Salomon S-Lab Skin Belt

Posted on January 8, 2013 by talkultra

Red and black is the new black… at least as far as the 2013 Salomon S-Lab range of products are concerned. The Sense Ultra has this colour way, the new S-Lab 12 Set Pack and the new S-Lab Skin 2 Belt.

I first saw the S-Lab Skin 2 Belt being used at ‘La Course des Templiers‘ in the latter stages of 2012. Several of the Salomon Team used the belt.

As with all products in the S-Lab range it is about finding a solution to a problem! Light, minimalist, practical and comfortable are all important key elements that go into the design of a product like this.

At some point, many of us will have used a belt pack and like so many other people the biggest problem has been ‘bounce’ from the bottles. Salomon are getting around this problem by providing a belt that fits close to the body. It is provided with 2 small 200ml bottles but actually the belt pack may actually be far more comfortable and versatile using the new ‘Soft Flasks‘.

The soft flask when first released was only available in small sizes but Salomon are now releasing a range of new larger sizes to be used with the new 2013 range of products such as the new S-Lab 12 pack and the new Hydro handheld flasks with glove.

Other key elements are storage options. It has zipped pockets, stretch pockets and bottle pockets. It has 2 bottle pockets on one side and six pockets on the other, two of which have zips.

The belt is really two halves coming together to make one whole item. The two halves are connected with Salomon’s snap clip closers, which are lighter than alternative buckles. They ensure the pack remains very secure once fastened. This secure fastening can mean that fastening and unfastening can be a little fiddly but once on the fit is great! You have the option to choose which way round to position the bottles and pockets depending on your requirements or personal preference, realistically it has no front or back.

It really is practical and spacious. It has a large, well thought out pocket system. A total of six pockets. I added small zip cord to my belt as a lack of a ‘pull’ on the zip pockets means they are not easy to open on the move or if wearring gloves. A small omission that is easily rectified. The zipped pockets are ideal for valuables such as money, keys, phone, camera etc

Two large pockets sit on top of the zipper pockets, they are open and ideal for energy bars or items you may need to access easily. Two narrow, angled pockets at the edge of the belt are perfect for holding energy gels or salt tabs etc as they can be easily pulled out as and when needed.

Ultimately you either like belt packs or not. But if you have used a belt pack in the past and just not liked it through poor fit or bounce, then you may well find that this is the product to convert you! The Skin S-Lab Belt is made with Salomon’s high attention to comfort and fit. Using ‘Sensifit’ the belt fits really well to the contours of your body. Adjustable waist straps offer flexibility to enable runners to get a comfortable fit and reducing bounce even when fully loaded in addition the mesh construction keeps it breathable

Salomon Running website HERE

Ultimate Direction – Signature Series

Posted on January 6, 2013 by talkultra

A new year and new products…

The Ultimate Direction ‘Signature Series‘ have been talked about, watched on You Tube and discussed at many a race and on social media for some time.

Released in November 2012 the packs are about to arrive in the UK anytime soon. You will have to do some ‘Google’ work to find a stockist and then cross your fingers and hope that they have any products left.

The Signature Series was designed by three of the most successful, most well-known ultra runners in the world. Using power mesh for zero bounce and state-of-the art cuben fiber for its unsurpassed strength to weight ratio, our Signature Series vests integrate load carrying, performance, and comfort into one unified system. With water bottle pockets in the front of the vest for quick and easy access, the Signature Series represents the next generation of ultra running hydration packs for runners.

AK RACE VEST

Designed by Anton Krupicka, the AK Race Vest brings minimalism to the world of hydration. Even though it weighs in at only 6 ounces (10 with bottles), the AK Race Vest still has plenty of capacity for food, clothing, and a phone, so you can use this vest for anything from 10 to 100 miles.

SJ ULTRA VEST

The SJ Ultra Vest is the result of collaboration with Scott Jurek, the world’s most dominant ultra runner. Weighing in at 7.5 ounces (11.5 with bottles) and offering 9.2 L of storage space, the SJ has the best weight-to-capacity ratio of any hydration pack on the market.

PB ADVENTURE VEST

Peter Bakwin wanted a pack that could do anything from running to hiking, climbing to skiing. Featuring 12 L of volume and a variety of features, The Adventure Vest allows you to stay hydrated and comfortable on any size adventure from quick outings to all-day expeditions.

Highly anticipated, I hope to get a sample in the not too distant future and provide a review. Watch this space… !

Jez Bragg – New Zealand

Posted on January 5, 2013 by talkultra

Jez Bragg continues to blaze a trail on ‘The Long Pathway’ in New Zealand. He is now over half way and is ahead of his own self imposed schedule.

Jez is new to running long trails like this but if you are following his blog HERE you will see that he has adapted perfectly and actually is embracing multi day running of long distances.

Just yesterday after running 24 consecutive days and a total distance of 1595 km he banged out an 80km day…. many of us would be happy with that in just ‘one day’ not after 23!

Jez had a motive. He will now be making the transition from the North Island to the South Island. This means a kayak crossing of the ‘Cook Strait‘. In simple terms he needs good weather.

As he said on his blog:

“Today’s objective was to get as close to as possible to Wellington, the finish point of the North Island. We made the decision last night, based on careful interrogation of the weather forecasts, to set our Cook Strait departure time as 1pm on Saturday. There seems to be a near perfect weather window which we need to pounce on and, although the timings are tight, the whole exercise has the potential to be super slick and very time efficient – which of course I like.”

The map clearly shows what lis ahead for Jez.

“So the plan for tomorrow is to complete the 28km to the North Island finish point in Wellington, then hop on a bike for 11km to Makara Beach ready for a lunchtime launch of the sea kayaks to make the crossing of the Cook Strait. We will head straight for Cook Monument – the get-out point on the South Island – where we will camp for the night before I set off on Sunday for the first of the South Island sections along the famous Queen Charlotte track.”

I plan to catch up with Jez this coming week as he starts his crossing of the South Island so make sure you check out the next episode of Talk Ultra (episode 26) or episode 27. No confirmation yet when we will catch up. Of course if it is late this week I may not have the opportunity to edit and include in the next show.

None of this journey would be possible without the dedicated help of his two man support crew and of court The North Face.

Prior to Jez’s departure I was invited to a Press Conference in London. Jez told us in person about his journey and The North Face showed us all the kit that Jez would be using. Some of this is not currently available but you may like to take a look HERE

Best of luck Jez, Based on your current running you are obviously having a ball. Still a long way to go…. after all, it is The Long Pathway.

ALL IMAGES taken from Jez Bragg’s blog site at : http://www.jezbragg.blogspot.co.nz

A year of memories

Posted on January 5, 2013 by talkultra

What a Year 2012 was for Salomon Running! New friends, precious moments, good stories – all there to strenghten the ties that bind us together.

This clip captures 12 months of emotions nicely.

2013 Calendar – Race Coverage

Posted on January 4, 2013 by talkultra

Just four days into a new year and my diary is full…. or so to speak.

2012 was an incredible year. So many new things and new opportunities. The success of Talk Ultra was incredible and in just a couple of weeks the show will be 1 year old! In addition to the podcast I diversified my photographic skills and in conjunction with writing I shifted away from working as a ‘commercial photographer’ in the advertising world (I till do some commissions) and started to concentrate on running, runners, races and the world around this.

I am extremely grateful to Skyrunning for the support and backing in providing me with the opportunity to attend so many great events. I am also extremely grateful and thankful (in no particular order) to