Founded in London in 2023 (with the cities Vancouver and Oslo also playing a significant part in the brand’s origins) Portal was born from a desire to create products that would facilitate the founders various active lifestyles. Sharing and implementing the knowledge they collectively gained over decades working in the industry, Portal exists to provide tools for modern explorers to live their lives with movement.

Dedicated to running, riding and hiking the Potal SS26 collection features technical pieces such as the lightweight packable ‘Code Wind’ vest, four pocket ‘Range Light’ jersey, the mesh-panelled ‘Range Light’ tank and woven shell ‘Ambit Ultra’ shorts. Modern, progressive designs that come in their signature taupe, olive and black tones and are accompanied by a range of accessories including the inspired ‘Tread Pill’ plug. A tubeless tyre plug that comes in its own adjustable Dyneema bag.

Accompanying the new drop of SS26 products comes a campaign that’s been shot in the still somewhat Wintery environs of Oslo. Where the new gear can be seen being put through its paces both on foot and in the saddle amidst the snow and concrete of Norway’s nature friendly capital.  

Whilst the words accompanying the new Portal release come in the form of a considered manifesto that encapsulates the ethos behind the brand and its latest drop titled ‘Here, nature is not elsewhere’. Explaining that Oslo is not a city that merely sits beside nature but instead is a place that has been designed to touch it and that movement there is not escape but rather a form of ritual.

Elsewhere the words accompanying the SS26 further explain how the city has been made to interact with nature. Detailing how in 1966, architect Håkon Mjelva stood above Grorud T-banestasjon and imagined more than transit by designing a pavilion with openings toward the trees, where a café and conversations were planned. Where for decades taxis idled instead, and the structure became transit, shelter, waiting — yet  remained a room at the seam between platform and path, between concrete and forest. Architecture dissolving into landscape.  

Portal’s SS26 ode to Oslo ends by reiterating that nature is not elsewhere in the city, though the signs may not be immediately obvious. Stating nor are they always famous landmarks but sometimes to be found in a concrete tunnel, light cutting through architecture or a narrow passage beneath the tracks. Ideas that were formed decades ago but still very much present, still embedded and part of the culture that becomes the air the city breathes.

The latest drop in the SS26 collection is available from portal-brand.com. 

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Known for its deep artistic and intersectional roots, this 413-year-old city is famous for incubating creative greats, yes including Georgia O’Keeffe, and inspiring artists and outdoor lovers of all ilks with awe-inducing canyons, national forests, protected Native lands, and monuments at its perimeter. You can feel the ghosts here in the same way you can feel the vortexes in Sedona. It’s sacred, special.

Santa Fe’s historic plaza and downtown please with many walkable streets (try Burro Alley for eateries and art) and easy access to the outdoors — Ski Santa Fe is only 16 miles from downtown, lending it legit ski town status, to many outsiders surprise.

And in line with Santa Fe’s curious motto, “The City Different,” you can’t help but feel the pull of deep historical roots, grounded in Pueblo tradition with Mexican, Spanish, and anglo influence. It was an epicenter of Western expansion. The hanging chiles or “Ristras” on front porches tie back to 1598 when Conquistador Don Juan Onate introduced chiles from Mexico, and the crop was adopted by the ancestral Puebloans. At the same time you can head to the Five & Dime General Store for a Frito Pie, all the cliches are true and not true at the same time.

Whatever your heart desires, Santa Fe keeps evolving with a fiery spirituality, creativity and adventure at its core.

Imbibe

Yes — the margaritas are really good in Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Margarita Trail is a testament to that. The city has put together a custom passport for a total of 45 bars and restaurants. Once you try a bar’s signature Margarita you get a stamp. Better yet, the more stamps you collect the more prizes. After 15 stamps you are inducted into the official Margarita Society. After 5, you earn a T-shirt. If you complete the trail, you earn the elusive VIP Margarita package.

If you fancy a wider variety of libations, attend New Mexico Cocktail Week. The event, which takes place June 2-10, will see Santa Fe bars and restaurants host high-quality cocktail experiences, educational seminars, and signature events about the fine art of mixology.

And for those who want to sling mud and knock back a few, the Tumbleroot Pottery Pub is Santa Fe’s first “Art Bar.” Conceived by the owners of Paseo Pottery and Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery (who are also husband and wife), Tumbleroot Pottery Pub is a new experience where cocktails and clay coexist. The location offers a full bar, tasting room/bottle shop, ceramic gallery and pottery studio in one space. The bar features Tumbleroot’s locally brewed and distilled products served in Paseo Pottery made vessels specifically designed to complement each beverage. Patrons of the pottery pub will be invited to embrace their creative side and get their hands dirty forming their own works of art using communal workshop tables, raw clay, and tools provided.

Explore

The dry climate and high desert vistas are one of a kind in Santa Fe. The city’s health-centric, natural mindset and access to the outdoors put visitors at ease. Just this month, a New Soaking Pool and Sun/Moon Deck opened at the Inn of the Five Graces Spa. The sparkling, turquoise waters of the soaking pool provide a refreshing oasis in the midst of Santa Fe’s high-desert landscape, while plush lounge chairs and shaded cabanas invite guests to relax and soak up the sun at this luxury inn. At night, the deck comes alive with the glow of stars in Santa Fe’s dark sky above, creating a romantic and tranquil atmosphere perfect for unwinding after a day of exploring.

Lace your hiking boots and trail running shoes to run, play and camp in the Santa Fe National Forest. Boasting 1.6 million acres of mountains and mesas, the Santa Fe National Forest has activities for every outdoor lover. Car camp or backpack in the Pecos Las Vegas Ranger District, where some of the most backpacking and hiking trails lie, or head over to the Diablo Canyon Recreation Area for some climbing and camping. History buffs will also enjoy the Pecos National Historic Park to see pueblos and a Spanish church from 1717.

A 30-minute drive or bus ride will take you to Ski Santa Fe. The ski area is located in the Santa Fe National Forest and is a small but mighty mountain with advanced, intermediate, and beginner terrain to boot. Plus the blue bus is a public transit option that runs daily to and from the city to the mountain and is free to ride.

Experience

Santa Fe’s roots run deep and the city’s traditions will pull you in. On September 1, 2023, Santa Fe will celebrate the 99th Burning of Zozobra. The Burning of Zozobra is one of Santa Fe’s most iconic and beloved traditions. Each year, a 50-foot-tall marionette named Zozobra (Spanish for “the gloomy one”) is constructed and stuffed with the glooms of Santa Feans and visitors. All are welcome to attend, chant “burn him” with the crowd of 70,000, and watch the pageantry as torch bearers and a fire dancer ignite Zozobra’s skirt to send the woes of the past year up in flames.

Visiting Santa Fe also wouldn’t be complete without honoring the state’s arguably most famous artist. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is in its 25th Anniversary Year. The museum, which opened in July 1997, has been sharing the paintings, creative process, and personal effects of Georgia O’Keeffe with visitors to Santa Fe for 25 years. The exhibit Radical Abstraction, running through October 30, 2023, explores many of O’Keeffe’s favorite subjects to paint that she returned to repeatedly over many years. The exhibit brings together abstract paintings from all periods of her career showing themes she returned to and refined over time. Georgia O’Keeffe: Making a Life, on view through March 2024, explores the artist’s identity as a “Maker” in the mid-20th century in rural Northern New Mexico and includes vignettes of her world from handmade clothing, furniture gifted from designer friends Ray and Charles Eames, items purchased on her foreign travels to beloved cooking and garden tools.

Attend

There’s no more authentic way to explore Santa Fe’s neighborhoods and culture than to visit in the throngs of summer with long days and cool nights. The plaza bursts with energy, tourists, artisans and events through July and August.

The International Folk Art Market [July 5-9] celebrates traditional artisans who use handmade practices and honor timeless, generational artistic endeavors.

The Traditional Spanish Market [July 29-30] takes place on the legendary Santa Fe plaza — where you can support local Hispanic artists and enjoy live music at this almost 100-year-old event. The Contemporary Hispanic Market will also take place on the plaza at this time and is the world’s largest contemporary Hispanic market.

The 101st Santa Fe Indian Market [August 19-20] will take place on and around the Santa Fe central plaza, with artists from over one-hundred tribal communities in North America and Canada.

Expand

Santa Fe is the biggest art market in the U.S. behind only LA and New York City. The art districts are extensive, but a visit to Canyon Road is a must-see and a great start (it hosts over 80 galleries).

The plaza too is home to numerous markets and events throughout the year. Make sure to catch Santa Fe Art Week [July 7-16], which is a great way to explore the city and its creative enclaves. After a long day honing your skills at workshops or attending openings and shows, tag along on a neighborhood gallery stroll in the evening to explore the city and unwind and socialize.

Writers and readers unite at the Santa Fe International Literary Festival [May 19–21] — attend lunches, lectures, and morning meditations from esteemed authors like John Irving and Gillian Flynn.

One of only a few locations to see this massive installation, buck tradition and swing by Meow Wolf. The famed art installations are fully immersive, colorful, and utilize multimedia to its full power. There’s an enthralling installation by contemporary Native American Artist Virgil Ortiz. Virgil Ortiz, of Cochiti Pueblo, is known as one of the most avant-garde artists of his time, fusing his Pueblo culture with sci-fi, fantasy, and apocalyptic themes that yield provocative and futuristic imagery. Ortiz considers it his mission to create global awareness that Pueblo communities are very much alive and vital. Ortiz’s installation titled, Sirens: Secret Passkeys & Portals features a cast of characters from his Revolt 1680/2180 saga—an ongoing project Ortiz has been working on for the past two decades. Revolt 1680/2180 presents a dystopian future 500 years after the Pueblo Revolt in which time-travelers return to the era to aid their ancestors. The installation features an eight-foot resin head embedded with neon, a video installation filmed at the Bisti Badlands in northwestern New Mexico, and an activated light wall.

— Aaron H. Bible is an award-winning writer, photographer, and multimedia producer with three decades of experience working as a journalist and creative director. Follow him at @definitelywild.

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For hikers, there’s an even greater need to shop for season-appropriate shoes that can protect the little ones’ feet and ensure they stay safe from slip, trips, and blisters, once they hit the trail. A pair that’s great on comfort, support, and grip and perfect on weight and waterproofing.

Getting the right hiking boots for your kid is never easy

Just like us at Vanish, every little hiking grom loves the thrills of the trail. But with the inherent risks on their feet after trekking and hiking for hours, comfortable hiking footwear is the key to enable them to stay in it to cover more miles without any complaints (though sibling bickering is always inevitable and Vasque is not liable for any of that).

The only way to achieve the peak of these fun-filled hikes is by choosing boots for your munchkins that are carefully designed for their own mini-human sizes. The ideal boots are over-the-ankle and waterproof enough to keep their feet dry throughout the outing.

You may be wondering – What boots are these ideal boots you speak of? Luckily, we have intel that there is a pair out that are rough terrain ready and score high on all-weather waterproof protection…

Enter, Vasque’s Kids St. Elias UltraDry™ Hiking Boot.

Superior unisex hiking shoes for the youth

From their features, to their performance,  Vasque’s Kids St. Elias UltraDry™ shoes are easily among the best kids hiking boots you can get for your young ones today. They are the over-the-ankle hiking shoe type, waterproof with a lace-up closure, and compact. The kid will put them on, walk on wet paths, cross small water pools, and play in the water, but the inside will remain dry.

Interestingly, these same shoes guarantee safe and accident-free hikes. Forget about the Suede leather, meshed Ultra-Dry membrane, and its rubber toe caps that protect the toes from injuries, this shoe’s compression-molded EVA midsoles are gold!

With EVA midsoles and rugged outsoles, every stride feels comfortable. There are even multidirectional lugs that even traction on all terrains to provide that “cushiony” feel. In the end, the overall hiking experience on these boots is what a little champ will fall in love with!

But, how durable are they?

Much as this affordable hiking boot won’t do much damage on that wallet, durability is also key to choosing any kids hiking boots. Vasque – KIDS ST. ELIAS ULTRADRY Hiking Boot comes with a suede leather top that can withstand extreme hikes for years.

Its molded rubber toe caps and the rugged outsoles are also guaranteed to last. Going by these shoes’ general build, the kid may even outgrow them and pass them on!

The boots MSRP for just $79.99 HERE, and come in either black and brown color waves. Pop a visit to Vasque and get ready for the best adventures with the whole family!

Specifications

• Gender: Kids – unisex.
• Uppers: tough, waterproof leather, and abrasion-resistant mesh.
• Technology: Anatomical Compression-Molded EVA midsoles, rubber toe cap, and rugged rubber Vasque Kids Monolith outsoles.
• Lining: UltraDry waterproof, breathable membrane.
• Size and weight: 2.0-6.0; 668g
• Colors: Black and Chocolate Brown.

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The post Salomon Outline Prism Mid GTX Hiking Shoe: Lightweight, Flexible, and Fully Waterproof appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

How Do They Compare?

While most poor quality hiking boots on the market today won’t get you through a solid year worth of outdoor adventures, these Women’s TALUS XT GTX Hiking Boots will.

The difference lies in the unique exterior and interior of the shoe, with a moisture–wicking textile lining design and premium Nubuck leather upper that maintains its durability far more effectively than most boots we’ve come across.

Not only that, but the Vasque-exclusive VIBRAM Mega Nuasi with Megagrip Compound ensures you have solid footing throughout your hikes, even across the most difficult types of terrain – perhaps the paramount feature of any hiking boot. This provides aggressive traction and toe protection, so you can enjoy the hike more and worry less.

Finally, these hiking boots are also made with GORE-TEX and performance comfort technology for prolonged comfort, water resistance and durability.

The difference with these boots is that they maintain breathability and maximum waterproof quality for the whole hike, providing greater enjoyment and memories to last a lifetime! Plus, who doesn’t want a lightweight pair of hiking boots? With the TALUS XT GTX boot, you can get all the features of a heavy-duty design, minus the bulk weight. A feature of this innovative product we at Vanish cannot praise enough!

Various Uses

With the Women’s TALUS XT GTX Hiking Boots, you can experience any outdoor adventure in greater comfort and with superior support. This is not just limited to hiking, but also camping, fishing, hunting, and plenty of other outdoor activities that may require optimal foot support!

Conclusion

When adventure calls for a pair of hiking boots that are durable, comfortable, waterproof, breathable, and most importantly, reliable, you can’t go wrong with the Women’s TALUS XT GTX Hiking Boot by Vasque.

Vasque has hit a home run with these boots, which are offered in a variety of sizes and two distinct colorways to suit your preferences. The boots MSRP at $209.99 and are available here.

The post Women’s TALUS XT GTX Hiking Boots By Vasque: An Unbeatable Addition To Your Outdoor Wear appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

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