ar(C)ommunity

Shak Attack!

Shaq is a big, gnarly and aggressive basketball player. Indestructible on the court but approachable and affable off the court.

He's a bit like the "Shak" from Ibex! http://store.arcadian.com/browse.cfm/4,175.html

Our review today centers around this versatile piece of equipment.

We all agree the the Shak Full Zip is THE piece of outdoor clothing that everyone should own. It is a 21 micron no-itch wool jersey designed for hanging at the cliff by two fingers or hanging out at the (craft beer!) bar. It is a fusion of both fashion and function.

Pete and Juliet... take it away!

(Dang, they look good! You should see these folks in real life! The Shak's aren't bad either!)

The manly fit accommodates climbers' athletic shoulders without binding due to the stretch inherent to wool garments. It also fits a runners build nicely....as is evidenced by Peter's pic.

The ladies fit is one of the best in the industry. Ibex uses female designers and testers to really dial in the specs. It shows. Check out Juliet! See the smile!!!! (The result of an amazing fit!)

The Shak receives, as you would guess, 5/5 Arcadian Pine Trees!   

(Thanks to our two models!)

Speedo, Santa and Aerobic Sports....

Here at The Shop we try to stay, ahem, abreast of the races occurring in The New England area.

One of our favorites is the Santa Speedo run in Boston.

We are thinking of putting together a team for next year.

Looks like fun!

Check out all the photos over at the Boston Globe site http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/specials/holidays/gallery/santarun2009?pg=40

Let us know if you would like to join us at next year's race!

Public Service Announcement and Rentals

The ski mountains are buzzing with activity today. So, in honor of all Thule ski boxes, we bring you this public service announcement.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR THULE BOX IS SHUT AND LOCKED BEFORE DRIVING.

Grievous injury to skis, egos and wallets can be avoided! (That had to hurt.....)

On a less painful note....

There is enough snow in KP to snowshoe and our rental program is open as of an hour ago..... but there really isn't enough snow to ski on yet.... bring the rock skis if you want to try it.....

LINKS!!!!

New snow on the ground and more to come on Sunday!!!

Our links celebrate the snow and the season!

Winter in the Berkshires would not be complete without the Banff Film Festival. It is scheduled for Feb. and the trailer ROCKS!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpmiNzqCvB4 Get those tix!

Mt. Marcy in the dead of winter... a little, um, dramatic at times http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqHR6ZKYBlc&feature=related but not as dramatic as this.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTMf40ORFE8 or this..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lXdyD2Yzls or even this..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3PBajjDQCw

Great for keeping the kids busy or the adults warm! http://www.utahoutdoors.com/pages/snowcaves.htm

The local secret to staying warm in a Berkshire winter..... http://www.berkshiremountaindistillers.com/about.php (btw... we would be happy to receive any of these for Shop holiday presents...)

The cold weather has inspired some of our friends to head out on vacation. Need help planning? We like this site for travel info.... http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Our JiFFL today comes to us from a darkened land that loves winter.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2v53KV00B4

Have a great weekend!

Hot Dog....

the lab coats are here!

The Shop, as you can tell by all the canine photos in the blog, loves furry four footed friends. They walk next to us as we snowshoe, sprint while we ski and trot as we run on the road.

The Shop is dedicated to making our friends as safe as possible. We found these reflective coats and blinking LED lights to provide some visibilty on those evening runs.  The booties protect paws from the caustic ravages of winter road salt and ice.

Loki and Frankie give these items two paw approval!

The email blast for our weekend promotion should already be in your Inbox.

(Pssst... It's a killer deal isn't it?!)

Want to receive the blasts?

Sign up at http://www.mainstreetmail.com/signup/index.php?listID=1636&redirect=http://www.arcadianshop.com

Tomorrow we have links!

Hard Core Shopping... and puppies

This little fella was helping his Mom shop for holiday gifts..... He was very well prepared. Mom gave him a Clif Bar and he was off to work. He rolled Eagle Creek Carry-on Cases all over The Shop while charming the ladies with his laughter.

However, his greatest smile was reserved for Frankie. Frankie is a Yorkshire Terrier puppy who visits Ashley in the cafe.

I tried to capture a picture of the great shopper and the fuzzy puppy... but both were moving at a high rate of speed.

The pics were just to blurry to use.

You'll have to to use your imagination instead.

Here's Frankie....

Stocking Stuffer

Stock up on socks for your stockings.

AVAILABLE SOON!

(Socks designed by Jesse and Ken, Ltd.)

Weekend Promo!

Many of you received an email blast from us last night regarding our special weekend promotion.

There will be more email blasts in the coming weeks!

For those who wish to receive these notifications just link over http://www.mainstreetmail.com/signup/index.php?listID=1636&redirect=http://www.arcadianshop.com and sign the form.

(Just a quick heads up... We despise an inbox that is full of junk promotions.... These are often a result of companies selling their mailing lists/ email lists or sharing them.... We will NEVER sell your info.... It's between us, you and Loki only.... You have Loki's word on it.)

I feel sorry for that raccoon.....
 

Links, Baby, Links!!!!

We just connected up to our Facebook account! To all you ArcFans who are now joining us for the first time:

WELCOME!

Please feel free to browse back over the archived posts. You'll find tons of pictures, a few educational pieces, more pics, announcements and a whole lot of tom foolery!

Please note that we have two pieces that we blog on weekly. There is a gear review piece that posts Monday or Tuesday and a Friday links piece that posts on, well, Friday!

Soooooooo, to the links!!!!

It's sixty degrees outside, so here's a global warming link to warm (or chill) your heart! Thanks to Angry Seafood! http://angryseafood.com/global-warming-humor-guide/

If you think it is really going to snow (we do!) we suggest pimping out your sled.... lookout Penguin! http://www.collegehumor.com/picture:129361

For the waxing types (skis, not legs) here's a quick overview of the process..... http://www.xcskiworld.com/equip/Waxing/waxing_intro.htm and a reminder that the Central/ Southern Berkshire Wax Clinic with Mike Innes of Swix International is Dec. 17th at 7pm at The Arc Shop! 

Ever wonder what olympic level athletes eat? Here's a sample from a X-C Ski Camp! http://btc.montana.edu/olympics/nutrition/profile01.html I'm so hungry!!!! 

Race! The Thunderbolt is going to host a race this year! http://www.thunderboltskirun.com/race.html Check out the site. Very cool!

The JiFFL! (Just included For Fun Link!) today comes from Upstate New York.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDEthc18aDg A little Chapel Pond toproping to get ya' in THE MOOD!

Have a great weekend!

Kayak CrossFit at The Arc Shop

Shhhhh, don't tell Larry.

The staff, after moving sixty kayaks  into the basement, performed a quick Crossfit workout.

Kenny, with the overhead squat!

Observe perfection of form!

Peter, at the full extension of a push-press.

Nice smile bro'!

Jeff, confused as usual, believes that he's in The Highland Games and prepares for a caber toss.

(What? No kilt? Too cold for ya' nellie boy?)

He seems to like that boat a little too much.... don't tell his spouse.....

Next up:

Hobie!

Wait until you see the power workout with those bad boys!