The Shorts — The Chute
The Chute
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“‘Oh, shoot’, my dad muttered for the tenth or fifteenth time in the last five minutes. Then, he burst into exhausted chuckles,” remembers Deron Daugherty. “I looked up the chute that we were trying to march out of: thirty degrees of slope, several hundred feet to go. ‘Shoot,’ I agreed, and laughed, the dark laugh of those initiated to the secrets of redlined exertion. Type 2 fun before I knew its name.”
When Deron’s uncle coerced him and his father on a trip to Vasey’s Paradise, an oasis at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, they had no idea what they’d find down there. They didn’t know about the chute. They also had no idea what truths they would uncover about one another, the bonds that would form between the three of them or how long those bonds would last.
You can find more of Deron’s writing here. Or listen to Deron’s first Dirtbag Diaries episode, “One Last Hike.”
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • In the Beginning by woodrowgerber • The Biddy Bong Song by Publish the Quest • All of Your Love by adcBicycle • I Believe by Publish the Quest • You Never Know Who You’re Gonna Meet by Publish the Quest
Tracks provided by Free Music Archive and with permission from the artists.
The Year of Big Ideas 2017
The Year of Big Ideas 2017
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So, this year, we bring you our annual Year of Big Ideas, but with a twist. With the current state of our country, asking people about their personal goals to get rad outside didn’t quite feel right. Instead, we sent out the simple/utterly confounding question: How do we move forward?
Today, our friends, contributors and listeners weigh in with their thoughts and goals on what we do in 2017 and in the years to come. Happy New Year!
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • The Departure by nisei23 • Night Without Sleep by David Mumford • Done With Dallas by Bradley Carter • hope! by The F***ed Up Beat • Kelp Grooves by Little Glass Men • All of the Time by adcBicycle
Tracks provided by Free Music Archive and with permission from the artists.
The Shorts — Vanlife
Vanlife
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Today, we bring you the story of Chris’ life through the eras of three vans, “Ford,” “Chevy” and “Van,” to his current, nameless, fancypants car. How do you reconcile a dirtbag soul with changing goals and dreams?
You can find more of Chris’ writing at FringesFolly.com
Music: Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon • Done with Dallas by Bradley Carter • Blazing Day by MC Cullah • Juno by Chronox • Underdog by Bradley Carter
Tracks provided by Free Music Archive and with permission from the artists.
To Infinity
To Infinity
Chad Kellogg. September 22nd, 1971 to February 14th, 2014. Seattle climbing community legend. Dear friend to many. And the toughest guy around.
“For Chad, not eating and shivering on ledges–that was like skiing powder for him. It was just that fun,” remembers Jens Holsten.
Today, we take a look at what gets left behind when someone like Chad leaves us, and what grows in the vacant space.
In part one, we hear from Jens, Chad’s climbing partner, good friend and mentee during the final years of his life.
In part two, we follow Ras Vaughan and Gavin Woody as they pick up the torch on a project Chad dreamed up, but never completed: the Rainier Infinity Loop. An idea so grand, it seemed almost inhuman.
This episode contains adult language–if that offends you, you’ll want to skip this one.
Hear more of Chad Kellogg’s story in the 2009 Diaries episode, The Cowboy and the Maiden.
Read more from Jens Holsten at Always Upwards.
Find more of Ras Vaughan’s musings and adventures at UltraPedestrian.com
Follow Gavin Woody’s adventures on Facebook or Instagram.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Modulation of the Spirit by Little Glass Men • Liar, Liar by Vienna Ditto • Something by Kai Engel • Everest by Scott Holmes • The Undefeated by Vienna Ditto • Clover by Little Glass Men • Night Without Sleep by David Mumford • Falling into You by Little Glass Men • Firediary5 by Ken Christianson • Your Pulse by Little Glass Men • A Language of Its Own by Publish the Quest • Falling Into You by Little Glass Men • A Finer Line by Jason Tyler Burton
Tracks provided by Free Music Archive and with permission from the artists.
The Shorts — The Skin Track
The Skin Track
With a professional ski guide for a dad and a ski instructor for a mom, Nina Hance learned early how to set a steep skin track and charge hard. At 20, she started to work towards her ski guide certification and got a job as an apprentice guide for a heli operation in Alaska. Imagine her delight when, her first week of college, she met Olivia, climber, skier and aspiring avalanche forecaster: the ultimate female adventure companion.
“She taught me to swim up sandstone splitters. I taught her to link hop turns though a tight couloir. She taught me how to party hard, and I made her wake up early for powder days,” says Nina. “Whether in deep conversation over a bottle of wine, swapping leads on a multi-pitch, or giggling in the skin track, we couldn’t get enough of each other.”
The morning Nina awoke to a phone full of missed calls from mutual friends, she had the terrible realization that she would have to find a new way to love the mountains.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Original Scores by Jacob Bain • Chasing Trains by Publish the Quest
Tracks courtesy of Jacob Bain.
