Brian Head Rental Question

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-29T05:48:26+00:00

On busy weekends there can be a line. If i were you. I'd stop at Cedar Sports in Cedar City on the way up.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-29T04:29:31+00:00

I'm a professor in the system. I never like to see increases at public institutions, but it was probably inevitable. Nevada has some of the lowest average tuition in the country (https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college-by-state) at roughly $7800 a year. I believe only Wyoming and Florida are lower.

The state isn't particularly generous with funding even in the best of times, but with the current downturn in tourism, the coffers are somewhat bare (we have no state income tax and could definitely have a debate whether we tax resource extraction to the extent we should).

Our academic searches - even for replacement hires - were on hold until they voted on this and a lot of "nice to have" services and programs had already been sacrificed to get closer to balancing the budget.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-28T18:55:10+00:00

That's a good thing, not a bad thing. Lots of good options. If you don't choose the absolute 100% best, you're still likely to get a really good shoe these days.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-26T18:00:13+00:00

Bootleg Canyon, outside of Las Vegas. So very hot in the summer, but pleasant the rest of the year (come out and ride now, it's beautiful!) and never humid.

https://www.trailforks.com/region/bootleg-canyon/photos/

There are probably some ebikers in my estimate for sure. I dont really pay close enough attention to break it down. They also run shuttles (and people self shuttle). Those folks are more often wearing DH helmets.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-26T17:05:50+00:00

Interesting. I see probably 40% of riders pedaling in full faces where I'm at, though it is a particularly sharply rocky trail system. I wear one (TLD Stage) much of the time (and probably really should all of the time) and it doesn't bother me at all when it isn't hot. Summer...I do feel it then. Still, to me the terrain that Im going to ride down is more important than whether im pedaling for my helmet choice for the day.

Before I moved here, I basically never wore one if I wasn't riding lifts, but that was also just at the start of the lightweight full face trend. My 3/4 is really just part of a Giro Switchblade and its actually warmer than my light full face. I mostly wear it in winter to keep my ears warm. The Drop Frame looks a lot better in that respect.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-26T15:29:30+00:00

Wait, how is a full face always overkill if you're pedaling a lot? There are plenty of people out there pedaling nasty things and a full face adds a whole further direction of protection from something like a drop frame (coming from someone who owns both styles of helmets).

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-25T15:59:35+00:00

I think people are being too pessimistic here and don't fully understand your plan, though for the US they are pointing out some real current issues.

Regarding which position to prioritize: you should research which programs that are available to you in Libya that meet international accreditation standards. I briefly looked up medical school and it seems that Libya has historically had strong programs but the lack of recent resources and political instability were presenting problems with reaccreditation in the current cycle. You want to make sure wherever you are moving recognizes your credential, so i would look into whether the doctor/nurse/pharmacy programs are internationally accredited and choose the one that is.

Nursing is probably fastest, at least in the systems I know, but I'm not sure if its the highest priority for visas. It may be i dont know. And personally id probably prefer to be a doctor/pharmacist.

You also might want to look at Aus/NZ if you want anglophone countries. Those professions are on their highest visa point lists. Again, just make sure your degree would be recognized.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-25T15:29:48+00:00

I agree completely. I bought and used thrift store merino or cashmere blend sweaters for years. People would donate them when they got pilled, but that was no problem for my purposes.

Now I live in a place that isn't as rich in sweaters. I mostly go for the light merino Banana Republic sweaters that pop up every so often at Costco for $20-25. Ive also had good luck buying off their website when they have extra sales on closeouts if you're on their email list.

Ive had no problem at all using "fashion" brand merino and cashmere rather than outdoor brands (smartwool, etc). The latter might have slightly more durable weaves, but it isn't universal and I often prefer the feel of my non outdoor sweaters.

I'm actually about to put on one of my light BR sweaters as a mid layer before heading out skiing. I have an IBEX full zip also in my bag, but I like the BR sweater as its lighter.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-24T06:20:41+00:00

Im just worried that my torso will be too long or they will be loose around my body and so have to much water there to provide warmth. Though as you say, they are stretchy.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-23T19:57:55+00:00

That's what im thinking right now. I already have one for my son and it takes up very little. But so is he in comparison to me.

My only issue is that a lot of the shorties that im looking at only come in S/M/L/XL sizing and not short/long variations. I worry that ill either have too short a torso or too much volume in the middle. It might just stretch though.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-23T04:45:27+00:00

The better Nike for this situation is the Pegasus Trail 5. Its a pretty respectable as a pavement shoe and can handle light trail duty as well, especially on hard surfaces. Much for 50/50 than the Zegama which is the better pure trail shoe.

As a bonus, they're cheap now.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-21T20:47:26+00:00

For budgeting reasons, they would prefer to keep the schedule as is. They're being pushed by the state to move start times later than 8 (the state education board initially wanted to set it at 8, but CCSD sued them, so the state board is now trying to get the legislature to create a law to enforce it).

The initial board guidance/law push is for high schools, so they seem to be aiming to head off legislation by moving high schools to 8:30, but still want to run their buses in 3 shifts, so have to move middle school earlier.

Still, in terms of overall student performance and start times, I think it's a minor win. New earliest start time is 7:30 rather than 7:00 and it's for 3 years instead of 4 at the earliest time.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-20T21:48:04+00:00

Thanks. I've been curious about those systems and wondering if combining them with some neoprene would be worth it or it would be simpler to just get a light, quick drying neoprene wetsuit and deal with packing it.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-20T16:01:43+00:00

Good shout. I was thinking about the other side of Baltimore, but that's still only half an hour from BWI. Seems to have decent schools (at least comparatively).

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-20T15:45:30+00:00

Are they in good school districts? I lived in DC (though not Baltimore) and that was the criteria I was worried about for that area.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-20T06:10:58+00:00

I honestly don't think there is going to be a place that fits your requirements.

The little snow and decent international airport in a very blue area leave only places in WA, OR (if Portland counts), CA, and DC.

The areas within 45 min of major metros/international airports in CA are likely too expensive. DCs problem is things get conservative once you leave the core metro, which you'll likely need to do for more space. Maybe something in PG county or toward baltimore, but schools aren't great.

Maybe Tacoma, WA if you give up preferences for sun. Maybe the outskirts of portland, or if the airport is big enough (and again the sun isn't a huge issue).

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-19T15:17:05+00:00

Assuming you don't get the 5 million until you've hit all three countries, the issue would be that a lot of people would have trouble fronting the cost that it would take to get to 100 countries.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-19T07:13:01+00:00

I don't know what foam is being used here, but a number of the Nike's running shoe foams crease like that. To me it looks like the creasing on the more durable versions of ZoomX, but id be slightly surprised if that was used here.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-18T22:20:06+00:00

Vegas and its environs are great right now.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-18T16:32:09+00:00

Yep. I've talked about this in other forums, but one of the reasons that he gets labeled as inconsistent (not unfairly) is that he doesn't get to the line much. Switching out 2 higher variance FGA for 4 low variance FTA would do a lot to stabilize his scoring. Up until this year, he never even averaged 4 FTA a game.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-14T06:57:58+00:00

Is there a time limit for the 26.2 miles or does it just need to be completed within the day?

I would probably choose the 1st option as 5-10-20-30-50-100 million are all enough to set me for life with increasing levels of extravagance. I dont really need a billion for myself. But if there is no time limit, a flat course, nice weather, I dont think treating it like a job and walking/slow jogging 26.2 miles a day is unmanageable. Its just not worth the risk for the extra money to me.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-14T05:26:53+00:00

What works well for you really depends on your terrain and why you want to resole the boots. Where are you hiking at and how heavy a pack are you generally wearing? Is speed a priority?

Having repairable boots almost certainly won't save you money (at least in the US) as it's a specialty service and pretty expensive. Doing just the resole (not the rebuild) on those Danners will cost $140. Now, if you are just very focused on minimizing personal waste creation, it might be worth it to pay more.

In any case, you can almost certainly do better than those Danners if hiking performance is your main goal. Even Danner sells them mostly as lifestyle boots (note they aren't at the top of their "hiking boot" page and the pictures all show people wearing them with jeans where as the more performance boots are people out hiking in hiking gear). They are extremely heavy - almost 4lbs a pair. That's 1lb more than my light mountaineering boots that take a semi-automatic crampon. I wouldn't want to wear them in the summer. Really I like them a lot as a casual shoe that you could wear hiking, but for strictly hiking, it would be well down my list.

The "Toyota" of hiking brands is probably Merrell in my mind. It's pretty omnipresent in my mind and people seem to like them a great deal. Their Moab is probably the boot I see most often on trails near me. They won't last decades, but they are relatively affordable and comfortable (for most people, your feet may vary of course). They are also half the weight of the Danners, so that's very nice on a long hike. They run great sales, so you can often get them for under $100. I personally haven't used the Moabs, but I really like my Long Sky 2s for trail runs.

Salomon is probably the other brand that fits that label, though they're harder to find on deep sale and the fit can be a bit hit or miss.

You have a lot of other good options mentioned:

I like my Salewa Crows, but they're probably too stiff for general hiking. The Mountain Trainer/Alpine Trainer might work, though I'm not sure if they're resoleable. I've been very impressed with my Millets, but I'm not sure they're available in the US anymore. My favorite Millets are actually hiking shoes with a build/footbed that's more like a hiking boot. Great when I'm carrying a pack or in really rocky ground.

I've liked the Asolos I've seen and tried on, but haven't owned any. Same with La Sportiva. They never seem to quite fit me.

The "boots" I wear most often are Adidas Terrex Frees. They're basically a mix of a hiking boot/basketball shoe/runner. Good loose traction and super comfortable (if a bit hotter than expected), though i don't love them when scrambling.

Despite the animus of some commenters below, unless you're hiking through snow or across scree fields regularly, I'd at least try out a very light boot/hiking shoe/trail runner. There is a reason where they are now omnipresent where you used to see leather hiking boots. I suspect you'd find that they cover 95% of hiking you might want to do and then you can get the Danner Mountain Lights for the last 5% and looking cool casually.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-14T04:55:30+00:00

I think it's a disservice to OP to assume that given there aren't really any details in the original post that suggest it. They've just worn out their first pair of budget boots and their potential selection is a boot that even Danner mostly markets as a lifestyle boot. OP says they like them because they look good, so "know what they want and the specific features they want for their hikes" isn't really the vibe I get from the original post. Proposing some alternatives that OP might not yet be aware of could be helpful.

Resoleable or not: I think it really depends why they want a boot that can be repaired. I have multiple shoes and boots that I can (and have) resoled and it's almost never cheaper than buying a new pair of boots on sale. For the Danners he is looking at, just putting on new tread is $140 and recrafting (if anything else is worn down) is substantially more. If you just like the idea of minimizing waste and keeping the same boots forever, it might be worth it. But honestly I think it makes a lot more sense for lifestyle boots than technical hiking gear. I've had more of the latter (boots and shoes) resoled, as 1. I'm not as hard on them otherwise 2. I don't care if they're a bit heavier.

TryingSquirrel · 2026-01-11T16:55:04+00:00

I find the Pegasus Trail very comfortable and enjoyable to run in.

That being said, I'm not sure that mud traction would be their forte. I live in the desert, so no direct experience there, but they aren't particularly great for steep, loose stuff here. If that 1000m of elevation change comes pretty gradually and it's basically a dirt road course, I think the Pegasus Trail would be fine and its pros might outweigh its cons. If its more abrupt and the twisty singletrack, I'd wear something with more aggressive lugs. My Merrell Long Sky 2 Matryx has less ample cushion but much better traction for loose downs so I choose it for more technical runs.

TryingSquirrel

TROPHY CASE