Jan

The Magic of Serendipity

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/96456978″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]You might remember a story about climbers in the Magic Kingdom. It sounded like a dream job- climbing, secret lairs and cutting to the front of the roller coaster line. Our inbox flooded with emails about how to apply. But the program was canceled in 2007. Until last year. In an audition room filled with sponsored climbers and underground crushers, Susanica Tam felt her resume paled in comparison. Could climbing a mini-Matterhorn change Susanica’s outlook on climbing?

Today, we present our annual Year of Big Ideas. We went out into our community and listened to what you want to do in 2013. Here’s to saying yes to new opportunities, stretching ourselves, and embracing a little spontaneity.

Music: Number Fourteen by Gladkill • Covered in Spiders by Pumice • Never in a Million Years by Apollo Brown • Far from Portland by Lau • Requiem for Stateway by Thaione Davis

Music provided by IODA Promonet.

Jan

The Shorts — Pedaling to Silence

Pedaling to Silence

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/104313479″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Greg May signed up as a rookie for the 24 Hours of Exposure at the heckling of his friends. But as he stood on the start line he felt under prepared, under biked, and overweight. “Probably not the thought you want before your first 24 hour mountain bike race.” Though Greg wanted to finish, he’d also needed a distraction from writing his Ph.D. thesis. Laps spun to hours, and Greg found that pushing his body stopped the whir of thoughts. As he nerared the finish line, he wondered whether his body could finish what he had started.

Music: Where The Kids Are by Blondfire • On My Time by Sea at Last • Impressions of a City Morning by Brown Recluse

Music provided by IODA Promonet.

Dec

The Sufferthon

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/104313260″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Alastair Humphreys has biked around the world, crossed glacial highlands and desert lands. But in 2011, he stayed in Britain, focusing on trips close to home. The idea of backyard adventure wasn’t new, but he put it in terms everyone could understand. While Alastair was perfecting the microadventure, Josh Norris and Ty Atwater were distilling down the elements of past adventure and cramming them into an all day– well, Sufferthon. Can they create Type 3 fun without leaving Oregon?

Music: White on White by Fredrik • Jaundice Giraffe by Feral Children • Sister by Legend • Déjà Vu (Featuring K-OS) by Small Sins

Music provided by IODA Promonet.

Nov

The Shorts — Don Manuel’s Nails

Don Manuel’s Nails

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/104312890″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]In 2010, Seth Adams worked in Ecuador with Round River Conservation Studies. He was there as part of an effort to show the locals the importance of conserving the surrounding forest and wildlife. Yet, the longer that he was there, interacting with locals like Don Manuel and Stu, the more he began to reflect on his own perspective. Could the Ecuadorians show Seth something about himself?

Music: Cushicui by Todos Juntos • The First Waltz by Sound of Seventy Three • Detras de la Puerta by Susana Baca • Jatun Mandaj by Todos Juntos

Music provided by IODA Promonet.

Nov

Making It

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/104312572″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]We’ve all day dreamed about it – becoming a pro. What would it be like? Well, besides getting to do the thing you love everyday, you’d probably get free gear, meet incredible people, get your photo taken, maybe travel the world. You might even get paid. We call it living the dream. And it’s good work if you can get it. But, how do you get the gig? And is it really all that it’s cracked up to be? Zack Giffin and Timmy O’Neill share their stories of finding the spotlight and moving beyond it.

Music: Far from Portland by Lau • Hazel by Weekend • The Mountains Within by Vitamin C • No Sun in the Sky by Kraak & Smaak • You’ll Get Over by Patrick Park • Covered in Spiders by Pumice

Music provided by IODA Promonet.