Friday 13th

Pep's log, earth date: Friday, Nov. 13th 2009

For some reason this season has been speculated to be a grand one, especially for the northwest because of this little elusive weather pattern called El Niño...for those of you who don't know a lick of Spanish that translates into... the boy. I think I've heard rumors of this boy making an appearance for many years but this year, I am a believer. This little boy has been brewing some serious storms with the most precipitation dropping in the Northwest! Baker opened with an 80in base on Nov. 12th. Eight - Zero - That's 7 feet ladies and gentleman and needs to be written in the history books. I can remember growing up in Southern Oregon and not expecting one single flake until around my Nov. 22nd birthday. Now we have 80in. bases before the 22nd. WOW! people, that is exciting! So, if this storm system is still El Niño, then what kind of tempest do you think El Hombre could produce. I am content with what El Niño has provided thus far but I can't help to wonder and dream about El Hombre. I know... sounds a little cross gender doesn't it... Still... I have wet dreams about El Hombre.

Gear SALE!!!

It's time to get geared up for the season ladies and gentleman. Info below:

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14th - PRO SALE @ CAUSWELL

Needing a new setup for the coming season?? Anything you need will be available from tons of different brands. Skis, boots, bindings, outerwear, gloves, goggles, helmets, poles, backpacks, luggage, hats, tall teeeez, stickers, face masks, base layers, street wear, etc... It will be there.
Saw something you liked in a movie or an edit? I'm sure that exact piece will be there on the cheap! Bargain face to face with Tommy Wallisch and get something of his. It will help you ski better. Ask Sage if you can touch his hair, I bet he might let you if you buy something of his. It will help you ski better.

These people will be there selling their gear..
Pep Fujas
Tom Wallisch
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa
Blake Nyman
Alex Schlopy
Julian Carr
Dash Longe
4bi9
Clown School
Lil' John Strenio
Cody Barnhill

Grete Eliassen
Angelia VanLaanen
Jen Hudak
Ashley Battersby
Rachael Burks
Erica Durtschi

Come by, have a brew, have a dog, watch a movie, buy some cheap quality stuff!
BBQ and sale going on all day long.

Saturday, November 14th. 10am - 5pm @ Causwell.
2258 Fort Union Blvd # B6
Salt Lake City, UT 84121
(Across the street from Lonestar Taqueria!)

Ski Time is Nearing

I went to Alta yesterday and picked up my pass. The colorful fall leaves have mostly all disappeared from the trees, the weather was brisk and they were still blowing snow. There were a couple jumps set up from eager skiers leftover from the early snowfall last month. The ski season stoke is pulsing through the veins of many across the valley. I too carry that stoke. Looking upon the terrain that I will once again ravage to my hearts content, gave me that feeling I've felt so many times. That joyous feeling where everything in your life drops away, is left behind you, in that cold smokey crystalline air that swirls and falls to the ground in a silky silence. You move forward, always forward, looking back on occasion to see what trial you have left behind, always behind. Some moments are slow motion, like hitting that soft spot, exploding the snow, to that next moment where everything flies by like the speed of light and you can only imagine how you got to the bottom. These are the moments I crave!

Snow is in the forecast!

Cycle For A Cause - Trip Details

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Cycle for a cause Lincoln City - San Diego

I stopped uploading the details of the trip because once you upload the activity, it deletes your previous ride stats and I wanted the whole trip from top to bottom to be documented as a whole. Unfortunately the Garmin ran out of batteries on a couple of occasions and one day it was completely dead. Anyway here it is from Lincoln City down to San Diego. One of the most fascinating stats is the calories we burned in the 18 days it took to ride this section. Breaking it down, we burned an average of approximately 4,500 calories per day and that's probably a little low. The average human ingests about 2,000 calories per day.

Day's 3 - 5

The ride has been beautiful, sweaty, grueling, challenging, peaceful, intense, joyful and spandex ridden. I've worn more spandex for more amount of time consecutively then any other time in my life and everyday will elongate that record. I think Max is going to live in his spandex after all is said and done. He tends to stay in his longer then everyone else when we are done riding for the day. i wouldn't be surprised if he tries to bring it to freesking.

We have been cruising pretty good the last couple of days, pounding out 70 mile days pretty consistently and are right on schedule. My girlfriend and Captain of the support vehicle, Angeli has been especially helpful making this all happen. She's bent over backwards and sideways to meet us in the right spots, cooks us wonderful breakfast and dinners, go shopping etc. yeah she's killing it.

Anyway, I've gotta get on the road. I'll uplaod some photos next time and share with all of you how amazing this trip has been thus far!

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled

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Garmin Connect - Activity Details for around the block with Tyler

Today I rode with Tyler and took my Garmin on it's virgin ride. This is really cool. If your into it. Into it. Into it. I will be updating everyone on our whereabouts from Seattle to San Diego via facebook and my blog and you can see exactly how hard we've been pushing, where we are...etc...etc... Diggin it.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled

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Magic Mountain

Angie and I went to Magic Mountain recently and I forgot all about this short clip of one of the most thrilling rides I've been on. Enjoy

CONTRAST

Another season ended and another movie is in the works for your viewing pleasure. It was a fantastic year for me even though I couldn't finish off the year strong. Nimbus is a company/project/evolution that I really truly love being a part of. You know that feeling of being in the comfort of your own home. That is what Nimbus feels like to me. Here is our trailer for this years movie CONTRAST:

Go to Nimbus Independent for more videos.

SASS is kicking off another year of summer adventures in the snow! Check out the new vid. Book a ticket and get an experience of a lifetime. Seriously!

Riding in Argentina from SAsnow.com on Vimeo.

Possessed Leg

My mom sent this to me today and I was dying laughing inside. I could watch the beginning over and over and over again and never get sick of it. If you ever need to lighten up your day just hit play!

The King of Duff Piracy!

I know what you are thinking, what the hell is Duff Piracy? The term has not actually been defined yet but keep checking back for more insight.

After a couple years of constant quoting of a man the Nimbus crew came across in the Timerline parking lot of Mt. Hood, Wiegand decided that his legacy needs to live on and be shared with the everyone. When I sat down to think of this man and how to approach his unveiling to the world, all I could think about was the Intro to the Big Lebowski. It fits him almost to the T. I reworded a couple phrases and words but other then that this here is the story of The One and Only, Duff Pirate.

Way out west there was this fellow I want to tell you about, a fellow by the name of…(name disclosed for personal privacy) Joe Schmoe. At least that was the handle his loving parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Schmoe he called himself The Duff Pirate. Now, Duff Pirate, that’s a name no one would self apply where I come from. But there’s a whole lot about The Duff Pirate that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, and a lot about where he lives likewise. Now this here story I’m about to unfold took place in the late two thousands right around the time Hunting Yeti was being filmed with Pollard and the Nimbus crew. I only mention him because sometimes there’s a man, I won’t say a hero, because what’s a hero? but sometimes there’s a man and I’m talking about The Duff Pirate here. Sometimes there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place, he fit’s right in there and that’s The Duff Pirate, from Mt. Hood, Oregon. And even if he’s a crazy man and The Duff Pirate is most certainly that and possibly the craziest in Clackamas County, which would place him in the runnings for craziest worldwide. But sometimes there’s a man, sometimes there’s a man, arghh, I lost my train of thought here, but…ahhh hell, I’ve done introduced him enough. Check out the Duff Pirate in all his glory here.

Is this guy for real?

Driving down the road the other day I happen to glance over and see this stunning piece of humanity and had to take a picture to verify that my eyes did not deceive me. Am I hallucinating? What in the tarnations am I looking at here, and where am I again? Oh yeah, the homely promised land predominately overrun by nice law abiding mormons. Obviously he loves America and is dutifully practicing his first amendment right. Wait, what does that say on his license plate? Only 1 God, Jesus! If you fail to see the irony here, just ask yourself this question. Would Jesus(if in fact he once lived) carry a gun? But he does have a trusty steed aptly named Majesty. I could go on and on but seriously I think this picture does all the talking. Nice bike dude!

Progress Report

Today marks my 26th day post op on my knees. Right Knee acl reconstruction. Left knee Scope(cleanup). My left knee is doing very well and is almost back to the same size as it was pre op. My right knee is a different story due to the severity of the injury and invasiveness of the procedure. It is weak and scrawny looking. In order to get to the point where I can start rebuilding the muscle I need to flush all the swelling out and get my knee to hyper-extend. Both are really close. This is probably the most frustrating part of the recovery process for me. I'm at the point where I'm not supposed to do a whole lot of activity, yet walking and biking are a piece of cake. Walking and biking unfortunately help to create more swelling and tend to stiffen the joint. Even though my body can physically perform these functions, I shouldn't be. How can I not be antsy when this used bike I purchase from Scott arrived last week. I am seriously torturing myself...

Thank you Adrian at Scott Bicycles... You're the MAN!

I have a workout routine that takes me a couple of hours to complete it its entirety. Although the subject demonstrating the workout is cute, she doesn't make me break a sweat...

My philosophy on working out: If you don't break a sweat... you're not working out!

On the other hand, I did reach a milestone today. I was able to get rid of my dirty, decrepit, dead skin laden leg stocking that prevents blood clots. I assure you, you will not be missed...

At the first day of PT a couple weeks back, I stripped off the stocking and a blizzard of dead skin fell to the table practically covering it. I probably shed a couple of ounces right there. Well, I think the worst is over. Life is Good! Out.

Supercross comes to Utah!

Fortunately I was able to get out of the house for the evening and get down to see some supercross action at Eccles Stadium. Unfortunately I am going to have to buy a bike as soon as my acl recovers. Could it be a dumb idea... Yes... but I somehow convinced myself I would stick to trail riding exclusively. Hopefully I can stay true to that. Here's some eye candy from the event.

Grete can't wait for the show to start!

Here's the Track

The Salt Lake Syline from the stadium

where's waldo?

Any Supercross fan loves fire!

The resulting smoke rings...

The final showdown! Bubba took the win!

Wow!

Some things are just so amazing that they need to be shared. I saw this on another blog and decided I had to put it on my blog so maybe the three or four people who read my blog will also get the same feeling as I did when I watched this video. If you aren't that impressed in the beginning, just keep watching... it gets better and better and better...
Inspired. Danny MacAskill from dave on Vimeo.

Testing mobile blogging

This is pretty clever marketing!

Reading is fun...

I recently read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. My friend Margo sent it to me and once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. OK that's a bit of an exaggeration but I started on the 10th and finished on the 15th. 300 odd pages, bold lettering, easy reading, not much dialogue. It was beautiful yet dark and hopeless, primal and instinctual. What really hooked me was Mr. McCarthy's writing style and the way he created the setting in which the story took place. If you're looking for a book, check this one out...

RC Fury

The Death Gap 30+ft


Packing the inrun for ultimate traction


Glen Airin it out for the first time. Came up a little short... Result: Broken Bushing


Doing a whip with The XL.... coming up short... no big deal...


Launching!!!


Broken stabilizing arm... but that didn't slow me down.

Result of Death Gap: Two Broken Cars, One trip to the RC Shop, $40 and Two RC Geeks

My Friends a Pro

Yo J Symms and C West! When's your LP commin' out Dogs? I wanna floss that in my whip and drive down tha strip foo...


TEAM USA - My Friend is a Pro (Album Version) from Mike Thomas on Vimeo.

En Route America

Nimbus does America! After watching the En Route America webisode, I feel like Nimbus is starting to come into it's own. I loved it! Good work boys. I wish I could have been there. Check it.

Finally

About 2 years ago Anthony Boronowski made a handful of prints for his friends and sent me one. It was a very thoughtful gesture. I've had it hanging in my room for the past couple of years in it's raw form and whenever I looked at it It said. I need to be framed. After so much nagging it's only a matter of time before it got what it was looking for. I picked up the framed version today and placed it in a spot where it could be admired by all...


Thanks Tony!

Best SW 1080

I was perusing John Symms blog for a few laughs and came across a video he posted of the winner of Level 1's SuperUnknown Contest. At about 36 seconds, Niklas Eriksson, throws down hands down the best sw. 10 I've ever seen. If you've seen me ski then you probably know I'm a 5, 7 and if conditions permit I will sometimes throw a 9 kind of guy. On a couple of occasions I have gone to 10, just to prove to myself I could do one. Anyway with that said I like slow calm almost lethargic looking rotations. This trick he does is similar to a sw.7 I pioneered in 2002 and I have to admit... way Better! RESPECT BREDREN!



Niklas Eriksson SuperUnknown09 Winner from Ante Olofsson on Vimeo.

Rockin' the Couch

Last week I had surgery on my right acl (anterior cruciate ligament - located in the inner knee joint capsule). When I became mobile, aided by crutches, walking up and down stairs became a whole new and albeit complex endeavor. It seems such a simple task which doesn't require any thought, it's virtually as simple as walking. You don't look at the stairs with contempt and think... Oh no, I have to walk up those 8 stairs. Now... that is exactly what happens. I begin to rationalize each trip up or down. Is it really that necessary that I use the bathroom? I can hold it. Now I seem to have to form a strategy before ascending or descending them and plan on inhabiting that area of the house for a considerable amount of time before I inevitably have to attack those dreaded stairs again. The task was confusing at first I must admit. I now have auxiliary legs where my arms used to be in the form of metal objects that have to support my weight. If any of you have been on crutches, you know what I'm talking about. I've since become much more proficient doing this menial task and now have a new found respect for Stairs.

Experiencing Truth for Yourself

What is meditation?

Earlier this year I made a commitment to myself that I would attend a 10 day meditation retreat in order to explore myself without distractions and try to understand what meditation is. It's a fairly common idea and attitude that meditation invokes a variety of surreal experiences and or hallucinations and the like. It is also understood that meditation will get you to a state where you can think of nothing. Think of nothing... sounds like a contradiction to me. The mind was not made to be devoid of thought. Anyway, I do not necessarily dispute these happenings but I did not experience anything out of the ordinary during my sit. I am also quite the beginner.

The type of meditation I was taught is called Vippassana (Vip-pah-sha-nah). Unbeknownst to me, prior to attending this retreat, Vippassana is one of the deepest and purest forms of meditation that aims to purify the mind, eradicate impurities, alleviate suffering and rid ones self of craving and aversion at the deepest level of the mind. It sound easy doesn't it. I obviously didn't expect it to be a walk in the park but I did not expect it to be such a life changing experience. It was also one of the most difficult tasks I have ever willfully subjected myself to. Before going I believed my mind was fairly calm, lucid and didn't wander as much as the next guy. After the first couple of hours I realized my mind was like the 405 during rush hour. If you aren't familiar with the 405, it's the interstate that connects LA to San Diego and is 8 lanes wide at some points, most of which are filled with disgruntled drivers. It's a nightmare. My mind was quite similar. As soon as one thought crept up, another was already in the works building off the previous one and behind that and overlapping another while yet another chimed in... blah, blah, blah. You get the point. I'm fairly positive your mind works the same way.

I arrived somewhat nervously at the center knowing I was going to be embarking on a very serious adventure without physically going anywhere. I met a few people but didn't feel like trying to make any connections with anyone as I knew the next ten days would be filled with silence and to know anything about any of the people there would create an urge to inquire more into their lives. I kept to myself had dinner with a bunch of strangers and kept the talking to a minimum. After dinner, a meeting was held that outlined what was to take place during the course and addressed any questions or concerns anyone may have. When the meeting concluded my body was filled with nervous excitement. In the end we were all asked to vow commitment to the following:

To participate in the course you are required to follow 5 precepts. The 5 precepts are: Abstain from the KILLING of any being, abstain from STEALING, LYING, SEXUAL ACTIVITY and all forms of INTOXICANTS. On top of that you have to observe Noble Silence. This means, no forms of communication including, talking, gestures and eye contact. Basically you have to be a recluse for 10 days.

Every day was as follows:

4:00 am Morning wake-up bell
4:30-6:30 am Meditate in the hall or in your room
6:30-8:00 am Breakfast break
8:00-9:00 am Group meditation in the hall
9:00-11:00 am Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher's instructions
11:00-12:00 noon Lunch break
12noon-1:00 pm Rest and interviews with the teacher
1:00-2:30 pm Meditate in the hall or in your room
2:30-3:30 pm Group meditation in the hall
3:30-5:00 pm Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to the teacher's instructions
5:00-6:00 pm Tea break
6:00-7:00 pm Group meditation in the hall
7:00-8:15 pm Teacher's Discourse in the hall
8:15-9:00 pm Group meditation in the hall
9:00-9:30 pm Question time in the hall
9:30 pm Retire to your own room--Lights out


To go into detail about what happened over the next ten days would take me a great deal more time to explain everything that I experienced then to actually do it. The complete duration of the course felt like an eternity. On the 5th day, i felt like I had been there for at least a month. Just imagine for a second, not thinking, stressing or acting upon any of the thoughts that consume you're everyday. You are free from your life for a moment with only one concern; to observe yourself objectively without desire, craving, aversion or a single thought about any thought that may arise. The technique is about strictly observing how your mind works and directing it's energy in a positive manner. It is not to shut off your mind or condemn yourself from thinking one way or another. It is a practice of realization. By realizing how your mind works and how your mind relates to your body you end up realizing how you are related to your surroundings and how your surroundings relate to you.

In the beginning, the idea is to focus your mind to become sharp, agile and aware. This technique is called Anapanasati which is the mindfulness of breathing. You begin by focusing all of your attention on your respiration through your nostrils without controlling your breath, simply observing what happens. In, out, in, out. Observe how this phenomenon happens naturally and involuntary. Try for a second to do this. Just take a minute and see how long you can focus solely on your breath. I bet your mind will wander away in less then 10 seconds.

After your mind starts to sharpen, you progress to observing sensations in a very small area; the triangular area starting at the top of your nose to the top of your upper lip. Once perfected, you begin the actual practice of Vippassana which means insight. By developing awareness within we are able to see the true underlying nature of all things. This insight is not given to you by anyone but yourself and that is the most beautiful part. You learn the ways of the world and your nature by looking internally.

In conclusion, I found this course to be amazing and highly suggest doing it. The course if FREE... yes FREE and is run solely by donations. Everyone who works there doesn't get paid a dime, it is all voluntary work which enables the pure good of the practice to be continued through love and not greed. If you have any questions, leave a comment below. If you are interested in taking a course go to www.dhamma.org or just google Vipassana meditation. Spread the love!