Poor Man's Heli

As much as I >>hate<< Thule I’ve got to say that their kayak rack held up to the crazy weather (mini-tornado getting on fwy in Northwest, gale force across the bridge, snow on the other side) better than the Yakimas did.

I hate Thule, but in this case they won

10 times out of 9 if I’m leaving town and/or otherwise unable to make it to the mountains there will be snow, typically in large quantities.  Actually, this phenomenom is not unique to snow as it’s been proven on numerous occasions that if I leave town or get broke off there will be swell and it will be glassy and offshore.

I leave for SXSW on Wednesday.  Snow report calling for 10-16 on Tuesday night.  Meh.

A young man plays skiboards on the fresh snow

Powder...you'll never haaave

with some (certain to be…) witty prose about solo pow days, empty spring halfpipes, beer, general douchebaggery, etc.

This guy pwns duct tape

Line doing white lines

I had this issue and wanted those pants

Chatting on IM with one of my surf buddies this morning and he dropped this nugget of wisdom.

“Snowboarding is fun, but your ass can get wet”

That = pure genius.

Snow in the forecast for Oregon again.  Finally!  Had almost given up hope of ever having a pow day again this winter.  BRING IT ULLR, MY ASS NEEDS TO GET WET!

Temporary blog hiatus due to busy schedule…I’ll be back…hopefully winter will still be around, 60+ outside right now!

Been watching the recaps from SIA from the blogzillas of the snowboard world (yes, Poormansheli was not invited to the Shred Blog Summit 2010…would have gone but couldn’t find jeans tight enough) and having some serious deja vu lately. Quick 2011 tidbits, but, unlike the others, I’m going to give you a quick peek at 2012 and beyond.

2011

The blunt nose
So eighty eight or so two thousand late? Zorlac Metallica (I think that was the skate…) meets snowboard. Some like Salasnek(?) circa 93ish claim better jibbonking, others like Jones Snowboards circa 2011 claim better in pow. I claim that they just look cool, and since that’s all snowboarding is about these days they should increase your steeze-O-meter +100.

Lobacks/nobacks
There’s nothing really to say about these as we all know heelside turns are overrated, and skidding turns underrated.

2012

Two tongue boots
Average steeze becomes megasteeze with the ability to adjust your medial (or is it lateral?) flex independently, and get this it’s done in a new way – with shoelaces. That’s right, no more carpal tunnel annoyance from cranking your Boa AND you now have a reason to rock the latest pro model Shaun White Olympic Edition shoelaces (the last remaining piece of gear that has yet to see a pro model…that is until 2012) times four.

Mambosoks
Expected a rush on the fleece US flag one of these (think post-Whitney National anthem) for the Olympics, but didn’t happen. Somehow with the Oakley Blades/neon allover/Batwaves redux the Mambosok has been neglected. I repeat THE MAMBOSOK HAS YET TO HAVE IT’S 2ND HEY DAY. Well, 2012 will see a righting of that wrong and the ’sok will be back in full force. We expect the Mambosok to be especially popular at Snoqualmie and Ski Acres…again.

Yes, at one time these were popular and no that is not me

Fun
Early indicators are that fun will be back in vogue for snow season 2012. Kids will stop caring if their boots match their long underwear and whether their pants are tight enough and will instead focus on the mountain scenery and spending time with their friends. Hard to believe, I know, but you heard it here first.

Superearlybonus prediction for 2013: Hard boots and halfpipe, a combo that goes like hookers and blow.

Please come back again in late April. I mean don’t get me wrong, I like you and all, and while it’s nice to see that the sky is indeed still blue, it’s too soon. It should be 35 and raining in the city. Pouring something fierce. Some real ‘depths of hell, flood stage 11, build an ark’ type chaos. So anyways, GTFO and bring on the snow.

Love always, hugs and kisses,

Me

Alrighty, it’s been a long time since I’ve written up an actual beer friday post – though as my burgeoning belt line and pepperoni moobs will attest to it’s not for a lack of drinking new beers. Figure I’ll start this out with a recent one that sticks out in my mind, though not necessarily for a good reason.

Chatoe Rogue Wet Hop Ale

So I picked up the Chatoe Rogue Wet Hop while at the Rogue garage sale they had just after Christmas. Wasn’t actually looking for the Wet Hop, was actually hoping to pick up a case of the juniper pale, but that wasn’t to be had. The bright label called to me, and as the case price was a deal relative to the price of buying their 22’s seperate, figured what the hell and picked up a case.

The beer:
The beer pours hazy orange with a thin head. Medium body with the slighest aroma of hops and warm malts. An easy drinker (you can quaff it with ease), but the taste is far less than I anticipated, just a slightly malty/hoppy taste to it. Flavor opens up a bit as it warms, but to be honest there just isn’t much to this beer in my opinion, and left me a bit disappointed. I expected a ‘brighter’ hop taste a la the wet hop ales Deschutes put out, but it wasn’t to be had from the Chatoe Rogue.

Drinkable? Yes (though outside of pilsners I rarely come across a beer I won’t drink)
Desirable? Not so much, especially if you have to pay the standard Rogue $6/22 oz. bottle.

So there it is, beer friday. Go get outdoors this weekend and chase your trips with a beer. Oh, and if you’re in California I hate you right now! You’re getting dumped on while we get the shaft end of an El Nino season.

your enthusiasm sparked by some glossy coffee-table book picturing snowcapped peaks under perfect blue skies, you would do well to keep in mind whence that glorious snowpack came. It is the nature of mountains to wring from the winds what moisture they happen to be carrying. This you already know, of course, if not from high school science classes, then from sodden vacations in the Adirondacks and the North Cascades. But optimism is dangerously immune to simple facts and the hard lessons of experience. It can be difficult to admit that spending time in the unspoiled wilds, more often than not, means doing time within the walls of a dank nylon cell, tentbound.”

-Jon Krakauer

Not tentbound

This video wasn’t even funny, but as I’m 1) a UW fan and 2) a Seahawks fan I’m posting it. Gotta think he’s getting out of USC right as it’s about to get hard what with the NCAA finally investigating all their alleged recruiting violations. Umm….to bring it somewhat on snow topic I’d say if you were buried in an avy Pete Carroll wouldn’t stop to dig you out but just ride by making pow turns.

OK, and one snow vid to keep it on topic. Ski vid this time that my buddy Alex sent last night (side photochop content on that pic of him w/ the chompers showing anybody?). The line doesn’t look anymore gnar then most vids you see, but the commentary by the skier Joe Vallone made the vid.

6 years of waiting till this line was right, I had a one day window and it all came together, Didn’t set out to do it but it was just one of those days were everything was right and if you snooze you loose, the worst part was post holing up there. After watching the line and the exit all year, I was totally fooled when in the line as to what the exit would be, Very exciting and exhilarating , the run is blind until the exit, every role in the line keeps you wondering if you are were you want to be. Steeper than it looks, three years ago someone from France skied this line and the whole thing slabbed and killed him at the first role. You want to do your homework for these. The Frenchies used to not have the air at the bottom and it used to snow enough to ski right through it. The air is probably 3 times as far out is it is down to clear the slab. I wanted to do it again, but the next day it was too wind loaded and the day after that stripped and gone for the season. I hate waiting for snow to stick to rock slabs, but this one was worth it. Pretty wild. Enjoy and come visit me in La Grave if you like what you see!!!