A must-read list of books

Video: LINO’, an Animated Surf Flick

Check this video out...I've watched it ten times already. The music is super mellow, vibing well with the impressive stop-motion animation that makes those little Playmobil figurines look like they're just shredding some epic waves. Lino', made by Karim Rejeb of KarimRejeb-SurfArt.com, is a masterpiece fit for anyone who has played with plastic toys. His vision of the world of surfing, a...

Friends of the TatsVan: Scott McBrayer – Bull Rider

Scott McBrayer, better known on the Freeskiing World Tour as McSlayer, just rode his third bull at the Carbondale Thursday night rodeo. Known for tossing frontflips to a stomped landing off of 40 foot cliffs, it's his background as a hunting guide and cowboy that makes Scott really stand out. He didn't make eight seconds (the minimum time for a score) in this ride, but as any cowpoke knows...

Mobile Lifestyle: The Mobile Office

I have found two activities to occupy my time, each of which helping to engage the frontal lobe or get my heart pumping hard. On sunny days, the choice is easy: I grab my inflatable stand-up paddleboard (iSUP) and cruise with the bus and clients to the river put-in. I help unload the boats, ditch the deflated iSUP board and paddle, drop the bus at the bottom of the Shoshone Rapids section ...

Pingu Goes Skiing

This is a funny viral video that has hit the winter audience. Stop-motion animation is so fun! (WARNING: some adult language and themes) For those who haven't been following ski design innovation over the past few years, rocker technology is an ancient design that has found a new life in current ski brands. Ski companies are adopting the early-rise tips and tails of the old carved, wood...

Friends of the TatsVan: Leo Ahrens

This is especially true for the junior competitors, whose parents have had the foresight - and made the sacrifices - to know that these competitions are helping to groom their kids into the more well-rounded skiers which the greater skiing audience can identify with. For 17 year-old Leo Ahrens, that barrier has been broken, and he's got two shred-sticks on his feet ready to continue smashing...

Posted By: Tats on December 28, 2008 in All New Posts - Comments: No Comments »

‘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!