Jun

The Dreamers

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99574221″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]“I had convinced myself at that point that my goal was so important it was worth dying for,” says alpine master Steve House about his 15-year-old dream of climbing the Rupal Face. Big Dreams require big commitment. We may not all dream on the same scale and commitment levels, but we all share dreams. They pull us through our lives on solid ground. Today writer and climber Sarah Garlick presents: The Dreamers—reflections from four generations of the world’s best climbers: Steve House, Henry Barber, Steve Schneider, and Colin Haley. In the process Sarah found out a little bit about herself. Do you have a life long dream? What if you completed it? What if you never realized it?

Music: Today’s music came from our friends, The Secret Life of Sofia (now Milagres). This Brooklyn-based band aren’t your typical indie rockers–they’ve got an affinity for the wide open space and big mountains. Their latest album Seven Summits is featured here today.

“It is in some ways a concept album – part historical fiction, part personal experience. Its writing was largely influenced by an obsession with the mountains and my relationship with them,” lead singer Kyle Wilson told me. You can purchase the album through their myspace page linked above.

On a personal note, I really dig this album. It’s very difficult to write songs that speak to the power of high places without falling into ridiculous cliche. I’ve listened to this album dozens of times and at each listen I find some new historical reference or emotion I recognize from my own connection to the mountains. It is in some ways as much a novel as it is a record and Wilson avoids the cliche by sticking to inventive images that we all know and recognize but would never think to include in a song. Seriously, check it out.

May

Sixty Meters to Anywhere

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99573924″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]“Is there a statute of limitations on finding something you’re passionate about? Is there a certain age when learning something new becomes too much to take on, or we become to afraid to fail or afraid to let others see us fail?” writes Brendan Leonard. A few Christmases back, Brendan received a rather strange gift from his brother – an old rope. Brendan wasn’t a climber. He had no intention of becoming of climber. Sometimes though gifts can change our lives. It turns out that 60-meters of climbing rope has taken him farther than he could have ever dreamed.

Music: Perfect Fit by Clues • Remember Severed Head by Clues • Trouble Come, Trouble Go by Kokolo • Heikki’s Suburbia Bus Tour by Rodriguez • Hesitation Blues by Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel

Music provided by IODA Promonet.

May

The Shorts — Great White Book

Great White Book

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Music: Don’t Leave When Winter Comes (Featuring Slug) by CunninLynguists • March of the Balloon Animals by Dengue Fever • Warning by Great Northern

Music provided by IODA Promonet.

Apr

The Cowboy and the Maiden

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99573482″ 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 September 2008, Chad Kellogg and climbing partner Dylan Johnson stood atop 6250-meter Siguniang in Western China after completing the 10,000-foot-long SW Ridge. It was a mind-bending ascent through a massive big wall, a razor edge ridge and high altitude ice climbing. The two friends endured days without water and several sleepless nights. Dylan lost 30 pounds over the course of their ascent. If that sounds epic, it pales in comparison to what Kellogg went through to even return to the mountain that had filled his thoughts for years. During a prior trip, Chad was called home after his wife Lara died in Alaska’s Ruth Gorge. Four months later, he was diagnosed with cancer. Summits fade, routes disappear into alpinists’ memory, but occasionally mountains extend back into life on level ground. Sometimes we don’t just want to climb a mountain. We need to.

Music: Harm & Boon by Balmorhea • Malbicho by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs • Grim Advantage Pt. 1 by Egadz! • Comms by Suburban Dark • Sleep Sweet by Home Video

Music provided by IODA Promonet.

Mar

The Shorts — Beginner’s Mind

Beginner’s Mind

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Burton Chill Program:

The Chill Program is a non-profit, learn-to-ride program for under-served youth in urban areas across the U.S. In short, it’s a kick-ass program started by Jake and Donna Burton of Burton Snowboards fame that gets 2,200 youth who have never ridden before and probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to do so other wise out on the slopes. It’s not some photo-op program either. The Chill people do it right. This isn’t just a chance to try snowboarding; it’s a chance to learn. The program last six weeks. Participants receive lift tickets, rentals, transport to the mountain, lessons and most of all a pretty unforgettable time.

I’ve been involved as a volunteer for Chill for about three seasons now, and am always blown away by the impact it can have. (You might remember this Story). Snowboarding isn’t going to solve the world’s ills, but this program can have a pretty powerful influence on some (certainly not all) of its participants. Most of all…it’s a frickin blast to volunteer. Check out their site for locations. I’d highly recommend it for people looking to get involved in their communities.

Music: Yea Yeah by Matt & Kim • Two Times by The Blakes • Day in the Life (Featuring Steph) by Substantial

Music provided by IODA Promonet.