April showers bring... awesome clothing technology

One of the great technological breakthroughs of the 20th century came fairly late: breathable fabrics that are entirely waterproof. Gore-Tex, of course, was the big one. It made life in Minnesota infinitely better, because you could stay warm and dry and still, you know, walk around and do stuff. (Most people don't realize that you get wet wearing waterproof clothing because of sweat and condensation.)

Now Gore-Tex has been upstaged in a big way. A new fabric called eVent is up to 50 percent more breathable than the old standby, and what's more, eVent is olaphobic--that is, it doesn't absorb body oils like Gore-Tex does, and therefore its breathability and waterproofing last longer.

You won't find eVent easily: Just a handful of manufacturers are using it in their outerwear. Pearl Izumi, the bike and ski clothing company uses it in one jacket, which we located at Erik's Bike Shop.

But if you're as convinced as we are that this stuff is the greatest thing since stone-ground mustard on sliced bread, check out Showers Pass, a tiny company in the rainy Northwest. Their "Elite" jacket ($179—actually a bargain compared to Gore-Tex products) has been the subject of a widespread whisper campaign suggesting that it may be the best rain jacket ever known to man (and woman). That's crazy talk — which we just happen to endorse.


Erik's Bike Shop, http://www.eriksbikeshop.com/
Shower's Pass, http://www.showerspass.com/

New location, bomber secret sale

If you grew up in the 70s and 80s, and you were an alpine skier, you considered the Hoigaard's smokestack in St. Louis Park a kind of axis mundi. Mom and Dad drove and paid the bill, so you didn't realize Hoigaard's was the the most expensive, most elite, hardest-to-actually-find ski shop between Chicago and Jackson Hole. It was a treat you could count on—like Kokesh used to be for hockey players, Pierce for figure skaters, and the Malt Shop for everyone else.

So it's hard to believe Hoigaard's pulled up stakes and hung a shingle at The Miracle Mile, that dumpy little strip mall at Excelsior and Highway 100. Truth be told, the location is spitting distance from the old digs, but a much more direct route from any approach, and they've spiffed that mall up considerably. The new location feels smaller with lower ceilings; the place is more packed than ever with high-end gear from Spyder, Fischer, Atomic, Dale of Norway, and so on. And Hoigaard's now has respectable departments in nordic equipment, snowboarding, camping gear, and bicycles.

But our main interest at the moment is the deeply discounted winter gear. Especially the sleds. If you haven't looked lately, you'll be surprised at how the good-old tobaggan has been upscaled with space-age materials and designs. Our favorite, the Hammerhead Sled, looks like a NASA-grade Mars orbiter (that's it in the picture), and normally costs a stratospheric $350. But if you can play hookie for a day to get outside and enjoy this heart-warming 10-inch winter dump, caper on out to Hoigaard's and pick this baby up at half price, and then go hunt down a few flexible flyers on your favorite slope.

Hoigaard's, http://www.hoigaards.com/, Excelsior Boulevard at Highway 100

Secret sale alert: REI shoe department

Keen: If there is a hotter footwear company in the country, we'd like to know about it.

First, there were the water shoes and sandals—whatever they were, they were a nice alternative to Tevas and Chacos. Now, Keen has a whole range of shoes, from faux bowlers to clogs to boots. The unifying motif? That big rubber bumper across the toe.

Something like Earth Shoes (which are back, by the way), Keens all carry that pedigree. And there is no other brand that has simultaneously captured every demographic from 40-year-old men to 10-year-old girls with plenty of moms thrown into the bargain.

Another selling point: Keens are relatively affordable—most pairs are well under $100. If you get on out to REI beginning this Friday, you're sure to find their stock of Keens deeply discounted, along with other prestige brands that are synonymous with trail mix and 12-rod portages, such as Merrell, Sorel, Dansk, and Born. (Steer clear of the North Face though. Much as we love this brand, their shoes and boots are predominantly made in China. Something about their name and its associations with Tibet gives us pause, when it comes to footwear.)


REI: http://www.rei.com
Bloomington
750 W American Blvd
Bloomington, MN 55420
(952) 884-4315

Roseville
1955 County Rd B2 W
Roseville, MN 55113
(651) 635-0211

Maple Grove
11581 Fountains Drive
Maple Grove, MN 55369
(763) 493-7861

Like a mountain turned on its side

At last, the white stuff arrived. We sat and looked out the window in disgust as the rain poured down. It was, after all, December 21. Disgusted not because we hate rain, but because we love snow. All that precip was going to waste. Ah, but the next time we looked up from the computer, it was a white out. What did we do then? Threw on the coat and mitts, jumped on the bike, and headed down River Road to Midwest Mountaineering.

The ironic name of the place has never bugged us that much. (Uh, you might have noticed: There are no mountains in the Midwest.) Nor has its location here in flatland deprived it of the honors it deserves. The Twin Cities grandaddy of silent-sports shops has a national reputation for its impressive inventory of top-shelf softgoods, camping equipment, paddle-sports gear, skis, backpacks, and—yes—climbing gear.

While we still like to head out to REI now and again, it's a bummer of a car trip (almost unapproachable by bike or foot). The completely bunged interchange with Lyndale and the 494 frontage road is enough to keep us away for months at a time. Besides, we've come to believe that REI's house brand is a little suspect in the QA department. Midwest Mountaineering, on the other hand, lives in its quaint storefronts at seven corners, a few doors down from the 400 Bar, the Wienery, and a dozen other West Bank landmarks that are legitimate solo destinations on their own.

One minor pet peeve with MM: The most recent store layout? With the long outfitters' style checkout counter? Works roughly like a canvas pup tent. Nostalgic. Cute. Totally lame. No one knows where to stand, who's working the registers, what's the traffic flow. For a store that has every other snow-picket perfectly in place, this is one placement that is NOT bomber.

Midwest Mountaineering
309 Cedar Ave. So
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Phone local: 612-339-3433
Toll-free: 888-999-1077
Fax: 612-339-7249
info@midwestmtn.com