Mt. Elk, Wyoming

First of all -  a huge thanks to everyone who entered the contest.  We bopped our heads and perhaps pumped a fist or two as we jammed out to your song selections.  The decision was difficult, but in the end there could only be one winner.  

Congratulations to Nellie G for pulling out the win in our 'Life is a Highway TShirt Giveaway!' Send me your address and shirt size, and we'll hook you up with a new t-shirt from Hummingbird Mountain Gear.

For the rest of you who entered, we'd like to show our appreciation for helping us on our groovy journey with a discount for 30% off any tshirt in our store.  Send me an email  if you are interested and I'll send you the details on how to check out.  (micah@hummingbirdmountaingear.com)

Thanks again to all and be on the lookout for other fun contests from Hummingbird in the future! 

Sometimes, life is a speed bump

Hummingbird is headed to the Great Salt Lake City next week for the Outdoor Retail Show.  Since Denver is quasi-close, and road trips are super terrific fun, we’ve decided to drive.  Hooray!  As everyone knows, road trips can be a lot of fun (for the first 30-45 minutes or so); especially if you are creative and have something to keep you awake.  In 2008, my wife and I drove from San Francisco, CA to Dallas, TX with our 80 pound bulldog Pablo in the back seat.  The first hour included a ‘how many grapes can you stuff in your mouth’ game (32) but things quickly went downhill when we ran out of games.  If you suffered through the video link above, this is about how we felt by the time we hit Midland, TX at around 3am and had to stay in a dark seedy hotel on the other side of the tracks. 

What could possible save us next weekend?  Killer tunes of course! 

Hummingbird is challenging our fans to a top three, road trip song pick-off.  The winner of this prestigious contest will receive a black Hummingbird T-Shirt and a sincere thank you for filling our iPod with happy tunes to carry us on our wayward journey.  Here are the rules…GO!

• Contest starts Friday, January 13^th and ENDS Wednesday, January 18^th at 4pm MT
• Contestants must submit three (3) songs, with a brief description of why their set is so sweet.
  • Example:  “These three songs are how I imagine your journey to SLC will be - short because your trip will go quickly while listening to these awesome tunes…plus, I dare you to listen to Lady Gaga and not nod your head to POKER FACE”!  Creepy, just creepy.
  • Please submit songs and descriptions in comments section below.
• Judging will be decided by awarding points on both song quality and description of why you included the songs (up to three points awarded for each song, and up to three points for your description of the overall set - 12 points for a perfect score)
  • On the very off chance that there is a tie for first, we’ll have a trivia question to decide the winner
• Results will be announced Monday, January 23^rd after rigorous testing in the field (aka, trip to SLC)

***Fine Print:  This is for fun!  Please don’t take this too seriously.  Points are based entirely on biased and subjective taste in music and we can in no way guarantee that you will agree with our decision.

It was frigid outside on Saturday here in Colorado, but the temps and performances were nothing short of hot inside Rock'n & Jam'n during the Winter Wonderland Bouldering Comp.  

Hummingbird Mountain Gear was out in full-force to support the competitors, and a few were lucky enough to snag a brand new, black t-shirt to take home for the holidays! 

If you weren’t one of the lucky few, head over to our FB page, or twitter (@HummingbirdMG) to enter our upcoming contest (details to follow) for a free t-shirt just in time for the Holidays!

And finally, congratulations to the top finishers in each division, listed below:

Youth:

Colin Duffy (2168)

Mikey Lowe (1775)

Aliza Nishke (1754)

Women’s Recreational:

Jenna Park (2384 + Moonboard Climb-off)

Chelsea Battan (2384)

Men’s Recreational:

Emilio Espinoza (1627)

Women’s Intermediate:

Charise Denavit (3561)

Men’s Intermediate:

Walter Wood (4820)

Patrick Radecker (4660)

Daniel Hayes (4562)

Women’s Advanced:

Jacinda Maurer (5180)

Rochelle Rocha (3026)

Men’s Advanced:

Osiris Graves (6779)

Kevin Rust (6611)

Jamison Burt (6591)

Women’s Open:

Mercedes Pollmeier (5412)

Men’s Open:

Seth Lytton (8118 + 33 pullups)

Asher Shay-Nemirow (8118 + 24 pullups)

Jamie Emerson (7826)

Masters:

Silvia Luebben (4485)

Gary DeGroat (4203)

Hillary Nitshke (2089)

Its not too late to support men's health - Movember:

"During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men."

Come celebrate the holidays at Rock'n & Jam'n 1 with the Winter Wonderland Comp! Entertain yourself with a wild assortment of snacks, refreshments, friends, and boulder problems! 

Hummingbird Mountain Gear will be giving away a couple of goodies to top performers, so come on out for some friendly competition!

Also, RNJ will be holding a non-perishable food and warm clothing drive along with the comp. Please bring anything that you can donate and we will make sure that it gets out to those in need for the holiday season.

Some of us are lamenting the loss of long summer evenings where we could get out for some rock-time after work to forget a long day in a chair.  And some of us are looking forward to the chink of the ice axe and couldn’t care less about the changing season here in Colorado.  Or maybe you're a gym rat and prefer to pull plastic all winter in anticipation of your awaiting project next spring.

Either way, here at Hummingbird, we're looking forward to an exciting winter filled with some new, innovative products to get you out in all seasons!  This weekend, be on the lookout for our gear sling which is sure to keep you organized on the wall, during any multi-pitch ascent.  Next month, we will be releasing our first line of climbing pants...a true 'work-horse' of a pant that features 10oz. duck cotton.  Built for all day cragging yet stylish enough to grab a beer at your local watering hole after, these are sure to last longer than most pants in your current stable.  And for you local Coloradoans, join us in December for the Rock'n & Jam'n (2) indoor bouldering competition where Hummingbird will be giving t-shirts to the top places in each division!  

The first anchor

I remember one of the first times I climbed outdoors.  It was early in the spring, and was a perfect crisp, clear day in Castle Rock state park near Santa Cruz – the target was Goats Rock.  Our group of 4-5 friends consisted of two novice climbers that had recently hired a guide to show them the ‘ropes’.  While we trusted our friends to set up a nice little top-rope for us, we all probably had the same stomach churning feeling when they reached the 45 minute mark while setting up the anchor.

Each of us took our turn in weighting the anchor through our various falls and rappels.  Of course it held, but that didn’t change the excitement that everyone experiences when you rope up for the first time – the mental game of trusting your life to your own skills, mental fortitude and of course to your knowledge of safe and proper anchor building.

We joke now about that first experience, likening it to a drug.  Alcohol to be more specific.  That was our entry into what has become an addiction of sorts.  A gateway drug to wanting harder, more challenging ways in which to test our skills, knowledge and psyche.

Our mission here at HMG is progression.  Just as we have grown as climbers, we know we can grow as a company and push the boundaries of what we today, think is possible. 

So get out there!

Micah Day - owner of Hummingbird Mountain Gear

Mt. Elk, Wyoming

First of all -  a huge thanks to everyone who entered the contest.  We bopped our heads and perhaps pumped a fist or two as we jammed out to your song selections.  The decision was difficult, but in the end there could only be one winner.  

Congratulations to Nellie G for pulling out the win in our 'Life is a Highway TShirt Giveaway!' Send me your address and shirt size, and we'll hook you up with a new t-shirt from Hummingbird Mountain Gear.

For the rest of you who entered, we'd like to show our appreciation for helping us on our groovy journey with a discount for 30% off any tshirt in our store.  Send me an email  if you are interested and I'll send you the details on how to check out.  (micah@hummingbirdmountaingear.com)

Thanks again to all and be on the lookout for other fun contests from Hummingbird in the future! 

Sometimes, life is a speed bump

Hummingbird is headed to the Great Salt Lake City next week for the Outdoor Retail Show.  Since Denver is quasi-close, and road trips are super terrific fun, we’ve decided to drive.  Hooray!  As everyone knows, road trips can be a lot of fun (for the first 30-45 minutes or so); especially if you are creative and have something to keep you awake.  In 2008, my wife and I drove from San Francisco, CA to Dallas, TX with our 80 pound bulldog Pablo in the back seat.  The first hour included a ‘how many grapes can you stuff in your mouth’ game (32) but things quickly went downhill when we ran out of games.  If you suffered through the video link above, this is about how we felt by the time we hit Midland, TX at around 3am and had to stay in a dark seedy hotel on the other side of the tracks. 

What could possible save us next weekend?  Killer tunes of course! 

Hummingbird is challenging our fans to a top three, road trip song pick-off.  The winner of this prestigious contest will receive a black Hummingbird T-Shirt and a sincere thank you for filling our iPod with happy tunes to carry us on our wayward journey.  Here are the rules…GO!

• Contest starts Friday, January 13^th and ENDS Wednesday, January 18^th at 4pm MT
• Contestants must submit three (3) songs, with a brief description of why their set is so sweet.
  • Example:  “These three songs are how I imagine your journey to SLC will be - short because your trip will go quickly while listening to these awesome tunes…plus, I dare you to listen to Lady Gaga and not nod your head to POKER FACE”!  Creepy, just creepy.
  • Please submit songs and descriptions in comments section below.
• Judging will be decided by awarding points on both song quality and description of why you included the songs (up to three points awarded for each song, and up to three points for your description of the overall set - 12 points for a perfect score)
  • On the very off chance that there is a tie for first, we’ll have a trivia question to decide the winner
• Results will be announced Monday, January 23^rd after rigorous testing in the field (aka, trip to SLC)

***Fine Print:  This is for fun!  Please don’t take this too seriously.  Points are based entirely on biased and subjective taste in music and we can in no way guarantee that you will agree with our decision.

It was frigid outside on Saturday here in Colorado, but the temps and performances were nothing short of hot inside Rock'n & Jam'n during the Winter Wonderland Bouldering Comp.  

Hummingbird Mountain Gear was out in full-force to support the competitors, and a few were lucky enough to snag a brand new, black t-shirt to take home for the holidays! 

If you weren’t one of the lucky few, head over to our FB page, or twitter (@HummingbirdMG) to enter our upcoming contest (details to follow) for a free t-shirt just in time for the Holidays!

And finally, congratulations to the top finishers in each division, listed below:

Youth:

Colin Duffy (2168)

Mikey Lowe (1775)

Aliza Nishke (1754)

Women’s Recreational:

Jenna Park (2384 + Moonboard Climb-off)

Chelsea Battan (2384)

Men’s Recreational:

Emilio Espinoza (1627)

Women’s Intermediate:

Charise Denavit (3561)

Men’s Intermediate:

Walter Wood (4820)

Patrick Radecker (4660)

Daniel Hayes (4562)

Women’s Advanced:

Jacinda Maurer (5180)

Rochelle Rocha (3026)

Men’s Advanced:

Osiris Graves (6779)

Kevin Rust (6611)

Jamison Burt (6591)

Women’s Open:

Mercedes Pollmeier (5412)

Men’s Open:

Seth Lytton (8118 + 33 pullups)

Asher Shay-Nemirow (8118 + 24 pullups)

Jamie Emerson (7826)

Masters:

Silvia Luebben (4485)

Gary DeGroat (4203)

Hillary Nitshke (2089)

Its not too late to support men's health - Movember:

"During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men."

Come celebrate the holidays at Rock'n & Jam'n 1 with the Winter Wonderland Comp! Entertain yourself with a wild assortment of snacks, refreshments, friends, and boulder problems! 

Hummingbird Mountain Gear will be giving away a couple of goodies to top performers, so come on out for some friendly competition!

Also, RNJ will be holding a non-perishable food and warm clothing drive along with the comp. Please bring anything that you can donate and we will make sure that it gets out to those in need for the holiday season.

Some of us are lamenting the loss of long summer evenings where we could get out for some rock-time after work to forget a long day in a chair.  And some of us are looking forward to the chink of the ice axe and couldn’t care less about the changing season here in Colorado.  Or maybe you're a gym rat and prefer to pull plastic all winter in anticipation of your awaiting project next spring.

Either way, here at Hummingbird, we're looking forward to an exciting winter filled with some new, innovative products to get you out in all seasons!  This weekend, be on the lookout for our gear sling which is sure to keep you organized on the wall, during any multi-pitch ascent.  Next month, we will be releasing our first line of climbing pants...a true 'work-horse' of a pant that features 10oz. duck cotton.  Built for all day cragging yet stylish enough to grab a beer at your local watering hole after, these are sure to last longer than most pants in your current stable.  And for you local Coloradoans, join us in December for the Rock'n & Jam'n (2) indoor bouldering competition where Hummingbird will be giving t-shirts to the top places in each division!  

The first anchor

I remember one of the first times I climbed outdoors.  It was early in the spring, and was a perfect crisp, clear day in Castle Rock state park near Santa Cruz – the target was Goats Rock.  Our group of 4-5 friends consisted of two novice climbers that had recently hired a guide to show them the ‘ropes’.  While we trusted our friends to set up a nice little top-rope for us, we all probably had the same stomach churning feeling when they reached the 45 minute mark while setting up the anchor.

Each of us took our turn in weighting the anchor through our various falls and rappels.  Of course it held, but that didn’t change the excitement that everyone experiences when you rope up for the first time – the mental game of trusting your life to your own skills, mental fortitude and of course to your knowledge of safe and proper anchor building.

We joke now about that first experience, likening it to a drug.  Alcohol to be more specific.  That was our entry into what has become an addiction of sorts.  A gateway drug to wanting harder, more challenging ways in which to test our skills, knowledge and psyche.

Our mission here at HMG is progression.  Just as we have grown as climbers, we know we can grow as a company and push the boundaries of what we today, think is possible. 

So get out there!

Micah Day - owner of Hummingbird Mountain Gear