Ride along with Tyson

In an effort to complete an assignment for my Magazine writing class I got the number of Tyson Goodrich from a friend of mine. Tyson is the man behind Park City's half pipe. A pipe that has hosted some of the biggest events in snowboarding. A location that has been at the center of the progression of the sport for a long time. I am writing the story and submitting it, we will see if it gets published. If not I will post it on here later. The evening was eye opening to say the least. There is a lot that goes into making and maintaining the 550 foot long, 22 foot pipe.

When you are watching the upcoming olympics on TV, take a second to admire the handy work of a skilled craftsmen. These guys are artists sculpting snow with the precision of surgeons.

Boarding with Bro

Bro, Broski, Brophet, Brorphan, Broseidon, Brotato Chip, Brotein Shake, and Broseph Stalin. See that guy there in the middle? That there is my brother Todd Parker Earl and he is all of the aforementioned types of bro to me. Not in the "I drive a big bro truck that is lifted and chicks dig me" type way. Just the Brotherly way.

This winter hasn't been to kind to the Brotato chip. This was one of the few days he has felt well enough to go boarding. Thanks to some new meds he felt up to it today so we spent it just seeking out side hits and cruising the mountain. Mo, Tyler, Parker, and Justin rounded out the crew making for some fun boarding. I rode with my camera the whole day but in my haste to find those sweet spots I didn't pull it out for any action shots.

Sir Tyler Galloway.

A February Ride in Photos

As my wheels gobbled up the asphalt that lay before me this evening I realized how much I love being outside. I don't really understand how people don't like the "outdoors". On top of that there are all these people that hate winter. To each his own but forget them, winter is wonderful. The leafless trees, mountains plastered in white, and golden colors of dormant plant life all make for a whole different feel. I wish everyone would stop using the cold temp's as an excuse to not be out. The Human race is pretty smart... we invented things like coats and gloves. These special devices made by the wondrous mind of man actually keep the cold out. Go outside, you will be surprised what you find. Today I was.

Another Podcast

202 Serious Business - Wasatch: The Official Production Podcast from Parker Alec Cross on Vimeo.

A day of goofing off up in park city. It took a little while to figure out the run in, then I never figured out the speed. I haven't laughed that hard in a while, we pretty much didn't stop laughing the whole time.

Another Morning in the Fog

Here is my first attempt at a panorama... Didn't quite sew it together in photoshop. Shelby Burton and I drove up to the Canyons and ripped the mountain a new one. Here he is up top showing his wild style.

Hey Canyons how are you?

Monday... Monday's always seem to be good. I don't know what it is about snowboarding on a Monday that makes it so great, but it is. Maybe it's the fact that while everyone else is making the weary trudge into work, you get to go up and goof off with some friends on the mountain. The Canyons had fresh snow and we had an amazingly good time.

The backcountry is extremely dangerous right now. Arriving at the top of a few different lifts allowed us to see more than a handful of avalanche paths. I have never seen so many slides from a single vantage point. If you were thinking about going out there this weekend call this number: Avalanche Center 888-999-4019. It may just change your mind.


This is Steve trying to add an extra filter. He is always so health conscious.

A successful day.

Dear Saturday

Dear Saturday,
If you are going to be deep and full of bottomless turns, I would appreciate it if you didn't invite all of SLC up to Snowbird. Could you please put something better on TV than all the C.S.I. re-runs? Better cartoons for the kids? Maybe you could call Friday and see if there could be an increase in late parties so no one gets out of bed until noon. All these things would be much appreciated. I mean don't get me wrong today was amazing, but please make it so there is more riding and less lines. Oh, and less of this sketchy guy in the Jeep sliding all over the road in front of me. Thanks.

Sincerely,
Andy

Finally some pow

Standing on top of a line always has that mix of Christmas morning anticipation and a nervous excitement for what you are about to be fortunate enough to ride. It snowed. It snowed a few feet and you didn't have a meeting you had to be to, no class to worry about skipping, and no other commitment that kept you off the hill on a day when it was this good. You were able to blow it all off and just go.

Today was that day for me. Fresh snow, good friends, and I had no commitments to keep me from this blessed piece of the planet. I got to point it through this chute (above) and for me pointing it out of a line is twice the fun of any jump I have ever hit. It is just snowboarding. Nobody is trying to show off doing the next big trick. It is just real, having fun on the mountain.

One thing I love about the mountains is when you are in them you are able to connect with anyone on some strange level. Up there it doesn't matter what you do for a living, how much money you have, what crazy past you lived, or even if you're a Ph.D. Everyone in that moment is there for the same thing, no labels. Just riders.

A look back up. Upper cirque, I came out of Diagonal chute.

Here comes the boat.

Wasatch: The official production podcast

2-01 Reestablishment - Wasatch: The Official Production Podcast from Parker Alec Cross on Vimeo.

This is a podcast a buddy of mine puts together. Check it out.

Return to rail gardens

Super powers. We all wish we had them. Which would you choose? I thought about flying for a bit, but I think after a while it would take the fun out of things. Climbing wouldn't really work for me anymore, What kind of adventures could you have? Especially if no one else could fly. Super strength? Nah, Why would I want to pick up a car? I can't think of a time having to move a car would have come in handy. I can't even think of a time when I wanted to move a car. For the most part I feel plenty strong.

I think the best would be to heal fast, like when you were a kid playing guns and you get shot and have to wait like 30 seconds before you can play again. Then things would still have that scare factor that make them fun, because it still hurts but you get better quicker.

Tonight we gathered to the rail gardens for some snowboarding fun, the idea was to get as many shots as we could in 60 minutes. Problem was that I wasn't landing anything. I haven't hit a handrail in a long time. I ended up with only a couple shots. Oh well, we all have our days.

The reason I bring up the wishful thought of my chosen super power is because I wake up most mornings after snowboarding sore no matter what stretches I do. It lets me know I had fun, but sometimes I get sick of being reminded.

Let me clarify that I am not complaining, simply thinking that it would be nice. As I sit here writing my left butt cheek feels like I got a solid kick from Beckham and I don't remember where this came from. Thanks for nothing Beckham.


The gang after all was said and done.

Parker with all his super nice camera stuff.

Iced over

For some reason I never remember to bring my camera with me when I snowboard. Once we get some actual snow I think I may make a better effort. I decided I really like this spot for photos (if you didn't already know) so here are a few more of Deer Creek.

Slam DUNK

Tonight I realized I have missed doing night sessions. Pulling out the generator and lights, getting the cameras rolling, and a good group of guys all out for having some fun creates a really great vibe. We hit this basketball hoop for a bit and the first few hits were pretty funny. I took a couple spills but ended up landing something at least. It was fun riding with a different crew of guys.

I need to stop blogging after midnight... I think I make less sense.

Ninja.

I was running around taking pictures of the sunset in some random park right next to a main road. I was so stoked on the sunset I didn't think about how weird I must have looked. So I took a picture

Backcountry Fail

Well... Today didn't turn out out I had anticipated. My plan was to head up and ride the bird in the morning and then go up and start building a jump for tomorrow across the canyon from Alta resort. I met up with Jeff and Kelly Jorgensen to ride and everything was going great. There were cookies and vitamin waters on the tram deck, we cruised around just hitting little side hits and finding little stashes of pow in the trees. Awesome.

I left to get to hiking just before 2 p.m. and it started out great. That is until I realized we have as much snow as we normally do in early December. I had a spot all picked out in my head and I hiked over to it and thought it looked great. Then I walked down into the landing... I was punching through to rock pretty easily so I decided to go look around some more but didn't find anything. I even started to build but it didn't really work out. So I headed down. This is what happened when I went to cruise down. I thought to my self, "yeah, I will film myself getting some slashes in the pow." When I hopped to drop in I hadn't done up my bindings tight at all and I just dug my nose in and fell on my face. Sorry for the swears but it was too funny not to post. I was all alone up in the mountains and this is what I did.



I am loving these sunsets.

Night Riding at Sundance

Tonight the great and wonderful Montandons invited me up to Sundance to do some night skiing. This was my first time up to Sundance to ride and it is a pretty fun place. I had a blast and the views are amazing even at night. Thanks Eric and Whit.



Eric was working the lift so we hung out at the lift shack for a bit with him.

Another day at Snowbird

The day started off wrapped in cloud with some pretty solid wind gusts. The mountain was amazingly empty for a holiday weekend and we almost walked onto the tram the whole day with no wait.

The wind had picked up all the fresh snow and dumped it all in the westerly faces which made for some deep turns and fun lines.

Uriel getting in a solid heel-side slash

Jonas is so fun to ride with, it's a party the whole day. Today he was rapping and cracking jokes all morning about this Aztec cereal his Grandpa gave him for breakfast. I don't know what was in that stuff but it must be crazy good, he was bouncing off the walls.

The views from Snowbird are one of a kind.

Uriel and I squashed into the tram.

Snowbird...Deep.

Snowbird is the definition of good. I will now stand here with my legs apart so you can kick me where it counts for not getting a pass here the past several years. Yesterday I was so excited to be going to the Bird on a powder day I couldn't sleep. I got up early and threw together a couple sandwiches and was out the door almost on schedule to pick up Uriel. We met up with Jonas and Tony as soon as I picked up my pass.

Deep. That is all I can say about today. I might be able to fill the page with other adjectives such as great, sick, marvelous, perfect, and awesome. Maybe I should grab the thesaurus and keep going.

The only negative thing that happened today was that I snapped my board. The first casualty of the winter happened when I popped of this cliff into a band of rocks. My board took a pretty hard blow on a blunt surface and nothing really happened (that I could see). The next run I hopped up onto the side of the run and hit an awkward bump. Pop. That was the end of the Forum Lander 160. I rode it the rest of the day but it kept getting softer and softer.

My last run let me know it was time to go. I thought I could bomb out of this chute but when I tried to make some course corrections the tail of my board said no and then I was rag-dolling down the hill. Definitely not going to be able to turn my head tomorrow but I will remember the bliss of today and be okay with it.

A shot from my phone up hiking baldy.

Hiking the ridge.

Forrest Gladding was kind enough to shoot some photos of us (this is me on my broken board). Check out his blog www.forrestgladding.blogspot.com

This is Jonas Harris and at 11 years old he charges harder than just about anybody.

This is my board at the start of the day

This is my board at the end of it.

The sunset driving home on an epic last day of 2009. Happy New Year.

What people do...

I don't really know what is going on with this section of road and giving me interesting photos... I kind of felt bad snapping this picture, but I had my camera and couldn't resist.

Car accidents are the worst and so far in my life I have been in only two, the first of which wasn't really my fault. Sort of. Well you could say it was. Maybe it was partly my fault. It was st. patty's day back when I was about 17, I had just left a great day making turns in the white stuff to get to work. Rain had fallen throughout the morning but the storm turned cold and started to snow layering it's self nicely on top of a sheet of ice.

I always seem to try to take that extra run that makes me late, staying true to form I was in a hurry. The trusty ol' Nissan Sentra and I were making good time skiing down the canyon on four bald tires when my luck turned. I slid off the road. Nothing serious. I got out and began to dig my way out in hopes of still making it to work. My hands began to get cold so I opened my door and ducked my head inside, when out of nowhere I hear a honk as a dark navy Audi A4 clipped my leg and smashed off my door. Wow. I still remember this all so vividly. I was about an inch away from being an amputee. And that is how the Sentra was totaled.

Round two happened two years ago. It was one of those days where I should have just stayed home. Basically I rear ended the nicest little Nigerian family on the freeway totaling my Hyundai. I would go into more detail about it but I just feel like an idiot. I really wish I would have stayed in contact with that family... I hope everything all turned out okay. So that's my story. Don't crash your car because no matter what happens you feel like an A hole. Oh, and yes I did just abbreviate that.

Snow... we need more of it so start praying. I hope to flood my blog with backcountry adventures once there is enough coverage.

Fog

I love fog. It gives everything this semi-eerie feeling making it seem like I am passing into the surreal. As I drove past the turn off for the boat ramp I thought it would be interesting to see what its like down there in the winter.

Fishing in the winter... I don't get it. The mandatory sitting in one spot in the snow for hours seems a little tedious. Maybe if I had one of those big ice fishing huts with a recliner and TV inside. That makes sense. Fishing off the shore in the dead of winter... not so much. As I looked over at them they looked miserable, but I guess you could say that about all the things I love to do.

Frigid.

T.M.I. (To much info?)

Sometimes the body reacts to things, specifically injuries, in some weird ways. Through the years I have had my fair share of weird and painful things happen. Specifically in this post I would like to focus on a few things that have happened while snowboarding, it being winter and all. Although these two aren't the most painful of events they are brain busters.

In my younger years I thought it would be a great idea to do competitions. One sunny Saturday I was entered in a slope style event and I was feeling that nervous excitement which always seems to hang around competitive events. This feeling mixed with hitting jumps is most often not a good combo for me because for some reason I don't think very straight. As I dropped in and headed for the first jump I was so pumped I didn't pay much heed to my speed and as soon as I was spinning in the air I realized... I went just a little too fast. I landed really deep (pretty much flat) and bounced up with my adrenaline pumping. I finished my run and rode the rest of the day feeling great.

As I got home and pulled of my boot (yes, I used to drive in my boots. I know its a bad idea) my foot was completely black and blue from the little toe on up the side to my ankle. Not understanding why I didn't feel any pain during the day I poked my foot gingerly and found the whole side of my foot to be numb. It stayed that way for almost 3 months. I really don't know why...

The second weirdness to take place happens on a semi frequent basis. This is where I worry to be divulging to much info. When you hit a good sized jump and botch your landing sending your butt into the ground it is called "butt checking". Well, this happens to everyone fairly often and on occasion you can come down with a great deal of force.

Yesterday I took a really hard "butt check" on a jump and my body reacted. As I yelled and grabbed my butt I was convinced some brown matter had exploded through the escape hatch. I bounced up struggling to breathe. Did I really poop my pants? I didn't know. All I knew was that I felt as though I had been given a prostate exam by King Kong.

Don't worry, all was well and all was clean. The thing I don't understand is how nerves take the impact and send it off to the brain as "pooped pants". I was seriously convinced that I had messed myself, so much so that I was headed to the bathroom strait away to investigate. Luckily the feeling subsided before I got there. There is a long list of things I don't understand but yesterday made this one rise to the top of the list.

Deer Creek

Every time I drive past this lake it seems there is a postcard worthy picture just hanging off the side of the road. I love making the drive up to park city, passing through Provo Canyon and up through Heber. It is just great.

Demo Day at The Canyons

Finals... They are what I should have been doing all day yesterday. Lyman gave me a call earlier in the week to help him out doing a demo up at the Canyons resort. I had to pull my lazy sleep deprived butt out of bed at 5:30 a.m. to drive through un-plowed Provo Canyon to make it there by just after 7:00. The drive up was fun and every time I get in these situations where there is a foot of snow on the road, I love my car that much more. My Subaru handled it like a champ.

We all took turns working the tent and riding throughout the day. Jeff (my brother) just happened to be up there for his work's (Skullcandy Headphones) Christmas party. FREE LUNCH! thanks Jeff!

Brian and I got talking with the guys that run the park crew up there and we might get to go shoot some film with them here in the next couple weeks. There is a good vibe going up there and it was a good day on the hill.

Brian and Lyman attempting to ski after the resort had closed up and we were waiting to pack our stuff up on the gondola.

"Skiing is sketchy as hell"- Lyman

The Demo tent. It was a mellow day... we didn't bring too many boards.

Brian Wright. One of my favorite guys to ride with.

Seriously... The morning twilight is so awesome. SO BLUE!

Deeper....Another look

This is going to be so good.

Deeper Unplugged - Jeremy Jones Explains Deeper from Teton Gravity Research on Vimeo.

First real day of riding

Trying to wake myself up at 6:15 proved more difficult than I had imagined... for some brilliant reason I decided to sleep with my window cracked and my ceiling fan on high when it was 10 degrees outside. I finally got my act together and made it up to Park City. I was to help out at the Forum snowboards winter sales meeting. Industry folks come from all around the world to check out what next years product is like. I just was to turn screws and set up boards.

When the demo finally ended I got to go out and ride. I say this is the first "real" day of riding because I finally felt comfortable on my snowboard again. I met up with a fun crew of guys and we were all over the place. So much so that the next morning was a nightmare, I woke up feeling like I had been run over by a car. Every season is the same, you have to get used to all the bruises and sore muscles.

The Drive up proved to be treacherous on this snowy morning. I love driving in the snow, there is just something about it that makes me feel good inside.

Christmas is coming. It finally feels like December.

Chronicles of Bicycle Commuting

Rancid road kill, angry drivers, stinky pits, frigid mornings, flat tires, bugs in your eye, and every other negative thing about commuting by bicycle all fade away when you have a commute like today's.

I didn't buy a parking pass this semester to force myself into commuting on my bike for the whole time. As the end of the semester draws near and the weather grows colder I can look back on the little rides I got to take. What is so great about bicycle commuting? It is the slower pace, the opportunity to notice things that otherwise blur by with maybe a second glance into a rearview mirror.

Tonight, probably my last time to ride my bike to school this semester due to a wonderful forecast full of snow, was one of the best of all. As I rode through the frosty air, feeling the pinch of cold, the sun just hung on the horizon pitching gold hues on everything it touched. I had to stop and snap some pictures with my phone so I could show everyone what they are missing. I am not saying that it is always a good idea, and I am not about to get rid of my car, but do it when you can and you will be granted a whole new perspective on your commute.

Today was so cold. Look how pink my eyes are. 17 degrees this morning.

The blessings of a camera phone. It was such a nice night.

MILOBOT 3000

This is the Milobot 3000. Commercial to appear sometime in the future.

I work at a great shop called Milosport if ya'll didn't know. Look us up and come in for a visit. We have cool stuff.

Deeper; I can't wait for this one

Deeper from Anavak on Vimeo.

Another Arizona

Do you ever have those times where you think something is going to be way quick and easy and then you get a ways into it and realize it was a lot bigger project than you thought? Sometimes it turns out great, and others make you wish you could trade your situation for a punch in the face. Today was great thankfully, but I thought the drive would be a bit shorter.

I bought a map at REI to this location and it ended up being a really different place to climb. The routes we did were supposedly easy, but they were harder than I had anticipated for their rating. It was igneous rock and had plenty of tiny holds, not the large pockets I am used to climbing up in Utah.

TJ, AJ, and I ventured out to get all the ingredients for a good time. This place had a cool approach, shade, fun routes, and perfect temperatures. Mission accomplished.

TJ on our way out

We started playing on this traverse for a bit... it had some pretty fun moves. Heel hook

AJ on his way up.

Don't look at me.

The approach and running across the highway on our way out.

Climbing toward thanks.

My first few days in Phoenix consisted of just hanging around, but I felt a little stir crazy faster than I would have thought. Calling upon one of my old mission companions, Nate Wengert, we headed out in search of some good climbing at Camelback, right dead smack in the middle of town.

Last night I looked up a climb on mountainproject.com which ended up leading us to nowhere. We found a climb, but it only went up 3 bolts before topping out with nothing up above. Needless to say I was down climbing for a good 15-20 feet.

Deciding we didn't have enough info we headed to REI and bought a couple maps and returned to finally get some climbing done. Arizona... I really never thought I would like you, but now I think we can be friends. There is so much cool climbing here.

Overlooking the valley... It is so flat here, the formations are the only place to really get any type of a view.

The lichens look almost neon here.

Tipping... my opinion

“What can I get you tonight sir?” Said the waiter while wearing his best smile.

“How about an ‘I’m cheap Sandwich’ with a side of ‘I treat people like vending machines.”

“And to drink?”

“A glass of don’t talk to me, I am above you.”

I live in Utah County, a place notorious for bad tippers. Where people pull their little tip calculators out of their little pockets to make sure they give their little tip for their overly presumptuous waiters who work in hopes of making decent money. Do these people realize how stingy they are being? Is it so hard to give a good tip? It is almost comical how someone can sit and debate between a two-dollar tip and a three-dollar tip. It is a dollar… really… one-dollar. Does it make any difference to you?

Furthermore there should be a minimum tip rule of 5 bucks, if you can’t afford it don’t go out to eat. There are some exceptions to this rule but generally that is it. Shouldn’t we try to be generous?

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine that found it offensive and audacious that waiters would add a 15% gratuity to their bill when there was a party of six or more. 15%? 20% should be the baseline for tipping a waiter. Waiters deal with a lot of crap and I would prefer to be the one to make someone’s day better rather than make someone feel like crap.

Those of us who don’t drink alcohol for religious reasons should compensate for that by tipping BETTER. Having worked in the customer service industry, I watched people come in and treat me like a robot, and others came in talking amicably leaving everyone around them feeling better about themselves. No I am not a waiter, but I do watch this group of people scramble to make people happy and they deserve better.

A night in my car

Spending the week in Phoenix, Arizona with my parents for Thanksgiving made me want to turn the drive down into something fun. I was hoping for a climbing buddy to make the stop in St. George a little longer, but the only buddy that ended up coming with me was Dave. He is my dog so he isn't much for climbing. The main reason I stopped in St. George was to see my grandparents. Every time I go down that way it has been hard to swing by to see them so I made it part of this trip.

After a night in the back of my car I hit up the BEAR PAW CAFE for breakfast. If passing through on your way to an adventure make it a point to eat there. It is, hands down, the best breakfast in town.

The drive was pretty, but it is just long enough to make your butt cry tears of joy when you arrive. My book-on-tape didn't last the whole drive, so Dave and I had some long heartfelt conversations about life.

It was seriously good.

A Winter Walk

In my head I always conjure up these ideas of something that will be fun and awesome... most of the time they don't turn out the way I expect. I wanted to hike Mount Timpanogos and I made plans to leave at 4 a.m. The funny thing about plans is they sometimes seem to come true about as often as the prophecies of the street bum prophet guy I met down in Venezuela's do. So I left at 8:30... so what. I was going alone, no time to keep, a full day to do whatever, and no hiking in the dark.

After getting on the trail I realized I should have brought some more gear (better shoes and gaiters). But you deal with what you have and you make it work. I got bored with the trip and realized I would be walking off in the dark so I turned back when I was just over half way up. It was a little bit slower going in the snow so I snapped a few pictures and then turned back. I will go to the top this winter though... but going down will be better. My snowboard will be with me for sure.

Still so little snow in November....

You can see the trail cutting across through the trees. Timp is a good little walk if you start from Timponokee campground instead of Aspen Grove.

Scout Falls, already freezing up nice and making some nice formations.



It was good to get out.... But I want more snow.

Practicing technologo

This is an attempt to learn Adobe Premier Pro for one of my classes. The version I had wouldn't let me edit downloaded youtube videos for some reason, so I was forced to use some personal footage from last year. Here comes winter and this year I will actually take the camera with me more than once. So here is some crappy footage of us messing around one day in the backcountry mixed in there with one clip at park city.

Learning to edit from Andy Earl on Vimeo.

NatGeo Adventure

I can't wait for this show.

Brett attempts...

This is when Brett tried to knock some rocks down on my head to get rid of me. I am pretty sure that is what was going on.

Maple November

I think when God decided to make conglomerate rock he just must of had a bunch of leftovers laying around so he just glued them all together in the coolest way possible. Eric, Jeff, Brett, and I took a day trip down to Maple Canyon which is just outside of Fountain Green, UT. It is just far enough away to feel like you got out of town.

We stopped at the general store in town to grab some snacks and ended up talking to the cashier for a little while about the BYU vs. New Mexico girls soccer game (to see what I am talking about click HERE) and the lady commented that it reminded her of the Olympics a while back with the figure skaters. She stopped in thought, "what was that girls name again?" and Eric came back, as sure as a person ever could be of his answer, "Monica Lewinsky." Conversation stopped as we all looked at Eric... Then we all burst out laughing. I think it took him a second to realize he was wrong and who Lewinsky actually was.



Brett and Jeff on top of the climb. Although the climb isn't to challenging the view makes it worth the venture.



A cave which houses a crap load of pigeons and their poop, but also some climbs. (We have no idea what they are rated but they look really difficult)


Its a big cave.











On our way in we were caught in a stampede. It was pretty terrifying having heaps of white fluffy sheep running at our car. I punched one. It died.

Does it hurt?

Yes. Today I was able to help out a friend of mine who is doing a study for cycling and I got to put myself through an intense hour on the bike followed up a few hours later with a 20 minute all out effort. Riding on a trainer indoors is a real mind game. You constantly have to be thinking about continuing to pedal in the same spot... without going anywhere.

During the twenty minute time trial, I found myself pretending the chair in front of me was another cyclist from France. I couldn't let the french guy win. It was a matter of national pride... I did an all out puke your face off sprint at the end, but he still came in ahead of me. I really hate that guy. It is funny what you find yourself doing to stay motivated. Round two is next week and it will be interesting to find out how I did.

Where I Get to Live

Sometimes I find myself in utter amazement of the great fortune I have to live here. Today I was out on a team ride and as we descended South Fork up Provo Canyon I had to stop and pull out my phone to snap some pictures. They really don't do it justice but it was a gorgeous evening to be out riding. I even happened upon a moose and her calf, I know they are super dangerous but I couldn't help but stop and snap a picture... I think I could win in a sprint though... Maybe...




A moose and her calf. The light was low so the camera was having a hard time. They were a lot closer than they look here.

Good Morning

Do you ever have those morning where you wake up frustrated for no real reason? This morning I awoke this way and headed down stairs to try to make sense of a messy kitchen. After throwing all I could fit into the dishwasher I realized I needed to get out on my bike. I snapped a couple pictures with my phone and after a short ride came back feeling ready and focused for the day. I love my bike.

Fall Colors

A Day on the Wall

Squaw Struck is a new climb that is in the process of being finished. So far it is 8 pitches and this photo is above the second. I somehow managed to delete the photos we took from my memory card so this is all I have.

The climb was amazing and, being new, had a large amount of loose rock. After finishing our ascent we started the rappel back down. We linked a couple pitches together by tying two 70 meter ropes together. I was the first to go down and about three quarters of the way down when I felt the rope shift slightly. As I casually looked up to check it out I saw a rock slightly larger than my head plummeting toward my face. I lunged into the wall narrowly missing the rock as it continued it's free fall. I am pretty glad I decided to look up.

CAPRI!

Breaking from my normal subject of outdoors and adventures I would like to introduce everyone to Capri Jolley. Paul and Alicia just had her last night at around 2 a.m. and she is the closest I am going to get to a niece for a long time so I am super pumped to welcome this little human to the world. Congratulations Paul and Alicia!

Where Misery and Fun Meet

There is a place within everything where fun and misery meet each other. On occasion they will stick together and hang out, other times it is more like a high five when they run past each other in opposite directions. Today I was able to hang out with each of them on my ride in a cold pouring rain.

It is an interesting phenomenon being able to be around them both at the same time because they seem to compliment one another, but as soon as one of them leaves the whole situation has a different feel. When ever you can get these two together they bring a sense of adventure to whatever you are doing. As the rain pelted my face and dripped off my nose they were right there with me. It seems as though every time I ride my bike they show up.

Final Rappel

Well This was my attempt at filming the last rappel in Pine Creek.... It didn't exactly work out so well but I figured I would throw it up anyway. Doing a rappel one handed is harder than I thought, and this one was fast.

Pine Creek Round 2

It is amazing how hard it actually is to get people to come out to do this sort of thing. Excuses not to do things like this never seem adequate after the fact but I seem to have the intrinsic problem of making excuses to go do things like this instead of being "responsible" and getting other things done. Sometimes life's metronome gets set by the tasks and worries we put in our own path, when we are the only ones that can set the tempo. On occasion we make choices and let others decide where our time goes and how fast we march from task to task. In an effort to keep my tempo from getting to out of control I searched out a party to accompany me in an escape to Zion. One day starting at 4:30 a.m. with no set agenda, other than to do a slot canyon named Pine Creek.

I started off the day with a Red Bull mixed with orange juice which I now feel is a bad combination. Eric Montandon, TJ, and I met up with Eric Ellis and Brooklyn down in Cedar City where we made our way into Zion. After grabbing the permit and heading up to the trail head we squeezed into our circa 1992 wet suits and geared up for a cold few hours deep inside the slot canyons. I don't think I will ever tire of taking people places and helping them to experience something like this.

Feeling as though you have descended into another world you walk through cold sand and look hundreds of feet up where the walls almost meet over your head. Driftwood is lodged 50-60 feet overhead having been deposited there by flash floods. Slinking into a pool of frigid stagnant water that was left there by the last flood that came through you loose your breath and swim to meet your friends on the bank. Tourists from all over the world come to admire the beauty of this place but few venture deep into the more amazing parts.

The trip was fun. One day there and back. Some may say spending hours in a car and spending the money on gas isn't worth it. "If you go, stay longer" they might say. It's closer than you think so just go.

The final rappel.

One giant boulder hanging overhead.

God's carvings.




The Crew; Eric, Brooklyn, Eric, and Tj

5 a.m...... yeah it felt pretty early.

"Sand People... They will be back in greater numbers"

Deep within Zion's underbelly I came across some strange beings. Yeah.... I didn't know they were around the corner. They got me good eh?

Sand, Blisters, Bikes, Ropes, and Fun

Whenever I get a call from Bob Bills it always means something fun is going to happen. This time it was a weekend in Zion National Park and Moab. My week was complicated by my procrastination, mixed with school work, so lack of sleep and lack of time made me crave a weekend away.

The body's internal clock is really an amazing thing. How do I know what time it is when I am asleep but in the day I have no real grasp on time? Really... I wake up within a minute before my alarm goes off. How? I don't know. 4 a.m. rolled around and I grabbed my pack and rode out to the freeway to meet Bob and his friend Frederico from Chile. We stopped at McDonalds and grabbed some grub. The stuff is amazing... how is it that a breakfast burrito can not really taste like a breakfast burrito and seem totally fake but still taste good? I hopped in the driver seat and let Bob attempt to work as Frederico slept in the back seat. We eventually pulled into Zion and grabbed our permit for Pine Creek.

We met up with Steven Nyman and his fiance Robbin making a group of five. Starting into the canyon we hoped it wouldn't be too cold because we didn't bring wet suits. In a 90 degree day those canyons can be fairly cold thanks to the lack of sun. The flash floods that roll through leave some big amounts of water that require some swimming. The first time you drop into one of the pools it can be surprising.

Before the last two rappels out of the canyon we caught up with a group made up of all 60+ individuals. As we sat enjoying the view we talked with them about how they got into canyoneering. They all took a class together last year and have been taking trips every couple months since. You really have to admire people that still have the drive to try new things continuing the exploration of life at that age. Many fall into a rhythm of monotony doing only that which is expected of an older person.

At certain points in the canyon you just had to stop in awe of the power of time and of the sheer force of nature. Canyon walls towering hundreds of feet high only separated by a few feet, looking like they could only have been hewn by the hand of God. Massive logs pinned high over head between walls during flash floods look to hold the walls apart so they don't close in on you. All of this is missed by those on the highway near by. They drive by not knowing what amazing sights lay within reach.

Finishing the canyon we headed to a little pond with a waterfall for some swimming. We spent a little bit of time washing off and then it was off to Moab where another early morning awaited us. I ended up sleeping almost the whole drive over.

We grabbed the 7:30 a.m. shuttle from Poison Spider bike shop up high into the La Sal mountains. The trail drops over 7000 vertical feet in about 33 miles. Starting in the cold mountain air at 11,200 ft. in the fall aspens and ending down in the red rocks of Moab. The trail was amazing and brutal. My hands fell apart during the ride and were raw by the trail's end. It was an amazing journey through a variety of climates. At one point on the ride I unknowingly came within a few yards of a massive black bear. I didn't see him until he took off running, but when he took off I was a little surprised.


Hanging out after a long ride out side of the Poison Spider Bike Shop

Dropping down toward the Colorado River

Hanging Out with the crew eating lunch

view.

The aspens were just starting to change.

This is where I saw the bear. He was just hanging out right in this area then he took off running.

Up top at 11,200 ft after climbing up 1.000 vertical in a mile, ready for a long decent.

Swimming at the frog ponds.

Pine Creek's last rappel.

Weiner On Belay

This one is from my phone this morning. Don't worry Penny (the dog) was in a harness so she was safe. The dog is pure evil so I am sure if she fell the devil himself would come up from the very depths of hell to catch her.

Brandon wanted me to show him and his buddy, Mark, a few new places to climb so we went to a few walls this morning. This was a great part of the morning. It is getting cold... my fingers went numb by the second bolt. Feeling came back toward the top but it was cold none the less.

Fall

Fall brings with it the best climate for climbing, beautiful scenes of color, and the anticipation of snow.  Although school piggybacks itself into the season, the change in pace allows for it.  I pay closer attention to the weather watching the temperatures drop, I slowly acquire my new gear for the winter season, I make plans for backcountry trips and adventures, I play snowboard videos instead of skate videos at work, and I get more excited every day for what lie ahead.  

The real thing that spurred my winter "bug" was that I bought a new snowboarding pack.  I am setting up a split-board and am planning on riding a lot of backcountry this year.  Next on the list is a new avalanche shovel, probes, and an avalanche transceiver.  We are also planning a trekking trip into the sawtooth mountains.  It is wilderness protected land and that equals no snowmobiles which then interprets into untouched powder and miles of lines.  Hopefully the trip pulls together.

Tomorrow is the first official day of fall and I welcome it.  

A couple more pictures

It was close.

heading down the backside of strawberry.

Lotoja

5 a.m. seems earlier every time I see it. Laying in the darkness I shake off the dream that woke me up before my alarm. My anxieties that accompany race day come out in my sleep, I dream of things going horribly awry. Months of training, money, and time all shot down in a single folly. Drifting in and out of sleep I finally give up and head down stairs to pound some pancakes into my hungry stomach.

Preparation. It consumed most of my thoughts for the past week, pushing homework and my usual routines aside. Race day preparation is different. A nervous/excited feeling hangs in the air and I try to not think of what lay ahead. Eric and I pull up to the starting line and look around at what we are up against. When we finally get underway I shiver in the cold and follow our escort out of town praying nothing goes wrong. No flat tires, no crashes, no getting sick, no bonking, and no quitting.

As a team joined up at the front of the pack the drove the pace hard all the way into Preston, ID where I ditched my arm warmers and grabbed more food. The pack stayed together over all the major climbs and we seemed to swallow up all who had gone out ahead of us. We hit the king of the Mountain where I lagged a little trying to keep my heart rate down. I hit the summit realizing my folly so I had to push myself hard on the decent taking some risks and then pedaling myself back into the group took some serious effort but as soon as I caught them I was able to recover. It was a scary few minutes of all out in an aero position hoping no one would drive the pace up while I tried to catch up.

The race seemed to blow by and I continued to check my newly purchased Casio making sure I was taking in food and water every 15 minutes. Star Valley is usually the hell of the Lotoja for me, but this year it blew by and we were in Alpine, WY before I knew it. The climb into Jackson seemed easier than I had anticipated, but it was at this point (30 miles to go) I really was needing a pee break. To no avail when we got to the last 10-15 miles my group broke away from the peloton driving the speed up to around 26 mph. We formed up a nice pace line, all taking turns at the front. My silent plight was not helped by bumps in the road, but my desire for the finish grew with every kilometer.

Eric and I had discussed him leading me out if it came down to a sprint. We hit the 2K sign and the pace was going really strong. When we hit 1k a guy tried to go for it but Eric locked onto his wheel. He pulled passed him with a little less than 500 meters and then when we got closer I stood on my pedals and sprinted for the line. My legs were a little wobbly by this point but I was able to push through to the line where I barley beat the guy behind me. It was a close sprint but it put me on the podium. Two riders from our category had about 4 minutes on our group and they had a strong ride deserving the top two spots on the podium.

This was my first time on an actual podium so it was a cool experience. I hope it happens again... sooner rather than later. It wouldn't have been possible without my parents there helping me and Eric pulling me into that sprint. It was a great race and I am really happy with my time.

206 miles in 9 hours 26 minutes with and average speed of 21.8 mph. The winning time was 9:02 and I came 19th place overall.


Third!

Earning third place.

The Peloton

Early in the morning.

Trilogy Buttress Round Two

Note to self:

Starting this wall after 7 am in the summer is a horrible idea.  

Scrambling to find another person to complete our team of four guys, I called my friend Mike to see if he would be down.  He left work and came out on our little excursion.  The plan was to go do trilogy buttress again.  We arrived and started the approach way too late (9:30 a.m.).  After sweating our way up to the wall we found what little bit of shade remained and got ready to climb.  Mike and I split the first pitch into two so we could cut down the rope drag.  Brett and Robbie did it in one using up a full 60 meter rope.

Arriving at the top of the first wall we looked at the next two and decided we should call it a day.  We really didn't want to endure anymore sun and it was the only place where we could turn back.  We tied two ropes together and rappelled off the side of the face.  The day was considerably shorter than we had planned but we were all glad to get out of the sun.

We ran into the taliban up top...

The thumbs up means it is time to go.

A long way down.

Just trying to show the top of the rappel.  It was hard to hold the camera and go down so I cut it short.  I thought I was going to drop the camera.

Tour of Utah Criterium

The Tour of Utah culminated in downtown Salt Lake surrounded by fans. The public lined the course as the 90 minute race flew past in a blur. The crit is a unique opportunity to watch some of the strongest riders around put themselves to the test.


The over all race was taken by Rock Racing's Francisco Mancebo of Columbia. If you all didn't get a chance to go out and watch the race, check out www.Tourofutah.com later in the year to find information on next years race.

Floyd Landis from team Ouch in the left of the picture above.
The second to the last lap. Utah's own Jeff Louder from team BMC attacks.

Last of Summer

The looming black clouds of homework, tests, and student life now drift back into our lives.  This would be the last day free from having those thoughts nagging at the back of our minds while we blow off responsibility and have fun.  

The plan was to go early.  I woke up to the sound of rain... crap.  I let everyone know we would postpone things a few hours while we waited it out.  It let up and we were back on.  Meeting at the mouth we headed up to Cannabis Wall where we made our way across the river.  We had the grill in tow and we knew it would be a long lazy day up the canyon.

I put up the hammock and ate almost a whole pack of hot dogs.  The climbs were different but fun.  Some of the moves were awkward and uncomfortable but all in all it was a good day of climbing.  Eric had a good day and my friend Jeff threw down on some hard routes.  He was working on a 5.13a that he cut a ligament on a while back.  Hard.

We all swam in the river afterward. Robbie had to get creative and made a swimsuit out of his t-shirt.  We decided to call it a day and as I walked up the bank with the grill where I had a nice stumble.

Cooking wieners and its opposite there in the river.

Wet roads... hopefully not wet climbs.

Follow this guy (round two)

Getting the gear out.

Robbie begins each day on purpose.

Follow this guy.

Robbie.  

Adventure Tuesday (two weeks ago)

Pulling together the usual crew we fell into tradition and met at the mouth of American fork canyon.  We haven't been able to pull together anything to out of the ordinary in the past few weeks so we fell into the "traditional tuesday" where we climb and swim.  We went up to the Membrane yet again because we all had things to conquer.  Unfortunately I had a horrible day of climbing.  I fell 3 times on the 10d which was rather frustrating.  

Sorry... I swore....

Everyone else had a good strong day and it was a good time.  We then headed back to the Andra's house where I was staying and we played a long game of depth charge. (we invented it. The idea is you swim across the bottom of the pool while everyone throws scuba weights at you)  The day was a success.

1000 Warriors

Plopping down into my sleeping bag on the deck of a vacant house we borrowed, I looked out over Park City. My stomach was happily full of fish tacos, blueberry bagels, and whatever else I could find. Why is it that so few places make good fish tacos? There are a million places that make an "okay" fish taco... I lay there trying not to think about the next morning where I would be pulled from my slumber at 5:30.

An alarm from the Rocky soundtrack pounded into my ears and I looked at my clock. 5:10? I still had 20 more minutes. When it sounded again five minutes later I knew it was time to get going. After eating a large bowl of cereal with my makeshift spoon (my hands), I got my stuff together and the team headed out the door to the starting line. We warmed up a bit and made last minute adjustments on our bikes. At 6:50 we were off.


It was a mellow pace all through Kamas and Midway. When we turned up the Alpine Loop, Eric and I just sat on the wheels of the guys leading the race and made sure we didn't expend any energy that we didn't have to. Slowly the pack thinned out until there were five of us in the lead group. We made the summit and started down the decent.


We happened upon the crash as the ambulances were getting the guys taken care of. Life Flight buzzed overhead and then headed back down the canyon in search of a place to land. After waiting for 15 minutes or more the ambulances made their way down and we were allowed through... I have never seen that much blood... The cyclist went through the back window of the SUV at around 40 mph. It cut him from his ear down to the top of his sternum which severed his jugular. If it weren't for some EMT trained cyclists... the guy is lucky to be alive. The whole thing was bad. It was bad for the injured cyclists, their families, the race, and for all of us racing. for the whole story check out this link- http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=7636047


The race continued onward and was pretty much a re-start because everyone was standing around for so long that all the time gaps went away. We had about 5 minutes on anyone behind us when we hit the top of the loop. The climb up Suncrest was a lot of fun though. It thinned out quick and we retook the lead. When we made the decent I am sure I hit my all time fastest speed. Eric had 55 mph on his computer and I pulled away from him pretty quick so I think I was pretty close to 60 mph at my fastest. With the cross wind I had about a 5 foot swing with each gust.


I started to get dehydrated and was sick of sports drinks, I just wanted water... I didn't get it until the top of wasatch... I got dehydrated, stopped eating and bonked. There went the race. Eric left me in the dust and powered his way ahead of anyone else. He finished almost 10 minutes ahead of second place. I came in about 20 minutes behind him. 12th place. Stupid mistakes. But 5 hours and 27 minutes ride time isn't all that bad for that ride. I think it will be an easy time to beat the next time I ride that course.


Little Cottonwood is always miserable but, in the thick of bonking, it was the worst time I have ever had on a climb. I finally felt I could cram some food and it hit me with about 500 meters to go. I was able to pound out that last little bit pretty dang quick. There are always "what if's" and "I should have's"... Live and learn. I am glad I got some things figured out with this one and I wont be so dumb during the Lotoja.



Zazoosh.com took these of the race if you couldn't tell.

Lake Powell... With the Bike.

Getting ready for the 1000 warriors race... I didn't want to be off the bike for a week.  Todd helped me stay motivated.  I don't think wakeboarding and surfing helped me to be loose for race day. Oh well. It was an awesome trip with the family.

Amidst a Move

We finally sold our home in Highland. This week was filled with the move and I was only able to get away for brief interludes (none of which having my camera in tow). In the shuffle of the move a friend called me asking for help with a group of young women who would be climbing. I decided I didn't want to sleep on the couch again so I headed up the canyon where I strung up the good ol' hammock and went to sleep.

I awoke the next morning meeting them and getting some climbs ready for the group. My friend Bob told me that he was driving up and heard on the radio that someone in their mid-twenties, camping alone, had committed suicide during that night in American Fork Canyon. He was kind of worried for a minute that it might be me. Don't worry, it wasn't.

The rest of the week involved more moving, and more training on my bike. I met Bob again for a ride Saturday up in Heber. It is such a beautiful area up there. Looks like I will have some good adventures this week to update, but in the meantime here is a recent article that the Herald Extra put out on Bob. It's a good read so check it out. Heres the link.

Local former cycling coach remembers early days in career of Lance Armstrong

A Good Week of Racing

This week was fairly successful for me out at the races.  Every thursday night we put on a criterium at the north end of UVU.  It has been a fun summer racing and I was able to pull out the win this week with some pretty stiff competition.  Above is the video of the sprint finish.

Saturday my friend Eric Ellis and I headed up to Coalville for the Chalk Creek Road Race.  It was a really mellow course that we took at a fairly mellow pace.  It came down to the sprint and Eric and this other kid took off so I tried to catch them but ended up not being able to pull myself back to them.  I took third and Eric took second.  We were hoping for gold and silver but the other guy beat us to the punch.  It was a pretty fun race though.

Ruth Lake

One of my finer qualities is that I am perpetually late. It doesn't matter really what it is, if I plan to be there at a certain time I am 15 minutes late. I think the only things I am ever on time to are bike races and work... most of the time. Throwing my gear in the back of the truck I made the rounds picking up our crew and we made our way to the Uintas. It was Robbie, Brett, Eric, and Sara, who would accompany me on this trip. The destination was Ruth Lake situated about a mile off of the Mirror Lake Highway.

Packing in was made more eventful thanks to Robbie and his thousand pound 7 man springbar tent. I ended up carrying it after deciding that having two people take a handle isn't very "efficient" on a single track trail. It was a short walk to where we set up camp. I threw up my hammock and everyone got their tent situation squared away before we headed up for some climbing.

The Uintas provided some amazing views and some awesome rock. I can't pick out any route in particular that was my favorite because they all were fun. Even the easy routes were the type that just made me feel glad to be able to call this great sport a hobby. As dusk drew on we decided to head back to camp. I guess I took some magical shortcut through time because I left last and made it back first. I even had time to try to make it look like I had been there forever.

Mosquitoes are ever present in the Uintas. Living in a fog of "OFF" and smoke from the fire are the only ways to find sanctuary from the little suckers around dusk. They didn't make using the rest room that comfortable either... if you notice me scratching my butt the next few days you will know why.

Before I knew it the campfire talk was done and I was in my hammock looking up at a cloudless sky full of stars (this may very well be the first trip this year it didn't rain on). It was a comfortable night with only a few interludes spurred by bugs doing fly by's. I felt as annoyed as the guy on "Top Gun" that spilled his coffee when Maverick buzzed the tower. I wish I felt satisfied when I killed a mosquitoe... I feel a little better when I catch them about to bite me, but if you catch them in the act and you smash them its your blood that comes out and then you still get the itch so there is no real satisfaction. Those blue bug lights are the only real way I feel satisfied watching them die... is that weird?

Awaking to Eric and Sara making a fire to get breakfast going I struggled free from my sleeping bag and sat down to make a bowl of dinosaur egg oatmeal... it has eggs in it that turn into dinosaurs when you add water.

The Climbing was insanely good. I loved every second of it. Eric had a strong day throwing up this awesome 5.11 that had some way fun moves. We all climbed, froze in the shade, and cooked in the sun. Eric had a pretty big fall when leading that 11. The trip was a success, and once we had our fill of climbing we packed up and made the short hike out. I was once again accompanied by the tent made of lead. The only damper on the trip was that we didn't really notice the toll booth on the side of the road and we ended up with a 75 dollar ticket. sucks. That will hurt my already thin wallet... but I suppose you can't put a price on fun.

Robbie up on top of the 5.11 getting ready to head back down

I don't know why most of these are of Robbie...

Refilling the water.

This is the tent I carried.  It didn't smell to pleasant in there when morning rolled around.

My bed... Does it look comfortable?

Eric just finishing up on top of the first climb of the trip.

Snowboarding in July?

In search of a furlough from summer days, Tucker and I went looking for snow on a cloud-covered day. Tucker had been at Snowbird the week previous and noticed that there was enough snow up on Hidden Peak to have some fun, so he gave me a call.

We met up at the park and ride as the day turned dreary. We drove up in a slow drizzle arriving at Snowbird to a more crowded parking lot than we had anticipated. There was an acoustic music festival and a mountain bike race going on so we walked around enjoying the sounds and the smell of rain hanging in the mountain air. We made sure they would let us up the tram with our boards and we bought our 12 dollar tickets to the top.

Tucker said there was a lot more snow the week before but there was enough to build a little hip jump and to hang out for a few hours. I hiked down from the tram deck to the snow on a muddy trail in my flip-flops. Needless to say we caught a few funny looks from people while we were walking around with our snowboards.

The jump was fun and for a little while we caught some blue sky. The day couldn't have been any better. Up at the summit it was 55 degrees and it felt like spring skiing. Eventually we decided to hike back out and Tucker decided it would be a good idea to go straight up this rocky steep section... I decided that was not the best course so I told him it was stupid (I can be kind of a jack) and I walked up the easy snow path and caught a couple switch backs. After huffing his way up to meet me he agreed that his path was less than ideal. It has taken many years of being Tucker's friend to know not to follow his lines snowboarding, biking, or hiking. You always end up on rocks, in the bushes, or wheezing your way up this horribly steep path. We got to the tram and luckily made it down before Tuck got sick and puked. (He didn't drink enough water or eat enough food.)

On the drive home we decided we needed some nourishment so we stopped at this restaurant called Neils Fish House on 123rd S. in Draper where fish tacos blew my taste buds away. Really. Go there and get a taco. 

My beard.

Tucker getting ready to go.

Tucker and I just finishing up building our little jump.

pop.

flipy flip flippin.

walking.

Me catching some sky.

Another Adventure Tuesday

I had a long list of "to do's" this morning (job interview, watching the Tour de France, buying a churro at Costco, etc...) so adventure tuesday got off to a late start. Robbie, Brett, and I met up with some new friends, Forrest and Caroline, at the mouth of American Fork canyon. The plan was to hit some climbing walls that would be in the shade. We started off at "Division Wall" which is located just inside the northern most entrance of North Mill Campground.

We strung up a couple climbs and had a good time. The shade kept us pretty cool in a day where the sun would cook the desire to climb right out of you. Eric Montandon showed up before to long and we finished up where we were and headed down to "The Membrane". Eric lead a fun route while we waited for another group to finish up on the climbs that we wanted to do.

Amidst these two walls these two guys showed up that were gnarly good climbers but unfortunately not good dog trainers. They had this massive crazy brown dog with ratty matted hair that would just bark and bark... chew up a log, and then bark some more for no good reason. Brett, being the dog lover that he is, decided to pet the thing and his hands came away smelling like moldy cheetos. At one point the crazy thing was grabbing huge rocks out of the river and bringing them up to us. A misplaced throw by a kid in their party lead the dog into the middle of the river where I almost found myself hoping he would be swept away. I like dogs... just not that one.

We packed up all our gear, grabbed some grub and hit up a little place up in Alpine called sliding rock. It's a natural water slide fed by ice cold run off, so it is what you would have to call refreshing... It was unusually packed so we didn't stay too long. I did have the hilarious opportunity to watch a kid slip and crotch himself on a rock. I have learned that I am not what most would call compassionate. If they aren't seriously injured I just laugh... so thats what we did. Don't worry he was fine, after a minute he could even stand up straight.

Adventure Tuesday was a success and we were glad to have Forrest and Caroline come out with us, they made the day that much more fun.

Forrest and Caroline

All hangin out in the shade

Forrest going for the roof

Really all we do is hang out and say we go climbing.

Robbie and I bobsled style.

Stirring Early

5:15 a.m... a once dreaded time in the morning. My alarm is one of the more annoying things on the planet but I try to respect it by only hitting "snooze" a couple times. At this point in the morning twilight I am not all too excited to be up and getting ready for a ride, it is not until I step outside into the cool morning air that I really feel good about my decision.

Early morning is a time of day that many people hate but the more you are out in it the more you appreciate it. I make it down to the shore of Utah Lake before the sun peeks over the mountains painting everything a more vibrant shade. Downtown Provo is a more welcoming place around this time. There is hardly any traffic and people are just starting to get to businesses preparing for the day. I grab a bagel at Gandalfo's and sit outside on the ground to watch everyone.

Finishing around 9:00 a.m. I roll into my driveway and head inside to be greeted by Dave, my dog. Early to bed is the hard part... but the way everything is in the morning makes it worth it. (especially with forecasted temperatures in the mid 90's)

Explosion

Last night at our UVU crit race Eric Ellis and I formed a break away and were gaining a lot of time on the group.  We were doing a 40 minute race and with around ten minutes to go we were rounding the corner before the finish line when Eric's tire completely exploded.  It was as if a gun went off. He maneuvered it perfectly saving himself from any injury but completely destroying his tire and rim.  I dodged around him and skidded ditching my bike and landing in the grass.  It was chaos and all I could do was laugh.  Poor Eric just got that bike not even a month ago and he destroyed a 400 dollar wheel... All in all he was pretty lucky to come out of that unscathed.  We were doing over 20 mph into that corner.  The rest of the race it rained and we all had a good time.

Venturing to Maple Canyon

conglomeratenoun |kənˈglämərət|Geology a coarse-grained sedimentary rock composed of rounded fragments (>2 mm) within a matrix of finer grained material :the sediments vary from coarse conglomerate to fine silt and clay.

Maple Canyon lies just outside of Fountain Green, UT, a rather small town east of Mona.  Tuesday night Eric and Whitney Montandon, Robbie, and packed up and drove to our camp spot up Maple Canyon.  We arrived around 11:30 p.m. and set up camp.  I threw up my hammock and they all threw out on the ground.  After a cup of tea and a muffin I pretty much sacked out mid-conversation. 
On occasion when camping you wake up and the sun is on you and there are bugs in your ears, annoying bird chirps and it just plain sucks.  But this morning I woke up and opened my eyes to a canopy of green leafs against a slightly overcast day, perfect temperatures, birds singing (just far enough away to sound pretty instead of annoying) and my hammock and sleeping felt so comfortable I felt glued in position.  There were things to be done so I struggled my way out of my comfy cocoon.  We planned on doing a climb up on "Hiji Rock" called "Exit Wound 5.9+" which is a 3 pitch sport route a ways up the canyon.
After some pancakes, provided by an able chef (Eric), we loaded up the cars and drove up the canyon and started the mile hike in.  I have never seen anything like Maple Canyon.  The conglomerate rock formations completely blew me away.  Climbing that type of rock was a little unsettling at first because rocks will pull out on occasion. The climbing was easy going and I was constantly amazed by the view.  Climbing affords you a perspective on the world that many rarely see.  We brought along a camera but had some malfunctions and lost the majority of the pictures from this climb which is tragic. This is a pic I got of the climb from www.mountainproject.com
Robbie had some technical difficulties as well... he got one of his carabiners stuck in the chains at the top of the first pitch.  After a frustrating few minutes he finally freed himself and made the scramble up to the last pitch.  
The last little bit of climbing was the most challenging and when we made the top and enjoyed the view the sun started to cook.  Robbie and I were shirtless and really wishing we had some way to cover up.  After getting the rappel rigged up we hurried off the top.  PBJ's were calling us to hurry down to the car.  We cleaned up shop and scarfed down what food we had.  
We wanted to do a couple more climbs before we left so we grabbed some more water and headed to a wall called "Pipeline".  The place just had a "narnia" feel to it.  I loved it. The sky darkened on us and the rain hit pretty hard telling us it was time to go.  The rain combined with the cool temperatures that moved in also made us abandon our plans of swimming and goofing off at a rope swing on the way back.

Hills.. legs aflame

Pain... as much fun as yesterday was, that is the only word that can encompass the whole event. Eric, Mason, and I (along with other members of the team that could not be present) are getting ready for the 1000 warriors ride in August which boasts of being the toughest stage in the toughest stage race in America. With 96 miles, 3 major climbs totaling close to 11,000 vertical feet... I think they have every right to claim it.


For our training ride we started at my home (Highland) and went up the Alpine Loop dropping down to Cascade Springs. After a near death on the decent (random guy cut me off sending me off into the bushes... totally pulling a lance, tour de france 03, stage 9) we made our way back out continuing on down, stopping at Sundance to get some agua. After that we toiled our way up Squaw Peak in oven-like temperatures. That would not be our last climb, we turned around and pushed our way back over the loop. It was roughly 80 miles and I feel it safe to say, well over 10,000 vertical in climbing. Some call it the "super gauntlet" (minus south fork) I just call it painful.


I haven't gotten my butt in gear so that was my longest ride to date this year. It was a rude awakening that I will be needing to log some serious miles in these next couple weeks.


Here is a map of the course. It will be on August 22nd. Check the whole tour out! It will be an awesome show. www.tourofutah.com

What is the deal rain?

Good grief.... I should have been able to write about an awesome climbing trip to maple today... rain is totally blowing it right now. What is the deal?

A Bird.

Reggae Tuesday

Why is it that the earlier you get up, the more comfortable your bed feels. I awoke around 6:00 a.m. to go on a bike ride and my bed held me captive for another half an hour.  After a nice bowl of rice chex with blueberries and honey I hopped on the bike and rode up the canyon and then part way down to cascade springs.  I had to cut the ride short because Robbie and I were to meet up for some climbing.

The plan was to hit up Escape Buttress.  We made our way up the canyon and parked just past the grey cliffs picnic area.  We ended up just doing one climb and just hanging out in the sun making up reggae songs.  It was a short adventure but nonetheless a fun afternoon.  

....and I broke the camera... it will only take videos.

Summer Games in Cedar.

Mason, Mike, and I left thursday night for the summer games in Cedar City.  Eric was to come down friday night for the race saturday.  Mason booked us a hotel that turned out to be awesome.  The complementary breakfast was something of a life saver.  Not to mention the waffles really hit the spot.

We woke up the next morning and lounged about until the Crit was to start.  The race was a flat course with pretty mellow turns.  The wind seemed to shift every couple laps and it was a 50 minute race.  All in all I had a horrible race... I am thinking the lack of biking and sleeping the whole week prior may have had something to do with it.  I ended up coming in 4th, but I got completely schooled by the first three.  

When we got into town the day before I noticed a Godfather's Pizza on the corner by our hotel.  Biking always makes for a huge appetite and all I could think about after the race was a "buffet".  After hitting the hot tub and catching some rays we picked up this kid, Parker, drove the course and then made our way to FOOD.  We pulled in... when I noticed the restaurant coming into town I failed to realize it had a large CLOSED sign in the window...  It basically shattered my world... the only other buffet in town was chinese. Not okay.

Saturday was the road race.  here is a clip of us on our way.

 

It was a great day for a race.  Perfect temperature with cloud cover.  The 60 mile course was a pretty mellow grind up over a pass and then we turned around and came back.  I was an idiot and didn't eat like I should have.  I didn't have a strong race at all but it made for a fun weekend.

Eric had a strong ride.  He finished 2nd over all and took the gold in our category.  Y'all can check out a clip of him on the UVU blog in my links.

Broken...

A little clip showing my derailleur. 

Rain and Bikes

Rain, mud, blood, crashes, broken derailleur, brake failure, bent rim, and a whole lot of fun.  Today we were climbing up at the membrane and then some weather started to move in.  We headed to my house to make some sandwiches.  After sitting around for a while we decided we needed to keep the day going and mountain biking sounded like the ticket.  We pulled together enough bikes and Robbie, Brett, Whitney, Jeff, and I made the drive up to the summit of the alpine loop where we hit the trail head.  

We started on the Ridge Trail and then headed down South Fork Deer Creek.  The muddy conditions made for slow going and most everyone ended up on the ground at one point or another.  My derailleur somehow became entangled in something and broke off.  I took off the chain and the derailleur, lowered my seat and would run uphill and jump on for the downhill.  It was Flintstone's style. 

Brett caught a stick in the leg, Jeff's back brake wasn't really working and he dropped in on this steep bend and then lost control and tagged a tree.  He banged up his hip and elbow and then taco'ed is front rim.  It was lucky we were only a mile from the car.

We loaded every muddy bike up in the back of the truck, realized we all looked like we had crapped our pants, and then stopped by Sundance to use the hose and grab some hot cocoa. "Adventure Tuesday" was a success.

Weekend Away

Courtney, being the wonderful person that she is, invited me down to Lake Powell with a bunch of her friends from Vegas.  So thursday night I met up with her room mate Miriem, and Court's brother Nick and his buddy Kyle.  Miriem drove for a long ways and finally I took over because she had enough.  We arrived at around 12:30 a.m. and Court and her Dad, Mark, came to get us.  The houseboat was moored out in Gunsight canyon, so we made the short voyage out there.

The next day I awoke early... which was really annoying because I really wanted to sleep and no one woke up for another three hours.  I went for a hike and when I got back the fun started.  Wakeboarding, tubing, and swimming that was the menu that we stuck to.  

We went cliff jumping and I got a good backflip off this cliff... then I got it in my head that I wanted to double backflip off the sun deck (third floor) of the houseboat.  It didn't pan out so well.

Tubing was the funniest part of the trip.  Mark (Court's dad) had the highlight fall pulling the running man while flying through the air.  Nick killed it on the wakeboard.  Courtney was probably the most fun to watch out wakeboarding because she had on a permanent smile.

We got off the lake and headed home late sunday night.  I had Redbull to keep me company while everyone else slept.  We made good time (I learned Miriem's car do about 130 mph) and got back around 3:00 a.m. 

All in all everything about the trip was great.  I went down not really knowing anyone and I had an awesome time.  Thanks Court!

Good Morning Rain

Here is a little clip from this morning.

Impromptu Adventure

Yesterday I was sitting at work watching the rain come down somewhat regretting that I had ridden my bike to work.  I have a good view of the mountains from my work and I was sitting there looking at a peak called Little Pfeifferhorn.  I called up my buddy Robbie to see what he was up to and if he would be down for a little trip.  We both had nothing going on the next day so as soon as I got off I headed home to pack.  I picked up Robbie and we made out way to the trailhead with a quick stop at Walgreens for another headlamp. (I already lost the one I bought last week)

After driving a ways up Little Cottonwood Canyon we arrived and got hiking around 11:30 p.m.  A later start than we had really wanted.  The rain came and never seemed to stop.  It was coming down pretty hard but then tapered off.  For the rest of the hike it was the type of rain that just seemed to hang in the air.  Robbie and I couldn't stop laughing at how miserably awesome our situation was.  Both having the heaviest packs we ever carried (our snowboarding gear added a lot) and we were both soaked.

We had planned to make it to Red Pine Lake to set up camp.  Around 2:00 a.m.  we decided it was time to stop.  We had hit the snow line and lost the trail so we set up camp.  The rain stayed strong throughout the night.  Robbie had a hard time sleeping so we were up early and after a cup of tea we decided to survey the area.  With the snowpack the way it was, our lack of mountaineering equipment, and the weather we decided not to summit. 

We pulled out our snowboards and goofed off for a bit before making our way back down.  Our goal was adventure and we had it even though we didn't reach our destination.

We had no way to know where we were at.... with a late start this ended up looking like a good spot.

Robbie took this and I thought it looked way good with the valley in the background.

This is my disappointed face.   

A night time cup of tea.

Little Cottonwood canyon.

All I know is that we look good....

Boarding back down. 

A Little Spin

So we had our group ride today and we did the Alpine Loop.  It was a good time being with the group.  We logged about 45 miles today... It was pretty mellow.  I had the camera so I am not in any of the photos, but here are a few of today.

My Sister Climbs

So I rolled out of bed and did the morning stumble downstairs to my bowl of captain crunch and then got ready to take my little sister and good friend Alicia climbing... (I think I am going to take a few days off after this)  Brett and Robbie were nice enough to come assist and we set up a couple routes.

Stacy did really well.  It was my first time taking her after I got her a harness for christmas.  She took a class down at SUU and I was really proud of her.  She had a run in with some bees and let go of the wall at one point... If she ever decides to lead I really hope it is a bee free day.  She and my brother Todd both have this crazy phobia of bees that I really don't understand.  I think they both feel that bees conspire against them. If your aren't allergic it really doesn't hurt that bad when they sting.  But all in all it was a successful outing.  

Alicia... I don't know what is going on here...

There goes my sister.

Kind of a cool shot... Kind of awkward that it is of my crotch... Oh well

Brett and Stacy just hanging out.

 

4 a.m. Night Climb...

Brett and Robbie suggested that we go night climbing so I invited Courtney and her roommate Miriem.  After grabbing a new 12 dollar headlamp from Walmart we headed up Rock Canyon to do this really mellow multi-pitch just past the gate.  The moon was pretty close to being full with some mild cloud cover so we could see the canyon well.  

The route is way mellow if you aren't leading it, but I was charged with that honor.  I made the first bolt and was getting ready to clip the second when my foot completely slipped off the wall and I took a good 10-15 foot fall. It was really unexpected to me because I felt like it was a really solid foot hold.  Climbing in the dark can be pretty deceptive at times.  Everyone else made it up just fine.

When we reached the top we threw our glow sticks off  and hung out for a little bit enjoying the view.  We got all ready for the rappel down and sent Robbie first and then Court.  This was Miriems first time rappeling and it wasn't exactly the best of circumstances for her. (Night, Wind, 160 ft.) So she was pretty nervous when we sent her down.

I had anticipated getting to the car around 1:30 maybe 2 a.m..... We got there at 3 in the morning to discover parking tickets compliments of the Provo Police.  I guess there is a curfew on parking there... After dropping off the girls I got home and crawled into bed around 4 a.m. only to awake early the next day to take my little sis, Stacy, climbing. I think I need a nap.

Court and Miriem up top.

Robbie's face....He looks really mad...

Up top getting ready for the rappel

Court making her way up.

A crappy shot of the view.

 

Just a Cave

This cave has taken on the identity of where the serial killer Ted Bundy hid a body.... It isn't though.  But if you are looking to scare some friends this is a good place to do it.  Come at night.  Have someone inside already and you have yourself a recipe for terror.  

The cave itself is about 50 to 60 yards deep and just off the south side of the road a mile or two past the mouth of the canyon. Cross the river on the pipe bridge and then make sure you duck once inside...

Biking the Loop.... first time of the season

Mike, Dan, and I headed out for a good training ride on memorial day. We went for a little warm up spin before we started up the loop. It was a fun ride and with the loop still closed for a little construction we didn't have to deal with any traffic. We had some fun cruising up and then booked it down. The decent was fun, we had a good pace line going.

I took a couple photos of what we brought for food.... Mike's looked like poop. Mine, well I don't really know what you could say it looked like.... and then Dan brought a banana (boring).

Trilogy wall....Lord of the Slings

Eric Montandon and I decided to do "Trilogy Buttress" this past Saturday morning.   It was one of those mornings where you wake up before your alarm (which was really weird because mine was set for 5:50 a.m.) and you look out the window and the sky is the same color as windex.  After a bowl of captain crunch I headed to Eric's house arriving a little before 7:00 a.m.  We got to the base of the climb pretty quick and started into it.  

The first pitch was a little run out having only 4 bolts in about 100 feet.  It was Easy climbing so it wasn't to sketchy.  The wall had a lot of loose debris and I found myself wishing I had invested in a helmet.  Nothing could ruin the day faster than catching a falling boulder in the face....

 When we reached the top of the second pitch our shade had run out and we found ourselves wishing we had started and hour or two earlier.  I quickly learned why the route was called "Lord of the Slings"... I didn't really bring any to use to reduce rope drag/tension and it became very difficult to lead.  I had to pull the rope to get some slack and then make a move.  Good thing is was a 5.9 or I would have had a rough go of things.  

My shoes turned into little ovens on the last pitch so I peeled them off and belayed Eric up the top out.  Reaching the top felt good, it could have been better only if there had been a swimming pool up there with some shade.  The walk off was kind of slow going, a lot of loose dirt and rocks on a steep trail.  It took about an hour to get down.  We headed back to Eric's place and had some refreshingly cold drinks.

A Short Night Climb After Work

Well the day had been slow so I called up Brett Olsen and Mike Woodward to see if they would be down for night climbing.  It was an awesome night for it.  We happened upon some massive slugs and had a good time with some glow sticks.

Another look at AF Canyon

These I took up up Platinum Blonde.

This little clip is from the top of "Winds of Fire" which I believe is a 5.10a... I think.

One Day Multiplied

In an effort to make the most of our summer days Brett Olsen, Robbie Welch, and I decided to go climbing tuesday morning up American Fork Canyon.  We decided to hit up "The Membrane", a good climbing spot that had been wet from runoff until recently.  Last year there wasn't a good way across the river this early in the year because it is so high.  This year there is a great log bridge that makes it easy.  The water is high and fast so crossing seems treacherous, if you fall in there is a good chance you will get wrecked.  

After we made it across we were getting ready to climb when it started hailing... Really? Yeah it was hailing and then came the rain.  I think  So we went for a hike.  We felt like explorers.  We ended up following what we thought was a dear trail.  It ended up being an approach to some more climbs up top that we didn't know were there.

After exploring we went back to some good climbing.  We ended up just doing the 5.10a on the far left side and then headed home hungry and in the mood for a swim.  After a brief soccer game we realized the days adventure could not end.  Before we knew it we were on our way to Cedar City where we stayed the night.  

We woke early to grab some breakfast in St. George....I am pretty sure we all ate enough to cover our caloric intake for the whole week... Then we found some nice climbs just outside of town.  The wall is on the Chuckawalla trail. We climbed the 5.9 on the far right and then did what I think was a 5.10b or c.... really not sure because we didn't bring a book.

Then it was on to Vegas to visit the wonderful Courtney Wattles where she welcomed three stinky guys that didn't have the sense to stop and pack an adequate amount of clothing.... We made a quick stop to get some new shirts so we didn't smell too bad when we showed up.  The only thing we made sure we had when we left were our swim suits... and we were glad we did.  What we thought would be one day of fun turned in to three.