Tag: Skiing

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Birkie Fever

It hurt. I anticipated that. About 40k in, my arms were starting to cramp. When I reached the lake I could feel the gas really running out. When I crossed the finish line I could barely walk, my feel were so sore. But it was a success, I finished. My first Birkie, I was proud of my effort and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

What I hadn’t anticipated was the view, the sounds, the feeling that greeted me when I topped out on the bridge and looked down onto Main Street. A thousand people? More? The sound was deafening, the air was electric. The road covered with snow and skiers, the sidewalks packed with screaming fans, for a brief moment we all shared in the spectacle. I wasn’t ready for how that made me feel.

In a word, inspired.

For a few hours I stumbled around watching new friends finish, meeting fans, drinking coffee, beer, eating doughnuts, whatever I could find. I walked up onto the bridge and looked back down Main Street, it made me want to cry.

During a time when everything feels so fragmented, so divided, when huge problems loom all around us seeming bigger than we could possibly ever solve, here was a writhing, thriving, refreshing, and reassuring mass of people gracefully proving all that wrong.

Close to six thousand people skied the birkie that day, and each one of them possesses a spirit of courage and determination necessary to overcome challenges we can’t even imagine, all borne from the most simple love of sliding on snow.

I’m grateful for every facet of the ski industry and culture that occupies my life, but this one runs deepest, it’s opened to door to it all. There’s no paying back where it’s gotten me or how it’s helped me navigate the twists and turns, the hills and icy tracks of my life. There’s only taking part, in continuing the tradition, skiing every day with love and gratitude.

Thanks to the over three thousand volunteers who made this event one of the most memorable weekends of my life. I look forward to seeing you again. 

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Gnarnia

When you’re young you’re told of magic, myths, and miracles. You’re made to believe, to wonder about what’s out there, what’s real. It’s like a set up, or a trap, only it’s meant to make us want to discover. We’re told there are doors that will open into new worlds, realities that fulfill our wildest dreams. We can live however we want, be whoever we want. Continue reading “Gnarnia”
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Skiing Sympathies

Living in Little Cottonwood Canyon during the winter, I’m lucky to be able to enjoy backcountry skiing in both wilderness and watershed areas, zones that are free (read – prohibited) of snow-machine travel.  If you’re reading this, most likely you’re a skier or snowboarder, and even if you use an old beat-up sled to get deep into the mountains, once you’re there you probably trade it for skins and slog your way up the mountainside to earn your face shots.  Backcountry skiing is about solitude and isolation, a dance with the wilderness.  When not used correctly, snow-machines can create a noisy, hectic, and often dangerous atmosphere.  If you value you value the solitude and serenity of a quiet mountain range dressed in white, then you should know this: on June 18th, the Forest Service issued a long-awaited rule for public comment on designating areas as open or closed to winter motorized vehicles, this is a good first step, but comments from our backcountry community can make it stronger! Your help is both needed and essential to capitalize on this opportunity to bring balance to the backcountry.  By designating specific trails and areas where over-snow vehicle use may occur, winter travel planning is an opportunity to bring balance to the backcountry.  The community of backcountry skiers needs to be heard!  Please consider adding your comment to the voices of support for human-powered winter recreation.  To get a better grasp of the issues at hand, and help you draft a comment worthy of consideration, the Winter Wildlands Alliance has put together a very helpful page to aid you in navigating this beurocratic issue.  Keep reading to see a few links that can help you along, as well as my annotated comment if you’re interested.  LET’S DO THIS!!!

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Lessons Learned

We each want to progress, to learn and improve.  Each generation is not only lucky enough to build upon the efforts of those before us, but we too act, practice and refine our thoughts, our crafts, and our lives to be more in line with an evolving world view.  As climbers and adventurers we strike off, in an effort to learn more about life by experiencing it in extremes.  As we scratch the surface, the experiences call us back again and again, and soon we become more proficient and comfortable with the logistics, trouble, and physical hardship that often go along with these trips.  We learn from friends and relatives, books and movies, and of course our own personal adventures.  Certain disciplines call us, whether it be bouldering or alpine climbing, creek-boating or surfing, as the specialists we are we devour this lifestyle completely, striving to understand every angle and aspect of it’s execution.  Along the way we come to understand more about ourselves and the world, and subsequently the relationship between each.

This concept of bicycle-powered adventure is not new, and there are seemingly more and more resources appearing every day on it’s subject.  While I do not claim much experience from my limited adventures, from the meager amount I’ve learned along the way, I do wish to add my voice to the chorus of encouragement.  Truth is this is all still so new to me, and although we’ve been living the bicycle-life for about two and a half years, I constantly find myself exploring new aspects that keep it fresh, challenging, and exciting.  This was the first trip I’ve ever done that involved skis, only the second that involved snow, and the first that involved multiple stages of shipping gear.  In an effort to clear away some of the confusion, and help with the logistics of your own ride, I wanted to share as much of this knowledge as I can, in hopes that you’ll be able to take it one step farther, while doing it easier.  While in no way comprehensive, chronological, or even ordered, what’s below is one part trip report, one part advice, and three parts rambling rhetoric, enjoy.

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The Sawtooth Scenic Byway

I’ve been sitting here for too long already.  I want to tell you the story, but this one’s not easy, and more to the point, it’s not yet over.  The adventure continues to expand, and exceed all expectations. No words are doing justice to the feelings we’ve had, it seems I’ll have to let the photo’s do the talking this time.  What is the message?  It is not about the no-car, it is not about the bike.  It isn’t even about the mountains or the adventure, although that’s getting closer to the source.  You can live any way you choose: dream big, do good, be kind.  Do Epic Shit.  Live with passion and be the force for positive change.  Create the world, the reality you want to inhabit. Live your Dreams.

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Human-Powered Mountaineers go skiing.

For the past six months my primary modes of transportation have been skis and the ski lift.  While the latter isn’t human powered, I like to think of it as a form of underutilized public transportation. Between this and my occasional forays into the nearby backcountry I’ve been keeping a pretty low profile, skiing a lot but not really talking about it much here, there’s something about the familiarity of your backyard that keeps me from bringing along a camera or posting videos from each of the thousands of runs I’ve skied.  Alta’s a special place where there’s an endless amount of amazing skiing to be had and it can all be accessed by starting right out your front door.  My friend Chris Bangs of the Human-Powered Mountaineers is a little different though.  Coming from his home of Bozeman Montana he’s got a little bit of an approach to get the the mountain of his choice, an approach that sometimes covers well over 100 miles and he covers with the use of a bicycle and skis, keeping his trips 100% human powered.  Take a look at some of the short videos he’s put together about his project he’s calling the 7 summits of Bozeman.  An inspiring individual and a bit of an eye opener into what’s truly possible in winter human powered mountaineering. Continue reading “Human-Powered Mountaineers go skiing.”

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Unexpected Surprises

Borrowed from The Skier Boyz

You don’t always head out the door expecting greatness.  Sometimes you’re not that inspired, your motivation level is low and you just can’t seem to get stoked.  A long night of drinking, lots of crowds, gray-skull and no new snow, maybe you’re tired and just want to chill.  But some one or some thing gets you out there, gets you going, and you find a spark.  The rhythm of the skin track lets your mind wander, a hole in the clouds burns through and a sunlit ridgeline beckons.  You make it to a summit, the snow is softer then you thought, you’re with a friend you love, and you can’t think of anything better in the world.

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