my provider for a new phone. So they gave me an Android smartphone (go figure).

What Cameras and Editing Software Les Stroud Uses for His Survivor Man Show - Video Interview

If you've been wondering about the camera gear and video editing software that Les Stroud uses for his Survivor Man show then it's all Sony.

He doesn't specifically tells which camera model but he does say he loves Sony Vegas (which is a bit too expensive for my amateurish video editing).

How To Improvise a Tent Lamp

How do you improvise a tent lamp?

Simple: Strap your headlamp onto a plastic bottle filled with water and you get a nice glowing light.

You can leave your Coleman lantern at home now.

Be safe!

source: Climbs.me

Leather vs Plastic - What Kind of Mountaineering Boot Do You Prefer?

Here's a short interview with Ed Viesturs on the differences between a plastic boot and a leather mountaineering boot.

Ed is a high altitude mountaineer, a mountain guide and author of three books:

• The Will to Climb
• K2 - Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain
• No Shortcuts to the Top

How To Shoot Stunning Aerial Video with Your Camera - GoPro Helicopter

There is a way for you to get those ultra smooth aerial shots with your GoPro HD camera: The XPro Helli Quadcopter.

Now, by the way these shots look, I guess the GoPro quadcopter can actually replace your GoPro steadicam, camera slider, jib crane and dolly. Especially outdoors and in open spaces, where you wanna take long moving shots. And what better way to move your rig than actually flying your cam?!

Ice Spikes for Shoes and Why Your Grandma Needs These More Than You

It seems that you can add chains and spikes to your trail running shoes so you can have a better grip on snow and ice. That's cool, right?

But honestly, I believe these products don't receive the proper attention.

Of course athletes know about this but what about the millions of senior people out of which thousands make the news every winter? The poor people fall on ice when going shopping and break their bones - are they aware of such anti slip protection?

iPhone 4 Outdoor Case by CellHelmet

How do you protect your iPhone when you're engaged into your favorite outdoor activity? What if it falls from your pocket? Will it break?

Finally, someone made an iPhone case that's built for the outdoors, without making it a brick. CellHelmet is the worlds first and only iPhone case to come with a safety net of insurance, in case if it should ever fail.

Made of thermoplastic polyurethane, CellHelmet is tough against drops and falls, but most important - CellHelmet guarantees to protect your iPhone.

How To Choose Your Sports & Mountaineering Sunglasses

Have you ever went outside and felt like the sunlight is too bright for you?

Sometimes this happens even if the sky is cloudy. This is either because your are naturally more sensitive to sunlight (green and blue eyed people are prone to photophobia) or you stayed in low light (indoors) for a prolonged time and your eyes can't adjust to the new brighter daylight.

In any case, having a pair of sunglasses is always helpful.

So here are some short notes about what you may wanna consider when choosing your sports and mountaineering sunglasses:

Interchangeable lenses and UV protection

If you enjoy outdoor activities, a pair of sunglasses with interchangeable lenses is a must. Basically, you get 3 pairs of lenses, each for a different lighting situation.

3 Ways To Get Blog Sponsors - Video by Gary Vaynerchuk

With the explosion of social media and the ease of creating and distributing content, there is an army of bloggers looking to monetize their blogs.

While trying to make money with your blog is, in the end, a legitimate thing to desire, your focus should't be on the money. Yes, earning a few (or a lot) of bucks is nice but you have to see that as a byproduct of what you're doing, not as a purpose in itself.

What this means is you must focus on your audience and create useful, mind blowing, entertaining content and the sponsors will follow.

However, you may be anxious to get your first blog sponsor and don't wanna wait until they come.

So, whatever you're looking for - money, free outdoor gear to review, electronic gadgets, etc. - if you think you have something to offer, here are three ways to get blog sponsorship.

1. Ask for the sponsorship - "Grab It!" 



As simple as this may seem, there are a lot of bloggers out there wanting to be sponsored but they've never sent out a sponsorship request via email... How sad is that!?

Gary Vaynerchuk, incredible wine video blogger and social media specialist, says it best in the video above: "Grab It!".

And by the way, if you're a blogger or interested in creating online content of any sort, you gotta read Gary's books: Chrush It! and The Thank You Economy. You'll get pumped and you'll learn that you can actually create a sustainable business with your blog.

Speaking from my own experience, the only reason I got a new winter sleeping bag and a new climbing rope, was because I wrote about 10 emails, got about 5 replies and actually got just one brand to agree and send me gear: Mammut.

What you have to remember is the law of averages and in this particular case this is the law of large numbers which can be translated into:

The higher the number of your trials, the higher chances of you getting a good result.

So start sending out emails to potential sponsors. Tell them what you're all about, what outdoor activities you do, what you can offer, etc. It doesn't have to be ultra formal. As long as it's sincere, brief and concise you might get that free gear or advertising deal you're looking for.

The funny thing is that brands who reached out to me never asked for traffic stats, they simply wanted to sponsor me. But when you are the one reaching out, it's good to give them some figures right upfront so they know what to expect.

Be honest about your stats and be honest about the impact your articles can make.

No one expects wonders from an individual blogger so neither should you. What most brands want is to be mentioned and be online through the voice of individuals. They want you and your readers or followers to talk about them (hopefully in good terms but that's another story).

For your convenience, I reproduce below one of my email requests (sent to Mammut) along with the latest traffic stats screenshot (image that you should normally attach to your email).

Hello, My name is Constantin Gabor and I'm a climber, mountaineer and blogger from Romania. I would like to offer advertising space and promotion articles to an outdoor gear brand that can sponsor me with a good wintersleeping bag or a down jacket. You can get any sort of promotional announcements, product reviews, product placements in YouTube videos, links and banners on Highball Blog and you can also host any kind of giveaway contests. Traffic Stats for Highball Blog (Jan 19 - Feb 18 - 2011): 13,319 Unique Visitors/Month (and growing) 26,469 Pageviews/Month Top Countries Sending Traffic: 1. USA 2. UK 3. Canada 4. Romania (my home country) 5. Indonesia 6. Germany 7. Australia 8. Brazil 9. Philippines 10. India Visitors are mostly men, interested in mountaineering, climbing, mountain biking, gear reviews and related activities (editing outdoor videos, DIY projects, etc). I am open to any kind of collaboration according to your current priorities. I won't take it personal if this sponsorship is not possible. Thanks for reading this email. Have a good day! -- Constantin Gabor 004 07............... Highballblog.com info at gabtrend dot ro Yahoo Msg: catascouts Skype: constantin.gabor

Highball Blog traffic stats 

2. Blog to teach and/or entertain

This is just another way of saying Stay away from personal journal land!

If you're not Lady Gaga or Ashton Kutcher, nobody cares too much about you. Except your family and your friends but they get enough of you already so don't expect them to be your most avid readers.

Avoid writing too much about yourself and keep your content oriented to helping your audience. The only time it makes sense to talk about yourself is if your story is somewhat relevant to what you're teaching.

For instance I talk about myself only when my experience may add value to the topic I'm blogging about. I show you how I edit GoPro HD videos and how I built my DIY climbing hangboard coz I know that's what you want to learn. That's why you land on those pages from search results, Twitter, Facebook or your RSS reader.

And I also respect your option of potentially not being interested in what I blog about. How? By being ultra specific in my posts titles - you know from the very start what the article is about so if you're not interested you can just browse away. That's what you should do with your blogging as well.

For online purposes and for getting sponsors over and over again, a blog that speaks only about your realizations (speed swimming records, fast ascents, high climbing grades you were able to pull, long treks, etc.) is not going to do as well as a blog where the content is more about how readers can solve a particular problem.

If you're doing entertainment, the particular problem you're solving is to bring excitement, laughter and smiles on people's faces, if only for 5 minutes.

If you're a successful athlete, the problem you can solve with your blog or videos is to teach people how to train effectively in order to become as successful as you. And so on.

Spill out your secretes and make your content timeless (evergreen).

By the way, notice that my top posts getting traffic in June 2011 were all written in 2010. They're timeless, educational (notice the How To... and Tips) and searched for.

The whole point here is to serve your readers well. This means having a quality blog which means you have readers which means sponsors are interested in advertising with you. You must remember that sponsorship is not a donation and companies want something in return. They also don't want their name to be associated with poor quality content or the wrong people.

The best way to attract sponsors and advertising deals to your blog is to create content for your audience, not for your ego.

3. Forget about writing, do multimedia & physical products = think multi channel 

A smart way to attract both readers and sponsors is to create content in multiple formats:

1. Videos - easier to consume for your audience and more likely to be shared via social networks
2. Podcasts - some people prefer to listen to whatever you have to say while jogging so offer your content in audio format
3. Games - if you're a developer and enjoy building games, do one for the particular topic you're obsessed with
4. Photos - nature photos or extreme sports shots hosted not only on your blog but on all the other platforms out there
5. Artwork - of any kind. From hand crafted items to mountain bike shirts designs made with computer graphics software, etc., etc.

Building physical products that people want or need is another smart way of getting attention. The effect is three fold:

1. You build a product that you need - you get benefits by using it
2. You can create a tutorial and teach others how to do it (hence the chance to add more content: blog posts - tutorials, videos, pictures, etc)
3. Your product may have commercial value and you can sell it (especially when your audience specifically ask you to). This happens to me once in while - I get requests via YouTube comments from people wanting to buy a DIY glidecam - it's not for sale yet. :-)

People working in companies looking to find bloggers to sponsor in exchange of online advertising have hobbies and interest as well. If your content is high quality, in multiple formats and hosted across a large number of platforms (Blogger, WordPress, YouTube, Vimeo, Picasa, Flickr, Facebook, etc) there are higher chances you will get noticed.

Personal stories: 

I was very close to be an actor in a telecom commercial. All this because some advertising agents & film producers saw a climbing video of mine on YouTube (and it's far from being my best video...). They loved the location. The screenplay of the commercial involved a climber who's phone was ringing so they wanted me to help. 

In the end, their client dropped this idea as they were approaching the deadline and the weather turned gray (cold and rain).

Recently (July 2011) I've been contacted by a video producer from Bulgaria who's interested in the raw footage from my cliff jumping and DWS trips. They're doing a video to promote Bulgaria as a tourism destination and my "incredible frames" (their words) may be used in their film.

My point? If you only write text, there's less chances you'll get sponsors or potential business deals. 

Now, some deals won't go through but if you want the law of large numbers to work, you have to do your part and throw in those large numbers, be it emails, videos or blog posts.

Conclusion 

The global audience is more fragmented than ever and this trend will continue as the internet will become a more important part of our lives, propelling us forward into a global economy with small village rules.

If you start a blog and take your publishing effort seriously, you're basically entering the media business. So it's only a mater of time until you make money with your blog or YouTube channel.

Don't forget to:

1. Ask for sponsorships
2. Blog well and serve your audience
3. Deliver content in multiple formats hosted on different platforms (be everywhere)
4. Over deliver - both to your readers and to your sponsors

What about you?

• Do you have any other tips for attracting sponsors to your blog?
• How long did it take you to get your first sponsorship of any kind? It took me about 10 months of blogging and the sponsor was GoalZero.com - they still sponsor me with solar gear.
• Apart from writing articles, what's your next preferred format and why? I love to do adventure videos mostly because I have to "strive" for creativity and I think that's a good process for me. It's also hard work and that brings a sort of discipline with it - another perk of the trade. :-)

What To Use To Repair and Seal Cuts in Your Waterproof Jacket and Tent Flysheet - Tenacious McNett Repair Tape

Did you cut your waterproof winter pants with your crampons while mountaineering? I did...

The funny thing about Gore Tex jackets and pants is that they cost a ton of money and you're supposed to wear them in the harshest places and conditions.

So you pay big bucks for your North Face or Mammut jacket and then you have to crawl through a chimney while climbing a gully - your jacket scratched and ripped  from all that pushing against the rock face. Yeah, bring it on! It doesn't matter - you'll pay another $300 for a new jacket, right?

Or NOT!



Repair your waterproof jackets, pants, tent or other gear with Tenacious Sealing & Repair tape

It really makes no sense in buying new gear with every small puncture. In the end, each piece of outdoor clothing / shell (and even your tent's flysheet) is susceptible to cuts and tears so you might as well accept it and be prepared to fix it.

I used to invest emotionally in my brand name clothing but I realized it's plain silly and now I don't give a crap if what I'm wearing has a logo or not. As long as it's functional, keeps me warm and dry, that's all that matters.  And I advise you to do the same. Repair what can be repaired and go on with your climbing, trekking or whatever.

The McNett Tenacious tape seems to be the best of it's kind. I've read a few reviews and people seem to love it.

The salesperson in the mountain shop told me he used it to seal his inflatable sleeping mat and it still holds. It seems the bond is pretty strong.

The tape is transparent and comes in a 50 cm long roll. That's enough for you to patch a dozen jackets.

How to use it 

• Cut a patch and make its corners round
• Make sure the area you're placing the patch on is clean and dry (trim loose threads in the cut)
• Peel off the paper
• Apply the tape on the cut and press hard
• Leave it 24 hours as for the bond to reach its full strength 

Where to buy it 

The Tenacious repair tape (also called ripstop repair tape or seam sealing tape - you can seal the sewings in your waterproof shells) can be found in most of the specialized mountain stores. 

If there's no such shop in your area, here's a list of direct links where you can buy online your waterproof repair tape:

• Rei.com
• Amazon.com
• Amazon.co.uk
• Backcountryedge.com
• Backcounty.com
• Mountaingear.com
• Cascadeclimbers.com

And here are some pictures showing you what the product looks like:

Instructions

Hole in tent's flysheet

Flysheet repaired

Stay dry and be safe!

Disclaimer: This is no sponsored post. I bought the tape myself and I'm happy with what it does. If your jacket is leaking it's worth trying to patch it with Tenacious tape. It's not expensive and you can fix all sorts of gear or other items (backpacks, synthetic upholstery, gaiters, etc.)

Wolverine Hiking Shoes Review - Terrain Low - iCS Waterproof Low-Cut Trail Hiker - Video

The guys at Outside PR asked me if I want some outdoor gear to use and abuse and in exchange to write some reviews on Highball Blog. To which I said: Hell, yeah!

So they sent over a pair of Wolverine hiking shoes - the Terrain Low - iCS Waterproof Low-Cut Trail Hiker - and a hydration pack from Hydrapak (review and funny cartoon advert coming soon).

Find Out Where Mountain Hardwear Manufactures Their Outdoor Apparel and Gear

Perhaps you won’t be surprised to learn that most outdoor apparel and mountain gear brands manufacture their stuff within a few factories in China. Just as the most important bicycle brands manufacture their mountain bikes in a few factories in Thailand.

If you’ve heard of Mountain Hardwear, Mammut, Lafuma, Timberland and wondered where exactly they manufacture their Gore Tex jackets, T-shirts, fleeces and back packs then here it is:

Outdoor Sky, Xiamen – China Website: www.outdoorsky.com

The apparel company offers custom samples (paid) and international shipping via DHL or TNT.

OUTDOORSKY's commitment to performance, innovation and quality has ensured a worldwide reputation for producing performance clothing. We manufacture raincoats, jackets, outerwear and trousers, which are all waterproof & breathable and suit for foul weather. Our product range includes sailing collection, motorcycling collection, skiing collection, mountaineering collection, fishing collection and hiking collection. Wearing OUTDOORSKY ensures you benefit from leading fabric technology, innovative design, style and above all, a commitment to quality that is recognised wherever you go, whatever you do.

Cordura, E-vent, Thinsulate are just a few of the technical fabrics they work with.

There you have it. If you plan to launch a new mountain apparel & gear brand, you know where to find the best manufacturer of sports technical clothing in the world.

Enjoy your outdoor adventures!