Sporting gifts give jocks style, tunes, muscle

No doubt everyone on your gift list – regardless of age, weight, VO2 max – has a beloved participatory sport that he or she enjoys anywhere from casually to (commonly around here) obsessively.

Take note of the favored activity, and find a novel gadget or accessory geared to ease or augment the sporting experience to make your holiday shopping complete in a flash. To facilitate the search, here are some sparkling possibilities currently available in local stores and online shopping emporiums.

Biking

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Commuting by bicycle can get dicey after sunset. To ensure safe travels give Planet Bike Alias Headlight, which features a 10-watt bulb, compact design and easy clip on and off action. ($89.97, Performance Bike Shop in Boulder) Feet need attention, too. To warm pedaling feet, Pearl Izumi Cyclone Booties ($39.99) are durable and snazzy.

For refueling during any exertion, give a supply of certified organic, good-for-you energy snacks – Cliff Shot Bloks. The Bloks provide a jolt of nutrition – carbohydrates, electrolytes – the same as gel packs, but in solid, chewy form. Flavors include lemon lime, cran razz, strawberry, black cherry, orange, margarita, cola and pina colada. Box of 12, $19.95; also at Performance Bike Shop.

Golf

Rangefinders, just ruled kosher by the USGA, are the hot item for golfers. Bushnell rangefinders, (Pinseeker 1500 Tournament Edition, Slope Edition, Yardage Pro Tour, $199 – $399) shoot a laser out to a target measuring distance, eliminating the guesswork when it comes to club selection. The SkyCaddie GPS – another option – assesses distance from where you’re standing. No need to point and shoot. ($279.99) All at Golf Headquarters in Boulder and Longmont.

Another score booster: The Breakmaster digitally reads greens, and just may help improve play. ($79.95, Sharper Image, FlatIron Crossing).

There’s a new and better way to repair divots. Unlike the traditional tool with a fork, prone to damaging roots, the Mark Mender pulls the turf together with a squeeze eliminating the ball mark. (A four pack, $29.99 www.markmender.com)

If weather has obliterated the green with white, then let your golf-obsessed spouse read all about the game in “The Disorderly Compendium of Golf,” by Lorne Rubenstein and Jeff Neuman ($13.95, Workman Publishing). The book has 352 pages of history, how to, humor, statistics, trivia – minutiae – sure to enthrall those who love to play and ruminate on the royal and ancient game.

Hiking/Camping

Any outdoorsy type would relish a new backpack, particularly one that provides support and balance for weighty cargo. Deuter packs have a ventilated back shield for protection, cross padding for stability and comfort, shoulder straps and hip belt that ease the load and are “H2O system compatible.” ($89 to $120, Backcountry Escape in Longmont). For precious cargo, the Deuter Kid Comfort II pack ($179.95), according to store owner Anthony Andrist, “has a narrow profile, centers on the hips, making it easier to carry weight.”

The gift of seeing in the dark would please hikers and even winter grillmeisters. The Black Diamond head lamp illuminates the night – the trail or the steak – with a 1-watt LED light, is trim, efficient and powered by one AAA battery. ($42.95) Camping gear that warms and energizes is another option. The Jetboil Java Kit includes the essentials for prepping espresso in the wilderness, including the Jetboil cooking system stove, coffee press and coffee beans. ($89.95)

For utmost safety, the TerraFix 406 GPS I/O personal locator beacon will help rescuers do their job, to be used when “all other means of self rescue have been exhausted.” ($699 at REI; $75 rebate on the manufacturer’s Web site www.acrterrafix.com)

Running

Tunes make the miles go faster, and just how much faster? Find out with Nike + shoes ($85 and up) in concert with the iPod Sport kit ($29) and an iPod Nano ($149 and up). The shoes have a built-in pocket under the insole that accommodates the Sport Kit’s sensor, allowing the shoes to communicate with the iPod Nano. While the user pounds the trails entertained by tunes, the sensor measures pace, distance, time and calories burned and relays that critical information (in a female or male voice – your pick – through the iPod. (Boulder Running Company, Apple Store)

Or forget music. Give a personal trainer that fits on the wrist. The Garmin Forerunner 305 tracks heart rate, speed, distance, altitude pace and calories burned and has a high-sensitivity GPS receiver to guide your runner back home. ($368, Fleet Feet Sports, Boulder) It works for not just running, but biking, too. Another possibility, the Forerunner 205 offers the same sizzling qualities, except no heart rate monitor. ($268)

Keep drinking – how often are those words mentioned at holiday time? To enable uninterrupted hydration, give a Fuel Belt to your runner (or enthusiast of any taxing sport). It straps around the waist, and holds two 7-ounce bottles for filling with the beverage of choice. ($34, Fleet Feet Sports) To keep digits toasty, 180’s are convertible gloves with optional mitten tips for running in Boulder’s ever-fluctuating weather. ($30)

Skiing/Boarding

‘Tis the season for snow sports, and there are a multitude of gift options in this category. For musical accompaniment, consider the Burton Audex beanie with built in headphones to amplifying any MP3 player. Or go for an enhanced helmet, like the Giro Nine.9 Audio II, complete with built in speakers in the earpads that enables the user to plug in both a player and cell phone. ($129.99)

Or opt for goggles. Knowledge goggles from Smith fit over regular prescription glasses and come with a fan to keep the lenses fog free. ($130) Oakley Stockholm goggles ($120) are designed to suit women’s “cranial geometry,” (smaller frame, better fit) and have dual-vented lenses.. And Anon goggles for boarders come in a range of fun colors. ($79-$100). All at Christy Sports.

For all-sport, all-purpose warmth, go Chameece, a lightweight fleece with a cashmere-esque feel. The muffler ($15) or stole ($35) provides softness and warmth for anyone on your gift list. Or go for jackets ($84 for women, $80 for men) or plush pants ($64). At MontBell, Twenty Ninth Street.

Swimming

For the runner in rehab, the Aqua Jogger is a flotation device that hooks around the waist and allows upright water running, without impact. This gift helps maintain fitness while recovering from such injuries as stress fractures and strains. ($54.95, Boulder Running Company)

For those who prefer to be face down in water, give eye protection with uber goggles. Aqua Sphere Kaiman goggles allow an 180-degree view – perfect for open water swimming – are anti-fog and made of soft rubber that encircle the eyes gently. ($20, Fleet Feet Sports)

Toughen up your lap swimming with Alpha Swim Fins ($29.95), to increase kick efficiency, and Hydro Gloves ($15.95) which help build upper body strength.

Tennis

What sweeter gift that a racquet with a generous sweet spot? The Prince 03 series have a sweet spot 54 percent larger than conventional racquets and a speedier swing. Three potential game enhancers include the 03 Hybrid Hornet ($159.99), 03 Tour ($179.99) or 03 Red Mid Plus ($219.99). All at Dick’s Sporting Goods, FlatIron Crossing.

Yoga

To prevent contact with the fetid surface of shared yoga mats (home to organisms you don’t want to be intimate with) the best gift for the yoga aficionado on your list is basic: a washable yoga mat. Gaiam makes one that is machine washable (hang to dry). $19.95, Dick’s Sporting Goods.

As for fashion, go for the Reverse Groove Single or Double Stripe Pants, which are reversible (all black or black with bright stripe), low rise, preshrunk and very flattering in downward facing fish and other poses. ($84) Pair those with a Power Y Tank ($44), also reversible, and you’ve got an outfit. For the active man, try the sport Wideleg, $84, (also, like the aforementioned garments, in a fabric that wicks away moisture, keeping the wearer cool and dry). lulemon athletica, Twenty Ninth Street.