Westbound Boarder

Just last summer, as I was shredding through the backcountry of Cerro Catedral in Argentina, I was 99 percent certain I was going to quit real life and add a new job title to my roster – “snowboard bum.”  But it seems that life had a bigger plan for me, and that plan was called “The Real World.” 

You may recall my announcement last year that I decided to leave LA (temporarily, of course. Now I’m back) and move to Washington, DC to get my MBA degree at The George Washington University.  It was somewhat a spontaneous decision, but I was ready to move on with my career, and I also saw this as the perfect opportunity to move to the East Coast for a bit. 

As a grad. student, my free time slowly began to shrink, and as a result, so did the time I had to dedicate to Westbound Boarder.  Living in DC, there really aren’t a lot of places to go snowboarding (well, places that don’t require a 4+ hour drive and overnight stay, anyway) and there isn’t any form of action sports scene.  Couple that with the sheer amount of time I gave away to homework, studying, and extracurricular activities, I simply just wasn’t motivated to blog anymore.  Its hard to blog about a scene that’s not really there (heck, the only legit thing I’d be able to blog about in DC is politics, or school which I’ve already done).  I miss it, and I miss snowboarding and surfing, too.  But now that I’m back in LA and I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins once again, with just the thought of picking up my surfboard and heading down to the nearest wave.         

I’ve done a whole lot of reflecting this past year, especially this summer now that I’m back in a 9 to 5 job (ugh).  I love working, but I also love snowboarding, and I’ve finally started to ask myself, can I ever have both?  Or will I eventually have to let “The Real World” get the best of me and settle down? 

The more I think about it, the more I think that it is possible to have the best of both worlds.  But with one exception.  I have to learn to make compromises.  I have to learn to accept the fact that I’ll only ever get to take one big snowboard trip, maybe two, per year with my measly two-weeks vacation.  I’ll have to live with long-line, weekend riding only.  I’ll have to pick and choose which events and competitions I want to go watch and blog about.  And I have to make snowboarding and traveling a priority every minute I’m not behind a desk.  On the plus side, I’ll finally start having money to travel to and snowboard at the places I’ve always been wanting to go, like France, Turkey, and Japan (yay!)  I’ll be able to stay at nice hotels with fancy hot tubs (hot tubs we don’t sneak into, anyway).  And I’ll be able to watch my kids (one day!!) stand up on their first snowboard and eventually turn into little rippers. 

So that’s my thought on life.  I know we’d all like to quit life and become snowboard bums.  But for most people, that just ain’t in the cards.  I know the saying, “You only have one life to live, so live it,” but I also know the feeling of “Oh $#!& I’m broke!” or “now what?”  While the time we all spend on the hill creates priceless memories, let’s not discount the time we spend in the office, too.  I know I’m going to start looking at things in a different light from here on out, and accept reality, while also knowing that it is possible to “have my cake and eat it too.”

Lounging around at Paradise Cove, hands down one of my favorite LA beach spots!

I’ve always had big dreams to quit my professional job and become a lifty for a season… but sadly, I think I’m a bit past my prime   Nonetheless, I still think it would be a cool experience, so resort job calls always catch my eye.  Which brings me to the most recent one I came across… If you live in SoCal and have big dreams of working at a resort (and, might I add, skiing for FREE all season long) Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are hosting job fairs the next couple of weekends (they’ll be interviewing at these job fairs, so dress to impress!)  Full-time and part-time jobs are available for both indoor and outdoor positions, including ski and snowboard instructors, snowmakers, groomers, lift operators, lift attendants, food servers, dishwashers, cooks and ticket sales. Deets below!

Saturday, October 2, 2010
8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Snow Summit
880 Summit Drive
Big Bear Lake, CA
www.snowsummit.com

Saturday, October 16, 2010
8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Bear Mountain
43101 Goldmine Drive
Big Bear Lake, CA
www.bearmountain.com

This past weekend, my brother and I headed to South Santa Monica for my first day of surfing this season!  I know, I really have no excuse to have not made it out earlier, but I know I’ll be hitting the waves every weekend from here on out.  Check out my brother’s rash guard below … you like?

I’ve lived in SoCal for two years of my life now, but if you count the 13 years I lived here growing up, that’s 15 years total.  15 winters.  Can you believe I had never been to Mammoth?  Well, a few weeks ago, I decided I was going to change that.

After a particularly long week at work in Seattle, Washington, I decided it was about time to finally head to Mammoth.  It was May, mind you, but reports of continuous fresh pow flooded my ears all spring.  Powder and sun in May?  Um, sold!  My flight home from Seattle landed at LAX around 5:30pm, so I headed home, threw some cloths into a bag, and by 7pm my friend Matty and I were cramped up in his tough (and slightly smelly) Toyota, gear, pillows and sleeping bags sprawled in the back, cruising up the 405 freeway toward Mammoth.

We arrived around midnight (we took an hour-long detour in search of food… we ended up at Panda Express; figures) and stayed in a quaint little pad that must have slept at least 14.  Yeah, the place was tight, but cozy.  We pretty much hit the sack immediately, in preparation for the long day that lay ahead.

Now, I was told that it was pretty cold at Mammoth, so as soon as our alarms went off next morning (ok, well, after hitting the snooze button a few times) I piled on the layers.  Two pairs of pants, three top layers, and two pairs of socks later, I was bundled and ready to hit the slopes… only to find that it was at least 50 degrees F but the time we got up to the hill.  Translation, I could have worn a bikini and made out just fine.

From the main town area, you can either take a tram from the bottom to the hill or drive up.  It’s maybe a 10-minute drive and parking kind of stinks, but if you’re willing to shell out 20 bucks you’re granted premium parking right in the lot (we don’t like exercise, so we opted for that route).  We picked up our tickets (beware – lift tickets will run you a whopping 87 bucks, but rumor has it prices will rise to 92 next year, making Mammoth one of the highest priced mountain resorts in the US) and were finally ready to face the hill and shred some ridiculous spring snow.  And the sun definitely wasn’t stopping the pow from being anything less than amazing.

One of the great things about Mammoth is that there really is something for everyone.  There’s more than 90 acres of free terrain that incorporates a nice mix of beginner and advanced slopes.  There are some fun tree runs, but plenty of bowls and open groomers as well.  We spent the morning shredding the terrain (I’m sure we didn’t even begin to graze the surface of all that was available to us) but the real fun began in the park.

With three pipes and seven parks, Mammoth is continually touted as having one of the best parks in the nation.  And I can definitely see why.  Their park area was pretty sick.  It had a nice mix of jumps and they were very well groomed, but also a good number of mid-sized jumps, just enough to challenge me without completely scaring me off.  There were a few 70 footers, too (and people were actually doing them )  This year toward the end of the season, Mammoth even brought in a landing pad where riders could try new tricks or perfect the old… you know, without dying and such.

My favorite thing about Mammoth, though, is the chill and laid-back vibe this hill resonates, especially in the less-crowded spring season.  Everyone spends their days chilling in the park or hanging on the benches outside with a drink in hand before they start round two.  Out of any resort I’ve been to, Mammoth is hands down the most fun, whether you’re riding or not.  And the nightlife ain’t too shabby, either.

Insider Tip: Given its close proximity to what is commonly referred to as the mecca of action sports (ahem, LA) there is always something going down at Mammoth.  Before you plan your trip out though, be sure to check the events calendar on the Mammoth website before solidifying your trip dates. The best weekends to go are the weekends when there’s something big going down – the Roxy Chicken Jam or the West Coast Invitational, for instance.  And there’s always a pro or two to be spotted – especially when you go during a big event weekend.  I saw US Olympic rider Greg Bretz and Tyler Flanagan in the park line several times, for instance, and I bumped into Elena Hight at lunch.

With more than 45 feet of snow falling throughout the 2009/10 season, Mammoth Mountain is currently slated to stay open through the Fourth of July weekend.  So if you’re still looking to satisfy your snowboard fix, you still have a whole month to make it up!

If I were to sum up Mammoth in three words or less, it might sound a little something like this – Great snow, killer parks, and awesome local vibe (Okay, so that may be a few words over three, but you get the idea…)  All in all, Mammoth is a mountain worth going for.

Okay, so I’m not actually a mentor, but I recently became a volunteer for a program called Stoked Mentoring and attended my very first volunteer event last night.  Stoked is a non-profit organization that teaches at-risk youth life skills through action sports.

Last night, I attended (and snapped beacoup de photos) the Third Annual Stoked Sessions VIP silent auction, Stoked’s annual fundraiser.  Hosted by Stoked supporter and professional actor Andrew Keegan (ever seen 10 Things I hate About You?), the evening featured urban art, networking, and, of course, an open bar, always a crowd pleaser.  All art pieces were donated, allowing all event proceeds to go directly to the Stoked organization, and many artists even showed up at the event to show their support.  Photos from the evening’s festivities below!

Stoked is an organization centered around a mentorship program where they pair a number of mentors with at-risk youth in the Los Angeles and New York areas.  In addition to spending time together each week, mentors and mentees learn to skate, surf and snowboard together, giving mentees the opportunity to unleash their passion and connect with their mentors through action sports.  Founded by Steve Larosiliere and co-founded by Sal Masekela, Stoked has helped many youth reach their full potential.  An inspiring fact – this year, 100 percent of mentees involved in the program graduated from high school, and many plan to go on to college as well.  Stoked is changing lives, and not only for the mentees involved, but for many of the mentors and volunteers as well.

Check out Stoked Sessions all day today in “The Brick Building” at the Culver City Art Walk.  If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer or a mentor or donating to the organization, visit the Stoked website to sign up.

Are you kicking yourself in the bootie for not going up to the mountain enough this season?  No worries, there’s still time!  Mountains across America are extending their seasons thanks to late spring snow storms, and here in SoCal (don’t let the 70 degree days we’ve been having fool you) the resorts are still going strong.  Mountain High, for example, plans to stay open until May 2, making this their longest season in history, with a total of 186 days of riding.  The best part?  Starting Monday, lift tickets will be reduced to $35 for adults (regularly $55) and $25 for kids ages 7 – 12.

If you still plan to head up, though, I caution you to go early.  The spring sunshine definitely takes its toll on the hill, with small lakes starting to form in the lift lines by 11.  I’d recommend heading up bright and early (8ish – mountain opens at 8 on weekends and 9 on weekdays), hooking yourself up with a nice 4 hour lift pass, and getting the heck out by noon.  Next stop, an afternoon at the beach surfing, perhaps?

It looks like El Nino brought us SoCal folks a belated Christmas present.  Due to the massive amount of snowfall it has seen this spring, Mammoth Mountain today announced it would be extending the 2010 spring season to July 4, 2010.

Throughout the duration of the season, Mammoth has received more than 41 cumulative feet (493 inches), with more than three of those feet falling in the first week of April.  Mammoth currently has a base depth of 11 to 15 feet, making this season the best since 2005/2006 when Mammoth saw more than 50 feet of fresh pow.

And the moral of this blog post is?  Get your bum (and board) up to Mammoth.  ASAP!

Hot sauce and snowboarding … sounds like the perfect day, right?  This past weekend, I went up to Mt. High to watch the 12th annual Cholula Triple Air competition (also put on in part by Monster Energy and Powder and Sun ride shop), featuring some of SoCal’s (and even beyond) top amateur talent.  The Chiloula Triple Air is a “modified big air” competition featuring three huge jumps instead of just one.  Competitors came all the way from Vermont, Colorado, and even Norway!  And $25,000 in prize money was more than enough prize money to motivate competitors to throw down their biggest air ever.  Some of these guys and gals competing were unreal!

Interestingly, Triple Air was held at Mt. High’s East resort this year, which I really liked, partly because the course was built near the bottom of the hill, allowing for good spectator viewing areas, and partly because East is rad this year!  You can take the main lift up and hit 10 tables in a row – yes, 10.  In fact, I may never go to West again this season.  The competition course set included 3 hits – a launch box or rail to choose from, a 50 foot step down, and a massive right hip.  The theme for the day, though, ended up being pretty much “Don’t fall, win some dough.”  It seemed like every rider fell after the second hit, and without having taken a run through the course to see for myself, it looked like the landing got pretty chopped up the latter part of the day which may have exasperated this.  Or maybe the riders were just going way bigger than they were used to.  Either way, only the top competitors were able to stick all three jumps, which likely became key in judging competitors on their ability and style.

In the men’s heat, rider Trevor Jacob ended up taking home the $10,000 in cash, beating out last year’s winner Danny Toumarkine by a slight margin.  In the women’s division, last year’s defending champ. Stacie Anderson from Lake Tahoe took home the title for the second year in a row.  Lars Ellington from Mt. Baldy took home the best trick title, wowing the judges and audience with his massive 1080s.

As much as I love watching snowboarders compete in events such as these, I have to say, I am always impressed watching free skiers perform as well.  They go so much bigger and can pull some of the coolest tricks I’ve ever seen!  It was especially fun to watch the skiiers in this competition, namely because they were going so much bigger than the snowboarders, especially on the hip.

Final Results

Open Mens

1st Trevor Jacob
2nd Daniel Toumarkine
3rd Tyler Anderson
4th Cory Wetstone
5th Brandon Concard

Open Women
1st Stacie Anderson
2nd Nirvana Ortanez
3rd Isabelle Lalive
4th Micki Slchta
5th Jamie Madrid

Open Skier
1st Lars Ellington
2nd Jeff Johnson
3rd Robby Burleson
4th Chase Vance
5th Charlie Ellington
6th Mike Gonzales

Best Trick
Lars Ellington

Pics from our drive up to Mountain High on Saturday… amazing.  Valuable lesson learned – never go up to the SoCal mountains the Saturday after 4 ft. of snow arrives.  But, I suppose the estimated 9,000 people at the resort and the 4 hour drive home (yes, we moved about 1.5 miles in an hour) was well worth it.

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