Doug Coombs was inducted into the U.S. Skiing Hall of Fame a couple of weeks ago, which was appraisingly noted throughout the ski world. Congratulations to Doug. He deserves it, and I only wish he were still here to enjoy it. Unfortunately, Doug died in a fall in 2006, and although it’s harsh to say, the sad reality is that if he were still alive, he would not be in the hall. The U.S. Skiing Hall of Fame is woefully out of touch with the full-flavored complexities of modern skiing, and big-mountain pioneers like Doug are more typically ignored in favor of alpine racers, instructors, and industry functionaries whose accomplishments are long forgotten.
From the monthly archives:
November 2009
SICK: Speed-Riding Skier Escapes Massive Avalanche
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It’s been more than a year since MSP was putting together Claim, but that doesn’t mean its footage isn’t worth dusting off now. This little seggie of Antoine Montant proves that being French requires imagination, balls, a more than casual flirtation with high-speed mishaps, and the embrace of what some might call stunts. Hey, today he’s Jerry Lewis, tomorrow a comic genius…CONTINUE>
Much like male pattern baldness, the ice sheets of Antarctica have followed a relatively predictable march of deterioration. The western edge of the continental ice shelf has crumbled, while the eastern side has remained stable. Or so we thought. Now, just as a dude with receding hairline suddenly finds a bare spot in the back, NASA has discovered that the “stable” side of Antarctica actually isn’t.
The Los Angeles Times has published a cranky little diatribe about the grammar in National Geographic Channel’s beautiful new advertising spot, “Live Curious”. Writer Dan Neil spends 700-plus words complaining about the grammatically improper use of “live curious”. He also throws a few barbs at the NGC ad for focusing on people instead of animals, which he considers to be National Geographic’s mainstay. Watch for yourself and see what you think.
If you happen to have a cool mil or two lying around, you should take a hard look at the Elk Meadows ski area auction, currently scheduled to end Monday evening, November 23. Current high bid is just $1.16 million. Okay, true, that’s a lot of loot, but we need to have some perspective here: For the cost of a Laguna Beach teardown, you get 1,138 acres of gorgeous terrain in central Utah, six lifts, two lodges, nine condos, and 400 inches of annual snowfall.
I don’t care if I’m the last person on the planet to discover this. It’s too good not to share.
Depending on who’s doing the talking and how deep their musical reference points go, Jake Shimabukuro is described as either “the Jimi Hendrix of ukulele” or “the Eddie Van Halen of ukulele”. It’s a simple way to wrap your head around the magic that transpires between Shimabukuro and this small, four-string instrument–and a lot stronger sell than “guy alone on stage with ukulele”. But it doesn’t do Jake justice.
If you have only a vague sense of Norway as fjords, cruise ships, snowflake sweaters, and dried fish, it’s long past time to update the internal wiki. Norway, as the talented cover blurb writers at National Geographic recently put it, is “Europe’s Next Adrenaline Capital”. In fact, Norway will blow you away with its beauty, its open space, and, most of all, its potential for adventure.
This new promo video for Guinness is confounding. Whether you believe in a creator or simply that mankind needs some humility in the face of nature, it might (probably will) strike you as arrogant or even sacrilegious. Who was the marketing genius who decided that Guinness-drinking bohunks made the world? On the other hand, the combination of live action and special effects is impressive and it’s fun to watch just for the scenery. And I like to think that one of its (mixed) messages is that the earth could use a little restoration after all we’ve done to it. Well, whatever–watch and decide for yourself.
The Ultimate Ski Area Snow Report List
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Hey, it snowed. Chairlifts are running. Get on it! And here’s something to add to your life list: Start by skiing every state with a ski hill. Then ride every hill with a lift. Hey, there’s only 481–it’s doable.
A few days ago, I had the brilliant idea that the world would be a better place if The Adventure Life listed every ski hill in the United States, along with links to their websites and their snow reports. Now, there’s no shortage of fast ways to find snow reports, from websites to iPhone apps, but for some reason I thought having them all on one page would be cool. Armed with a list of every last one, I started googling, cutting, and pasting.
The reductionist magic of time lapse never fails to entrance. Blu is an Italian street artist who’s broadened his environmental portraiture into an unfolding narrative of motion and whimsy. To put it another way, he’s make time-lapse videos of his paintings and they’re rad. Check out this collaboration with David Ellis. I won’t tell you anything about it, except that you’ll be blown away.
Chris Jordan’s images of trash and the detritus of consumption are disturbing, but also strangely optimistic. The issues around climate change are complex and diffuse–it’s hard to see how any one person’s behavior can have a tangible effect. But garbage.
On September 19, 2009, British cyclist James Bowthorpe rolled into London and climbed off his bike for the first sustained period in six months. The 32-year-old had just smashed the record for circling the globe on a bicycle: His 174-day, 18,000-mile journey was a ridiculous 20 days faster than the previous record. Along the way, he raised $100,000 for Parkinson’s research, was chased by thugs in Iran, and found that Turkey and Kentucky are rivals for friendliest spots on Earth. The Adventure Life caught up with Bowthorpe as he was recovering in London—after six months in the saddle, he still can’t stand longer than a half hour at a time.
Big doings around the Adventure Life–or little ones, perhaps–and I’d like to bring them to your attention. First, you can now email a post or story simply by clicking on the email icon below the title of every piece. Second, the site is now optimized for iPhone, iPod Touch, and a few other mobile phones.
60-Second Expert: How to Manage Your Climbing Skins
‘Pillow Line’ Is A Charming Stop-Motion Winter Delight
Telluride Contest Has a Winner: Home-Made Video Grabs the Loot
8 Days of Climbing + 10 Pounds of Tequila = New 1,100-Foot Tepui Route
The Gallery of the OIdest Living Things in the World
60-Second Expert: How to Make a Skiing Kick Turn
And the Oscar For Best Use of Sheep Goes To…
Clothes Make the Man…And They Make A Difference for Nepal’s Women
Surviving A Massive Earthquake and Tsunami: What It Feels Like
Waves That Will Make You Say ‘Hurry Up, Summer’
The New Snow Test That Could Save Your Life
Earth’s Day Shortened, Axis Tilted By Chile Earthquake
The Greenest Job? Might Be Professional Tree Climber
60-Second Expert: The Right Way to Clean Your Goggles
Before There Was The Hurricane, There Was the Double Daffy
