Wild Rock is very pleased to announce it’s new logo and tag line “Wild Rock Source for Adventure”. This new company logo is a symbol of our membership in the Source for Adventure Buying Group. This buying group allows us to retain our independent store flair and nature while gaining us access to products and prices to make us competitive with the biggest chain stores. Check out Kieran's article on our new line of QOR products. Don’t worry we have not sold out; Kieran, Scott, Jon, Dave and the Wild Rock Crew are still at the helm and can be found at the store or out on an adventure.

We are closed all day on Thursday February 8th while we put up signs, change logos, alter displays and get ready for the huge kickoff sale that starts Friday February 9th at 10am. Don’t have a heart attack when you see the windows covered on the 9th. We are busy inside and out beavering away making the store look better.

If the new signage and logos don’t “Wow” you, the incredible prices on winter stock will. We are putting almost all-remaining winter stock at 50% OFF. We have clothing from The North Face, Patagonia, Lole, Royal Robbins, Prana, Arctyrex, Burton, 686, Ripzone and Analog at 50% OFF!!

The first 100 customers spending $100.00 or more get free stainless steel mugs and socks. This alone is a $45.00 value on top of clothing at 50% OFF!

Please drop by anytime this weekend to check out the new look and enjoy great savings on great products.

Snow has finally arrived! We here in the Events department are sad that so many great events (Tremblant, Skijøring, Moonstone) had to be cancelled due to lack of snow and interest in December and January. We’re very excited to have snow back again!

February Events include: Snowshoe Hikes, Madshus/Atlas Demo Day, Nordic Ski and Snowboard Wax Clinics, Pool Sessions, and Bike Maintenance Clinics.

Snowshoe Hikes Are you looking for an easy way to explore the woods and forests around your home, without relying on pre- established ski-trails? Snowshoeing is the single fastest-growing winter outdoor activity in Canada because it is low-impact, very versatile, and doesn’t require established trails.

Wild Rock is proud to announce two snowshoe hikes for the month of February: Feb. 10, and Feb. 24, at the Kawartha Nordic Ski Centre. For the Feb. 10 hike, sign up at the Cash ($10) and meet at the Peterborough Zoo North Parking Lot at 9 am. The Feb. 24 hike is free and part of our Madshus/Atlas Demo Day. Remember water, food, extra clothes and your camera! Snowshoe and pole rentals are included.

Madshus / Atlas Demo Day A re-scheduled event from January, Madshus Skis and Atlas Snow Shoes are offering a free demo of their 2006/07 line to Wild Rock customers at Kawartha Nordic Ski Centre, February 24, 2007. Pack a lunch, hot cocoa, and some extra clothes to make a day of it.

Nordic Ski and Snowboard Wax Clinics Interested in learning how to apply either grip or glide wax to your Nordic skis, or want to wax and sharpen your Snowboard? WRO is offering three specialized clinics: Nordic Glide Wax, Nordic Grip Wax, Snowboard Wax and Sharpening. Sign up at the Cash ($5), dates will be established based on interest. Have a group of 5-8 friends that would like to learn more about waxing? Sign up a group of 5 or more friends, and we’ll set up a private clinic for you. Bring in 7 friends and you learn for free!

Skijøring While our Intro to Skijøring was a bust, our friends at Dog Paddling Adventures (www.dogpaddlingadventures.com) are offering Wild Rock customers a discount whenever they sign up for a regular Skijøring course. Just mention the store and the friendly DPA staff will take care of the rest.

Pool Sessions Our huge success of the season, pool sessions are running every Saturday (except Feb 17, 24) 7:00- 8:30 pm at the Trent Athletics Center. SPACES ARE STILL AVAILABLE! Call or drop by the store to book your spot: $10/night, $20/night with boat rental. Waivers and Health surveys MUST be signed prior to participation. Please note, this is not a paid instructional time, all tips and advice are donated.

Bike Clinics Eric and the rest of the bike staff have been busy this month with their Advanced Bike Maintenance clinic, and are re-vamping their clinic format for the coming season. Drop by the cash to sign up for any of our upcoming bike maintenance clinics (Beginner, Intermediate, Specialised). $5/night, participants will be contacted to determine dates once enough interest is established. Have a group of 5-8 friends that would like to learn more about bike maintenance? Sign up a group of 5 or more friends, and we’ll set up a private clinic for you. Bring in 7 friends and you learn for free!

This season Wild Rock Source for Adventure will proudly launch the new QOR line-up of goods. QOR is a small brand that is owned exclusively by the group of retailers that make up our new buying group. It is our commitment to develop unique products with great value to introduce to the market. As a small brand the advantage that we have is that we can develop products that we see a need for in our specific markets. Pairing this with the additional buying power that we have in our buying group we can now develop products that we could previously only dream of.

A great case in point will be the QOR Modena Down sleeping bag. The challenge for us for years has been that, although many people understand the value of a down sleeping bag, most manufactures make down bags that are narrow mummy-style which are not always comfortable for the summer canoe tripping that so many of our customers do. In this new QOR sleeping bag we have designed a bag that is substantially wider than a typical mummy bag but still has a hood to hunker down into on a cold night. The Modena Down will also have a specially designed system to hold your sleeping mattress in place for those more active sleepers among us. Add to that great quality 650 fill power white goose down and you get one great sleeping bag. The best part is that this great package will come in at about 25% less than other comparable bags.

Look for the Modena Down Sleeping bag and other QOR products ranging from paddles and paddling accessories to hiking poles and backpacks coming in starting soon.

Wild Rock Outfitters is proud to announce that they are the first Canadian retailer to offer the very popular HydroTail. The HydroTail was created to not only be the lightest rear water bottle carrier but also to be more ergonomically friendly and aerodynamic.

The HydroTail carbon fiber saddle mounted hydration system weighs in at a scant 50g (sans hardware) and is the lightest, strongest most aerodynamic product of its kind. Based on wind tunnel testing, the HydroTail will save up to 2 minutes per hour of riding over other saddle-mounted systems. Normann Stadler broke the 2006 Ironman Hawaii course record with the HydroTail on his bike - enough said.

The HydroTail sits lower than other rear bottle carriers to enable the wind to go over the rider and bottles thereby gaining an aerodynamic advantage while positioning the bottles for easier, effortless access. The HydroTail is a one-piece carbon fibre design that features an integrated transition rack hook. The HydroTail allows for a one, two or even three bottle cage setup. Some assembly required (Allen wrench and pliers). Bottle cages NOT included.

More information can be found at www.beakerconcepts.com/html/hydro_tail.html

The Hydro Tail retails for $129.99+tax

There is no doubt winter brings challenges to the eager triathlete. We suffer temperatures that are too cool to ride outside, freeze our open water and make running an “extreme” activity. This combined with shorter days puts the Ontario based triathlete in compromised position compared to our neighbours in the tropics.

This being said, the “Off Season” curbs triathlon burn out and allows us to stay active and fit in new ways. For some winter training is a time to work on “Base”. By Base I mean a strong aerobic engine combined with good muscular fitness and endurance. For some base is a misnomer as they strive to be 95% fit all the time.

For the first group working on “Base” through Nordic skiing can be excellent. This is especially true for those that do longer events (more than 2.5 hours). Nordic skiing is easy enough and enjoyable to do for more than 2 hours at a time. This long workout gives our aerobic system the same kind of workout enjoyed on a long ride or brick workout. In winter few can or are willing to spend 2 or more hours on a trainer so Nordic skiing becomes a go to sport. These workouts should be zone 1-2 type workouts where the focus is on going long and easy as opposed to short and hard. We are not looking to be a fit anaerobic ski racer by March 15th we are looking to have a solid base to withstand harder triathlon training come March 15th. These long workouts at lower outputs will trigger your body to increase the number of mitochondria in your system. If you go too hard (Zone 3-5) you will nullify this affect to a large extent and just work on making the mitochondria you have more efficient. Mitochondria are responsible for converting nutrients and oxygen into the energy-yielding molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to fuel the cell's activities. This function, known as aerobic respiration, is the reason mitochondria are frequently referred to as the powerhouse of the cell. Along with specific muscle adaptations increasing the number of mitochondria is one of the primary purposes of the long runs and rides. By doing these long workouts on skis you will hopefully not suffer trainer or treadmill burnout in the winter. Save the trainer and treadmill for interval sessions and skill workouts that can’t be replicated elsewhere. This will leave you hungry for running and riding come spring.

For the second group who don’t take and down time or off-season I still recommend putting in a ski block of 3-6 weeks. Your body adapts to new stimuli and when it receives repeated doses of any stimulus the reaction becomes muted. Your gains become smaller and smaller with each workout. By throwing a new “shock” at your system for several weeks you will likely trigger your system that had become complacent to re-awaken. You get two birds with one stone with this ski block of training. You may get some gains in leg strength and aerobic capacity that might not have been possible with slowly increasing the difficulty of your old routine. The second benefit will be that when you resume your old workout routine when ski season is over your body will see this routine as new and foreign and hopefully you will again get some additional adaptation.

In conclusion, living in a land of seasons is not all bad. We can use winter sports to add a new stress to our systems and achieve levels we might not otherwise be able to do. It is not only our mind that becomes dulled by doing the same things over and over but also our body’s aerobic and muscle systems.

Scott Murison is part owner of Wild Rock in Peterborough. Wild Rock is Central Ontario’s best source for triathlon bikes and gear. Scott can be reached at scott@wildrock.net for training or bike fit questions. http://www.wildrock.net