SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Well, we’re here, in Salt Lake City and at the 30th Annual Outdoor Retailer Show.  This of course is the primary reason we are here and here now.  We actually rolled into town Tuesday night and spent the evening, courtesy of the Yakima bike rack company, at the Snowbird Ski Resort where we met up with Jason Renda, the one and only Outdoor Informer.

Jason had flown in from Pittsburgh but was without ground transportation.  This meant we were his ride, at least for the hour-long trek from Snowbird to the Jordanelle Reservoir, site of the Open Air Demo.  Don’t know how we did it, but we managed to pack Jason and all his gear into Patrick’s already jam-packed Grand Vitara.  Clown car enthusiasts would have been impressed.

Jason in a sea of gear

The Jordanelle Reservoir is just outside Park City, Utah, the location of many of the 2002 Winter Olympic events.  A multitude of gear companies dotted the shore line and points all around.  What drew our attention immediately were the slew of stand-up paddle boarders on the lake.

The CampTheSummit crew hooked up with Bic Sports to demo one of the boards.  Bic is one of seemingly and surprisingly dozens of companies that manufacture these over sized surf boards.  They’re actually part surfboard, part kayak, part boat.  The rider begins in a kneeling position, then stands and by employing a large single paddle propels him or herself through the water.  It’s not exactly a sport for the adrenaline junkie, but nonetheless was a pleasant way to enjoy time on the water.

From sea to land we next met up the good folks from Scott bikes, and enjoyed a demo ride on one of Scott’s high-end, high performance, and extremely light weight road bikes.

Some Great Scott Road Bikes