Lafuma Malaysia

by Shanti Gunaratnam , published in NST Travel Tips It is a lot easier to pack a backpack and also carry it compared with conventional bags. And backpacks come in many sizes — from five to 50 litres or even more — depending on what you are planning to use it for. According to Ng Hock Soon, director of Yellow Stone Sdn Bhd, the exclusive distributor of the Lafuma brand in Malaysia, the bigger backpacks come with rain covers and you can fit in more things, including your sleeping bags for your camping trips for two or three nights away from home. The company offers everything for the outdoor enthusiast, whether for nature walking, travelling, camping or active pursuits such as trail running, hiking, trekking, climbing, adventure racing and cycling. So how will one know what sort of backpack to buy? Trying one is important, to see whether the backpacks come with good shoulder support. Liquid gel in the shoulder straps are comfortable. Then check out the compartments and big backs that com

Last weekend was a bit hectic for me, it was Gasing at first, followed by a concert in Genting, came down as early as 6am for Bukit Tabur Hike. Came all the first timers at Tabur, Mr Ng and I met Peik Lean, Hui Gee, Englebert, Azman and Edina. Energetic at first, without knowing what to expect, we started off up the longest quartz ridge in the world. (For me, that was my sixth time up this pretty lil rock!) Peik Lean was amazed with the scenery, saying that it was tougher yet better than the Mulu pinnacles. Meanwhile, Azman was there taking his sweet time enjoying his 'energy booster'. The first timer trekker from Hungary, Edina, was busy taking photos and love what Malaysia nature could offer. I remembered that the siblings - Hui Gee and Englebert, the sister showed off her talent in sales during our Summer Products Preview as the brother who has a very special name was focusing on the shoes and jackets. I guess Mr Ng was happy to see all of us finish the trek in 5 hours. Th

From left: Pooi Fan, Lee, Xin Tong, Wendy, Barbara, Jeanette, Ng and Joan Come up, limber up those joints & muscles ala Xin Tong & H. S. Ng of YellowStone. Jolly good company, fresh & cool air, refreshing greenery plus a landslide to add excitement to the 2-hour hike was the lingiring memory of the recent Bukit Gasing Hike. I have a trekking pole to help me but it got jammed. I know now that the proper way to care for trekking poles is:- 1) Dry-clean your poles after using ity and open the locking mechanism. 2) Always store your telescopic poles with non-fixed locking mechanism. 3) Never use lubricants on or in the shaft. Wiser now, I did not follow above & I was blissfully ignorant. The end result now, I have a less-than-perfect trekking pole. However, thanks to the pole, I have protected my knee joints, muscles & tendons when trekking the steep & rough terrain at Bukit Gasing. I like the lafuma outings such as the Bukit Gasing Hikes. One can meet interesting

Admin: Special thanks to Barbara, Joleen and KC who attended the hike and to Raleigh International Kuala Lumpur, the main organizer. Xin Tong & Ng Hock Soon of Lafuma win BIG on the recent Chilling Waterfall Hikes. I am 53 with lots of energy that was built upon hours of running and years of walking. I practise trekking and Nordic walking at FRIM. Hungry to wander further, I sought Lafuma's expertise who are experienced in leading such hikes. Though, it was my first water-crosssing (six in all), the experienced guides like Lyman, Nisha & of course Xin Tong (all are from the Raleigh International Kuala Lumpur) - about 40 young men & ladies age from 17 to below 30; led me through an exciting 2-hour hike (to & from) to enjoy the Chilling Waterfalls at Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor. I rate this experience as very repeatable. Much thanks to Lafuma's Ng Hock Soon & company. I also get to blog now! For more pictures, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/xintong87/Chillin

This month, Lafuma Malaysia Adventure Group is going to raise our flags at these few places. Details are as below: 12 April (Saturday) Hike to Sungai Chiling Waterfall + Lafuma Summer 08 Products Preview Time : 7.00am Duration : 5 hours Meet Up Point : Lafuma Bangsar, Jalan Telawi Charges : RM 15 (LMAG members) RM 20 (non LMAG members) Notes: (includes light snack + shared transport) Transportation : Carpooling Things to bring : Day pack, casual wear, sandals, swimming clothing, towel, water, snacks, extra clothes to change Registration close on 9 April 2008. 19 April (Saturday) Bukit Gasing, Morning Hike + Lafuma Summer 08 Products Preview Time : 8.00am Duration : 3 hours Meet Up Point : Lafuma Bangsar, Jalan Telawi Charges : FOC (for both LMAG members and non LMAG members) Transportation : Carpooling Things to bring : Day pack, casual wear, trekking shoes, rain jacket / poncho, water, snacks, extra clothes to change Registration close on 16 April 2008. 20 April (Sunday) Bukit Tabur,

Members Special (15% discount) BAHO Jacket, IKER LS Tee Shirt, STORD GTX XCR Trail Running Shoes, IMPACT 22 Backpack, NANGA 40 Rucksack April Promotion (10% discount) INUIT II PARKA Jacket, MAGNUM Luggage, EFFECT 25 Backpack

Date figure - 29 March 2008 Time figure - 1930hrs - 2130hrs Few Earth Hour supporters gathered at Lafuma to spectaculate this global movement. The phrase went like this "Earth Hour 8 to 9. Turn off your lights." The whole shop was peach dark, with only a glow toob on with SOS signal. Customers walked in with torches given and started their exploration journey in the shop. Apparently, they felt that they see better in the dark. Every single thread, every single zipper, never been missed with the explaination of our staffs to them. Especially our ECO products which we were promoting, they were stars of the night's sales. Some came in, to grow their pledges on our ECO tree. Here are some of the pledges : "We are all responsible to spread the global warming awareness message over the world! Let us make a difference to our earth! Let's support global cooling!" -- CK "I pledge to use maximum 2 plastic bags per week, litter less, and use more paper-made s