ISSUE NO 1
EVERYONE HAS HEAR
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STOKEVISION
Rider: Ben Kubas Location: Killington, VT Photo: Justin Cash
Boater: Matt Dunn Location: Rapid “205”, Grand Canyon, AZ Photo: Scott DW Smith
Rider: Darren Berrecloth
(aka “The Claw”) Location: Virgin, UT 2008 Red Bull Rampage Finals Photo: Chad Spector
Skier: Ben Kubas Location: Vertical Smile, Vermont Backcountry Photo: Justin Cash
Rider: Schuyler Arensberg Location: Alta, Utah Backcountry Photo: Justin Cash
Climber: Duffy Hutchins Location: Crested Butte, CO Photo: Alex Fenlon
CONTENTS
StokeVision 1.01
Eye-Popping Images
1.02
The Ingredients
1.03
Contributors
Features 2.02
Mud Season Migration
2.03
Alaska’s Lost Coast
2.04
Celebrating CR Johnson
2.05
River Of Greens
2.06 2.07
Artist Jess Graham Looks Ahead Steep Creeking Colorado
Gear Scope 3.01
Belt Buckles, Bags And More
CONTRIBUTORS
STOKOLOGISTS Justin Cash + Mike Horn ART DIRECTION + DESIGN
Randy Elles www.randyelles.com
Jeff Wainer www.jwainer.com STOKE CONTRIBUTORS
Chad Spector www.chadspector.com
Jess Graham www.jessgrahamstudio.com
Court Leve www.courtlevephoto.com
Jim Deshler www.deshlerphotography.com
Alex Fenlon www.fenlonphoto.com
Scott DW Smith www.scottdwsmith.com
John Chorlton www.crankcollective.com
Than Acuff CONTRIBUTE TO STOKELAB
If you are a photographer, film maker, writer, artist or Stoke enthusiast and you are interested in contributing to STOKELAB please email us at info@stokelab.com. ADVERTISING WITH STOKELAB
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FEATURES
MUD SEASON
MIGRATION BY JOHN CHORLTON | PHOTOS JIM DESHLER
The high country is a great and powerful place. It is full of rugged mountains, raging creeks and rivers, wildlife, and hearty people. I love the high country. But I’m not going to lie to you, mud season pretty much sucks. In an effort to put a positive spin on it, the people in charge have requested that we refer to this bleak time of year as the “shoulder” season rather than the “mud” season. Whatever you call it, there is no way to escape the clinginess of the wet earth that seeks and bonds with all footwear and brings warfare to clean floors everywhere. And it’s not just the mud. There is the need for greenery. The stark white of winter has faded. We’ve had these bizarre storms that have brought in desert dust to coat the majestic peaks the last couple years. Its sort of like having skid-marks on our mountains. It melts the snow quicker and really messes with the spring corn that many of the high country denizens seem to really enjoy. I am not one of those people. I am measuring the retreat of the glacier in my yard daily and monitoring all reports by scouts who have dropped down to lower climes in search of dirt. I sort of like to let the “itch that I can’t scratch” grow and occupy more and more of my waking hours. By the time the resort closes and the local riding is about to get under way, I’ve been scanning the roadsides for the prairie dogs and the first blades of green grass. Riding on the road to get the engine stoked is a tease, but it’s also a way to watch spring unfold – even if you have to suffer some “spring” weather in the process. That means gusting wind, snow, and dust storms that will grit your eyes shut.
The fields of snow sprout sagebrush, then patches of brown, matted grass and mud. Before too long, though, brave little blades of green solar collectors start to pop up little by little. A mud patch that catches the sun just right hosts a couple, then a few more pop up on the side of the road. The snow retreats more every day – even when it’s snowing. The snow line creeps up the valley. The change that seems so long in coming is all of a sudden everywhere. Every day the fields become less like giant dried cow patties and more like places where life is taking hold. Ducks, Geese, Great Blue Herons, and Swallows fill the skies and run-off filled fields. There is still a ton of mud, but there is a way around most of the bogs by now and the longer days and warmth from the spring sun bring a sense of relief. Spring is here and there is hope for summer.
Despite the slow, gradual change in the high country, there is still an exodus to the dry, warm, lower elevations and the amazing topography of Western Colorado and Southern Utah. The trail building and maintaining-communities are getting stronger and better organized and funded and that translates into better trails, which translates into more fun. If you were a lift operator or worked in a kitchen – or almost any “industry” job for that matter, the likelihood of you being out of work until the tourism industry picks up is pretty good. Why not take some time to camp and explore the ample singletrack options between Grand Junction, Colo. and Moab, Utah? It’s cheap when you are living on camp food, beer, and Power Bars and Gu. Plus, there is that pesky matchstick tan you might want to transform into a bona fide farmer tan. Take the time and get out into nature, burn the flesh, eat in the dirt, and commune around a fire under the stars with friends and family. I stare out the window and see snowcovered peaks painted by the desert dust and think back to the weekend I just spent in the desert with my family and friends. It was snowing at home, but it was 79 degrees at camp and I was loving sitting in the shade with my feet in the dirt. My kids ran around in their shorts with dirt stuck to their food-covered faces. We got some miles under our belts on some terrain I’d never ridden and loved it all. My sitz bones (ischial tuberosity, if you prefer) were sore from the saddle time and rugged terrain, but it was all good. Like the stars were aligned and a little suffering was as natural as the first blades of grass punching through the lingering snow.
No Mud Here. Moab, Utah Photo by Mike Horn
John Chorlton is a high country citizen who, despite his longing for dirt, loves the thin air and punishing/glorious rides in the Gunnison Valley, Colorado. He is the Editor of Crank Collective, a web site dedicated to providing accurate trail information and a place to settle in for all things mountain biking. Go for a virtual ride while the trails are too buried or soaked. Otherwise, get out there and ride. www.crankcollective.com Jim Deshler is a photographer dedicated to preserving and protecting the natural environment. He has worked as a rock and ice climbing guide, professional ski patroller, and a fisheries habitat surveyor on the east and west coasts. Being outdoors surrounded by nature is Jim’s passion, whether ripping a line through fresh snow or quietly searching for that picture perfect moment. He resides in Jeffersonville, Vermont. See more of his work at www.deshlerphotography.com
ALASKA’S L
I had no plans to head to the Last Frontier this past season until Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott invited me up to shoot. It was a very last minute trip—giving me about five days to get organized. Step one: buy my plane ticket ASAP before they became too expensive. As luck would have it, while booking my flight from Tahoe to Valdez my good friend and helicopter pilot sent me an instant message: “Hey, want to take the scenic flight from Juneau to Valdez?”
The timing was too much! Long story short, I needed to be in Juneau the very next day to make it happen. I found myself flying out the next morning on the 7:00 a.m. to Juneau. I’d be arriving in Valdez via helicopter! I won’t forget the flight anytime soon. In total, it’s about 3.5 hours. The route takes you along the Lost Coast of Alaska, skirting the Fairweather range, past St. Elias where
LOST COAST WORDS AND PHOTOS BY COURT LEVE
you get a brief glimpse of the definition of the middle of nowhere: pristine glaciers, abandoned beaches, wildlife and miles and miles of nothing but pure raw Alaska wilderness. The fjords, glaciers and beachfront are nothing short of amazing. But on this trip it was the birds that stole the show. As we flew up a portion of the Lost Coast there were literally hundreds of thousands, if not millions of seagulls.
While not the most exotic bird on its own, the sheer number was an amazing sight. For about 10 miles as we flew along the coast at about 500 feet off the water, wave after wave after wave of seagulls took flight, filling the sky to where you almost couldn’t see the beach and ocean below.
Being a photographer has its privileges. They are invited to all sorts of concerts and events, both on and off the snow. Their cameras take them places—it’s a beautiful thing, really. From meeting celebrities such as Lyle Lovett or Chris Cornell backstage, or Playboy Playmates, the life of a photographer is more often than not interesting and no two days are alike. Just ask Court Leve. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Court Leve is a well-recognized photographer now living in Truckee, California. Leve is a respected freelancer offering clients a wide scope of abilities ranging from journalism, editorial, commercial, portraiture and wedding photography. His work has been published in virtually all of the regional magazines as well as national and international publications including; Powder, Skiing, Freeskier, The Ski Mag in Australia, Parade Magazine, Forbes Life Mountain Time, and many others. See more of Court Leve’s photography at www.courtlevephoto.com
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CR JOHNSON STORY AND PHOTOS BY CHAD SPECTOR
In March 2009 I was invited to attend and shoot the Red Bull Cold Rush, an invite-only freeskiing comp at Retallack in New Denver, British Columbia. As a total newbie to this industry and scene it was both exciting and terrifying. Walking into the lodge stirred up a mix of emotions as I was surrounded by some very old friends and a crew consisting of the legends of the industry to whom I was, and for the most part still am, a total nobody. Intimidated is a gross understatement. I had to muster the courage to even take the camera out of the bag, much less interrupt anyone to shoot images. The virtual Who’s Who of the ski imagery world had me frozen like a deer in headlights and all I could do was try to not get in the way of Blake Jorgenson, Yorick Carroux, and the Freeride Entertainment crew. I was out in front of the lodge trying to remember how to use a camera when CR just walked up and introduced himself.
CR was a pioneer in the freeride movement, leading the charge to merge big mountain riding with the style and movements that were once relegated to the terrain park. Still early on his road back to top form from a head injury that would have been the end of mere mortals, his presence was an incredible blessing for everyone in attendance. Here was a guy that needed nothing from me, but made a point to go out of his way and let me know that I should just get on with it and do what it is I do. It might not seem like much but at that moment it was exactly what I needed. Over the next four days I shot some 3000 images but my favorite capture was one that I shot early the next morning on Day 1 of the competition. The lodge was just waking up, a few people were slowly going about their jobs, when CR walked in with a cup of coffee and sprawled out in the middle of the floor to get his stretch on. I knew exactly what I wanted and got up on the balcony and shot a few frames. Ten minutes later the room was in full chaos mode as everyone tried to contain their energy in anticipation of what was in store. We all knew that the entire Retallack tenure was blanketed with over a meter of untracked Kootenay cold smoke. What followed were four of the most magical days I’ve ever spent on snow.
CR WAS A PIONEER IN THE FREERIDE MOVEMENT, LEADING THE CHARGE TO MERGE BIG MOUNTAIN RIDING WITH THE STYLE AND MOVEMENTS THAT WERE ONCE RELEGATED TO THE TERRAIN PARK.
Shooting pics of the Best of the Best and skiing terrain I’d known for almost a decade in the best snow conditions I’ve ever had was like a dream. The energy of everyone in attendance resonated pure joy. The one issue we faced was finding breaks in the weather to get the contest run. We only saw the sun for about five minutes that week and this image of CR was the only shot I had in the sun the entire trip. Over the course of the event I grew more and more comfortable with the cast and crew and made many new friends. CR and I kept in touch all summer with the random Facebook chat or a simple “like” on a status update, and I had no doubt that our paths would soon cross again. It is with great sadness I concede that will not be the case, for I was truly looking forward to the chance to thank him for that tiny act of kindness that meant so much. I regret not getting that chance. So, for what it’s worth, thanks CR. Your generosity, humility and energy will stick with me for a long time. CR Johnson 1983-2010 RIP
WHAT FOLLOWED WERE FOUR OF THE MOST MAGICAL DAYS I’VE EVER SPENT ON SNOW.
In March 2010, StokeLab contributor Chad Spector returned to the Red Bull Cold Rush at Retallack. His short film on the event, which features interviews with contest winner Sean Pettit and several other stoke-inspiring athletes, can be viewed here: www.chadspector.com
RIVER OF GREENS BY JUSTIN CASH
Photographer Justin Cash takes to central Vermont’s Cold River, Black River, and East Creek to capture fly fisherman in their element, framed in an Alice in Wonderland setting. The variety and intensity of colors border on psychedelic, from countless shades of green to iridescent pastels. Cash documents the glory of the strike, the agony of the snag, and the beauty of wading and fishing the trout-swollen waters in his backyard.
See more of Justin Cash’s photography at www.justincash.com
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EYES WIDE OPEN Fantastical Artwork by Jess Graham
In the Rocky Mountain Lab one of Jess Graham’s creations, called “Looking Ahead”, is mounted on the wall. It projects the feeling of being on top of the world and looking out with a clear view and mind. It’s where you want to be, at least that’s how I feel each time I look at it. Jess’ work has a way of doing that: making people want to be where she paints, in the world that she creates. For that reason—well, and she’s a great artist, athlete, and human being—we’re featuring some of her work in this issue of StokeLab.
Looking Ahead
STOKELAB: If you had to describe your style in one word?
STOKELAB: When did you start integrating your outdoor passions into your artwork?
Jess Graham: Can I use a compound word? Three words come to mind: Off-kilter, kinetic, fantastical. I know, I’m cheating already.
Jess Graham: This is a little heavy, but it’s the truth: A few springs ago our community experienced this inexplicable death/suicide of a mother and her two little girls in a spring-torrent river. It was an experience that touched me as someone who had been close to the surviving father’s family as a kid.
STOKELAB: What “mediums” do you work in? One you prefer over the rest? Jess Graham: These days I mostly work in acrylic. I’ve begun to figure out how versatile acrylics can be—they dry fast, you can mix them with water and other fun media to alter their viscosity and transparency. This versatility allows you to layer a piece - creating levels of texture without relying on the ole palette knife blob-the-paint-on technique (which I’ve also tried, but man using that much paint really hurts your pocketbook). When I’m feeling really ambitious, I like to work with stuff that probably should have gone into the recycling bin. A little strict, sardonic voice inside me tells me to make use of all of those paper scraps and used-up tire tubes in my studio or throw them away. I like making pieces with junk and scraps from my life. It feels like a mad creative clipper system moves through my studio.
Off-kilter, kinetic, fantastical...
I was riding my mountain bike on some of my favorite local trails the day after that funeral, and was both healed and heartbroken by the brave Trout Lilies and Trillium and Bluets and Spring Beauties and Dutchmen’s Britches and Ramps (wild leeks) and the delicate lace-like skeletons left of last year’s birch leaves on the forest floor. It had been a long winter. I love, live for the snow, but my eyes were so thirsty for green and some hope at that time. I learned that those little flowers are called spring ephemerals—they get their little window to grow before the forest canopy closes the light out of the forest floor. My eyes opened so much wider to the natural world that day. Literally from then on I started referencing natural patterns both seen (leaves, grass) and unseen (wind, weather, energy) in my work. Nature, our place in the landscape, is not a static thing that we just sit behind a window and look at. It is a quivering, moving, shaking, ever-metamorphosing experience that gets inside of us. Next Page: Asleep in the Matted Grass
Chocolate Mountain
STOKELAB: Do you have a favorite piece among the ones you sent? Jess Graham: I have a few favorites— I’m still a big fan of Pump Track. That just captures the perfect afternoon with pals at the pump track, sweating, dirty, with a shade tree and a six of something cold beneath. I’m stoked on this new level of energy and texture I’ve achieved with Asleep in the Matted Grass. I found a great balance in this piece between the unstructured, free brush-stroke-grass-texture and the tight detailed lines of the lady’s body. To me this piece gets that feeling of those first
“I plan to be shredding the gnarl ‘til the day i die....” warm days when you just lay yourself down and feel the sun getting you from above and the earth warming you from beneath (wow, I swear I’m not a total hippie!). And finally, I especially like Chocolate Mountain. It’s that exposed, on-top-of-the world feeling you get hiking a ridge—pumped to drop in, but buffeted by the elements so a little tenuous at the same time. In a word, alive!
STOKELAB: Anything else to add...? Jess Graham: I plan to be shredding the gnarl ‘til the day I die. Wizened and with titanium-robot knees.
Pump Track
See more of Jess Graham’s work before she has to start painting with titanium robot hands and arms too. www.jessgrahamstudio.com
WIND
POWERED S I N C E
2 0 0 4
STEEP CREEK STORY BY THAN ACUFF | PHOTOS BY ALEX FENLON
It’s May and in the Rocky Mountains that means the stoke is ramping up for steep creek season. There are numerous creeks that open up throughout Colorado during the spring run off and one area in particular seems to attract legions of “hair boaters:” Crested Butte. Crested Butte has its host of class IV+, V creek runs that start opening up as soon as mid-May or as late as mid-June, depending on the snow pack. Typically, the first to go off is the East River with the put in at the bridge just before the Town of Gothic. Once the road melts out it’s game on for the East, a rowdy run that includes two significant rapids, Midget Wrestler and a 15-foot cascade drop called Cathy’s Falls. The Three Sisters comes up next, three ledge drops and then a screaming left hand turn. After that you take out OR you go run the big bird, Stupid Falls, aka Locals Only, a 70-foot cascading waterfall with two shelves in the middle of it that demands extensive scouting. Be warned, Stupid Falls has seen its fair share of carnage including a helicopter rescue. As the snow in the valley floors continues to peel away and roads clear up, move two valleys over to jump on the Slate River for your first taste of what that valley has to offer with a series of unusual hydraulics in the rapids, is narrow in sections and can be very shallow. Basically, if you get upside down in the Slate you’ll bleed. There’s drops, random boogie water, junky slide drops, S-moves with a really sticky hole and Wicked Wanda’s Plumbing. You have to do that one just right or it’ll beat you down.
STUPID FALLS HAS SEEN ITS FAIR SHARE OF CARNAGE INCLUDING A HELICOPTER RESCUE.
Stupid Falls. Double Ankle Breaker. Midget Wrestler.
But the jewel of the area, at least the most popular and one that will definitely peg your stoke meter, is Oh Be Joyful. While the East drops nearly 200 feet per mile, and the Slate 130 feet per mile, Oh Be Joyful drops 400 feet per mile. Legend has it the gnar was first run but Ute squaw boater Stokagawea though local boater lore credits Tim Kegerman for the first descent of the meat of the run in 1993. The run offers several drops including the opener, 20-foot Double Ankle Breaker, as well as a host of long slide rapids, tricky 90-degree turns, a tight canyon move dubbed Gunsight and finishes with a 15 to 18-foot waterfall. At high water, Oh Be Joyful is either a great run or a body abuser. At low water, Oh Be Joyful breaks boats. If you’re running Oh Be at high water, chances are Daisy Creek further up valley is prime as well and drops 300 feet per mile. Daisy Creek has numerous tricky moves and is the locale of Big Woody Falls, a classic 20-footer. Once you know the lines of all four creeks, close out your time in Crested Butte with the Quad and run all four in a day. More information on the Crested Butte creeks can be found in The New Testament guidebook or at www.mountainbuzz.com Or, go the old-school way, head to the Oh Be Joyful Campground and start spewing.
AT HIGH WATER, OH BE JOYFUL IS EITHER A GREAT RUN OR A BODY ABUSER...
Than Acuff grew up fueling his stoke for skiing at Ski Liberty on a sick pair of Rossignol Challengers. After witnessing a guy swill schnapps from a boda bag, straightline Squirrel Cage and smash through a plate glass window at the base of Wisp he knew it was time to dedicate his life to skiing. He eventually moved to Crested Butte in 1992 to peg the stoke meter and never left. As the sport of skiing progressed past his ability, i.e. 60-footer back layouts, he did what anyone who can’t do something does, he started writing about it. He still lives in Crested Butte, Colorado 17 years later, has since married, has a child and milks the wood edge and schralps the low angle pow of the surrounding backcountry. “Just lean back bitches!” Alex Fenlon’s stoke for outdoor sports and photography began in Appleton, Wisconsin hopping the trimmed bushes and climbing picket fences to take Polaroids of the neighborhood MILF as she sunbathed by her backyard pool.
See more of Alex’s photography at www.fenlonphoto.com
GEAR SCOPE
Deuter
Race EXP Air $129 The Race EXP Air has a full-perimeter zipper that enables you to expand the main compartment to accommodate extra layers, food, camera, repair kit, etc. Or leave it zipped for a lower-profile, lower-volume option when you’re going light. Features like mesh shoulder straps eliminate unnecessary weight, but that doesn’t mean Deuter skimped on the amenities. The Aircomfort panel gives your back room to breathe; a stowaway helmet harness is the carry-all cure and there’s even a built-in, removable rain cover. Plus: The Race EXP Air comes with a 3-Liter Streamer hydration reservoir that’s easy to clean, and the bite valve features a manual shut off and a dust cover for keeping dirt out of your mouth.
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Crunch Bars $3.49 (Box of 5) If you struggle with the texture and taste of most energy bars, try the Crunch. This new offering from Clif hit the shelves in June. It tastes good. Really good. The Crunch tastes more like a cookie bar, but it’s good for you. No high-fructose corn syrup or other ingredients you can’t pronounce. Just stuff like organic rolled oats and evaporated cane juice, and 4-5 grams of protein per serving. Flavors Available • Peanut Butter • Honey Oat • Chocolate Chip • White Chocolate Macadamia Nut
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The North Face Base Camp Duffel $110-$160
You could drop this duffel into the molten depths of an Icelandic volcano and it would emerge unscathed. Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but the Base Camp duffel withstands substantial abuse due to extra bartacks and double stitching. It’s a no-frills, weatherproof duffel built to last. Carry it like a pack with the alpine-cut shoulder straps or utilize the twin haul handles on either end. The Base Camp features a D-zip design, dual daisy chains, internal mesh pockets and an exterior ID pocket. Take it to the Himalaya or on your next road trip. Five sizes available, from mini to XL
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Arbor
Icon Belt & Buckle $64 Keep your pants up and on with this top-grain leather belt and buckle. Yeah, the belt is sweet, but the Arbordesigned rectangular buckles are where it’s at. They’re laid-up with reclaimed woods like Hawaiian Koa and Bamboo as a backdrop, and capped by a metal Arbor Tree logo. Fact: The wood is reclaimed from Arbor’s snowboard and skateboard production.
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ISSUE NO 2
AVAILABLE FALL 2010