Trail & Timberline features

Love in the CMC: how members of the Colorado Mountain Club found love and each other (tho' not in that order!)

Europe on a bicycle built for two

Hearing Gearguy relate the story of the “big wind” up on Mount Elbert on that climb back in ’91 is a lot like listening to a fish story. Every time he tells the tale, the wind gets a little stronger. And when he gets to the part where everyone was stripped to their shorts, you start to wonder if Gearguy is just a big “blowhard.” If only you had been there in person with your trusty Kestrel 2000 Thermo-Anemometer in hand.

Gearguy decided to take a look at this device with an eye toward its usefulness for typical CMC activities, as well as to promote truth-telling. Developed by Nielsen-Kellerman Instruments, the Kestrel 2000 is a tiny vane-type anemometer and thermo meter that measures wind speed and air temperature. It weighs barely 1.5 ounces, runs on a watch battery, and is only a little bigger than a pack of cards. The housing is waterproof and floats, and it includes a clever slip-on hard case. The impeller mounts in precision jewel bearings and looks a bit fragile, but it is easy to pop in a replacement.

The digital display shows wind speed, temperature, or wind chill readings. It can store in memory things such as average and maximum wind speeds. Two buttons control all the action. Simply hold the unit up into the wind to take a reading. To get an accurate reading, you need to take some care to aim it square with the wind and away from any obstructions.

Wind speed can be measured down to as low as 0.7 mph. The upper limit for the device is a gale force 89 mph, fine since the user is likely to fly off at anything higher. (There is a lanyard included for holding on to the unit itself.) One of our users compared the device against a calibrated test unit and noted that the Kestrel was consistently a bit low. Vane-type devices can be affected by air density, and since the unit is calibrated at an altitude lower than Colorado’s, you might expect this.

Most CMC hikers and climbers, who spend only a few hours at a time above treeline, will not find this an especially necessary gadget to include in their pack. Winter enthusiasts might find something useful in the wind chill feature. Pricey? A little. Outdoor essential? No, but a nifty high-tech device that high altitude climbers or rescue personnel could use in gauging the impact of high winds on their activities. Gearguy thinks he’ll pass on this one, figuring his wallet will be heavier without it, making it less likely he’ll get blown over. Besides, it would ruin his story.

The following folks contributed to this article: Ward Hobert, Bill Cranep

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