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CultureBuying Cady Hill
Buying Cady Hill
On the trail in Cady Forest Hill. Courtesy photo UPDATE, 5/29/12: The Stowe Land Trust announces it has secured the necessary funds to permanently protect Cady Hill Forest. Read more here. Eleven miles of trails wind through the 260 acres of Cady Hill Forest in Stowe, Vermont. It’s just a few pedal strokes from the center of town, and one path picks up just across from Skier Shop, a locally owned outfitter that becomes Bike Stowe in summer. Shop owner Bobbie Roehm knows the trails intimately. “We call them the Town Loops,” she says. “Those are the trails we…...
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CultureBetter Adventure Photography
Better Adventure Photography
Getting the goods. Photos by Jason Thompson Jason Thompson is a professional mountain guide and photographer whose work has recently appeared in National Geographic Adventure, The Alpinist, and the Patagonia catalog. Mountain called him up for some quick photography tips. Easy accessibility to your camera is really important. When I’m skiing, I keep my camera in a chest harness pack along with an extra battery and extra memory cards. When I’m climbing, I store my camera in a hip bag attached to my backpack or climbing harness. Keep your equipment clean. If it’s windy or dusty, wait to…...
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BikeCalling Marty Jemison
Calling Marty Jemison
Marty Jemison racing the Tour of Flanders. Photo by Graham WatsonWhen Backcountry.com acquired Competitive Cyclist in 2011, Marty Jemison picked up the phone and asked how to get involved. He’s a former road racer who won the 1999 U.S. Pro Championships, and he’s one of only 29 Americans to complete the Tour de France. Now Jemison runs bike tours in the U.S. and Europe—when he’s not taking customer service calls for Competitive Cyclist, that is. Mountain talked to him about the new gig, racing with Lance Armstrong, and another season of road biking. Anybody can get in touch with…...
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CultureVirtual Vistas
Virtual Vistas
Nature Valley Trail View redefines what it means to be an armchair adventurer. The website employs Google street-view technology to offer trail views of National Parks, like the Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon. “We’re bringing the beauty of the parks to the masses, regardless of physical location,” says Nature Valley’s Scott Baldwin. “We hope to inspire others to get outside and enjoy the best that nature has to offer.” A tech firm called InTheMo Interactive brought the technology to Trail View. To produce the 360-degree imagery they used a Dodeca 2360 camera with 11 lenses.…...
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CultureSpring Rock Climbing
Spring Rock Climbing
It’s spring! Start climbing. Photo by Eric FrankSpring is the perfect time for desert rock climbing. The days are warm but not hot, the rock is dry and sticky, and there’s nothing like sun on your skin after a winter of bundling up in Gore-Tex. The best part? Slipping on flip-flops for the five-minute walk to the crag. Here’s where I head when winter thaws. Smith Rock, Oregon It can be raining everywhere else in Pacific Northwest, and it’s guaranteed to be sunny and warm in Smith Rock State Park. Located in the high desert of central Oregon, this…...
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CultureStrap On Your Snowlerblades
Strap On Your Snowlerblades
A group photo finish at the Pain McShlonkey Classic. Note the Golden Saucer front and center. Photo by David CarmazziOn a windy Saturday morning in Squaw Valley, 30 competitors sporting snowlerblades lined up near the top of KT–22. Decked in leather, nylon, climbing ropes, and wigs, they dropped in for a no holds barred Chinese Downhill race to the bottom. It was the opening salvo of the second annual Pain McShlonkey Classic. The PMS commemorates the legacy of Squaw local Shane McConkey, who died in a ski-BASE accident in 2009. McConkey pioneered fat, rockered skis, and was known for…...
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CultureTales From the Dead Zone
Tales From the Dead Zone
Chris Warner rocks the alpine ice beard. Photo by SharedSummitsIt was standing room only at the Boulder Patagonia store as a rapt audience listened to mountaineer Chris Warner share tales from above 8,000 meters. Warner is one of 16 Americans to summit K2, and his résumé includes 100 summits over 19,000 feet. But perhaps more than the summits, Warner is renowned for his safety record: In 20 years of alpinism—he’s led nearly 200 expeditions—Warner has never lost a climbing partner. Still, he’s no stranger to close calls. Tall and tan and fresh from an Ecuador expedition, Warner spoke of failure,…...
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CultureFestival Season Comes Early
Festival Season Comes Early
Click on the image below to launch a slideshow from Crested Butte FestEVOL. Winter still rules in Crested Butte, Colorado, but FestEVOL (a concert series sponsored by EVOL Foods) brought a hint of spring this past weekend. Musicians arrived with families in tow, ready to hit the slopes. “I just love to get up on the mountain and do some sliding,” says Ed Robertson, lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies. “The fact that I get to do a show at the end of the day is a pretty good bonus. I’d be here either way.” On Saturday, The Barenaked…...
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CultureMissed Connections in Utah
Missed Connections in Utah
Interconnecting Utah ski resorts would offer a new way to move between the seven ski resorts in the Central Wasatch. Photo by Michael Brown / SolitudeSeven ski resorts populate Utah’s Central Wasatch Mountains, so close that dropping a rope can connect neighbors. That simple action already allows skiers and riders to travel between Alta and Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon or Brighton and Solitude in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Now, government support is building for some form of physical infrastructure linking resorts in Park City and near Salt Lake City. Connecting the resorts is a historical talking point. The idea…...
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CulturePhotography Lesson
Photography Lesson
Click on the image below to launch a slideshow. As the creative director for Mountain magazine, the bulk of my experience working with great photographers goes something like this: It’s late summer but we’re thinking deep winter, my desktop is cluttered with some of the best ski images from the past season, it’s sublime torture, like being a junkie in a pharmacy. The phone rings, it’s Lee Cohen and he says something like this: “It went OFF last year, I have so many superbangers from Alta and Snowbird to send you!” And I start to tremble. This happens every…...
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Culture
Ski Test 2012
Ski Test 2012
A sneak peek at Mountain magazine’s ski test in March 2012 at Utah’s Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort. Over three days and 30 inches of fresh snow, 17 testers tried out next year’s gear. Watch for the Early Winter 2012 issue for complete results of the test. —Johnathan Greenham...
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CultureField Report: Ice climbing Ouray, Colorado
Field Report: Ice climbing Ouray, Colorado
Click on the image to launch a photo slideshow. Photos by Amanda Paredes A female ice climber at the coffee shop in Ouray, Colorado flexes her bicep, which is approximately as big around as my thigh. “You’re guaranteed to get a great workout, and leave with an epic new Facebook profile picture,” she says. Then she looks at the crampons strapped to my backpack and smiles. “Just don’t squat with your spurs on.” Ouray is a historic mining town, one that struggled financially until the pipe carrying the town’s water supply began leaking. The trickle of water in Boxcar…...
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CultureGuiding on the Olympic Peninsula
Guiding on the Olympic Peninsula
Click on the image below to launch a slideshow of the Olympic Peninsula. You’ve skied all over the world. What’s so special about the Olympic Peninsula? I grew up here, and a lot of what I know about the mountains I learned in this range. They’re not tall—Mount Olympus, the highest in the range, is under 8,000 feet—but they’re remote, rugged, wild peaks that hold a special place in my heart. What advantages do the Olympics have over, for example, the Cascades? Access here is some of the best in the state for backcountry skiing. The Hurricane Ridge…...
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CultureVail Resorts Buys Kirkwood
Vail Resorts Buys Kirkwood
A look at Kirkwood, the newest member of Vail Resorts. Photo courtesy of Vail ResortsLast week, Vail Resorts added a seventh name to its roster of ski resorts in Colorado and California, acquiring Kirkwood Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe for $18 million. “We’re just thrilled to have Kirkwood in the family,” says Vail Resorts co-president Blaise Carrig. “It brings us something really different. We’re going to cherish the Kirkwood experience and make enhancements to it along the way.” Kirkwood pass holders will now have access to Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe—Vail’s other Tahoe resorts—while Epic Passes are now valid at…...
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CultureBackcountry in the Daks
Backcountry in the Daks
Slide skiing in the Adirondacks. Courtesy photoThe Adirondack Backcountry Ski Festival—a fundraiser for the New York Ski Educational Foundation’s Nordic teams and the Adirondack Ski Touring Council—turns 10 this weekend in Keene Valley, New York. An on-snow demo at Mount Pisgah in nearby Saranac Lake kicks off the event on Saturday. Gear companies including Black Diamond, G3, Garmont, Scarpa, and Dynafit will offer free demos and mini-clinics on backcountry skills. Guest skier Glen Plake will ski Saturday and give a presentation that night. And Cloudsplitter Mountain Guides, a Keene Valley outfit with AMGA-certified guides, will host backcountry clinics and tours…...
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CultureNo Alpinist Left Behind
No Alpinist Left Behind
Glen Plake shows his stuff on the steeps. Photo courtesy of JulboThe name Glen Plake brings to mind a mohawk, hot-dogging, and extreme skiing. What about a harness, ice tools, and climbing ropes? More of a mountaineer than a bumper these days, Plake hopes to share his love for technical terrain with young alpinists through a program with his sponsor Julbo. Mountain caught up with Plake in his winter base in Chamonix, France about his latest project and the changing mountaineering scene in North America. My base is Europe, but I’m a born and raised Californian, which is also…...
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CultureMountain Download: PROBAR
Mountain Download: PROBAR
After Jules Lambert became PROBAR’s first employee, he and his family drove an RV around the country, bringing the whole food energy bars to the people. Now, Lambert is the president of the company. (Click on the image for a photo slide show.) We sold everything we’d acquired in eight years of marriage, and loaded up a U-Haul behind our SUV. My wife was seven months pregnant. We had a little money in the bank, but we didn’t have jobs. We said, “Let’s move to a new state and move into your parents’ basement.” My brother-in-law showed up and…...
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CultureWill Work for Spirits
Will Work for Spirits
Click on the image below to launch a slideshow. A relaxed atmosphere with a rotation of eclectic music, PBR, and rounds of shots handed out frequently. Sounds like a regular night in a ski town, but there was a twist: The event was a Breckenridge Distillery bottling party. And they were pouring the shots in exchange for our volunteer work. Small-batch artisan distilleries are an emerging trend in mountain towns where high mineral content snowmelt yields high-quality spirits. Located in the heart of Summit County, Breckenridge Distillery’s every batch is carefully distilled until it reaches bottling age. Then…...
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