Mountain Hardwear Ghost Anorak Review

mountain hardwear ghost anorak (mhw link)
i am a big fan of super light weight versatile pieces. adventure runs don't typically necessitate heavier jackets and they add to much weight anyway. assuming you are actually running the whole time even if weather rolls in or gets windy i've found that a light weight wind jacket/shirt can provide enough protection from wind and rain in most conditions.

so this mhw ghost anorak first grabbed my attention when it was named "gear of the year" by trail runner. when i was down in portland to speak at the mountain hardwear store i was hoping to check it out, and maybe take one home. but they weren't carrying it. so i was stoked to find out it was part of our montrail ultrarunning team kit. it's only 4oz!.. and has proven to be a fantastic wind protector and seems to be pretty breathable. unfortunately there is an inverse relationship between the amount of protection a jacket provides and how breathable it is. but i've been running in the anorak when it's colder out with great results. it breaths better than i expected actually. i've been road riding in it too because it's less baggy than my actual lg team dart-nuun riding jacket... so it doesn't flap around. i think it's perfect for adventure races and i'll be taking it as my rain jacket/extra layer on my long distance adventure runs this summer. sweetness.

aditional specs
• Articulated sleeves
• Reflective patches
• Adjustable hem drawcord
• 12" welted zip with chin guard at front neckline
• Stretch ripstop with DWR finish
• Concealed zipper side pocket
• Full elastic cuffs

Portland v2.0 - The Mountain Hardwear Presentation

sunday ended up being a great day. it started with a run right from the hotel to forest park where the montrail marketing manager paul curran i ran the run like a girl 10k course. it was pretty sweet and had a nice bit of climbing.

later that day i had my presentation at the grand opening of the mountain hardwear/montrail store ~ it went amazingly well. what a great time. my topic = ultrarunning. the prior days presentation had about 3 people and 4 employees listening. so my hopes weren't high for turn out. plus most portland area ultrarunners would most likely be at sean meissner's race, the peterson ridge rumble 60km. i had a handful of runners say they wouldn't make it because of the race. so i was blown away! i'd guess there were 30-40 people packed into the store. with the raffle, the forest park conservancy and introductions the whole event was supposed to be about 40min total. i ended up talking for just over an hour. people were interested and engaged =) i covered the basics of ultrarunning; what it is, prominent races, gear (montrail, teko, nathan), nutrition (amazing grass), hydration (nuun), training and mental toughness... of course interjecting personal experiences using some video i took on adventure runs;


this one from a run in snoqualmie



and a longer version of this one from the rim to rim to rim double crossing of the grand canyon
paul even had to cut the questions short since we were out of time. the portland running community is awesome. they were very warm and welcoming and i met a lot of great people. thanks paul, phyllis and mountain hardwear for inviting me.

it means a lot to me that today my inbox was full of "thank you" messages from folks that attended. "Super inspiring talk about ultra running, makes me want to get out and start training lots!!" that kind of response makes the effort all worth while.

here is the slide show of photos i used. if you've run something cool with me you probably made the cut!



*****
on a similar note.. last week i recieved word that i'm being invited back to speak to the next round of team in training runners about nutrition and hydration. that will be fun.

Portland

the weather here has been amazing! mid 70s. tshirt and shorts for a 7 mile run right from the hotel. washington park has some great urban trails. i also stopped by to listen to mike libecki's presentation at the new mountain hardwear store. good stuff, too cold for my tender toes though.

for my encore run today i brought the camera and snapped a few. my presentation is tomorrow.. should be fun. friends keep asking if i'm nervous. not really. as part of dart-nuun i've help present on adv racing and taught navigation on many occassions. plus i'm talking about ultrarunning! a sport i love ~ cake.

Speaking At The New Montrail/Mountain Hardwear Store

recently the decision was made to move montrail directly under hardcore gear company mountain hardwear. i think this is great news. keep the core products together, and far far away from anything called bugaboo. that means montrail is moving from portland down to the bay area where the mountain hardwear offices are located. they are also opening a montrail/mountain hardwear store in portland, oregon. the grand opening is this weekend, sunday 4.13.08 and they have asked me to speak about ultrarunning. come check it out.. if nothing else there will be some cool photos to look at! =)

below is the press release they created. i had nothing to do with writing this!.. and it's hard to post because it makes me sound cooler than i probably am...

montrail announcement - mountain hardwear announcement - msn money

---

Elite ultrarunner and endurance coach Matt Hart is giving a 40 minute presentation on Sunday, April 13th at 2 p.m. Matt’s joining us from his hometown of Seattle where he’s an endurance coach and ultrarunning ambassador for Montrail and nuun active hydration. The ultrarunning presentation will be held at the new Montrail/Mountain Hardwear Store, 722 SW Taylor in Portland. Matt will present his experiences at events such as the Grand Teton 100 Miler and the HURT 100K in Hawaii. You’ll learn what it takes to finish your first ultra (50K) and advice for racing fast 50Ks to 100 milers. Matt says, “Don’t rush into high mileage weeks because you read that is what all the top ultrarunners are doing. It takes years to build the body to be able to handle that kind of load. Build gradually and intelligently.” Matt will discuss race nutrition, training recommendations, and apparel/footwear needs. Following Matt’s talk, Stephen Hatfield and Jeff Hough from the Forest Park Conservancy (formerly known as the Friend’s Of Forest Park) will share their favorite trail running routes and discuss volunteer opportunities and the importance of stewardship. Montrail will provide a stylish beanie to all attendees, plus we’ll have a raffle for additional prizes – including two pairs of free shoes! Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 tickets for $20. Your raffle donation will be given to the Forest Park Conservancy. Limited seating, please arrive in advance.
Learn more about Matt at http://coachingendurance.com/

---