Links

NPS: Hiking at New River Gorge ~ Offers links to useful maps and other information.


West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners ~ Even non-members can use their website to find news, upcoming races and other events. They also have a Facebook.


Waterstone Outdoors ~ A modest-looking brick building in Fayetteville on E. Wiseman Avenue houses the Gorge's number one location for outdoor gear--anything you need from climbing, to backpacking, to trail running, to obsessive sticker collection. They have a much better selection of footwear than does ACE's gear shop.


The ACE Blog ~ ACE Adventure Resort is host every fall to the New River Gorge-ous Trail Run, a 13.2 mile (or 8 mile) race through their property in Minden, up and down rolling terrain that vary from wide gravel roads to single-track packed dirt trails to technical rocky descents. It's a blast, as long as you didn't twist your ankle three days before race day... Their gear shop focuses mainly on water sports, but I found a pair of FiveFingers and Scarpa hiking boots on sale there in the couple times I've visited. 


Secret Sandwich Society ~ The sacred realm of infallible sandwich-making. The cost seems a little steep (you'll have to shell out 9 or 10 bucks for most sandwiches), but once you try a Woodrow with their famous bacon jam spread added on, you will remember the Society as nothing short of legendary.


New River Gorge Regional Development Authority ~ A collaboration looking to "initiate, facilitate, and support the economic development efforts" of the area.


Inov-8 ~ Inov-8 is a supporter of natural running and builds trail running shoes designed for the athlete that relies on his own body and running style to adjust to the terrain. I've never tried them out, but the shoes look sick. The Mudroc 290 is on the top spot for my next shoe I'm going to buy. I miss their old website, though.


La Sportiva: Mountain Running ~ La Sportiva's website/blog/bulletin board devoted to mountain running news, race results, video, training, and about anything else you can think of. Although Sportiva is probably most popular for their climbing shoes, they are the creators of my current favorite trail running shoe, the Raptor. I've also been greatly pleased with the lightness and comfort of the hiking boots I bought a few years ago. I think the newest version of the boot I own is called the FC Eco 3.0 GTX, which I guess is the shoe I own, made somehow to be more eco-friendly than before (I bought them before they had "eco" in the name).


Salomon Running ~ Salomon's running website, similar in idea to Sportiva's mountainrunning.com. Salomon makes the XA Pro 3D Ultra 2 whose predecessor (the XA Pro 3D Ultra) is probably the most durable, versatile, and all-around amazing trail running shoe that I've ever used.


Mountain Justice ~ A grassroots effort to stop mountaintop removal in Appalachia. Strip mining is destroying our beloved mountains, and we need to take care of the earth God's given us. Check out the website for more information, along with the book of the same title, Mountain Justice by Tricia Shapiro, and the Sundance Film Festival selected documentary The Last Mountain.