In 1985, an adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner, entitled "The Goonies" was filmed on the California and Oregon coastline. A band of kids from the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon, hoping to save their homes from demolition, go on an adventure to find the buried treasure of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate. One of the filming locations was Haystack Rock, which is located in Cannon Beach.
Searching for the elusive treasure of The Dread Pirate Off-Season Employment, I too ventured to Cannon Beach for a job interview. The first interview took place at the Lumberyard, who were interested in hiring an off-season bartender. After the interview, I was walking along the beach when I received a phone call from the manager I had just spoke with. He informed me about an interview he had scheduled at the Wayfarer, and graciously faxed my resume to their general manager. The Wayfarer is a phenomenal restaurant and lounge located on the water with a breathtaking view of Haystack Rock and seemed very interested in the possibility of hiring me from now until November.
Given that our friends The Goonies found the treasure along the coast of Oregon, I can only hope for the same fortune.
From April 29th to May 30th, I was living on the floor of an apartment in Mammoth Lakes, CA. While skiing everyday, we met up with a crew of Swiss kids that were renting a three story palace that slept 24. Along with extending their hospitality while cooking food, partying, or going sightseeing in the area, the Swiss kids had stacks of skis, outerwear, clothing, and CDs that they had no intention of bringing back to the homeland. Rather than throw these items away, they loaded it into my jeep the last night we hung out. I ended up selling the surplus product to campers at Windell's during coaches sale and kept the CD's for the benefit of my never ending road trip that has yet to commence. One of the CD's, TROUBADOUR, by K'NAAN, has remained in my CD player and my headphones while skiing for quite sometime. The songs on the album serve as inspiration and never cease to amaze me. Here are some of my favorite songs on the album:
Above&Below: 6.3mega pixels of point and shoot fury. Examples mediocre photography
Photographs capture moments in time. Although all moments in time are equally significant, some photographers capture those moments and illuminate them in such a way that the photo transcends the confines of a photo album and demands additional attention. When a photographer does this exceptionally well, he or she may publish their work and in some very rare instances define an era. For example, the below photo depicts a moment in time in the Vietnam era:
Albeit hundreds of thousands of photos were taken during Vietnam, this particular photo makes appearances in text books, war documentaries, and countless dissertations. Given that the photo serves as a shocking reminder of the war, it can be considered an iconic image of the era.
On the grand scheme of historical influence, ski photography is less likely to end up in text books and in dissertation headlines than photos of Vietnam. However, for those of us that have dedicated tremendous financial, chronological, and physical effort to the lifestyle, certain photos and certain photographers have come to define an era, the era of contemporary skiing (Blake Nyman™). When I think of quality photography, Chris O'Connell andNate Abbotthave continued to capture phenomenal images of skiing and the lifestyle that inspires so many individuals. Maybe it's because they were shooting FREEZE and Freeskier covers long before I knew to hit a jump switch, maybe it's because they contribute an absurd amount of photos to current magazines and websites. Or, perhaps it's because they have always had an eye to produce unique shots of park and urban skiing when everyone else focused on shooting similar angles of big mountain skiing. Regardless of what it is, Abbott and OC create astonishing images of skiing, and for that reason, I have the utmost respect for their work.
The average height for a Japanese male is 5'7.5". In the United States, the average height for a male is 5'10.4". At a towering 6'2", it is safe to say, that I am big in Japan. Further adding to the notion that I am big in Japan is this photo:
I arrived in O'Hare International at 9:30am and was unable to depart until 8:50pm. While waiting and wandering around the terminals, I took some photos for you to enjoy.
#18 of 25 on the standby list.
As the journey continues, I have once again returned to the Mt. Hood area where I am actively awaiting confirmation on a full-time position from August 31st until January. Until then, I will be hiking, running, swimming, lifting, and sleeping in my jeep. Just remember folks, avoid flying standby through O'Hare on a Thursday, especially during the peak travel time for vacations and students returning to university.
In case you haven't seen Shaun White's NZ Open Pipe run you should watch him as he crushes two dubs:
After watching that video, you may be asking yourself, how the F#@$% did he do that? Is there something he does that sets him apart from other world class athletes? I too was asking myself these questions and came up with two plausible scenarios.
Scenario #1 Gingers and Daywalkers have Extraordinary Powers. During Eric Cartman's speech during Episode 11 of Season 9, Cartman maintains that two types of gingers (defined as people with red hair, freckles, and pale skin) exist.The first type,have no souls and are unable to survive in the sunlight, whereas the second type, called daywalkers, have red hair but do not have pale skin and freckles. Given that you have seen Shaun White wearing a face mask during the majority of competition runs and while filming for his various film segments, one might assume he is indeed a true ginger. Likewise,Matt Walker,Ben Moxham, and Dane Tudor frequently wear masks while on snow, have red hair, and absolutely destroy everything they touch. Given that Shaun White stacks cash easier than the joker and the aforementioned daywalkers will undoubtedly become the top level pros of tomorrow, (read, as soon as their segments drop in the fall) a connection between having red hair and absolutely slaying snowsports may exist.
Scenario #2 Shaun White has a Secret Training Facility Yes, it's 2009 and everyone from Wallisch to Batman to Laura Croft has a secret training facility. Rather than post up in the spacious accommodations of da hoodhouse, in a cave below Wayne Manor, or amidst the gardens and simulations around Croft Manor, Shaun White chose a location much more remote for his training facility. I'm talking about a place where fitted gore-tex, micro brews, and duct tape replace mirrored lenses, tall-ts, and neon-poles. I'm talking about a place so off the grid that only one chair lift, snowmobiles, mandatory guides, and a heli service the terrain. I'm talking about a little place called Silverton, Colorado.
Above, are photos of Shaun White's private half-pipe in the Silverton backcountry. This terrain cannot be accessed by chairlift, so unless you're willing to hike for a considerable amount of time, drop $150 for a heli lap, or have a private film crew escort you by snowmobile to the location, you may have difficultly locating this diamond in the rough. Estimated costs of building and maintaining a half-pipe, with foam pit, are somewhere between "Don't stress, we're RedBull" to "Having an athlete of Shuan White's magnitude win another Olympic Gold will justify any cost" - Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the United States.
Keep your eyes Open, Gingers & Daywalkers alike are taking over snowsports.
Journey to the East is a short novel by Hermann Hesse. It was first published in German in 1932 as "Die Morgenlandfahrt". Hesse also penned, Narcissus and Goldmund, Siddartha, and a host of books very few people read and even fewer people discuss. Following H.H.'s lead, I too journeyed to the east to visit my family and attend my brother's wedding.
The view from the plane, especially over the Rocky Mountains, is phenomenal
Flying over is more exciting than driving in a vehicle
Thanks to Pat Goodnough, I was able to use an airline companion ticket and travel very inexpensively from PDX to BOS, hop the Dartmouth Coach to the New London park-n-ride, and meet up with my Dad for a casual 25 minute ride home. The entire process started with leaving Government Camp at 3am PST and arriving at home around 10pm EST. Not bad. Thankfully, I was able to fly first class from PDX to my stopover in DEN and despite not remembering much of the flight, I can only hope it was like this:
Here's my brother Brian and his bride Jessica. Stoked for ya homie!
After arriving home, I spent two days kicking it with my neighbor and good friend AK (guess who's back? Nine Five, plus four pennies) and helping my fam prepare for the big day. The wedding went off without a hitch, Matt crushed the best man speech, the reception was incredible, I shot a Ruger .357 packin hallow tips with the maid of honor, diffused a potentially disastrous situation with the next-door-neighbor, stayed completely sober (as any self-respecting brother of the groom does) and can honestly say it was the best wedding I have ever attended. Well done Bri, I couldn't be happier that you found someone like Jess to start a new life with.
NineLife, Causwell, Jeep/ Temporary Living Quarters
August 10th 2009 signifies the beginning of a temporary hiatus and much needed vacation in my never-ending ski explorations of the 2008 to 2009 season. What started with hiking Mt. Snow last October, took me across North America throughout the winter and culminated with endless Spring/Summer sessions in Mammoth, CA, Mt. Hood, OR, and Whistler, BC. After living in my ski boots from October to August with sporadic 1 week breaks, I am ready for the off season.
GET STOKED and in the words of my friend PA Rousseau, Never Stop Believing.
In 1985, an adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner, entitled "The Goonies" was filmed on the California and Oregon coastline. A band of kids from the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon, hoping to save their homes from demolition, go on an adventure to find the buried treasure of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate. One of the filming locations was Haystack Rock, which is located in Cannon Beach.
