Jun

Pedal Strokes and Perspective

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“As a brown woman, I stand out,” says Mary Ann Thomas. “People came up to me just because they were curious, just because they were like, ‘There aren’t a lot of strangers here, we’re just interested in who you are as a person–as a whole person.’”

Mary Ann is the daughter of Indian immigrants, she’s queer and she had always lived in the liberal bubble of big cities on the East Coast. When she embarked on a six-month, 6,600-mile bike tour across the country, she worried most about the prejudice she might encounter as she pedaled through middle America. She was surprised to discover that the stereotypes she had to confront in a profound way were her own.

Check out the blog from Mary Ann’s trip, or find more of her writing here.

Music: Intro by Jacob Bain • If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Last Days by Cleod9 • Lost Forever by Little Glass Men • Conviction by Little Glass Men • Brothers by Cleod9 • Simplify by Little Glass Men • Tightrope Walker by Jason Tyler Burton

Tracks provided by Free Music Archive and with permission from the artists.

May

Picaflor

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“I really needed something to focus my mind on to pull me out of that,” Tom says, “and about the biggest thing I could think of was to try and do a new route on a big wall.”

Not just any big wall, a big wall on the other side of the world in the remote and wild valley of Cochamo, Chile. When he latched on to the idea, Tom had never been to Cochamo and never climbed a big wall, much less established a new route on one.

Today, we’ve got one for you about how, if you find yourself at the bottom of an impossibly deep hole, sometimes it takes an equally impossible goal to pull yourself out of it.

If you want to hear more from Tom, check out his 2014 Short, ‘Go For It‘.

Music: Somnolence by Kai Engel • If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Snowmen by Kai Engel • hope! by The F*cked Up Beat • Rain Down and Fall Away by adcBicycle • Modulation of the Spirit by Little Glass Men • Nogales by Cleod9 • Sunset by Kai Engel • Kelp Grooves by Little Glass Men • Firediary5 by Ken Christianson • Moontime by The IMG • Ground Up by Cleod9 • Brothers by Cleod9 • Sonic Roads by Cleod9

Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists themselves.

May

The Shorts — Let Joy Rule Your Life

Let Joy Rule Your Life

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For many of us, the relationship we have with the outdoors stretches back longer than most of our friendships. But what do we do when what should have been a type one fun day in the mountains turns into the worst day of our lives? How do we redefine our relationships with the activities we love?

Ryan’s family started a scholarship in his name to help underserved youth get outside. You can donate here.

You can find more of Keith’s writing here.

Music today from Jacob Bain with Nis Kotto and with Publish the Quest.

Apr

The Bet

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“When I made this bet, I had maybe two or three pairs of cut off pants that were now shorts — or jorts — a pair of sandals, and maybe six or seven pretty nice Hawaiian shirts,” remembers Matt. “And that was it.”

Today, producer Francesca Fenzi brings you a story of mountain climbing on a budget, friendship and idealism versus realism.

You can find more of Francesca’s work at: francescafenzi.com

Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Aloha Vibes by Warren Thomas Fenzi • I Got a Plan to Rule the World by MC Cullah • Sick & Tired by Publish the Quest • Equatorial Lies by Hayvanlar Alemi • Something by Kai Engel • The Rent is Late by Publish the Quest • Blue by Bradley Carter

Tracks provided by Free Music Archive and with permission from the artists.

Apr

The Shorts — Catching Hope

Catching Hope

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“Every day on the mountain and every night at the bar, drinking and partying was as much a part of my life as skiing,” remembers Paddy O’Connell. “That is until, of course, they became the only part.”

We’ve heard the stories of addicts who found salvation in the outdoors and the outdoor community, but that’s not the way the narrative arcs for everyone. For Paddy, recovery looked less like slashing pow turns with his ski-bum buddies, and more like a game of catch with his dad on the back lawn of a treatment facility in Minnesota.

You can find more of Paddy’s writing here: Adventure Journal, Freeskier Magazine, Mountain Magazine, The Gear Junkie, Teton Gravity Research, Powder.com, Skiing Magazine, Chatting with Lindsey Vonn

Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Breaking Down by Bradley Carter • Moon Shimmers by John Berry • Stop by Vienna Ditto • Nidra by Quaro • Chasing Trains by Publish the Quest • Streams by Jacob Bain