Posts filed under 'Blow Snow Commentary'
Twice, in just two days, I have encountered someone wearing their bike helmet backwards. I had heard of this happening, but thought it was an outdoor legend. Like Yeti, Sasquatch, or the Chupacabra. The first girl I tried to warn, pointing out that it’s much safer when worn correctly. In return I got a very Pee Wee Hermanesqe, “I meant to do that!” So the second time I saw it, I just stared in awe and thought best to keep my thoughts to myself.
Is this the new fashion? This isn’t a regionally isolated incident either, they happened almost 200 miles apart! I remember how funny my dad thought it was to tell me my hat was on backwards when I was in high school. Man was that annoying. Like he knows what cool is. No wonder that girl snapped at me.
Maybe this is just the first in a whole wave of Backwards Bike Fashions. (BBF’s for short) Wearing your jersey backwards not only looks cooler, but makes the pockets that much more accesable. These guys had it right.
So my recommendation, be the first in your bike gang to get with the new style that is sweeping the nation. Out with the old! Who cares about function? Backwards sun-visors even give you a sporty TT helmet feel too!
* Outdoorzy does not endorse this blog post. Not only will you be openly ridiculed, riding with your helmet may cause impaired vision. In the event of accident your steezy helmet could lead to injury, paralysis, and death by fashion.
May 13th, 2008
“Um, looks like you zip-tied some trash to your bike.” - My Fiance
Exactly! That’s called recycling. I’d been sitting patiently by the window for a week or so, waiting for the UPS guy to bring me some more Weird Gear to test. With all that window time, It’s impossible not to notice how nice the afternoons have been. Too bad the MTB trails are snowed in, and the roads are covered in gravel, mag-chloride, ice patches, run-off, and mud. I started looking into some fender options for my cross bike and came away pretty unsatisfied with what I could get for my money.
That is when “genius” struck. Check out the photos if you too want awesome fenders for $0.99. I won’t bore you with step by steps as I think you can figure out, “Oh, here is where he puts the trash on the bike.” My first attempt at a rear was a little too short, but otherwise worked suprisingly well. I was sure it would wind up tangled in my spokes within minutes. For success, you need to go back further than you would think to catch all the spray. I’m looking into extending, widening, and stiffening in new variations. The front one works great. Please send along any ideas, or DIY gear tips of your own. I still have some soup cans, an old boot, and a broken watch in my trash can.
And the best part, while I was out test riding my DIY gear, UPS made a delivery! Weird Gear 3, superlight skateboard, coming soon.
March 19th, 2008
When the UPS guy finally came on Friday, I felt just like this!
What did he bring me as my first piece of gear to test? Yeah, a rocket sled, from Mad River Rocket!
Not a nitro fueled, go-to-the-moon, rocket… better! A backcountry, shred-the-pow rocket.
After playing on their website (see here) a little, it was easy to see what this thing was made / designed for,,, backountry powder. We “earned our turns” fo a while, figuring out how to manuever the sled.
After our backcountry testing, we were anxious to show this thing off. I heard a little rumor about a hill where some of the local kids were known to race. We din’t find any competetion, but we did find the jumps they left behind for us. (We only recommend jumping in soft snow! Jumping on hard-pack, off sketchy jumps built by 10-year-olds, can lead to back injury.) It’s a good thing there were no kids there to laugh at us. Steering the sled almost completely goes out the window on hard icy hills. We did have to experiment a little on positioning variations as the kneeling position was a little uncomfortable for us on the hard-pack.
While “The Rocket” could be fun on any hill, it really performes best in what it was designed for. Keep this pointed towards fresh tracks, and leave the crowded hills to the kids. A ride down on “The Rocket” is a perferct reward if snowshoeing for exercise is your thing. Much better than hiking up to take a ski lift down! Ludicrous, yet a very popular activity here in Vail.
For our last run of the day, we couldn’t agree on who got the last ride down. Like any two rational adults we compromised, deciding we would ride double. (seated tandem style) After a little arguing over who had to ride in front, we shredded down to the car. This worked suprisingly well. I’m just glad no one saw us.
www.madriverrocket.com
March 10th, 2008
Great Float ‘08?
When I got news today that I would have the privilege of taking part in a new series of “Weird Gear Reviews” it was like Christmas came early! I have been suffering through Post-Canadium Depression Syndrome, and this is just the thing to get me back into spirits.
I don’t even know whats coming, it’s a suprise! What could my first piece of odd gear be? Solar powered socks? That is an awesome idea, did I just invent that? Those will be patented by the time you read this so don’t even try. You simply clip the solar pannel to your head, it sends the warming solar energy to your toesies.
What if I get a Bio-fuel turtleneck sweater? Don’t we have the technology to make real live hoverboards yet? Can I test one of those? You know how cool those old-timey bikes are? Well what if somebody makes one of those, but a mountain bike? Forget about 29ers, a 48er would dominate!
I have to go wait by the window for the UPS man now. I’ll be back after I test my new “Self Erecting Tent Mansion”!
February 29th, 2008
Well does it?
How it all Starts… another perfect morning.
The wind here is unbelievable. It can totally change the landscape / snow conditions overnight. Durning the day you never know what to expect. Break a sweat in the trees and pay for it with fogged goggels and freezing wind up top. Ever had sweat beads freeze to your skin? Not awesome. This morning we left in a light snow, rode all morning in sunny yet cold conditions. Mid day the clouds rolled in, the wind blew hard and the temperature dropped. Then after lunch, we found a sun facing, clear-cut slope. Perfect wind lips for blasting and just railing as fast as you can.
The unknow dangers of tree skiing
February 8th, 2008
Thats how to say “get r done” in Canadian. I learned that here, but I’m using it a lot here in the mountains. Conditions continue to be amazing. Every night we get pounded with snow and wake up to fresh tracks.
The grey skies and low visilbility mean we have to stick to the trees. I mean we GET to stay in the trees. Once you get over the novelty of the high-alpine stuff, it’s hard to beat the tree skiing. So steep, and bottomless. It’s an unexplainable feeling that I can only compare to flight, or controlled free-fall. The trees have also provided a few intense moments: Lost my partner in a treewell for a little while: Rag-dolled through a perfect pillow line, losing my hat and goggles; Stayed on the fall line a little too long, brilliantly missing the turn to the heli-pickup. I got to swim/crawl/wallow 100 yards up to the pad. I’m still sweating.
Avalanche Pit
The trees also provide safety. This latest system dumped a few feet on top of an especially dangerous layer, so Avy danger is pretty serious on exposed faces. That means keeping your partner in sight and making smart choices.
Canada Rocks Hard, F-ing Eh!
Real Pics: One Two Three
For Deaner!
February 6th, 2008
Your ride is here.
Wow, it has been such an amazing few days I don’t even know where to start. One thing I’ll never get used to is how freakin cool just RIDING in a helicopter is. Much less getting out of it to shred thousands of verticle in untracked, bottomless pow! My imagination runs wild like I am a special agent on a top secret mission to rip… I can’t stop giggling from the moment I hear them coming in the morning until I pass out at night. Even my dreams are awesome here.
Where Should we go next?
1,000,000 acres of territory. That means Vail’s “huge” footprint is one half of one percent of the terrain we have access to here. Our first day was especially lucky, being blessed with bluebird conditions. These “brochure cover” days are few and far between and allowed us to ride high-alpine peaks with perfect visibility. The Heli can perch on a ridge the size of your couch, and drop you on top of the most breathtaking views.
Trusty sidekick.
Today, around mid-morning the blue skies began to cloud up and visiblity got a little flat. I had no idea how great the alternative to the high-alpine would be. The tree skiing here is just as good. Steep steep pitches, deep snow, and hundreds of mushrooms, rocks, and ledges to jump off.
Our Austrian guides are a trip, and mimicing their accents provides a lot of fun in the heli. Yesterday after watching me and a buddy roll into a blind 15-20 footer, our guide skied up lauging and said…(best if said in your best Schwatzenager/Deter voice) “Ooohhh ve finds a leetle supriizze down here, don’t vee? He he.”
Have you seen that SNL skit where they keep asking, “Do you like luxury?” I’ve been saying that a lot too. This whole operation is top-notch. I had curry shimp and the best soup I have ever tasted on a galcier yesterday. I know, I know, I’m the luckiest jerk ever.
Bye for now. I think I have to go have some beef wellington, soak in the hot-tub and drink a few “Piley’s”
February 4th, 2008
All this talk about the NKOTB reunion, and then they show the faces of those girls that were just losing their minds at the sight of these dudes… I used to make fun of them. Now, I understand these girls. I feel that way right now. It’s as if someone gave me tomorrow’s winning lottery numbers. Smooth talking and a semi-official Outdoorzy press credential have helped me get invited on a FREE heli trip! Here!
I haven’t been able to sleep so well the past few nights. I’m sure tonight I will be sleeples, eyes open, practically vibrating with excitement.
I will have wi-fi at night, so I will try and update the blog with our adventures every couple of days.
As far as the X games went, well sorry your on-the-spot reporter let you down. I finally recovered from my hangover yesterday. While I have no pictures of the weekend due to a camera malfunction, I have some pretty amazing stories. For future refrence, a guy on crutches, a “team manager” with an all access pass, and another with 2 trophies “won” at the Powder awards, makes for an awesome trio.
January 31st, 2008
Serious, that’s what I have. Look it up. There is no way I could have been able to work the past 2 mornings.
I can officially say that after 10+ years of skiing/riding Vail, yesterday was the best conditions I have EVER seen,,, ever. Totally worth getting fired over. Snow report only said 8 fell (on top of the feet that had been accumulating all week) but the wind howled Wednesday night and filled-in everything. Amazingly, as soon as the lifts opened, the clouds parted and we were blessed with bluebird conditions all morning. The real icing on the cake was the lack of other people. This weekend could be a royal cluster, people come out of the woodwork for conditions like this… another 6 inches fell last night, and the hits just keep on coming, more snow accumulating through Sunday!
Quit your day job you freakin robots! Buy these, or this, come wash dishes and live on my couch for a winter. You’ll be glad you did.
So if you can’t get to Colorado this weekend, rent “Hot Dog… The Movie”, pour some out for Sir Edmund Hillary, and please think of me and my awful ailments. I’m sure by Monday morning I’ll come down with Raynoud’s Syndrome, or something of the like.
January 11th, 2008
OK, OK, you want me back. Can you stop with the “where have you been?” emails already. Please continue sending gifts and candy. However, to the hairy gentleman from the Northwest Territories, please stop sending me racy photos of yourself.
Yesterday while suffering from an early morning Bird Flu attack (I am running out of powder-day-ditch-work excuses) I pondered returning to the blogosphere. Once you’ve been out of the game for a while it’s hard to plan a return. What ever could I write about?
At that very moment I watched a guy ride through the direct blast of a snowgun. Keep in mind this is on a legit Powder Day. I guess he was going for a little extra in the steep and deep department, and being uneducated, thought this was the way to get it. Anyone who has ever been NEAR a snowgun knows they are bad news. Your face stings, your goggles ice over, and the snow below them is an undulating unstable icy mess
I truly almost felt bad, bud I had to laugh aloud watching what followed. His “Whoooooops” of powder joy turned into “AAOOOOOUUUUUs” of pain. The flying ice crystals stinging his face and covering his goggles. He careened out of control through the blast of two more snowguns, skis unable to grip the man-made mess, before flying off trail into a complete Yard Sale in the woods.
I promised, then and there, to not let this happen to any of my faithful O-Deezy readers. (both of them) So I will be committed to bringing you updated Do’s and Don’ts for ’08.
Until then, just don’t ski in jeans.
January 9th, 2008
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