All These Things
The Weather Channel’s Local on the 8’s. NOAA. Surf cams. We’ve all been there–staring at the places we would like to be through a computer or television screen. We shut our eyes at our desks and try to imagine the feel of cutting through powder or climbing on a sun drenched cliff.
Success in the high country requires early starts and leaps of faith. The same can be said of careers, school and family. Our dreams in the flatlands take nurturing. They require our love and time, and when our personal goals grate against the pursuit of summits, glassy waves and powder days, our heads can fill with a feedback loop of tough questions about where we’ve been and where we’re headed.
Today, I’m proud to present a new voice. Becca Cahall brings us All These Things–a story about getting older and skiing faster. We’re headed for British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains–an incredible range of open alpine faces, perfect tree skiing and tight chutes that every backcountry skier dreams of visiting. When the life’s pressing questions mount, the only antidote is the inner calm found in cold wind, burning lungs and the hiss of skis sliding across snow. Enjoy.
Music: Indie music–who knows what that term means anymore? About a million musical pundits have offered unwanted opinions. I’ll let it rest, but I do know is this–I know true indie music when I see it.
Los Angeles-based musician, Ken Christianson lives in Hollywood, but life isn’t glamorous. He shares a small studio apartment with another musician. His “room? is the closet, which he has partitioned into two stories. The upper level of this spacious abode is so small that Ken has trouble sitting up right. Every night after his nine to five at a rug store, Ken goes to work on his passion–music. The result is his musical journal, a carefully crafted assortment of music. Every plucked string, note sung and key pressed is Ken. You can stream or purchase his cuts, which range from polished tracks to tiny sketches. Expect to hear more in coming episodes.
Tracks used today: One Foot Out, Fire Diary, Five Little Men, Air, Dirtbag and Strange Hillbilly
Art: Great friendships often begin in the most average ways. Sometimes just a simple introduction during an after work climbing session can lead to a lifelong friendship.
Since that first handshake, Anya Miller has become a collaborator, a climbing and ski partner and precious friend to both Becca and me. She’s continually made my text look better with her unique illustrations and even helped drag me out of the Joshua Tree backcountry after I busted my ankle. I’ve watched her grow as both an artist and athlete. Now, I’m excited to have her join the Dirtbag family.
“All These Things” provided the perfect opportunity for Anya to design for us. Becca’s old sledding hill is less than a mile walk from Anya’s home. An architect by training and a designer at heart, she gathered together old photos of Becca and integrated them into the design. In the last year, Anya launched her own design company, Mindful Creative, and quickly followed it up by starting a subsidiary greeting card company, Ewe Me Us, which features eight different designs. If you like what you see, you can reach her through Mindful Creative.
