Today marks the start of the 2010 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market and the All Mountain Demo. We’ll be hitting the tradeshow floor tomorrow but here’s a sneak peak of another cool product we’re looking forward to learning more about. Talus Outdoor will be showcasing their ColdAvenger expedition balaclava.

California State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) has proposed a new piece of legislation that would require anyone under age 18 to wear a helmet if skiing or snowboarding. Many states already have helmet laws in place for bicyclists (with the majority affecting children), but helmet usage and snow sports has become a hot topic, recently covered by the New York Times.

Last month, kayaker Jake Stachovak began an epic 5000-mile journey to paddle around the entire eastern portion of the United States. He began his journey in Portage, Wisconsin, and will follow a route that will allow him to circle back around and finish in Portage as well. He dubbed the adventure the Portage to Portage Paddling Project.

Yesterday it was announced that Washington’s Department of Natural Resources may have to close more than 20 trails and campgrounds. The state is strapped for cash and unless the DNR can obtain the $276,000 in general funding money to keep trails open, residents will see some of the most popular trailheads closed.

In recent years, stretching has become a debatable subject: “Do you stretch before exercise, after warming up, or not at all?” In PE classes stretching was always done before exercise, and was frequently considered the “warm-up.” More recently, some said that stretching is most beneficial (and less likely to damage/tear muscles) if done after a brief cardio warm-up. But a study by Nebraska Wesleyan University published last year suggests that stretching (and more specifically, flexibility gained by stretching) is unnecessary.