A must-read list of books
‘I don’t know where you study, but this bar’s my favorite!’
Winter can be damn cold. Van camping in the winter can be even colder. But nothing warms me up like a good book (and maybe a shot of whiskey!) before I bed down for the night with the snow piling up outside. To that end, I figured I would pass on a great link for all you outdoors enthusiasts. Patagonia has a publishing wing of their enterprise, and since they have entered into the whole literary world, they have compiled a list of books that are must reads for adventure fans worldwide.
Listed under the proper categories, the books range from Guns, Germs and Steel , a book about how civilizations have evolved, to Surf is Where You Find It , a memoir by big-wave surfer Gerry Lopez. I have only had the chance to dip into a few of the titles, but after reading the blurbs, I am now confronted with the daunting task of finding enough time to devour the rest. Speaking of devouring, at least there’s a book in the list titled, The Omnivore’s Dilemma .
Click the links below to check out the list of must-reads:
Activism
Adventure/Travel
Climbing/Mountaineering
Environment/Ecology/Conservation
Falconry
Fiction
Fishing
Memoir
Naturalists/Natural History
And a big thank you to Patagonia’s blog for putting this one together. Oh, and if you want a copy of Guns, Germs and Steel, I have one in the TatsVan, so ask for it if you see me!
Keep warm while reading in this Backcountry Siphon Wool Hooded Jacket
2% of your purchase goes to SheJumps.org
A Sun Valley Christmas
I know. I’ve been bad. It’s been a full two weeks and I haven’t updated the TatsVan Chronicles. However, I’ve been able to hop back on a pair of skis and shred the mountains the way they’ve been begging for it since last season. It’s snowed at every place I’ve driven into since my first run on Aspen Mountain in 18 inches of blower pow. I’ve been to Crested Butte, Snowbird and Sun Valley since then, but the story will soon come.
In the meantime, I have a little gem of a video for you to enjoy. It’s your chance to see what the Sun Valley Christmas Eve torchlight parade looks like from a skier’s point-of-view. Unfortunately, the higher-ups at the company wouldn’t let me up the lift (due to the fact that I’m not a ski instructor this season!), but my good friend Brie Wetmore was there to lend a helping hand, or head I should say. After clipping on my POC Receptor Bug helmet and turning on the VIO POV.1 helmetcam velcroed to the top, she hopped on the lift at 5:45pm, December 24th, 2008 and proceeded to capture a beautiful moment on skis.
The energy in this valley runs high during Christmas season, and all the tourists are out in full force. Sun Valley puts on an ice show at the Sun Valley Lodge ice skating rink and follows it up with a torchlight parade and a firework show. It’s a pretty magical experience, and if you ever get a chance to see it for yourself, you’ll know why.
But, without further adue, here is the video clip. Thanks Brie for giving us all the chance to see what you saw!
POC Receptor Bug Helmet
2% of your purchase goes to SheJumps.org
A great avalanche resource
I recently stumbled across this little gem of a website. The Forest Service has done a great job of updating their site with skier-oriented and snowmobile-oriented avalanche tips, information and videos. In light of the unfortunate recent tragedies at some of my favorite ski areas, this information is ever more important for anyone even thinking of going out and playing in the snow.
I especially like the ‘A Day in Avalanche Country’ section. It provides a nice checklist of things to do and think about as you prepare to head outdoors for some backcountry skiing or snowmobiling. This is a great resource for all the questions we need to ask ourselves yet find it difficult to line up in the haze of an early powder day morning.
So, click here , check out their website and get those beacons out for some good ‘ol practice. And remember, you’re only as safe as how well your buddies know their gear too!
This Ortovox S1 Avalanche Transceiver is on my wish list
2% of your purchase goes to SheJumps.org
Tats + Winter = Friends Forever!
Well, my stint as the MC for the Warren Miller film tour has come to an end. I flew into Denver yesterday and was greeted with the welcoming sight of snow-capped mountains in the distance. The cold air hit me with a brisk chill to the face as I picked up my bags and walked outside to the shuttle pickup; little did I know, but it would be the last day I would have to wear sandals until the late Spring sun visits again in April.
After a short ride to Boulder, I met up with my good buddy Mike McCabe while he was still at work over at Folsom Custom Skis in North Boulder. I arrived just in time to watch him lay up and press a pair of sweet looking freeride skis. The soon-to-be owner of the custom pair of skis was there too, six pack of wheat beer in hand. It is such a cool experience to watch the ski building process in action; the smell of the epoxy and the sound of the pneumatic press as it drops down on all the laminates fills the room, mixing in with the anticipation of the what the final product will look like. I have to say, for a small, two-man operation, Folsom Customs is a legit place, and I encourage anyone in the Boulder/Denver area to stop by and say hi. Bringing beer always helps!
Today, I woke up and headed on over to the Warren Miller Entertainment headquarters to tie up some loose ends from the tour, and to say hi to some of the folks working there. It’s always sweet walking in their building, because SKI and SKIING magazines are made there too, so there is all kinds of cool stuff up on the walls. WME is already busy lining up athletes and scheduling film shoots for next year’s film, and I picked up some much needed insider knowledge about how everything comes together. Thanks to the personal introduction by Kim Schneider (editor of WM films), I had the chance to meet Josh Haskins (line producer) and Max Bervy (director). It’s always great to meet the people behind the scenes of the skiing industry; the ones that bring each year’s ski stoke to audiences worldwide. These guys have been in the business a long time, and they’ve seen everything that happens in the sport, so it was nice of them to give me a little guidance on making this whole skiing thing happen.
Since I was already in the neighborhood after leaving WME’s parking lot, I decided I would swing by the Freeskier Magazine office to say thanks for the sweet profile they printed in this year’s Photo Annual. ‘Digi’ Dave Amirault greeted me at the door and his wave of energy hit me at once; I can see how he manages to handle the multitude of tasks they throw at him, including running Freeskier’s website and writing online features. He introduced me to Chris Jerard and Jay Michelfelder, long time members of the staff at the magazine, as well as some of the interns. It was really cool to walk into that office and have them all know who I was, even if I’m just another ski bum. After tossing me some swag, including a new DISCRETE/Freeskier Mag beanie , I said my goodbyes to Digi and the rest of the crew and headed out into the heart of Boulder, ten copies of the Photo Annual in tow.
The TatsVan is acting up again, probably because she feels left out on all the adventures I’ve had for the past two months. Since she quit on me in the Chipotle parking lot and won’t start up again, I found myself flung right back into the swing of ski bummin’ at its finest: killing time creatively. So, I’m sitting here at my buddies’ house poaching their internet and writing this update after skateboarding around Boulder for a few hours, taking advantage of the last dry streets I’ll see for a while. I can’t believe I’ll be on snow tomorrow for the first time of the 08/09 season; I hope my legs are up for it!
My schedule for the next few weeks will be hectic, and I hope to steal enough time online to keep posting, but if you are in the Aspen, SLC, or Sun Valley areas through the end of the month, look for me! Hopefully the TatsVan and I will be over our little tiff, and she’ll be ready for some ski bummin’ road-trip style.
These gloves are just plain pimpin'
2% of your purchase goes to SheJumps.org
DISCRETE wants to party with you!
From Julian Carr over at Discrete Headwear :
"What’s up y’all. I have attached info for a party we are throwing to kick off the season and our new products. All the door proceeds are going to the Billy Poole foundation. Should be cool, we have some solid sponsors like POWDER, Skullcandy, etc ….
So, if you are in the greater Salt Lake City area and want to really ring in the new winter season right, we’ll see you at the party. Back when Julian first brought me onto the DISCRETE team, I had already heard of their epic parties but had never made it to one. Now, it’s time to get a little rowdy rowdesian, DISCRETE style!
Come out, do some shots and support a good cause. And happy holidays to you all!
- Tats
The DISCRETE Billy Boy beanie. Click here to buy one!
2% of your holiday shopping goes to SheJumps.org
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