Gerk’s Alpine Hut is now Gerk’s Ski and Cycle

   Gerk’s Alpine Hut has some of the best bicycling and ski equipment on the market, and now they’ve changed their name to reflect that. “We’ve refined our business,” says manager Brian “Venny” Venable. “We’ve grown our bike and ski business. The new name reflects what we do.” The “Gerk” is the nickname of owner Brian Gierke.

    Gerk’s Ski and Cycle continues to offer the same great products and services, including road and mountain bikes from Specialized, Look, Felt, and Ridley, a wide variety of ski equipment, and a full service repair shop.

   “We’re one of the few shops in the area that uses a 3-D motion capture technology to make sure our customers are getting a good fit on their bikes,” says Venable. For skiers, Gerk’s specializes in boot fitting. “We have the most technologically advanced boot fitting tools available.” They’ve also added new ski machines for tuning skis.

    Next up for the shop is a new look, with a complete exterior remodel. The shop will remain open during construction. Gerk’s is located at 7875 Leary Way, Redmond, Wash., (425) 883-7544, www.gerksonline.com.

   Over 10,000 runners and walkers will hit the streets during this year’s Seattle Marathon Nov. 30 with a downtown start on 5th Avenue, just east of the Experience Music Project. The course includes downtown Seattle, Lake Washington Boulevard and across the I-90 Bridge. In addition to the marathon and half-marathon courses, events planned are a two-day Expo Nov. 28-29, a pre-race carbo-load dinner, a 5k race, and a kids’ marathon. There will be no day-of-race registration. For details, go to www.seattlemarathon.org.

Ski Fever Shows!

   It’s “Snow Time” as the Seattle and Portland Ski Fever & Snowboard Shows ready Northwesterners for another year of winter fun. The Seattle show will be held at the Qwest Field Event Center Oct. 24 – 26, followed by the Portland event at the Portland Expo Center Nov. 14 – 16. Vendors will be offering up to 70 percent off winter sports gear and a massive ski swap is always popular. Show attendees will also receive 2-for-1 lift tickets. Visit www.portlandskifever.com for more information

Burke-Gilman link slated for completion

   Burke-Gilman Trail users in the Seattle area will finally be able to follow the trail west through Ballard. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has proposed funding to build the last remaining segment of the Burke-Gilman Trail, from 11th Avenue Northwest to the Ballard Locks. The proposal would be funded by Bridging the Gap levy championed by bicycling advocates, the 2007 King County Proposition 2 Trail and Open Space Levy and from grants. Under the mayor’s proposal, construction would begin in 2009 and be completed by 2010.

Kayaker circumnavigating Vancouver Island

   Dan Henderson left Cascade Canoe & Kayak in Renton Sept. 13 to embark on a journey to honor his late mother, Dorothy MacGregor, who died of breast cancer last spring. Henderson, of Seattle, and the president of Cascade Canoe & Kayak, hopes interest in his endeavor will inspire people to donate money to the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center.

    Henderson paddled from Lake Washington to Port Townsend, where he participated in the West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium. From there he was heading toward the San Juan Islands and on to Sydney on Vancouver Island. Henderson plans to paddle clockwise around Vancouver Island, exploring as he goes, culminating in a 1,000-nautical mile, 60-day journey.

   Follow Henderson’s adventure on his blog at http://dancanoekayak.blogspot.com. Donations to Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center can be made at http://getinvolved.fhcrc.org/

WTA launches new online resource

   The Washington Trails Association (WTA) has unveiled a new online hiking guide designed to make it fast and easy to research more than 2,000 hiking trips and trails in Washington state. The guide features complete trail descriptions, maps, directions to trail heads, information about elevation gain and trail conditions, and more.

    The site also includes hiker-submitted trip reports. The guide is built wiki-style so that users can add and edit information, making the guide as up-to-date as possible. Check it out for yourself at www.wta.org.

National Geographic recognizes NW towns

   National Geographic Adventure Magazine published its “50 Best Places to Live: Next Great Adventure Towns” in September, and several Pacific Northwest gems made the list.
Among the top towns in the West: 1) Seattle, 2) Coos Bay, Ore., 5) Hood River, Ore., 8) Leavenworth, Wash., 10) Klamath Falls, Ore. and 11) Bellingham, Wash.

    National Geographic selected innovative towns that “aren’t just prime relocations spots right now, but smart choices for the future. Not only do they have the action, they’ve got a plan.” To see the list of all 50 favorites, check out the September 2008 issue of National Geographic Adventure.

“Choose-Your-Adventure Sweepstakes”

   The Gear Junkie online media company has teamed up with REI Adventures and Lazyman, a lifestyle apparel company, in launching the Choose-Your-Adventure Sweepstakes drawing to one of five professionally guided winter adventure-travel trips in early 2009.

    The winner will receive an all-expense paid trip, including airfare and essential gear and apparel, to their choice of one of these destinations: Mount Washington Winter Climb, Sequoia Winter Mountaineering Clinic, Yosemite Snowshoe Trip, Ice Climbing Basics in New Hampshire or White Mountains Hut-to-Hut Snowshoe trip. Register online before Dec. 17 at www.thegearjunkie.com/sweeps.

Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day walk raises $8.6 million

   After walking 60 miles in three days, 3,250 participants in the Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day event raised more than $8.6 million to advance breast cancer research and outreach programs. Money raised by the event benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust.

    The Breast Cancer 3-Day is an annual series taking place in 14 cities around the country. Participants are expected to raise a minimum of $2,200 each and walk an average of 20 miles a day for three days, raising awareness and funds. In 2008, events were held in Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, San Francisco, Seattle, Twin Cities, Michigan, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Arizona, and San Diego. The Breast Cancer 3-Day will return to Seattle in 2009. For more information, visit www.the3Day.org.

Washington most bike-friendly

   The League of American Bicyclists (LAB) just published its first annual ranking of Bicycle Friendly States, and Washington landed the number one spot. States were scored on more than 70 factors covering six key areas: legislation; policies and programs; infrastructure; education and encouragement; evaluation and planning; and enforcement. Wisconsin, Arizona, Oregon and Minnesota round out the top five, respectively, while West Virginia has the dubious honor of being ranked last on the list.

    Seattle was also given kudos by LAB for its commitment to improving conditions for bicyclists and the city’s Bicycle Master Plan, which is projected to develop a 450-mile bicycling network over the next 10 years. More than 4 percent of Seattle residents commute by bicycle, which is 10 times the national average, according to the Cascade Bicycle Club.

Colonnade opens Phase 2; BBTC gets a new name

   The Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club (BBTC) has a new name and a new look. The group that has championed mountain biking in the Pacific Northwest for nearly 20 years is now the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. “The change signifies a new era as we prepare to celebrate our 20th anniversary with expanded trail maintenance and rider education, even stronger advocacy, an event series, and maybe even a few announcements about projects to come,” says Executive Director John Lang.

    The change was rolled out just in time for the grand opening of the Colonnade Mountain Bike Park. Located between the Capitol Hill and Eastlake neighborhoods, under I-5 more or less below St Mark’s Cathedral, the Colonnade features a novice area and the recently-completed second phase. Phase 2 offers more challenges for experienced riders, including jumps, steep climbs, and rock chutes. Get the details at www.bbtc.org, and look for a new BBTC/Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance website coming soon.