The Things We Learn

Anyone that really knows me could tell you that I am not much of a student. During my years in college I would put forth the bare minimum to get by. Attending class was an inconvenience and studying took up too much free time. On occasion I would work hard, usually the night before a final or a test.  Fortunately, I found an easy major (parks and recreation) that complemented my study habits. During fall semesters I missed a lot of afternoon and evening classes to go mountain biking. Campus was right at the mouth of the canyon, and you could access great single track in less than five minutes. I sometimes felt guilty for missing so much class and for putting school on the back burner. But in hindsight, I don't regret it one bit. The memories of epic rides with good friends is far more lasting than that of lectures or reading textbooks. Plus, you can learn important things from mountain biking. Watch this short film to see what they are.

10 Things I have learned about Mountainbiking from Filme von Draussen on Vimeo.

Bluehouse Skis

My brother and I have been snowboarding for almost eight years. Regrettably, we realized this season that  we've pretty much plateaued in the skills department. We have come to accept the fact that we'll never be awesome in the park or go huge like the pros, so instead we decided to buy some skis this year and switch over to the "dark" side. We didn't want to spend a whole lot of money on our skis because this was our first pair and, being poor college students, we didn't have enough spare cash lying around to drop for a good pair of  skis. This being our dilemma, we stumbled upon Bluehouse, a little gem of a company that solved our problems.

They began in 2007 as a little group of friends who wanted to make awesome skis for awesome prices, so they and their families could afford them. In the last five years, word has spread and they have grown; recently opening a production factory in Salt Lake City. The cool thing about Bluehouse, and the main reason we decided to buy from them, was the fact that they are completely independent from all major ski companies, retailers, or distributors chains. They sell factory direct, so we could get quality skis for prices way cheaper than anywhere else. We both got their District model and have been extremely happy with them. A few friends of ours have raved about how much they like theirs as well, so if you or your buddies are in the market for skis, I would highly recommend checking Bluehouse out.

 

Yosemite Time Lapse

Project Yosemite put together these amazing time lapses. Everything was shot with a Canon 5D Mark II and a variety of lenses.  After watching this, I now feel the need to plan a trip out there this summer. I am sure John Muir would appreciate Yosemite in HD. 

Yosemite HD from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

The Fisher Dilemma

During my last year and a half of college, I would walk by a long line of covered bike racks several times a day. They were located near one of the main entrances to the student center. One morning while passing, I noticed an early generation Gary Fisher fixed 29er locked up on the extreme left end of the racks. I didn't think too much of it at the time, until my way home from campus that night. I saw the bike again unmoved in the same location. I figured the owner must still be inside grinding out a long paper that was due the next day. I was surprised to see the bike the following morning right where I found it the day before.
For the next few months I kept track of the bike only to realize that it never moved; holidays, weekends, or whenever, it was guaranteed to be there. My friends also started keeping tabs and found the same thing.  We talked a few times about snatching it up. A late night walk and bolt cutters would have done the job, but it just didn't feel right taking someone else's bike.  As a result the bike stayed put for a few more semesters until campus police impounded it.
We were sad to find out the fate of the Fisher. There was no way of knowing the true story behind the bike, but we couldn't help but feel some regret for not saving the Fisher from impoundment. After watching this urban experiment by Hudson Bicycles NYC, I am now at ease with the Fisher dilemma.

Via: The Goat

A Chance to Be a Sponsored Bicyclist

All you need to do is have a love for pedaling, relocate to Australia, and be one of the thirty lucky individuals who will be selected to sign a contract and receive a free bike from Giant Bicycles. It sounds easy enough, right? I thought about buying one-way airfare, but I couldn't come up with a convincing argument to have my wife jump on board. Rather than chase this opportunity in the land down under, I will now be forced to submit to years of rigorous training, strict dieting, and podium finishes to become a sponsored rider. Nonetheless, I give major props to Giant for giving the mediocre aussie cyclist a chance.

Riding the U

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/34809825?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/34809825">Riding the U</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/massifproject">Massif Project</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>