| rev:text
| - Last winter was SUCH a long, brutal, winter.
Day after day of trudging from my car to the office, or from my office to lunches . . . the howling winds. The snow. Minus 20's. Minus 30's No trip to Maui booked . . .
The horror. THE HORROR!!!
What "Darkness."
It was one such noon hour, slogging through the drifting snow - ice wind whipping my face and freezing my eyelashes together - that I was reminded of the book, "Into Thin Air" by John Krakauer.
Ya, I wasn't freezing to death on Everest, or even dropping body parts from frost bite, but it sure as hell felt like it.
That's when it dawned on me: you need to be SERIOUSLY DRESSED for the elements. And if they make gear that lets you survive days on a sub zero mountain, then trekking from the parking lot in good gear will be a breeze!
Or something like that...
Bottom line was I decided to start over-killing a bit in winter wear, with high technology in materials and insulation.
That decision led me back to MEC, a place I hadn't really been to in a while.
Now... you walk through the door, and you are reminded that MEC carries EVERYTHING for the outdoors:
Cycling, water sports, camping, running, mountaineering, casual clothing... you name it. It's all there, the place is packed to the rafters, and it's on the high end of the quality scale.
Professional grade gear.
Browsing around, there's also a TON of stuff in the smaller, "impulse" category. Things so cool that for 10 or 20 bucks... you really want it. Which also makes MEC a great place to do some gift shopping for anyone with a remotely active lifestyle.
My main take-away, though, is going back to how I began this review: we DO live in a challenging environment come winter. And you don't need to be skiing or snowshoeing in the mountains to get that.
Waiting for the bus in windy -30 weather may not be climbing Everest, but it's harsh. And it sucks. And MEC DOES have the higher tech thermal layers and outer wear that makes ALL the difference in the world. Especially when compared to cheaper department store knock-offs.
What am I saying?
Good gear makes things better regardless of what you are doing. So it's worth paying for.
That being said, MEC is pricy. I understand paying for quality, but it is still on the expensive side.
That, and parking: another strike. I actually have passed on several visits to this location simply because the lot is full (and when you DO find a spot, you have to pay for it).
MEC built a nice retail outlet DT, but it's a bit of a pain to get to, and clearly this cuts into their retail traffic. Having it located someplace like Deerfoot Meadows, with lots of free parking, would make me a much more frequent customer.
However -- it is the best of them all, so the hardcore will do what it takes. I just wish they made it easier!
4/30
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