Feb
6

The Shorts — Trekker’s Blues

Trekker’s Blues

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99581127″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]More people reach the top of Mount Everest than hike the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail. It asks a lot of the human body. When writer Alissa Bohling and her longtime boyfriend Paul set out of the trail, they thought a trip of that significance would leave a mark on their relationship. They didn’t foresee that it would leave Paul hobbling and struggling to get healthy years after they reached the Canadian border. In today’s Short, Alissa puts pen to paper and imagines a pain-free life for Paul. If we write it down does it become true? I hope so.

Music: No One’s Gonna Love You by Band of Horses   •   Norway by Beach House   •   You Look Good in Orange by Charlie Hunter

Music provided by IODA Promonet.

Jan
14

Fueled by Strawberry Jam

Fueled by Strawberry Jam

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99580943″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Ski filmmaker Nick Waggoner knew what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to be a skier of the diehard variety. There were two obvious hurdles.  First, he lived in New York City. Second, he was 11 years old. He found a way to make it work and before he was legally behind the wheel of a car, he was squeezing adventure out of skiing. In the last decade, his passion for skiing evolved into a passion for making films about skiing, but his approach has remained the same. Today, we bring you another Year of Big Ideas–a time to turn daydreams into concrete goals. Professional athletes, weekend warriors, and full time dreamers present their goals for 2010.

Music: Shine a Light by Wolf Parade   •   Everyday, More of This by Vetiver   •   Illuminant by Efterklang, The Danish National Chamber Orchestra   •   Serrated Man Sound by Mason Lindahl

Music provided by IODA Promonet and Sub Pop.

Dec
22

The Shorts — Forty Miles a Poem

Forty Miles a Poem

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99577140″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Whether you swing a hammer or hammer on the keyboard, we all find ways to stay sane during the workweek. Maybe it’s a particularly good post-work bouldering session or an hour of yoga, which has been the case for me lately. When Scott Harvey’s poem “40 Miles of Inspiration” showed up in my Inbox, it was a like a breath of fresh air. It’s hard not to smile at this refreshing cure for the mid-week blues. Farm dogs. Wayward bats. Coyotes. All in a day’s commute.

Music: Que Paso? by By Divine Right   •   April by Mo Rooney   •   Don’t Let the Nightlight Dance by Track a Tiger

Music provided by IODA Promonet.

Dec
7

Fun Divided by Three

Fun Divided by Three

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99576864″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]As outdoor types, we love rating systems. We’ll rate anything. Rapids. Climbs. Ski runs. Now, we’ve gone and tried to rate the unrateable–fun. Fun divided by three–it’s this concept that has been floating around campfires for years. It dictates that there are three types of fun. There is type one fun and type two fun, but today, we are going to explore type three fun. This is the epic. The suffer fest. This is collarbone breaking,  giardia-getting, soaked-to-the-bone, carnage. If it sounds horrible, that’s because it probably is. What does type three fun entail? Why do some people seem particularly drawn to these types of adventures and what could possibly motivate us to embrace type three fun?  Today, we bring you answers.

Music: Heartilation by Andrew Jackson Jihad   •   I Want You to Keep Everything by These United States   •   Raid the Radio by General Elektriks   •   Whistle by The Morning Call   •   Going Home by Egadz!

Music provided by IODA Promonet.

Nov
9

The Shorts — Friends in High Places

Friends in High Places

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99576587″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Climber and Diaries contributor Kelly Cordes is what you would call an early adopter. Kelly may live in a shack at 8,000 feet, but the guy is no cretin. He’s had an email account for four years now. He knows how to program a VCR. He’s even considered buying one of those new-fangled Blueberry phones. What can I say? Kelly is a mover and a shaker. The guy’s approach to new technology is as cutting edge as his alpine endeavors, but even seasoned pros have the occasional misstep. Two and a half years, Kelly signed up for a Facebook account, promptly forgot the password and found out that negotiating social media can be every bit as difficult as picking a path through gaping crevasses, rotten ice and snow-covered rock. It’s certainly just as time consuming.

Music: One Way Out by The Mother Hips   •   Pretty Apollo by CYNE   •   Slice Me Nice by Sugar & Gold   •   Light by Track a Tiger

Music provided by IODA Promonet.