10 bomb-proof ideas - Christmas gifts for the outdoorsy him and her

Hi Ho Hi Ho -

Christmas is coming in a few days, so it's time for my annual last-minute Christmas gift ideas for the outdoorsy him and her. I'm calling this a list of 10 "bomb-proof" ideas because you can't go wrong with these gift ideas! They're proven to please!

We've got a true white Christmas this year not only in Boise but especially in the mountains all around us, so your friends and family will need to be properly outfitted for cold weather and playing in the snow!

Remember to support your local family-owned outdoor shops, too! All of these items can be purchased locally.

Here we go:

1. Snowshoes - It takes a lot of time and money to master the art of skiing or snowboarding, but just about anyone who can walk can strap on a pair of snowshoes and do great! It helps to bring a pair of ski poles for balance. There are many different brands available. Price range: $50-$150 for snowshoe-pole combo sets.  

2. Ski gloves - It's nice to have several pairs that work for various tasks such as driving, xc skiing or snowshoeing (thinner weight), and alpine skiing (warmer). Another reason to have several pairs is because we all tend to lose gloves and mittens. Just part of life. I have found some of my favorite gloves for xc skiing and lightweight use in the work glove section of the hardware store.

3. Winter hats - Can't go wrong in this department, but it's always nice to find a winter hat that has personality! Similar with gloves, it's nice to have different winter hats for situations when it's relatively warm or you're working up a sweat (thinner weight), and when you need a bomber warm hat that keeps you warm in single digits or sub-zero weather. Remember that wool ultimately rocks in the warmth department. Another helpful item is a facemask for the really cold days on the mountain. I also love the smart-looking ballcap-style hats they make for women. 

4. Headlamp - For outdoorsy folks, it's about as easy to lose a headlamp as it is to lose a pair of socks. Especially if you're a family of outdoorsy folks ... everyone borrows your headlamp and it never comes back! You can snag a headlamp for $25-$50, and it has great value for your camping trips, night hiking, river trips, backpacking, even for use around the home! My favorite brands include Petzl and Black Diamond. Get a bright one and you'll appreciate it! My latest Black Diamond model runs on 4 AAA batteries and it's really nice and bright. 

5. Lift tickets, tubing tickets - Surprise your friends or loved ones with a free lift ticket or a date to go tubing at Bogus or the Activity Barn in McCall. Lift tickets everywhere are getting more expensive, especially at destination resorts, so it's a much-appreciated gift. Tubing costs $15 at either location ($18 at the Activity Barn on holidays). At Bogus, the tubing hill requires advance reservations so you really have to plan ahead. Smart thing to do at this time of year. 

Wendy at our cozy cabin in McCall. 

6. Rent a cabin or a yurt for a gift - Backcountry yurts are hard to get on winter weekends already, but there are still mid-week dates available. See my latest yurt roundup story in the Statesman for where to go and how to make reservations. You also could rent a cabin in Garden Valley, Cascade, McCall or Sun Valley for a romantic getaway. Check for rentals at vrbo.com, AirBnB and InIdaho.com. Wendy and I rent our Cozy Cabin in McCall for weeks and weekends. Best price in town at $110/night! Sleeps 6. More information on my web site and vrbo.com. You also could check on a Forest Service cabin rental through recreation.gov, or a state parks cabin at the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. 

7. Capilene tops, long underwear - For any outdoorsy person who's active, getting out and exercising several days a week, you can quickly run short of tops and bottoms after they get pitted out and pitched into the laundry. So it's nice to have a deep supply of different tops especially ... lightweight, midweight, expedition weight, etc. These items typically run $25-$75. REI and Patagonia make gear with lasting value. Take a look at smart wool, too. 

8. Bike light or bike lock - Help your sweetheart get properly geared up for bike commuting. It gets dark so early that bike lights are often needed for a safe and legal ride home after work. You can find a variety of bike lights at a reasonable price. You can find blinking red rear lights for less than $10. The front lights are more expensive. Get a bright one for a better ride and visibility. Bike lights are one item where the cost keeps coming down and the performance keeps getting better. I thought this Electra LED model looked pretty cool ... $29.95 retail. 

9. Hydro Flask - Previously known as a water bottle, the hydro flasks available today can be used for drinking coffee on the go, taking a long a nice hot cup of tea or hot chocolate on an outdoor outing, or actually packing plain old water. Hydro Flask is a brand by itself, but there are many other brands that make quality stainless steel insulated cups and containers. Pricing is in the $10 to $25 range or more. 

Gold Fork with Quinn and Drew

10. Book a trip to the Springs in Idaho City or Gold Fork Hot Springs near Donnelly - The Springs is much more upscale, with massage serves available, pool-side cocktails and food, and even overnight accommodations. Still, it costs only $16 to go soaking at the Springs. Go there after a day or xc skiing or snowshoeing. Advance reservations are required. Gold Fork Hot Springs is open six days a week except Tuesdays, and you can just show up and soak. The road into Gold Fork can be icy so take a good snow-worthy vehicle when you go. It costs $8 for adults and $6 for children to soak at Gold Fork. Always a good time!

*Bonus item: An outdoor guidebook from Stueby! Boise Trail Guide: 90 Hiking and Running Routes Close to Home, Owyhee Canyonlands: An Outdoor Adventure Guide, Boise Road Cycling Guide, the only road biking map available for the Boise Valley, Paddling the Payette, guide to 24 day trips on the Payette River, are all available on my web site and at most outdoor stores in the valley. My most popular guide, Boise Trail Guide, is discounted just for Christmas at $15.95. Let me know if you want to meet up and get a book signed! 

Hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Years holiday season!

- SS

10 items for Stueby's annual Christmas gift list for the outdoorsy him & her

Hi all,

Christmas is coming upon us quickly ... it's essentially a week away! Do you have all of your shopping done? I've been doing a little checking around to see what's popular this year with regard to outdoor clothing, outerwear and toys, what's new and different, etc. Remember, buy local as much as possible when you're shopping to support Boise's quality outdoor stores.

Here's my 2015 Christmas outdoor gear list for the outdoorsy him and her:

1. First of all, we have to celebrate all the fresh snow that's fallen across Idaho in the last month or so. All of the Idaho alpine and xc resorts are open and all the tubing hills are open with a solid base of snow -- just in time for everyone to enjoy playing in the snow over the Christmas holidays! Raise your cup to the snow god Ullr and send a happy howl to the stars.

2. Headlamp - You can use them for hiking, reading, camping, cooking ... you name it, headlamps are an essential outdoor item. And they seem to mysteriously disappear around our house all the time. But there's so many brands to choose from ... where do you start? Outdoor Gear Lab recently compared 28 different headlamps and ranked them. Black Diamond headlamps dominated the top 5, and the Coast HL7, came out No. 1. It retails for only $30 online. I think it pays to spend a little more, say $50-$60, and get a brighter lamp.

3. Bike lights - I wrote a blog about biking and hiking lights recently after the time changed in the fall. See my recommendations there. Lights have gotten so much better and brighter for less cost.

"We're selling lights for 1/5th of what they sold for 5 years ago with five times the brightness," says Chris Haunold of Idaho Mountain Touring. A Light and Motion bike light at IMT with 350 lumens sells for $60 with a rechargeable battery. Five years ago, "it would have cost $500," Chris says.

4. Knives - OK, this is more of a "guy" thing than a women's item, but let's face it, a nice sharp folding knife is great to have handy at all times. Wilderness Today ranked 10 pocket knives in their survey. See what kind you want and then head over to Boise Army Navy in Garden City to buy a pocket knife.

5. Gloves - I like to have at least one set of light gloves for xc skiing, a heavier warm glove for alpine skiing, and some medium-weight gloves for other uses. Many outdoor retailers in Boise have a great selection of gloves. Backcountry Pursuit has some screaming deals on gloves and mittens at their store on Capital next to FedEx Kinkos.

Luci lantern

6. Luci Lux Inflatable Lantern - I've seen these in use at friends' houses, and I wish I had one of my own. Retail price is $19.95. How can you go wrong?

7. At Boise REI, Fischer S-Bound Backcountry Skis with the EZ Skin System are proving to be popular this holiday season. The skis have a notch for the skins, and they're easy to take on and off. Check with Boise REI on pricing.

8. Hydro flasks and stainless bottles - These are proving to be a popular low-cost buy ($10-$30) at IMT and Boise REI. Many brands are available, including Hydro Flask, New Wave, and others.

9. Patagonia Black Hole Duffle Bags - These look really nice and durable, and they only cost about $100. I saw these at IMT. They collapse into a small compact bag when empty, nice for travel, and they hold lots of gear. Larger models are in the $130-$160 range. The thing that's nice about buying Patagonia is that if anything falls apart, there's a lifetime guarantee.

10. Snowshoes - OK, maybe you're just breaking into the winter recreation scene, or you prefer to snowshoe vs. xc skiing. Snowshoes are great because if you can walk, you can snowshoe! A pair of poles for balance is a great accessory. There are multiple models and brands available, including Atlas, Tubbs and MSR. Cost is in the $140 range. One other interesting alternative is to buy a pair of Yaktrax for your boots. They're like traction devices you can strap to a pair of hiking boots. Here is Backpacker magazine's list of top snowshoes for 2015. Review the list and buy local!

And last, but certainly not least, there are Steve's outdoor guidebooks! For hikers and trail-runners, Boise Trail Guide: 90 Hiking and Running Routes Close to Home is the ticket. Retails for $19.95. The Owyhee Canyonlands: An Outdoor Adventure Guide is still very popular with hikers, mountain bikers and campers. It has 55 hikes and bike rides in the Owyhees, plus a detailed guide to the 100-mile Owyhee Uplands Backcountry Byway.

The Boise Road Cycling Guide is the only road-biking map available in the Boise Valley. The two-sided, full-color, tear-proof and waterproof map retails for $12.50. Mountain Biking in McCall is the only mountain biking guide for the McCall Area. It features 40 rides, from easy trails to epic day-long journeys and multi-day rides.

In a special book-signing event for the Christmas Holiday, I'll be signing books this Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Capital City Market Holiday Annex in Vista Village, 1036 S. Vista Ave. in Boise, beginning at 11 a.m. The event will run to 1 or 2 p.m., depending on demand.

There you have it! Have a wonderful holiday! As I said, I'm already feeling blessed because of all the powder snow! Count your blessings and hug your loved ones!
- SS