We are proud to announce that Wild Rock has recently signed on to purchase its electricity from Bullfrog Power. Bullfrog Power is the first 100% green electricity retailer in Ontario. Bullfrog Power is also the only electricity retailer in Ontario that buys power exclusively from wind and low-impact hydro generators who meet or exceed the federal government's Environmental Choice Program EcoLogo standard for renewable electricity.

The Bullfrog concept is simple. Essentially, when you purchase your electricity from Bullfrog Power, your power still comes out of the traditional grid (i.e. in Peterborough our power will still come through the P.U.C.). The difference is that an equal amount of power must be put into the grid from one of Bullfrog’s clean generation sources.

In our minds the advantages are two- fold. First, We feel duty-bound to pursue any means available to us to limit the greenhouse gas emissions that the running of our business is responsible for. Secondly, we believe that switching to Bullfrog Power sends a strong message to the provincial government that we (and many people like us) are willing pay more for power that is responsibly generated.

The cost for an average family is estimated at approximately $1/day or $300- $400/year, which seems a very small price to pay. We have switched Wild Rock as a business and Scott, Dave and myself have all switched our residential power purchasing to Bullfrog.

Please consider switching your home or business power needs to Bullfrog Power. If you make the switch between March 01 and April 30 bring in your first bill and we will give you a Wild Rock Source for Adventure travel mug. Clean power and no more paper coffee cups!

Please visit www.bullfrogpower.com for more information.

Kieran

Our third month with snow, don’t let it go to waste! Come out and play in the fluffy white stuff with us!

March Events include: Snow Shoe Hikes, Pool Sessions, Bike Maintenance Clinics, and two Wine and Cheese nights with Wild Women Adventures and two Nepalese Sherpas.

Snow Shoe Hikes Are you looking for an easy way to explore the woods and forests around your home, without relying on pre- established ski-trails? Snow Shoeing is the single fastest-growing winter outdoor activity in Canada because it is low-impact, very versatile, and doesn’t require established trails.

Wild Rock is proud to announce a Snow Shoe hike for the month of Saturday, March 10, at the Kawartha Nordic Ski Centre. Sign up at the Cash ($10) and meet at the Peterborough Zoo North Parking Lot at 10am. Remember water, food, extra clothes and your camera! Snow Shoe and Pole rentals are included.

Reel Paddling Festival Aching for summer? Looking for an excuse to take a night off from exam studying or spring cleaning? Wild Rock Outfitters is hosting the Second Annual Reel Paddling Film festival, Saturday April 14, 7pm at the Wenjack Theater, Trent University. Reel is a collection of some of the year’s best short paddling films, including high-adrenaline White Water, panoramic Sea Kayaking, and secluded Canoe Tripping. Tickets are $8.75 ($10 after taxes), and are on sale at Wild Rock. Be sure to enter yourself in the free draw at intermission (included in admission) for prizes from Wild Rock and Rapid Media, including years’ subscriptions to Rapid, Canoe Roots and Adventure Kayak.

Pool Sessions Our huge success of the season, pool sessions are running every Saturday in March until the 24th, 7:00- 8:30 pm at the Trent Athletics Center. SPACES ARE STILL AVAILABLE! Call or drop by the store to book your spot: $10/night, $20/night with boat rental. Waivers and Health surveys MUST be signed prior to participation. Please note, this is not a paid instructional time, all tips and advice are donated.

Bike Clinics Eric and the rest of the bike staff have been busy this month with their Advanced Bike Maintenance clinic, and are re-vamping their clinic format for the coming season. Drop by the cash to sign up for any of our upcoming bike maintenance clinics (Beginner, Intermediate, Specialised). $5/night, participants will be contacted to determine dates once enough interest is established. Have a group of 5-8 friends that would like to learn more about bike maintenance? Sign up a group of 5 or more friends, and we’ll set up a private clinic for you. Bring in 7 friends and you learn for free!

Wild Women Adventures Beth Mairs and her company lead adventure trips exclusively for women all across Canada. Come out to enjoy a glass of wine and hear Beth share her exciting experiences, Monday, March 12, 6pm at Wild Rock Outfitters.

Nepali Guide Talks Have you ever thought about trekking in Nepal? Ram and Dhan are two Nepalese Sherpas who lead clients on dozens of treks each year. Join us for some wine and cheese as Ram and Dhan take us with them as they relive some of their previous expeditions. The journey begins, Friday, March 30, at 7pm.

Unfortunately, the Mt St Louis snowboard trip has been cancelled.

Wild Rock is excited to offer a number of new socks from Fox River’s new Good Earth Collection this season. Fox River has been a leading technical sock manufacturer since they first started making socks for lumberjacks back in 1900. Like many manufacturers they make a great product but they hang their corporate hat on more than just their socks. For many years Fox River has been committed to decreasing the environmental impact of their manufacturing processes. While their production has increased over the last few years they have decreased energy consumption by 30% as well as total waste volume by almost 50%. They also support the One Percent for the Planet group of companies that donate 1% of sales to environmental organizations the world over.

The past season Fox River turned its efforts to raw materials and socks themselves. The resulting two sock categories are Organic Merino and Corn socks. Both are casual socks that also perform well for technical applications. The Organic Merino collection is made from 70% merino wool sourced from organically fed sheep. Although wool is, in itself, a renewable resource it’s processing traditionally uses a large quantity of chlorine. Fox River is one of very few companies that are using wool that is processed without the use of chlorine. Naturally, the colours are achieved using natural vegetable dyes.

The Corn sock collection is made from 65% Ingeo, which is a bio-fiber derived from non-genetically modified cornstarch. Like merino, corn is a sustainable, renewable resource. It also has the advantage of being a soft, comfortable, non-itchy fiber that retains little odor while having very good moisture management properties. Again, the Corn socks also use vegetable dyes.

Fox River is taking a leadership role in the market place and we are proud to support them by bringing their products to Wild Rock. We believe that if we support the companies that have strong environmental visions more of their competitors will be forced to follow their leads. So, next time you can see your skin through the holes in your favorite socks please drop by for a look at the Good Earth Collection.

Find out more about the Good Earth Collection from Fox River.

Wild Rock is really excited about our collection of fun, easy to use kayaks for the local waterways. This is a sample of the models we will be stocking. We, of course, carry many longer touring boats in the 13’-17’ range from Necky and Wilderness Systems as well.

Here is your chance to get out and either classic or skate ski before the snow goes. You can race the 6 or 12 kms distance for only $20.

The race is on March 4th at Kawartha Nordic Ski Club at 10 am.

When was the last time you replaced your clipless pedal cleats? Those little metal or plastic cleats that are fastened to the bottom of your cycling shoes will wear out over time. Worn out cleats can lead to poor performance and poor biomechanics (loose, sloppy feeling pedals), and unsafe operation (unable to clip out or pulling out when you least want to). As a guideline, the plastic cleats commonly used in road cycling (shimano, time, look and campagnolo) should be replaced every 3000 kms. While the metal cleats used for moutain bike pedals will last longer they still need replacing every year or every other year to keep your pedals working depending on how much riding you do and the conditions you ride in.

Your worn cleats may lead to a number of uncomfortable and unsafe situations. As your cleats wear they begin to create additional play or float throughout the pedaling revolution. This additional play can lead to a reduction in performance and lead to an increased chance of injury through poor biomechanics causing injuries to your knees, hips, ankles and lower back. Extremely worn cleats can also lead to unsafe situations such as making it difficult to clip into the pedals, difficulty unclipping from the pedals causing the rider to become stuck in the pedal or having the cleat pop out of the pedal at unexpected times under heavy loads.

It is a good idea to inspect your cleats on a regular basis looking for excessive wear, broken cleats and loose bolts. If you are unsure if your cleats are worn or need replacing feel free to stop by with your shoes to have them inspected by one of our cycling staff. Also a good idea if you are coming in for a seasonal tune up to bring your cycling shoes along with you for inspection.

Happy riding.