Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Synergy - as it applies to outdoor gear

In the natural world, there exists a unique phenomenon known as synergy. This important physical principle describes the outcome of when you add two things together to produce a greater than expected result. In other words, A+B doesn’t just equal C. With synergy, A+B equals C with mega-enhanced, how-the-hell-is-this-so-awesome superpowers.

Scientists often seek out synergistic effects in an effort to do things like maximize the efficiency of cancer therapies or to take full advantage of the structural components of an architectural design. I like to think about synergy when I realize how much better my nachos taste with a 24oz can of cold PBR. 
 

Here at the WildyX, we’ve found some very surprising  and significant examples of synergy in our very own shop and we’ve been super excited to share these ground-breaking findings with the public.

La Sportiva Solution/Lapis Brush Synergy--Bouldering is hard. It can make you cry in frustration, cuss at your best friends, and create a sudden urge to punch yourself in the face. That’s why it’s important to maximize every tiny little advantage you can so that you can increase any leverage on any hold.  And that’s exactly what the Solution/Lapis Synergy does. Solutions shape and support the foot in a way that focuses the foot’s natural power into an explosion of high-energy shred. And Lapis brushes are amazing in how they remove chalk and grime off of nasty slopers without taking off the natural friction and texture of the rock. In the end, our extensive testing here at the shop has revealed a significant effect in the power/awesomeness of this synergy. We definitely reject the null.

Kelty Basecamp Pad/Brunton Two Burner Stove Synergy--So you wanna dirtbag it for awhile? Gonna live outside Rifle city limits in the ‘93 Cadillac Deville you got from your grandma for your high school graduation, huh? We don’t blame you. In fact, sounds great to us. Let us impart some knowledge from experience on you first. There will be a time in your dirtbag life when you find you’re too haggard from climbing all day to make any sort of an effort to make dinner (or do anything else except drink warm Black Velvet whiskey). You’ll drink too much, eat a couple Luna bars you stole from that chick who hooked you up with a belay, and pass out in the gravel next to one of those communal port-a-potty things. Trust us, not a good way to go. That’s why we’ve done extensive research on the positive effects of the Basecamp/Brunton Synergy on haggard climbers. What’s more fulfilling after a day of hard climbing than cooking up some delicious chicken fajitas, drinking some scotch (or Black Velvet, whatever you’re in to) and then crashing hard on a plush 2.5 inch-thick Bascamp pad? It’s amazing to see the complementary effects that one product has on the other, isn’t it?

Petzl Gri Gri 2Black Diamond Gridlock Synergy--Who would have thought two mega-competitors in the climbing industry could produce a belay system that is so elegantly safe, simple, and perfect in every way? The Gri Gri 2 allows for great auto-locking action when your climber falls while the Gridlock insures that your belay carabiner never cross loads in your belay loop. Combined together, you achieve the ultimate, most-safe belay rig at the crag. Warning though: potential side-effects of this belay setup include going climbing not for the actual climbing but for the absolute pleasure of giving the best belay.

Kelty Grand Mesa 4 Tent/Kelty Lowdown Chair Synergy--Summer’s finally here and that means festival season. Heading down to Telluride this June to listen to some bluegrass, drink beer and camp out creek-side with the crew? What could be better than that? Well, how about some sweet synergy to enhance that already awesome trip? We’ve found, through the rigours of peer-reviewed testing (i.e. drinking), that a Grand Mesa 4, paired with some Lowdown chairs is a perfect setup for what your friend Stu calls “chillaxin.” The Grand Mesa 4 provides ample room for people, dogs, children, other people’s dogs/children, and random “guest appearances” from that hippy kid who swears he personally knows Neil Diamond. What’s great about the Lowdown chair is that it sits low to the ground so you can take it to venues and not block “High-Strung Sue’s” view of Railroad Earth. Best part is, this synergy comes through at “best price” status, which, coincidentally, creates a synergy of stoke between you and your bank account. Sweet!

Shred,

Fingers Anderson
Director and Chair
Department of Maintenance
2401 15th St. Suite 100
Denver, CO 80203

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